Let me start by saying I’m not usually a fan of visiting writer’s homes; they often seem comfortable and give little hint of the work that happened there and the writer’s life.
But the Berlin apartment where Bertolt Brecht spent his last three years seems different to me. For a start, no mansion: It occupies part of an ordinary residential building with retail on the ground floor. If it weren’t for a smallish plaque next to the storefront, you’d just think you were passing a bookstore specializing in literary works.
And, it’s not all that big; the open-to-visit museum portion is really three rooms, and the general air of worn furniture, well-thumbed books and idiosyncratic bits of decor. Scanning his bookshelves, I even noticed many titles I own, too. Not just political works: lots of popular mysteries as well.
Brecht in the living room. The books were much less tidy then!
Brecht moved into the East Berlin apartment in 1953,four years after his return to Germany from years of exile in Europe and the United States, where he eventually ran into problems over his political sympathies.
The apartment had room for him to work, room to meet with students, and to work with actors from the Berliner Ensemble, the theater founded by his wife, Helene Weigel.
The other main room was Brecht’s workspace, for himself and colleagues. Three desks, two typewriters, and plenty of space to block out theater scenes.
Brecht’s bedroom, where he died in 1956
Shortly after Brecht moved in, Weigel moved into an apartment on the floor above Brecht. By that time, they were working together, still married, but not sharing space. In a city that still had housing shortages, it’s likely that only their status as leading artists got them two apartments!
After Brecht’s death, Weigel was able to use her influence to turn her original apartment into an archive of Brecht’s 4,000 books and archives. Brecht’s apartment was left empty, and Weigel moved into a ground-floor apartment opening onto the garden. She had a sunny extension built out onto the garden.
After Weigel’s death in 1971, the building was taken over by the Academy of Arts, which kept Brecht’s and Weigel’s rooms as a memorial, now museum. The other spaces in the building were given over to other programs of the Academy. There’s even a basement restaurant that serves meals based on the family recipes of Weigel, who was an avid cook.
The hallway of the building is lined with panels detailing the timeline and highlights of Brecht’s and Weigel’s careers, including some that really caught my fancy: Weigel and Brecht in the early 1930s; with composer Hanns Eisler who composed music for several of Brecht’s plays, and finally with friends on the roof of the Berliner Ensemble, celebrating May Day in 1953.
The building is next-door to the historic Dorotheenstadt Cemetery, where Brecht and Weigel were buried, along with several of their co-workers including Eisler. There are also memorials to victims and resisters of the Nazi era.
The other institutions in the building include the Bertolt Brecht Archive and Helene Weigel Archive, which also belong to Archives of the Akademie der Künste, and the independent Literaturforum im Brecht Haus.
Museum visitors aren’t allowed to take pictures in the apartments, so I’ve had to rely on other sources for interior photos. Admission to the museum is limited to a few visitors at a time. A guide walks the group through and gives the narrative in German; by arrangement, tours are also available in English.
