Museo Hermann Hesse Montagnola

The museum contains precious artefacts from the last 43 years of Hermann Hesse, who lived in Montagnola until his death. The small but important Hermann Hesse Museum was set up in the old Camuzzi Tower. This is part of the historic Casa Camuzzi complex, which is a reminder of the outstanding work of the Ticino architects in 19th century St Petersburg. Hermann Hesse rented a modest flat here in 1919 at the age of 42. After a crisis caused by the separation of his family and the devastating consequences of the First World War, which he had foreseen, Hesse began to write again and discovered painting as a source of peace and serenity.

Klingsor's Last Summer, Siddhartha, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Steppenwolf and numerous poems, stories and watercolours were written at Casa Camuzzi. In 1931, Hermann Hesse moved into Casa Rossa with his third wife Ninon, where he grew his own vegetables and flowers in the large garden. His subsequent works, including Hours in the Garden and The Glass Bead Game, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, and his ‘Letters’ confirmed his creative power. Many personalities (including Theodor Heuss, Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht) came to Montagnola to visit the writer. Hermann Hesse, who had been a Swiss citizen since 1924, felt at home in Montagnola; the incomparable landscape and the special light conditions of the Collina d'Oro captivated him. Added to this was the friendly attitude of the people of Ticino, whom he repeatedly praised in his letters.

His works have been translated into 60 languages; a total of around 150 million copies have been printed. The Hermann Hesse Museum in Montagnola, the first and so far only one in Switzerland, was inaugurated on 2 July 1997 to mark the 120th anniversary of the writer's birth. It contains valuable artefacts from the 43 years that the poet and painter spent in Montagnola from 1919 until his death in 1962. The museum is a place of cultural encounters for visitors of all origins. Documentary films are shown in Italian, German, English and French in the film screening room; books in various languages, which are available at the entrance and in the museum garden, invite visitors to reflect and read. The circular trail "In the footsteps of Hermann Hesse" offers the opportunity to admire the unique landscape of the Collina d'Oro.