Siegfried Lenz: Mein erlebtes und erzähltes Schleswig-Holstein

In the organizer's words:

The novels and stories of Siegfried Lenz (1926-2014) would be inconceivable without the sea, the coast and the people of Schleswig-Holstein. In the northernmost federal state, he found settings for existential experiences, cheerful encounters and vivid observations.

The honorary citizen of Schleswig-Holstein would have turned one hundred years old in March 2026. To mark the occasion, the state parliament and Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein (IB.SH) are presenting a special exhibition in the joint Kulturland Schleswig-Holstein series, which explores the writer's special relationship with the "land between the seas". And it does so from two perspectives at the same time: what he experienced meets what he told.

The exhibition, created in cooperation with the Siegfried Lenz Foundation and comic artists from Schleswig-Holstein, uses texts, photos, documents and objects from the estate to depict the stages of Siegfried Lenz's life and places where he lived.
his own experiences. Pictures and drawn stories bring the world of the "narrated" Schleswig-Holstein to life in his work. The illustrators from the Pure Fruit comic collective take a creative and fresh look at the life and work of the author of the German lesson.

Siegfried Lenz (1926-2014) is one of the most important and most widely read writers of post-war and contemporary German literature. He was awarded numerous important prizes for his multifaceted work. His stories, novels, essays and plays revolve around social issues, and he repeatedly took part in political debates with speeches and statements.
political debates with speeches and statements. Lenz was born in Lyck in East Prussia. He lived in Hamburg and for many months of the year in the Schleswig-Flensburg district of Tetenhusen. On December 2, 2004, he was awarded honorary citizenship of Schleswig-Holstein.
was awarded to him.

The non-profit Siegfried Lenz Foundation, based in Hamburg, was established by its namesake himself. It is dedicated to the academic study of Siegfried Lenz's literary and journalistic work. It also awards scholarships and supports young artists and academics.
scientists. Every two years, the foundation awards the Siegfried Lenz Prize to international writers.

The exhibition is curated by Dr. Maren Ermisch, research assistant at the Institute of German Studies at the University of Münster and co-editor of the Hamburg edition of Siegfried Lenz's works, and is designed by Tim Eckhorst and Gregor Hinz, comic artists and illustrators from Kiel and two quarters of the comic collective Pure Fruit. In addition to them, fourteen other illustrators from Schleswig-Holstein are participating in the exhibition.

The exhibition can be visited daily from March 26 to May 10, 2026 from 10 am to 6 pm. Please note the access instructions to the Landeshaus, which can be found on our website.