Annette von Droste-Hülshoff was a German-language poet who lived from 1797 to 1848.
She was born at Burg Hülshoff near Münster. Here, at the ancestral home of her family, which belonged to the Catholic-influenced nobility and the white majority of the population of Westphalia, she spent the first half of her life.
After her father's death in 1826, her eldest son took over the castle, and her mother, Annette, and Jenny von Droste-Hülshoff, her older sister, moved to the nearby Haus Rüschhaus.
After her sister's marriage, Annette von Drost-Hülshoff spent a lot of time with her and her brother-in-law on Lake Constance in the 1830s and increasingly from 1841, more precisely in Meersburg, where she also died in 1848.
Detailed information on the poet can be found here.
The purpose of the foundation is: to promote art and culture, science and research, education and upbringing, as well as to promote the protection and preservation of historical monuments, and above all to preserve and promote the cultural and art-historical values associated with the name of von Droste zu Hülshoff and to communicate them to posterity and the public.
Learn more here.
With Burg Hülshoff in Havixbeck, its outer castle and park, as well as Haus Rüschhaus and its garden in Münster, the foundation manages the Westphalian living and working places of the great poet Annette von Droste zu Hülshoff (1797-1848).
More information about the castle can be found here, about Rüschhaus here.
Photography and filming without the use of a tripod and lights are generally permitted for private purposes on the grounds, not in the museums.
In the case of recordings that are to be used commercially or in the context of press relations, prior consent must be obtained from the management. Please contact our department for Communication.
Reference is made to the legal provisions of copyright law.
In the conception of the program operation, the Foundation has chosen the name Burg Hülshoff - Center for Literature in order to make a double offer.
With the first part of the institution's title, we deliberately want to put the castle itself and thus its multi-layered historical heritage in the foreground; in order to use the second part to also address an audience that is not proficient in the German language. In this way, we lower the linguistic hurdle if people from other regions of the world are to become aware of this new, vibrant center in the Westphalian heart of the republic as visitors or artists.
Incidentally, Annette von Droste-Hülshoff also had various national languages in her toolbox and played with French and Latin in her letters, and with Hebrew in Die Judenbuche (The Jew's Beech). So we see ourselves there in the best tradition.
Although the foundation promotes art and culture, science and research in accordance with its statutes, it does not provide any general project funding; instead, it primarily carries out its own projects.
The exception is the Residency Program, which the foundation runs together with the Cologne Academy of Media Arts, among others, as part of the program work of Burg Hülshoff - Center for Literature.
The physical residency program is run by the CfL in cooperation with the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM), funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of NRW.
Currently, only students of the KHM can apply. Once a year we publish an Open Call for this, which can then be found here.
For the CfL Web Residency, on the other hand, international artists can apply. It is not bound to a specific location and is also announced regularly here.
We receive many requests for classical concerts at the castle. We are pleased about that.
However, the castle will be undergoing extensive renovation in the coming years. Only after this construction work can we offer a suitable room that guarantees the fragile, precious instruments the appropriate humidity and warmth. For the outer castle currently used for events or pop concerts, a historic stable, is characterized by good acoustics but also great cold and by a sandy floor.
Of course, we are always happy to learn about new artists, books, music pieces, installations, performances, etc.
However, we would like to point out that with the CfL's program we are providing a specific, transmedial interpretation of the places and the work and life of the poet Droste-Hülshoff. This is broad anyway, but inquiries should be examined beforehand to see if they can productively relate to this broad field of work. For this purpose, reading our Mission Statements will help, for example.
You are welcome to send inquiries to our Program Office.