M: Hello and welcome to the Fritz Reuter Literature Museum...
F: Or, as we would say in Low German: Hartlich willkamen in't Fritz-Reuter-Literaturmuseum.
M: Fritz Reuter, who appears in the shape of a bust right here in the building's foyer, is probably Stavenhagen's most famous son...
F: ... and one of the most important Low German authors. Born in this house in 1810, he was considered Germany's most successful writer in his final years.
M: And that despite the fact that he wrote almost exclusively in Low German – a language spoken throughout northern Germany at the time. Plattdeutsch, or Low German, isn't some quaint accent, but a real language that has since been included in the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages.
F: We have Fritz Reuter to thank for the fact that Low German took the step from familiar everyday and colloquial language into literature. High German had been established as a written language since the 16th century – while Low German was subsequently associated with the commonplace and the familiar, but also with a lack of education.
M: Fritz Reuter and several fellow writers drew a line under that notion. Reuter managed to elevate Low German to the rank of a literary language that met all poetic requirements. The enormous success of his works validated that assessment.
F: But before he reached that point, his journey was marked by upheavals and setbacks. In this exhibition, you'll find out about Fritz Reuter's life and his extensive body of work – while also exploring Mecklenburg in the 19th century.
M: Please start in the room immediately to your left. It deals with manorial life during Reuter's time.
All depictions: © museum.de
