‚Born in Schiefweg’ – Emerenz Meier Haus

At the birthplace of regional poetess Emerenz Meier in Schiefweg you’ll find a cozy traditional inn, and since very recently also a museum: an impressive exhibition tells the story of the emigration that took place from the Bavarian and Bohemian Forest to America in the 19th and early 20th century. It portrays Emerenz Meier’s life at the same time, emphasizing her deserved spot in the ranks of Bavarian literature as is her courage to stand up to a former male-dominated society.

Emerenz Meier is one of the most important Bavarian writers. She was born in the Lower Bavarian village of Schiefweg in 1874 and died in Chicago 53 years later – far away from home. In between she lived a turbulent life full of ups and downs. Even in her lifetime, people loved to read Emerenz Meier’s poems and stories about the everyday life of ordinary forest dwellers. She was seen as a natural.

However, financial need and waning interest in her literary work forced Emerenz Meier to emigrate to America in 1906. And although she found a new home in Chicago, she suffered the tragic fate of an emigrant whose hopes remained unfulfilled in the end. She wrote only for her enjoyment, waged verbal war against the high and mighty of her time and sent letters brimming with bitterness and homesickness to her loved ones, and back to her dearly beloved Bavarian Forest.

When Emerenz died in Chicago on 28 February, 1928, the gravely ill emigrant was released from her suffering, with the high hopes for a new future as an author buried with her.

Please learn more at Website des Emerenz-Meier-Haus-Vereins. You’ll find a brochure for download by clicking on brochures.