Graal-Müritz Literary Week

Literary Tradition on the Baltic Sea

Graal-Müritz, a state-recognized seaside resort on the Mecklenburg Baltic Sea coast (Rostock district), lies on the southern edge of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula. As early as the 1920s and 1930s, the town was a popular summer retreat for German-speaking writers: Erich Kästner spent his holidays here and wrote in a guesthouse, Kurt Tucholsky recuperated in Graal, Franz Kafka traveled to the sea in 1923 and came to Müritz, among other places, where he met Dora Diamant. This literary root remains identity-defining for the Baltic Sea resort to this day.

The Literary Week and its Concept

With the annual Literary Week in June, the Graal-Müritz Tourism and Spa GmbH commemorates this heritage — while simultaneously creating a contemporary cultural format. For a week, readings, concert readings, and multidisciplinary events are spread across the Haus des Gastes, the concert pavilion in the Rhododendron Park, and other locations. The program is deliberately broad: it's not just about classic author readings, but also about family programs, workshops, poetry slam, and interdisciplinary encounters between literature, music, dance, and circus.

Program Highlights

Typical program pillars include:

• Classic readings by regionally and nationally known authors
• Concert readings — literature and music in dialogue (e.g., Jan Simowitsch with "Und der Wal spuckt mich aus")
• Family programs such as interactive readings for children (e.g., "Fenja, die Küstenfüchsin" with Kristina Andres) or children's book readings with Lars Pape
• Poetry Slam with workshop and Best-of-Slam event
• Nature readings such as Judith Jakob with "Im Grünen", often combined with guided walks through the Rhododendron Park
• Film evenings with literary adaptations

Organizers and Tickets

The organizer is the Tourismus- und Kur GmbH Graal-Müritz. Tickets are sold via Eventim-Light (ticketshop.graal-mueritz.de) and on-site at the Haus des Gastes (Phone 038206 7030). Some program items are free (e.g., walks), others are subject to a charge (readings typically €10–€18).

Connection to the International Literature Festival

The Literary Week in June is not to be confused with the International Literature Festival Graal-Müritz (ilgm), which is also organized by the Tourism and Spa GmbH but takes place in September and offers its own program with an international focus (Boualem Sansal, Andrei Kurkov, Juri Andruchowitsch, among others). The Literary Week in June is the more family-friendly, regionally rooted version.