LesArt – Franconian Literary Days Schwabach

30 Years of LesArt — Literary Festival Since 1997

LesArt is one of the most established literary events in Bavaria and celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026. Since its premiere in 1997, the festival has brought around 350 authors to the Central Franconian city of Schwabach — including heavyweights like Martin Walser, Judith Hermann, and Wladimir Kaminer. Organized by the Schwabach City Cultural Office (Königsplatz 29a), LesArt positions itself as a forum for sophisticated contemporary literature in a condensed format.

Part of the Franconian Literary Days

LesArt Schwabach is part of a Central Franconian festival network that brings together the cities of Schwabach, Ansbach, and Lauf an der Pegnitz under the umbrella of the "Franconian Literary Days." Each city has its own dates in the first two weeks of November — and together they create a ten-day literary landscape in the Franconian autumn.

Three Pillars — Renowned Authors, Newcomers, Performances

The festival program traditionally stands on three pillars: renowned authors from German-speaking countries and abroad present their current books; successful newcomers get a stage for their first works; and celebrities from film and television create literary performances. This makes LesArt more than just a reading series — it is a place for encounter and exchange for the literary scene and its audience.

Reading Promotion in Schools

An important pillar of LesArt is reading promotion. Children's and young adult authors visit Schwabach schools during the festival and bring the enthusiasm for literature directly into the classroom. In doing so, LesArt fulfills a cultural policy mandate that goes beyond a mere event series — the next generation of readers is to be won over for the world of books.

Schwabach — Gold-Beating City in Central Franconia

Schwabach is an independent city in the state of Bavaria (District Code 09565) in the Central Franconian Basin between Nuremberg and Roth. Famous for its gold leaf craftsmanship (the "Schwabach Gold" gilds domes and artworks worldwide), it offers a charm of historic old town and small-town culture that creates the ideal setting for the literary festival. The main venues are the Markgrafensaal, the hall of the Volkshochschule, the city library, and bookstores such as "Lesezeichen."