Literarischer Sommer Aachen

Literature Across Borders

Few literary festivals have been as consistently dedicated to cross-border exchange as the Literarischer Sommer / Literaire Zomer. Since 2000, the festival has connected German and Dutch cities with a joint program — from Aachen, Düsseldorf, Neuss, Mönchengladbach to Venlo, Maastricht, and further into the Dutch hinterland. On the German side, the NRW KULTURsekretariat in Wuppertal is the organizer in cooperation with the Literaturbüro NRW, supported by the Goethe-Institut, Flanders Literature, and Interreg Deutschland-Niederland.

Aachen as the Opening City

Aachen, with its historic Charlemagne city identity and proximity to the Belgian and Dutch borders, opens the festival season in 2026. The venue for the opening event: the Ludwig Forum for International Art on Jülicher Straße — one of North Rhine-Westphalia's most important art institutions for contemporary art. Opening night on July 2nd features Flemish author Stefan Hertmans, who will present his new novel „Dius”.

Stars of Dutch-German Literature

• Stefan Hertmans (BE) — Opening night July 2nd with „Dius”
• Lize Spit (BE) — one of the most important voices in contemporary Flemish literature
• Markus Orths (DE) — novelist and narrator
• Nora Gomringer (DE) — Bachmann Prize winner, poet
• Hanns-Josef Ortheil (DE) — writer, university professor
• Christien Brinkgreve (NL) — sociologist and author
• Joost Oomen (NL) — poet and performer

Aachen, Euregio Maas-Rhine

Aachen, with around 250,000 inhabitants, is an independent city in western North Rhine-Westphalia, directly on the tri-border area with Belgium and the Netherlands. The festival fits seamlessly with the city's European identity: a literary program that brings German, Dutch, and Flemish voices into conversation — and at the same time connects Aachen with its larger NRW sister cities and the Euregio Maas-Rhine.