Johann Peter Hebel Commemorated in Basel

24 March 2026

What do Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) and Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) have in common? They admired, read, and studied the works of Johann Peter Hebel (1760–1826), despite not mastering the Alemannic dialect of Basel and Baden.

Hebel was not just a local writer and poet (also in German) from Basel. He was also a theologian, pedagogue, and above all an observer of human behaviour — with all its weak, absurd, beautiful, and strong sides. He expressed these in his poems, stories, sermons, and letters, with playful humour that never slipped into dogmatic moralism.

Literaturhaus Basel, 11 March 2026: Presentation of the book  ‘Hebel-Wirkungen. 30 Autorinnen und Autoren lesen Johann Peter Hebel’,  Andreas Lang (ed.), Wädenswil (Z), 2026.  

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of his death, the Basler Hebelstiftung, in collaboration with partners, is organising a series of events from April to October in Basel and Haussen (Baden-Württemberg).

On 15 April, Hebel will even speak to us again — through his bust on the St. Peterskirchplatz. Before that, on 6 April at 10 a.m., he will return to life in a service featuring one of his sermons at the Protestant church in Grenzach, in the company of his contemporaries. The full programme of the Basler Hebelstiftung is available on its website.

(Source and further information: Basler Hebelstiftung)