The living legacy of the famous composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856) can be encountered at every turn in the city that bears his name.
Robert Schumann House
The best place to get in touch with him is the Robert Schumann House. It is home to the world's largest Schumann collection with more than 4000 original manuscripts by Robert Schumann and his wife, the pianist Clara née Wieck (1819-1896). A highlight of the house is the grand piano built in Vienna in 1828, on which Clara Schumann made her concert début in the Leipzig Gewandhaus as a nine-year-old girl. This instrument once adorned the DM100 banknote. On the ground floor there is also the chamber music hall with 140 seats for concerts, lecture evenings and symposia. Every two years the Robert Schumann Prize is awarded here to outstanding artists, orchestras and music researchers.
Robert-Schumann-Society
The Robert-Schumann-Society can look back on more than 60 years of activity. Among the most important activities of the Schumann Society are the support of the Schumann House, the participation in the international Robert Schumann Competition for piano and voice, the Schumann Gala or the organisation of scientific workshops on questions of Schumann research, the results of which are published in the series "Schumann Studies". The Society is also involved in awarding the Robert Schumann Prize.
Clara Wieck Grammar School
Planitz Palace houses the Clara Wieck Grammar School, which is closely linked to the legacy of Clara and Robert Schumann. The grammar school is known for its extraordinary successes in in-depth musical and artistic education.
Robert Schumann Conservatory
The renowned Robert Schumann Conservatory, founded in 1947, is a music school dedicated to the education of young musicians and the cultivation of the legacy of Robert Schumann. In addition, the conservatory organises the Little Schumann Competition for young pianists with participants from all over Germany in a two-year cycle.
Schumann Year 2010
The Schumann Year 2010 has gone down in the city's chronicle as a milestone in the living preservation of the musical heritage. The Robert Schumann city has presented itself with a variety of concerts, events and exhibitions, which was certainly understood by widely travelled music lovers as a perpetual invitation to Zwickau.
Schumann trail
On the occasion of his 200th birthday, a Schumann circular trail was inaugurated in 2010.
What makes the memory come alive are the traces Schumann left on his walks through the city. The signposting of the circular route shows the life of Robert Schumann at buildings like the "Goldner Anker". Here he kissed his future wife Clara Wieck. In 14 places in the city you can find these boards. The little anecdotes and stories behind the walls of the beautifully renovated city centre often tell surprising and little-known stories about Schumann and the City of Zwickau.
