Concerts

4. Andermatt Goethe Days

4 & 5 JULY 2026: “IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GOETHE AND HIS FOLLOWERS”

The 4th edition of the Andermatt Goethe Days will take place on 4 and 5 July 2026. Organised jointly by ANDERMATT MUSIC and the Sasso San Gottardo, this event will offer a unique mixture of music, literature, theatre, history and stories with special reference to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s travels to the Gotthard, his relationship with Switzerland, and his impact on this country’s history and self-perception.

“Feeling great; projects” wrote Goethe in his diary during a stop at Andermatt. He went on to praise both the inspiring surroundings and the “excellent” cheese from Ursern. He was full of enthusiasm for this valley, which he claimed was the loveliest and most interesting of all the regions he knew. Oddly, he came down from the north three times to the Gotthard Pass, and each time travelled back to the north again. Goethe was a universal genius who yearned for Italy and was possessed of an urge to explore — but he never traversed the Pass itself on his way south.

In 2026, the topic of the Andermatt Goethe Days will be “In the footsteps of Goethe and his followers”. Many have followed the route that Goethe took to the Gotthard – from the curious keen to expand their education to celebrities such as the composer-pianist Franz Liszt, who indeed walked in Goethe’s footsteps, climbing up from Hospental to the Gotthard Pass and wandering back to Hospental again without actually traversing the Pass itself. Goethe drew inspiration for his works from the mythical sites of William Tell by the banks of Lake Uri, and from the Schöllenen Gorge and the granite rocky mass of the Gotthard; Liszt for his part depicted in music the mighty landscapes of Uri and the heroism of the legend surrounding Tell with his piano piece Chapelle de Guillaume Tell.

Taking the same Gotthard route as Goethe essentially made Liszt a “follower” of the poet. As a young “star” author, Goethe had launched new, fresh forms on the literary scene – not unlike the slam poets of our day, who in their own way belong among his followers. And the audience for our Goethe Days can also tread in the great poet’s footsteps by embarking on a guided tour of Andermatt, listening to Liszt’s music as performed by Oliver Schnyder, and on the Sunday by visiting the Sasso San Gottardo on the Gotthard Pass. In Andermatt, we can all literally become “Goethe’s followers”.