Uli always spoke fondly of Tübingen, the town in southern Germany where she had attended university in the 1990s. Founded in the 1470s, the university is one of Germany’s oldest. Students have included the poet Hölderlin, the philosophers Hegel and Schelling, and Kepler the astronomer.
When she recalled Tübingen, Uli usually mentioned a local landmark: Hölderlin’s Tower. This was where the poet Hölderlin had lived quietly for decades in the early 1800s, cared for by a local family, after suffering a personal crisis. Today the reconstructed tower has a small museum dedicated to the poet. In his day, there was a clear view across the Neckar River to the plain beyond the town. There’s also a tranquil garden.
In the river next to Hölderlin’s Tower lies Neckar Island — a peaceful walk, especially in the mornings.
The castle above the town houses the University of Tübingen’s collection of Stone Age, Egyptian, Greek and Roman art. The collection opened there after Uli had graduated, but she saw it at the start of 2024, during a visit to the town, and sent photos of it.
One of her photos showed a highlight of the university’s collection: the Vogelherd Horse, carved from ivory 30,000-40,000 years ago and found in a cave in southern Germany. It’s the earliest-known sculpture of a horse.
Below the castle, the Stiftskirche church has stood since 1470. The steps beside the church have long been popular with students as a meetingplace.
Across from the church, Hermann Hesse worked as a bookshop assistant in the 1890s, at the start of his literary career. Uli had read most of his novels, but didn’t care much for his work. Near the town center is the Old Botanical Garden, another tranquil walk. Not far away is the university library, where Uli spent many hours studying.
One of Uli’s favorite local hikes was from the town to a Romanesque chapel six km away, perched on a hilltop. Uli hiked it both in her student days and early in 2024.
The gravestone of Hölderlin (d. 1843) stands in the town cemetery. Uli’s resting place, covered in pine boughs, is also there.
A poem of hope, written by Hölderlin in the tower:
The lines of life are various,
Like roads and the borders of mountains.
Whatever we are here, a god may complete there,
With harmonies, undying reward, and peace.
