The Eichendorffbank memorial in the Klausberge

A semi-circular stone bench sits in the Klausberge in the north of Halle (Saale). It serves as a memorial to Joseph von Eichendorff's time as a student in the city.

Eichendorff studied law in Halle from May 1805 to August 1806. He memorialized the surroundings of the city in his poem "Bei Halle," a work originally contributed to the "Deutscher Musenalmanach für 1841." Research by Erich Neuß shows that the handwritten original form of the poem dates to February 1, 1840. While it was once assumed the poem was composed during his studies on these hills, Eichendorff returned to Halle for a short visit in 1855, two years before his death.

The site began its life as a memorial roughly twenty years after the poet's death, when city councilman Heinrich Niemeyer suggested a dedicated space for his memory. In 1879, the Hallischer Verschönerungsverein took action under the direction of Justizrat Herrmann Fiebiger. They erected a simple memorial stone in the Klausberge at a location with a view of the Saale and Giebichenstein Castle.

In 1899, the memorial was updated to its current form featuring a semi-circular stone bench and a central obelisk. The first two stanzas of the seven-stanza poem "Bei Halle" are carved into the obelisk. In 2005, a stele with an inscription plate containing the full poem was placed opposite the bench.

The bench has survived many seasons, undergoing restorations in 1946 and 1970 before being renovated in 2020 and 2021. It was officially inaugurated in its current form on August 17, 2021. Today, it remains a living site of performance and gathering. Every year on March 10, the community holds a picnic and a musical celebration to mark Eichendorff's birthday. In the early spring, the city's school choir gathers here for the Frühlingssingen.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons