Even Goethe admired during his trip to the Harz in 1805 the collected works of paintings, called the "Temple of Friendship," by the poet and collector Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim (1719-1803).
Even Goethe admired during his trip to the Harz in 1805 the collected works of paintings, called the "Temple of Friendship," by the poet and collector Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim (1719-1803).
Gleim was in contact with almost all the major writers of the late 18th century. He established in Halberstadt not just the greatest poet portrait gallery of his time, but also he made it into a centre of literacy. Apart from the 120 portraits of famous contemporaries with whom Gleim was friends, he amassed a huge collection of books, letters and other pieces that come from the early age of Goethe. With its historic library and its extensive manuscript collection the Gleimhaus is one of Germany's oldest literary museums and research centre for literary and cultural history. Children can learn in a specially decorated room.
