Davos (Canton of Graubünden) is the subject of this exhibition (Europa auf Kur. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Thomas Mann und der Mythos Davos).
The (former) mountain village makes European cultural and medical history visible. The show links medical and spa history, architecture, winter sports, art and literature, philosophy and politics.
The high mountain air was a remedy against the contagious disease tuberculosis. From 1870 onwards, Davos rapidly changed from a mountain village into an international health resort.
At the same time, Davos developed into a renowned winter sports resort. The Beau Monde met in Davos: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Katia and Thomas Mann, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, Albert Einstein and Sonja Henie are only a few celebrities who visited Davos.
The exhibition tells their stories. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner left Berlin to stay in Davos. In the novel Der Zauberberg, Thomas Mann describes Davos as a symbol of Europe’s dreams and misfortunes.
The exhibited masterpieces by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner from the Kirchermuseum open a new perspective on European cultural life at the turn of the century.
Other Objects are displayed for the first time. They come from the German National Museum (Germanisches Nationalmuseum), the Davos Historical Museum (Heimatmuseum Davos), the Davos Sports Museum (Sportmuseum Davos), the Medical History of Davos ( Medizinhistorische Sammlung Davos) and the Davos Documentation Library (Dokumentationsbibliothek Davos).
The original diaries, notes and photographs from the Thomas Mann Archives at the ETH Zurich document the history of the Der Zauberberg in an impressive manner.