Thomas-Bernhard Path

Exploring Literature

The Thomas-Bernhard Path allows one to explore the landscape of the municipality of Ohlsdorf by walking and, in doing so, to engage with the literary works of Thomas Bernhard. The name Ohlsdorf is closely connected to Thomas Bernhard, and it can be rightfully said that Bernhard transformed this region into a specific literary landscape in his short stories and dramas. Thomas Bernhard settled in Ohlsdorf over 40 years ago and did not leave the place until his death in 1989.

This path is not intended to be a trail "in the footsteps of..." nor is it suggested that one can walk the same routes the poet took during his lifetime. Bernhard's most well-known statement in an interview with Krista Fleischmann should not be taken too lightly: he did not describe nature or landscape details, but rather focused on the "inner landscapes" located in the consciousness of his protagonists.

At 15 stations, significant quotes from Bernhard's works are exhibited, establishing associations with his writings—usually on an artistic object inspired by a central Bernhard furniture, the "Ohrensessel" (wingback chair) of the critical observer. Additionally, there is an exhibition in the foyer of the multipurpose center MEZZO, dedicated to two stories with clear references to Bernhard's living environment in Ohlsdorf: the stories "Watten" (1969), "Ein Nachlaß" (1969), and "Ja" (1978).

The landscape in Ohlsdorf from Bernhard's perspective: "I got to know the surroundings; what had always seemed so dark and repulsive was suddenly no longer so in such a numbing and annihilating way. The mountains, which had always seemed ugly to me, threatening, were no longer. The people, who had always seemed monstrous to me, were no longer. I had the opportunity to breathe deeper and even deeper."