Villa Marlitt: a rural setting just a 5-minute walk from the Old Town

Eugenie Marlitt not only became famous for her works but also amassed a fortune. With the proceeds from her 1869 novel *Reichsgräfin Gisela*, she purchased a building lot on what was then known as Hohen Bleiche, on the outskirts of the city toward Alteburg. Situated on a hillside behind the old city wall, the site offers a wonderful view of the city and the surrounding area to the north. Her favorite brother Alfred’s family moved into the spacious villa “Marlittsheim,” which featured a small tower. His children had become almost like her own to the Marlitts. She withdrew more and more from the outside world, which admired and revered her. This was primarily for health reasons, as her rheumatic and arthritic ailments had worsened to such an extent that she was confined to a wheelchair. Consequently, the house was built in a way that we would today describe as accessible: the doorways are wide, there are no thresholds, and the sloping garden was partially leveled. She was able to enjoy the view from the villa’s tower only once—she had let helpers carry her up, but she fell on the way down, so the memory of this “outing” must have been very painful in more ways than one. Marlitt had moved into the villa in 1871—the same year Willibald Alexis died. Two writers in a provincial town, both confined to wheelchairs—did they ever meet? They did not seek each other’s company. Moreover, after suffering several strokes, Alexis’s health was far more precarious than Marlitt’s. Yet it is hard to imagine that they never crossed paths in such a small town.

Villa Marlitt is privately owned and not open to the public. The John family lost the house under unfortunate circumstances shortly after the turn of the century. The catalyst was a nephew of Eugenie Marlitt, Walter John-Marlitt, who, after various financial failures, tried his hand at writing and sought to capitalize on his famous aunt’s name.