Slideshow
At home with Thomas Mann

Graphic in shades of grey, showing a drawing by Thomas Mann on the left and a section of a world map in the remaining part of the image. In North America and Europe, Thomas Mann's places of residence (Lübeck, Munich, Zurich, Princeton and Los Angeles) are labelled and lines indicate the route Thomas Mann took from one place to another. — Thomas Mann lived in all these places. | © Autograf / Tobias Schrank

From Lübeck to Los Angeles: Thomas Mann’s life story took him from Europe to the USA and back again. Our slideshow gives you an insight into the many different places where the Mann family lived.

By Jonas Radunz

Lübeck (1875–1894)

Second house from the right: Thomas Mann's birthplace. Breite Strasse 38, Lübeck. — Thomas Mann’s birthplace is located at Breite Straße 38 in Lübeck (here the second house from the right). | © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Photographer: Unknown / TMA_4332

The Buddenbrookhaus in Lübeck, left front view, right view from the street corner Breite Straße/Mengstraße — However, the house at Mengstraße 4, where Thomas Mann grew up and which served as the model for the Buddenbrooks house, is far better known | © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Photographer: Unknown / left: TMA_4303, right: TMA_4306

View of the buildings at Mengstraße 4 and 6, which are to be opened together as ‘The NEW Buddenbrookhaus’ after the remodelling — Today, the Buddenbrookshaus is a museum dedicated to the life and work of the Mann family. | © picture alliance/dpa | Markus Scholz

Munich (1894–1933)

Black and white picture. House of the Mann family on Poschingerstrasse, exterior view. Standing in front of the house from the left: Klaus Mann, Erika Mann, Thomas Mann. — During his time in Munich, Thomas Mann lived in various flats in Schwabing and Maxvorstadt before the family moved into a villa in the Bogenhausen district in 1914. | Foto (Detail): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Photographer: Unknown / TMA_4352

Exterior shot of the house at Poschingerstrasse 1 in the snow, black and white image, 1920s. — The Mann family's house was located at Poschingerstrasse 1 and was affectionately known as ‘Poschi’. | Foto (Detail): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Photographer: Unknown / TMA_5359

A new building quotes ‘in its own way’ (according to the memorial plaque) the façade of the old Mann villa ‘Poschi’, which used to stand here. — As the house was destroyed in the Second World War, a new building now quotes ‘in its own way’ (according to the memorial plaque) the façade of the old Mann villa that once stood here. | Foto (Detail): © picture alliance / SZ Photo | Alessandra Schellnegger

Nida (1930-1932)

Holiday home of the Mann family in Nidden, Lithuania. Sitting in front of it in the sand, from left: Katia Mann, Elisabeth Mann, Thomas Mann, Michael Mann, unknown boy, Alexander Ferber (son of the girl Maria Ferber), Monika Mann on the bench in the background. — Thomas Mann had a holiday home built for his family in Nida (Lithuania) in 1929 after he had taken a great liking to the landscape during a short visit. | Foto (Detail): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Photograf: Fritz Krauskopf / TMA_0192

The Thomas Mann Cultural Centre in Nidden on the Curonian Spit in Lithuania. Since 1996, the former summer house of the German writer Mann has been home to a Lithuanian-German cultural centre. The Curonian Spit has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. — After the house was almost completely destroyed during the war, it was restored at the suggestion of the Lithuanian writer Antanas Venclova. It is now a much-visited cultural centre dedicated to the work of Thomas Mann. | Foto (Detail): © picture alliance/dpa | Holger Hollemann

Küsnacht/Zürich (1933 - 1938)

Collage of two black and white pictures of a two-storey house in Küsnacht, Zurich. — After the National Socialists seized power in 1933, the Mann family had to flee Germany into exile. They found a new home in Küsnacht near Zurich. | Foto (Details): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Photographer: Unbekannt / links: TMA_4297, rechts: TMA_4296

Standing on the terrace of their house, from left: Thomas Mann, Elisabeth Mann, Katia Mann, Monika Mann, Michael Mann. — The family lived in Küsnacht - together with their pets - until 1938, when the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany prompted Thomas Mann to make another move. | Fotos (Details): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Fotograf: Unbekannt / TMA_0339

Princeton (1938 - 1941)

House of the Mann family in Princeton (65 Stockton Street), exterior view. — Thanks to the patrons Agnes Meyer and Caroline Newton, Thomas Mann was able to take up a teaching position at Princeton University in 1938. This enabled him to rent a stately house with 10 bedrooms at 65 Stockton Street. Monthly rent: 250 $. | Foto (Detail): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Fotograf: Unbekannt / TMA_8116

Family portrait of the Mann family, Thomas Mann reads aloud. They are sitting on chairs and sofas in a study, with bookshelves in the background. From left to right: Thomas Mann, Michael Mann, Katia Mann, Golo Mann, Erika Mann, Klaus Mann, Elisabeth Mann. — Thomas Mann's time in Princeton was characterised by a high level of creative energy. In the intellectually stimulating environment, he wrote many texts and speeches, for example the radio addresses ‘Deutsche Hörer!’, in which he commented on the war and addressed the German population critically. | Foto (Detail): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Photographer: Unknown / TMA_0543

Pacific Palisades (1941-1952)

A collage of two black and white photos from the 1940s next to each other. The photos show the same two-storey building, one from the front and one from the back. It is white, has several windows across both floors and is surrounded by greenery. — After the Mann family had already moved to California in 1941, they moved into a house built especially for them in 1942. Built by architect Julius Davidson, it was an expression of Thomas Mann's desire to call a prestigious home his own and embodied his desire to put down roots in California. | Foto (Detail): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Photographer: Unknown / links: TMA_4432, rechts: TMA_8111

Collage: on the left a colour photo of Thomas Mann and his daughter Elisabeth, standing outside in the garden with palm trees, Thomas Mann with hat and glasses. Right: black and white photo of Katia Mann with grandson Frido Mann, Thomas Mann with granddaughter Toni Mann. — In California, Thomas Mann was at the centre of a large group of German exiles and continued his heavy workload. His Doctor Faustus was written here. The family also put down the desired roots: four of his grandchildren were born in California, pictured here are Frido and Toni Mann. | Foto (Detail): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Photographer: Unknown / links: TMA_2412, rechts: TMA_3072

The Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles, a modern two-storey building with a white façade and large windows, surrounded by tall trees and a manicured lawn. The exterior lighting and the sky at dusk create a tranquil atmosphere. — Since 2018, the House of the Manns has been a residence of the Federal Republic of Germany. With the aim of promoting transatlantic intellectual exchange, the ‘Thomas Mann House’ cooperates with the Goethe-Institut: academics and intellectuals who live or have lived in Germany are invited to address the pressing challenges of our time and to foster intellectual and cultural exchange between Germany and the USA. | Foto (Detail): © VATMH / Mike Kelley

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