Desk and study of Thomas Mann in the Thomas Mann Archives in Bodmer House© Thomas-Mann-Archiv, ETH Zürich

The Thomas Mann Archives house the majority of Thomas Mann's remaining handwritten works, which includes manuscripts, diaries and letters. One special attraction is the Nobel laureate's study, which was preserved in its original state. The Thomas Mann Archives are located in the ETH library at the ETH Zurich, one of the world's leading universities in the fields of natural sciences and technology, alongside a range of historically and scientifically significant collections and archives.

The Thomas Mann Archives are the central research resource on the author's life and work. It has three main tasks:

Archive: The Thomas Mann Archives have catalogued the author's estate and made it publicly accessible. New material by and about Thomas Mann is continuously being added.

Museum: In the permanent exhibition, the reconstruction of Thomas Mann's study in Kilchberg with the original objects – in particular Thomas Mann's desk, which accompanied the author throughout his exile – is a striking artefact of his life and work. Thomas Mann's personal library provides a glimpse into his reading and working habits.

Research: The Thomas Mann Archives publish two scientific series – the Thomas-Mann-Studien and the Thomas Mann Jahrbuch – and are significantly involved in the annotated Frankfurt edition of Thomas Mann's works. The Thomas Mann Archives also support researchers from around the world. 

“...we survived, Switzerland and I.” Thomas Mann in his Swiss exile

From 1933 to 1938, Thomas Mann lived in exile in Switzerland. In 1952 he returned to Switzerland from his exile in the US and lived here until his death. Looking back, he summed up his relationship to Switzerland as follows: “This land became a homeland when Germany was lost to me.” It was therefore Thomas Mann's wish that his estate be bequeathed to Switzerland in gratitude for granting him exile. As the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich had presented him an honorary doctorate of natural sciences on his 80th birthday, there was already a connection between Thomas Mann and the ETH Zurich. In 1956 – one year after Thomas Mann's death – his heirs transferred the gift of his entire literary estate as well as the complete furnishings of Thomas Mann's last study to the ETH Zurich. The university, in turn, established a separate institute for it: The Thomas Mann Archives. Since 1961 the Thomas Mann Archives have been located in the house of the Zurich literary figure Jakob Bodmer, who also counted Goethe among his guests. Since 2012 the Thomas Mann Archives have been assigned to the ETH library area. (Source information for quotes: Thomas Mann: Wiedersehen mit der Schweiz, 1947. In: Große kommentierte Frankfurter Ausgabe: Essays VI 1945–1950, hrsg. und textkritisch durchgesehen von Herbert Lehnert, Frankfurt/Main: S. Fischer 2009, Bd. 19.1, p. 269–270)

Facts and figures

The collections include approx. 3,600 volumes from Thomas Mann's own library, approx. 1,500 pages of manuscript, approx. 22,000 letters, 36 diaries, 14 notebooks and approx. 1,400 pages of work materials. The archives also hold a collection of historical newspaper articles of some 80,000 units since 1895, numerous photos, recording documents and graphics as well as secondary literature focused on Thomas Mann and his milieu. 

Opening times

The Thomas Mann Archives are open for researchers, interested parties, guided tours and school classes from Monday to Friday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visits must be pre-arranged). The museum is open to visitors from Monday to Friday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m., without pre-arrangement, admission free).