Cover picture provided by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938); License: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Discover the fascinating world of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, one of Germany's most important expressionist artists, on the island of Fehmarn! Between 1908 and 1914, the Baltic Sea island became the artist's creative home, where he produced over 120 impressive coastal paintings.
Today, you can immerse yourself in his expressionist world in the free permanent exhibition in Burg on Fehmarn and walk along special trails to the original locations of his famous paintings.
Whether you are an art lover or a curious visitor to Fehmarn, here you can experience culture and nature in a unique combination.
The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Documentation on Fehmarn is an absolute must for all art lovers and Fehmarn enthusiasts. Here you can immerse yourself in the world of the famous expressionist and discover how the island influenced his art. You will learn everything about Kirchner's time on Fehmarn, his inspiration from the unique landscape and the people of the island, and his creative period here.
The permanent exhibition of the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Documentation can be found directly in Burg on Fehmarn. More precisely, it is housed in the upper rooms of the municipal library.
Public library on Fehmarn
Bahnhofstraße 47
23769 Fehmarn OT Burg
The municipal library is located between the market square and the industrial park in Burg on Fehmarn. There is a small parking lot in front of the library. However, it is also easily accessible on foot.
In the industrial park in Burg, you will also find other activities that you can combine with a visit. The Churches of Burg and other museums are nearby.
The E. L. Kirchner permanent exhibition in Burg on Fehmarn has the following opening hours:
Admission to the documentation is free.
If you want to delve deeper into Kirchner's world, you can take part in a free guided tour. The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Association Fehmarn offers these during the summer months:
Explore Fehmarn in Kirchner's footsteps with the special cycling and hiking map! This map will guide you to the places and landscapes that inspired the artist to create his famous works.
Recently, an audio guide with 31 stops across the island has even been added. You can find all the information about the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner audio guide by following the link.
Price: The hiking map is available for 3,50 € .
Where to buy:
The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Association on Fehmarn is not only committed to the permanent exhibition, but also regularly enriches the cultural life of the island with other changing exhibitions. Here you can find an overview of planned and past highlights:
The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Verein Fehmarn e. V. is a dedicated community that has been committed to keeping the significant artistic legacy of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner alive on the island of Fehmarn since its foundation in 1992.
Kirchner spent formative summers on Fehmarn from 1908 to 1914, where he created many of his most important works and developed his distinctive style.
Storage and documentation: The association traces Kirchner's footsteps on Fehmarn, preserves them, and documents his work on the island.
Exhibitions:
Knowledge transfer: To give you a better understanding of Kirchner's life and work, as well as the art and culture of Fehmarn, the association regularly organizes guided tours, excursions, and expeditions.
In short: The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Association Fehmarn plays a key role in ensuring that you can still experience Kirchner's deep connection to Fehmarn today.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (born May 6, 1880, in Aschaffenburg; died June 15, 1938, in Frauenkirch-Wildboden near Davos, Switzerland) was an outstanding German painter and graphic artist and is considered one of the most influential artists of Expressionism. His life and work were marked by intense creative phases and a deep engagement with the art of his time.
In 1905, Kirchner played a key role in founding the artists' group “Brücke” in Dresden, together with Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff.
The aim of this revolutionary group was to find new, direct, and emotional forms of expression in art and to break away from academic conventions. The “Bridge” artists practiced intuitive, rapid drawing from nude models and spent creative summers together, which greatly influenced their working methods.
In this early phase, Kirchner developed from an impressionist-influenced painter to an expressionist, devoting himself to subjects such as nude painting, portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, and variety shows.
Kirchner's summer stays on Fehmarn in 1908, 1912, 1913, and 1914 were particularly significant for his work. Here, surrounded by the unique coastal landscape, he found deep inspiration.
On the island, he created over 120 coastal paintings, hundreds of drawings and sketches, and several sculptures. an enormous amount, accounting for about a tenth of his entire body of work!
This period had a decisive influence on his landscape painting and helped to consolidate his own artistic style.
After moving from Dresden to Berlin in 1911, Kirchner's paintings changed: they became more angular, more nervous, and reflected the dynamism of the big city. His famous street scenes were created during this period and are now among his most sought-after works.
The First World War was a profound turning point in Kirchner's life, leading to a nervous breakdown and dependence on medication. These inner struggles found expression in his haunting self-portraits of those years, although he continued to produce large-format paintings.
From 1917 onwards, Kirchner found a new home in Davos, Switzerland, where he was able to recover from his addiction. This marked the beginning of a relatively stable creative period. From 1925 onwards, he developed an increasingly flat and later a very personal, abstract style that crowned his artistic development.
Kirchner's significance for Expressionism is immeasurable. He was not only a founding member of “Die Brücke,” but also played a decisive role in shaping the development of this style.
Tragically, his works were defamed as “degenerate” by the Nazis in 1937, and over 600 of them were sold or destroyed.
One year later, on June 15, 1938, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner died in Davos as a result of a gunshot wound. It is believed that his deep disappointment over the defamation of his art and his morphine addiction led to this tragic end by suicide.
Nevertheless, there are some doubts as to whether he actually committed suicide. According to the investigation report, there were two bullet holes and no powder residue, which is typical for such injuries. In addition, the weapon Kirchner used to commit suicide was difficult to use for this purpose due to its design.
Nevertheless, Kirchner remains a central figure of German modernism, whose direct, emotional mode of expression and unmistakable style continue to fascinate and inspire to this day.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and his artistic work.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner died on June 15, 1938, in Frauenkirch-Wildboden near Davos, Switzerland. He succumbed to a gunshot wound. The exact circumstances are often debated, but it is believed that his deep disappointment at the defamation of his works by the Nazis (who branded his art “degenerate” and sold or destroyed over 600 of his works) combined with his morphine addiction led to his tragic suicide.
The most expensive work by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner ever sold at auction is “Berlin Street Scene” from 1913. It was sold at Christie's in New York in 2006 for around 30 million euros (38.1 million US dollars at the time). Even though works such as “Dance in the Varieté” (sold in 2024 for just under 7 million euros) have fetched high prices in recent times, “Berlin Street Scene” remains the frontrunner.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner created a large number of important and famous works that characterize his unique style of expressionism. Among his best-known paintings are the “Berlin street scenes,” such as:
Weitere sehr bekannte Werke sind:
The documentation on Fehmarn exists to honor and keep alive the close and formative connection between Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and the island of Fehmarn. Kirchner spent several decisive summer months on Fehmarn between 1908 and 1914, during which he created over 120 coastal paintings and hundreds of drawings and sketches.
This period was fundamental to the development of his expressionist style.
The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Verein Fehmarn e. V. was founded in 1992 to track down, preserve, and document Kirchner's traces on the island so that you can experience his artistic work here.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was born on May 6, 1880, in Aschaffenburg.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's long-time partner, muse, and important source of support was Erna Schilling (1884–1945). They met in 1912 and she became his favorite model.
Erna and her older sister Gerda can also be seen in Kirchner's magnum opus, Potsdamer Platz. Although they were never officially married (Kirchner withdrew his marriage proposal shortly before his death), she was allowed to officially bear the Kirchner name and administered his estate after his death.
She moved to Switzerland with him in 1921 and took care of his business affairs after his nervous breakdown in 1915, thereby contributing significantly to his financial independence.
The available information does not indicate that Ernst Ludwig Kirchner had any children.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's art is representative of Expressionism. He was a founding member of the artist group “Brücke” and played a key role in developing this artistic style. His works are characterized by strong colors, angular shapes, and emotional expression.
Yes, there is a well-known catalog of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's works. The authoritative catalog is “Ernst Ludwig Kirchner – mit einem kritischen Katalog sämtlicher Gemälde” (Ernst Ludwig Kirchner – with a critical catalog of all paintings) by Donald E. Gordon, published in 1968 by Prestel Verlag in Munich.
Yes, unless other rules are posted on site, you may take photos and film for private use. Please ensure that you protect the images and drawings. Keep a reasonable distance and avoid using flash.
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