Writers in Berlin
The atlas holds 23 people and 51 moments here, from 1698 to 1990. The most recorded lives are Franz Kafka, Otto von Bismarck and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
Notable people
Franz Kafka
from 1910 to 1924
6 moments here
German-language Jewish Czech writer whose fiction transformed modern literature. Born and educated in Prague, Kafka trained as a lawyer and worked…
Otto von Bismarck
from 1833 to 1884
6 moments here
Otto von Bismarck was a Prussian and German statesman, diplomat, and the first chancellor of the German Empire.…
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
from 1698 to 1711
5 moments here
German polymath, philosopher, mathematician, jurist, diplomat, court councillor, historian, and librarian.…
Karl Marx
from 1836 to 1874
3 moments here
German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. Born in Trier, Marx studied in Bonn and Berlin, worked in Cologne, and…
Ronald Reagan
from 1982 to 1990
3 moments here
American broadcaster, actor, labor leader, governor of California, and 40th president of the United States.…
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
from 1862 to 1874
3 moments here
Russian novelist, journalist, essayist, and former military engineer whose life moved between Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Siberian imprisonment and…
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
from 1818 to 1831
3 moments here
German philosopher and a central figure of German idealism. His documented movements include formative study in Stuttgart and Tübingen; tutoring…
Arthur Schopenhauer
from 1811 to 1825
3 moments here
German philosopher and writer, born in Danzig and dead in Frankfurt am Main. His documented movements included childhood residences in Hamburg and Le…
Charlie Chaplin
from 1921 to 1931
2 moments here
English actor, comedian, director, writer, producer and composer whose screen persona, the Tramp, became an international icon.…
Voltaire
from 1740 to 1750
2 moments here
François-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, dramatist, and philosopher.…
John F. Kennedy
from 1939 to 1963
2 moments here
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was an American naval officer, journalist, congressman, senator, and the 35th president of the United States.…
Leonhard Euler
from 1741 to 1753
2 moments here
Swiss mathematician, physicist, astronomer, engineer, and polymath. Euler’s documented life moved from Basel and nearby Riehen to Saint Petersburg,…
Albert Einstein
in 1914
1 moment here
German-born theoretical physicist who transformed modern physics through special and general relativity, foundational work on quantum theory, and…
Mark Twain
in 1891
1 moment here
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known as Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, journalist, lecturer, riverboat pilot, and traveler.…
Sigmund Freud
in 1922
1 moment here
Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis. This chronology traces documented locations from his Moravian birthplace and Viennese education…
Hans Christian Andersen
in 1846
1 moment here
Danish writer renowned for literary fairy tales including “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Snow Queen,” and “The Ugly…
Benito Mussolini
in 1937
1 moment here
Italian journalist, Fascist leader, and dictator of Italy from 1922 until his removal in 1943.…
Carl Friedrich Gauss
in 1828
1 moment here
German mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, and physicist. Gauss was born in Brunswick, studied there and at Göttingen, worked privately in…
Friedrich Engels
in 1841
1 moment here
German philosopher, political theorist, revolutionary socialist, businessman, and Karl Marx’s lifelong collaborator.…
Jean-Paul Sartre
in 1933
1 moment here
French philosopher, writer, and political activist associated with existentialism. His documented movements include education and teaching across…
Jimmy Carter
in 1978
1 moment here
James Earl Carter Jr. was an American naval officer, Georgia state senator and governor, the 39th president of the United States, and a…
Le Corbusier
in 1910
1 moment here
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, known as Le Corbusier, was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, painter, writer, and urban planner.…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
in 1861
1 moment here
Russian Romantic composer whose career ranged from civil-service work and conservatory teaching in Saint Petersburg and Moscow to international…
Moments
- 1698 Extended periods in Berlin Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- 1702 Residence at Lützenburg and Berlin Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- 1704 Arrival at Lützenburg Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- 1706 Berlin residence Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- 1711 Final Berlin sojourn Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- 1740 Visits Frederick in Berlin Voltaire
- 1741 Arrival in Berlin Leonhard Euler
- 1750 Occupies rooms at Charlottenburg Palace Voltaire
- 1753 Family home in Charlottenburg Leonhard Euler
- 1811 Enrollment at the University of Berlin Arthur Schopenhauer
- 1818 Moved to Berlin Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
- 1820 Berlin test lecture and teaching appointment Arthur Schopenhauer
- 1825 Return to Berlin for a second academic attempt Arthur Schopenhauer
- 1828 Berlin scientific congress Carl Friedrich Gauss
- 1831 Lodgings in Kreuzberg Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
- 1831 Death in Berlin Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
- 1833 Continued studies in Berlin Otto von Bismarck
- 1836 Begins studies in Berlin Karl Marx
- 1837 Convalesces and studies Hegel in Stralau Karl Marx
- 1841 Prussian artillery service Friedrich Engels
- 1846 Sits for portrait in Berlin Hans Christian Andersen
- 1848 Revolutionary crisis visit to Berlin Otto von Bismarck
- 1861 First foreign journey: Berlin Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- 1862 Visited Berlin on his first European tour Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- 1862 Blood and Iron speech Otto von Bismarck
- 1866 Assassination attempt in Berlin Otto von Bismarck
- 1867 Stayed in Berlin with Anna Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- 1874 Passed through Berlin en route to treatment Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- 1874 Stops in Berlin after Karlsbad Karl Marx
- 1878 Hosted Congress of Berlin Otto von Bismarck
- 1884 Berlin Conference plenipotentiary Otto von Bismarck
- 1891 Begins European residence in Berlin Mark Twain
- 1910 Berlin exhibitions Le Corbusier
- 1910 Spends a week in Berlin Franz Kafka
- 1913 Reunites with Felice in Berlin Franz Kafka
- 1914 Moves to Dahlem apartment Albert Einstein
- 1914 Faces the ‘tribunal’ at Askanischer Hof Franz Kafka
- 1921 Visits Berlin on European tour Charlie Chaplin
- 1922 Appears with associates in Berlin Sigmund Freud
- 1923 Moves to Berlin-Steglitz Franz Kafka
- 1923 Lives on Grunewaldstraße Franz Kafka
- 1924 Moves to Berlin-Zehlendorf Franz Kafka
- 1931 Takes tea at Alexanderplatz police headquarters Charlie Chaplin
- 1933 Study year at the French Institute in Berlin Jean-Paul Sartre
- 1937 Official visit to Berlin Benito Mussolini
- 1939 Observed prewar Berlin John F. Kennedy
- 1963 Declared solidarity with West Berlin John F. Kennedy
- 1978 West Berlin Airlift Memorial speech Jimmy Carter
- 1982 Visits West Berlin Ronald Reagan
- 1987 Challenges Gorbachev at Berlin Wall Ronald Reagan