View of the city centre of Jena—in the middle the »Jentower«.

The imagined reality

On the legacy of Romanticism in the modern world

View of the city centre of Jena—in the middle the »Jentower«.

Image: Jens Meyer (University of Jena)

Does life have a meaning? And if so, what is it? Are we as individuals part of a greater whole? Some questions cannot be answered unequivocally, even with the most sophisticated scientific methods. But that does not stop us from searching for answers nevertheless. In doing so, we allow ourselves to be guided by our imagination: we create utopias, envision the future and imagine worlds and dimensions that go beyond those that can be measured and experienced. This form of conscious creation of meaning is an invention of Romanticism—the second innovative movement after the Enlightenment to set modernity on its way. Researchers at the University of Jena are studying the present-day traces of this era, in the very place where Romanticism had its origins in Germany.

Picture: Städtische Museen Jena
The dawn of the modern age The roots of Romanticism in Germany can be found in Jena
Image: Jens Meyer (University of Jena)
What we cannot know, we imagine An Interview with literature expert Stefan Matuschek
Image: Jens Meyer (University of Jena)
Romanticism around the world Three researchers and their projects on the »Romantic Model«
Image: Jens Meyer (University of Jena)
The new freedom of vision On the traces of Romanticism in the visual arts of Europe
Image: bpk / Hamburger Kunsthalle / Elke Walford
Romanticism favours »as well as« approach over »either or« A painting offers Romantic approaches to crisis management
Image: Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
»Friedrich had quite a sense of humour« Art historian Johannes Grave examines the writings of Friedrich
Image: Jens Meyer (University of Jena)
The world must be romanticized Sandra Kerschbaumer on Romantic motifs in politics
Image: Doreen Kirsche (Universität Jena)
The extraordinary in the ordinary An invitation to view the urban environment with different eyes
Image: Jens Meyer (University of Jena)
»We have to know and recognize our own history of thought« Helmut Hühn on the importance of Romantic places of remembrance
Image: Jens Meyer (University of Jena)
»A real heaven of knowledge on earth« Johann Wilhelm Ritter discovered the UV radiation in Jena