Activities
The Rilke Foundation, founded on October 30, 1986, is dedicated to the documentation and exhibition of articles related to Rilke’s years in Valais. For almost 30 years, it has maintained a museum, a library, and an archive that are open to the public. In addition, the Foundation sponsors year-round conferences, lectures, readings, and concerts.
Events
Since 2004, the Foundation has organized an annual series of lectures, readings, and musical concerts (in French and German) located in the de Courten mansion, Rue du Bourg 30, in Sierre. Many of the German-language lectures are held in Upper Valais. Lectures are typically held on Sundays beginning at 11am and lasting approximately one hour. Beginning in 2015, the Foundation’s lectures can be found online.
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Permanent exhibit
The permanent exhibit, Valais in Rilke’s Eyes (Das Wallis gesehen von Rilke / Le Valais vu par Rilke), is open all year round from Tuesday to Sunday, including public holidays. Closed on Mondays. Individual appointments are possible.
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TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
In addition to the permanent exhibit, the Fondation Rilke presents thematic exhibitions in the Maison de Courten in Sierre and at the “Museum auf der Burg” in Raron, which introduce the poet and his work, his travels, stays, and encounters.
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Walking tours
Publications
Since it was founded in 1986, the Rilke Foundation has regularly published work related to Rilke. Most of the publications are dual-language French/German documents. A significant portion of the Foundation’s publications are exhibition catalogues that accompany exhibits in the de Courten mansion in Sierre, which serves as the Foundation’s headquarters.