Musée Goethe à l'Auberge au Bœuf

About the museum

The museum tells the love story between the young Goethe and Frédérique Brion, daughter of the pastor of Sessenheim. A student in Strasbourg, Goethe visited the parsonage in autumn 1770 and returned to the village often until August 1771. He recorded this memory in his correspondence, in poems and in his autobiography, and the place became a literary pilgrimage site, especially for German visitors.

A first museum was inaugurated on August 10, 1895 in a room of the town hall, on the initiative of the German professor and archaeologist Gustave Adolf Müller. It moved in 1899 to the Auberge au Bœuf, created in 1893 opposite the Lutheran church in a house restored in 1824. The collection includes originals, letters, poems, paintings, a large library and objects from the old church of Sessenheim, such as the pulpit, the rooster and the cross.

In 1953, Wolfgang Sautter and his wife renovated the museum and rebuilt the inn, which their daughter Christiane Sautter-Germain took over in 1986; their son, the chef Yannick Germain, works in the kitchen. In 2026 the former Auberge au Bœuf was renamed Maison Héritage. The museum, which holds the “Maisons des Illustres” label, has moved within the building; access is through the restaurant entrance.

Highlights

• The romance between Goethe and Frédérique Brion in 1770–1771
• Original letters, poems and paintings
• Large library devoted to Goethe
• Objects from the old church of Sessenheim (pulpit, rooster, cross)
• Museum housed in an Alsatian inn dating from 1893

Permanent exhibition

• Exposition permanente sur Goethe et Frédérique Brion – Letters, poems, paintings and library evoking Goethe’s idyll at Sessenheim in 1770–1771.

Founded

1895

Operated by

Maison Héritage (ancienne Auberge au Bœuf)

Admission & discounts

The establishment’s website, renamed Maison Héritage in 2026, no longer presents the museum: visiting days and times must be confirmed by phone before your trip.

Accessibility

The establishment’s website, renamed Maison Héritage in 2026, no longer presents the museum: visiting days and times must be confirmed by phone before your trip.

Kids & families

The establishment’s website, renamed Maison Héritage in 2026, no longer presents the museum: visiting days and times must be confirmed by phone before your trip.

Getting there & parking

Strasbourg-Entzheim airport 35 minutes away, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airport 40 minutes away, EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse 1 h 30 min (information provided by the establishment).

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant

Gourmet restaurant and Maison Héritage hotel in the same building; open Wednesday to Sunday, with service hours that vary by day.

Events & venue rental

The establishment’s website, renamed Maison Héritage in 2026, no longer presents the museum: visiting days and times must be confirmed by phone before your trip.

Plan your visit