The Goethe Haus in Palermo, a house-museum and residential space dedicated to the figure and intellectual legacy of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is announcing an international scholarship aimed at scholars, writers, artists, students and researchers interested in German literature, history and culture, with particular reference to Goethe’s Italian journey and his Sicilian experience.
The Legacy of Travel to Italy: Why a Scholarship Today?
The fellowship aims to promote creative and scholarly reflection on Goethe’s work in the context of the city of Palermo, a central place in his Italian Journey, where the poet arrived in 1787.
To this end, the fellowship offers a free stay for the winner and a companion in Palermo, at the Goethe Haus (July 9 – 16, 2026), in conjunction with the 402nd Feast of Santa Rosalia , the hermit saint whose shrine Goethe visited, describing it in the pages in his famous Italian Journey as one of the most evocative places of popular Sicilian devotion.
The creation, during the stay, of an original work (diary text, literary, pictorial or graphic work) inspired by the figure of Goethe, with reference to Palermo or his Italian experience, will be appreciated. The work will be published on the cultural website GoetheHaus.cloud.
Application deadline: May 31, 2026
Notification of the winner: by June 15, 2026
1. Subject of the grant
The bag includes:
– free accommodation in a double room (“Goethe Palm”) with private bathroom at the Goethe Haus, during the period July 9 – 16, 2026, guests of the family of the founder of the house-museum;
– An expense reimbursement of € 1,500.
The grant does not include transportation and food.
Reimbursement of expenses will be paid to the bank account indicated by the winner (IBAN or PayPal) in 2 tranches: 50% by July 1, 2026 and 50% upon issuance of the report referred to in Art. 4.
The Goethe Haus is on the second floor of a building without an elevator. Therefore, the living room is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.
2. Purpose
The fellowship aims to foster awareness of Goethe’s Italian experience and to promote research and artistic creation inspired by his work.
It is also intended to spread awareness of Palermo as a place of the spiritual and cultural metamorphosis experienced by the poet during his trip to Italy.
3. Target audience
The contest is open to writers, artists, researchers, university students, and scholars interested in German literature, history, and culture.
Applicants over 18 years of age of any nationality may participate.
4. Report and original work
At the end of the stay, the winner will release a written account of his or her Palermo experience in the footsteps of Goethe.
The production of an original work inspired by the figure of Goethe and his Sicilian experience, in the form of a diary, essay or literary story, poetic text, pictorial work, graphic or illustrative work will also be welcome.
The work may be created during the stay or completed later.
The work will be published on GoetheHaus.cloud, accompanied by an introduction by the author.
The author will retain authorship of the work, granting the Goethe Haus the right to publish it on the website and in cultural materials related to the project.
5. Modalities of participation.
Application will be sent by email to info@goethehaus.cloud with attachment:
– Brief curriculum vitae, with any portfolio or list of publications, and indication of languages spoken;
– Brief motivation letter with concise statement of the work to be carried out (max 1,500 words);
– Copy of a photo ID.
A letter of introduction from the relevant cultural institution will be appreciated.
To facilitate participation, please use the email facsimile attached to this notice.
6. Selection
The winner will be chosen at the sole discretion of the Goethe Haus, also in consideration of the relevance of the proposed work to the figure of Goethe and his journey to Italy.
The Goethe Haus reserves the right to revoke the fellowship at any time should the winner behave in a manner contrary to the spirit and function stated in this announcement.
7. Deadline
Deadline for applications: May 31, 2026
The winner will be informed by email of the choice by June 15, 2026
The outcome of the procedure will be communicated through the website newsletter, to which subscription is recommended. In any case, non-receipt of the email, by the above date, will be tantamount to notification of the failure to award the scholarship.
8. Information
For information and submission of applications:
10. Spirit of the bag
The stay at the Goethe Haus is intended to offer the winner the chance to relive Goethe’s Palermo experience at a time in the city when the popular, symbolic and festive dimension reaches its greatest intensity: the Feast of Santa Rosalia, which Goethe himself mentioned on his Sicilian journey.
The Goethe Haus thus wants to renew, in the present, that dialogue between Germany and Italy that the poet considered one of the most fruitful experiences of his life.
The winner will be able to retrace the itineraries described by Goethe, visiting the most significant places in Palermo: Botanical Garden; Villa Giulia, Monte Pellegrino, Palermo Cathedral, Royal Palace and Palatine Chapel, Palazzo Torremuzza, celebrations of Santa Rosalia, the citrus gardens of the Palermo plain, Villa Palagonia (Villa of Monsters) in Bagheria.
All these places helped to reinforce in Goethe the idea that Sicily represented a kind of key to understanding the harmony between nature, art and history in the Mediterranean.
“Die Lage der Stadt ist die schönste der Welt.
Sie liegt zwischen zwei Vorgebirgen in einem weiten, fruchtbaren Tal.”
“Auf dem Monte Pellegrino wird die heilige Rosalia verehrt, welche die Palermitaner für ihre besondere Beschützerin halten.”
“The location of the city is the most beautiful in the world.
It lies between two headlands in a vast fertile valley.”
“On Mount Pellegrino is venerated Saint Rosalie, whom the people of Palermo consider their special patroness.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
11. Privacy
Pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the personal data provided by the participants in this call for applications will be processed by the promoting entity exclusively for the purposes related to the management of the scholarship selection procedure and related fulfillments. The processing will be carried out using computer and/or paper methods in compliance with the principles of security and confidentiality. The data will be kept for the time necessary to carry out the procedure. Data subjects may exercise the rights of access, rectification, cancellation and limitation of processing provided by Italian law.
For more information, please access the Goethehaus.cloud website with the following link
Goethe Haus Palermo: Where Culture Meets Hospitality
DAS FEST VON SANTA ROSALIA IN DER ENTSTEHUNG DER ‘REISE NACH ITALIEN – Goethe Haus
ANNEX
FACSIMILE EMAIL APPLICATION
At the Goethe Haus
Email: info@goethehaus.cloud
I am applying to participate in the selection for a SCHOLARSHIP “IN PALERMO ON THE TRACKS OF GOETHE.”
My personal information is as follows:
NAME
SURNAME
BORN AT …. THE …..
RESIDENT A
LANGUAGES SPOKEN:
I declare that I have read and agree to the conditions of the notice published on goethehaus.cloud.
I attach
– brief resume
– Portfolio or list of publications;
– Brief motivation letter with summary of the work I intend to carry out;
– Copy of a photo ID.
– Letter of introduction of the institution/university.
I consent to the processing of my personal data in accordance with Article 11 of the notice.
With best regards
signature
