Schleiermacher’s Visit to Copenhagen in 1833

Schleiermacher’s visit to Copenhagen from September 22–29, 1833 was a signal episode in Danish intellectual life of the day.1 Most all of the leading Danish theologians, philosophers and literary figures played some role in the many events that took place in connection with his celebrated stay. By that time Schleiermacher was already an old man in the last year of his life. The trip to Copenhagen was a part of a longer journey through Scandinavia, and Schleiermacher was actually on his way back to Berlin when he stopped in the Danish capital. On this trip he was accompanied by his friend Maximillian Heinrich Karl Anton Kurt Graf von Schwerin (1804–72), known as Duke Schwerin-Putzar, a former calvary officer. The journey, which began in early August 1833, took the two friends first to Sweden, where they stopped in Stockholm. They continued on to Norway, where they met with the Danish-Norwegian philosopher Niels Treschow (1751–1833) in Oslo. From Oslo they went south in mid-September, travelling through Helsingborg in Sweden, and crossing to Helsingør on the Danish side of the sound. From there they proceeded to Copenhagen. In Copenhagen Schleiermacher was received with tremendous pomp and ceremony. There exist several accounts of this eventful week from both Danish newspapers and private individuals.2 Three of the most extensive of these accounts are presented here. In what follows a short de-