In 1798 Jacob and Wihelm Grimm moved to Kassel, the home of their mother. There they lived with their aunt who was a lady-in-waiting for the Countess of Hesse-Kassel. The aunt looked after the brothers and supported them in every way. They were enrolled at the grammar school “Lyceum Fridericianum“, the “Friedrichsgymnasium” of today. The teachers praised the talent and diligence of the young Grimms, but the boys were not happy because they were considered socially inferior.

From 1802 (Jacob) and 1803 (Wilhelm) they studied law at the University of Marburg. Friedrich Carl v. Savigny, their teacher and founder of the historical school of jurisprudence, influenced the brothers profoundly. In his large library they discovered the works of “Old German” literature. It was also Savigny who introduced them into the circle of Romanticists around Clemens Brentano and Achim v. Arnim, which finally turned their attention towards the “poetry of the people”. As assistant of Savigny Jacob travelled in 1805 for the first time to the capital of France, Paris.

Kassel / Marburg
1798–1806

Virtual Museum of the Brothers Grimm
1785-1798: Parentage
1798-1806: Education
1806-1815: Orientation
1814-1829: Appreciation
1830-1838: Courage
1837-1841: Persistence
1841-1863: Performance
1863-... Impact