Scheherazade tells a tale from 1001 Arabian Nights

Oriental fairy tales from 1001 Nights

With the special exhibition "Scheherazade Told: Fairy Tales from 1001 Nights," a touch of the Orient returns to the princely walls of Neuenbürg Castle near Pforzheim. Created in close cooperation with the Brothers Grimm Society in Kassel, the show features around 130 exhibits, including historical maps, fairy tale illustrations from the 19th and 20th centuries, and lavishly illustrated book editions that provide insights into the oriental fairy tale tradition.

The book “One Thousand and One Nights” originally goes back to a collection of Indian stories from the 8th century, which became known under the Persian title Hezar Afsane (One Thousand Tales).

Comprising over 300 oriental tales, "One Thousand and One Nights" remains one of the most famous works in Arabic literature. Thanks to the first translation by the French orientalist Jean-Antoine Galland in the early 18th century, the stories also became known in Europe. A six-volume original edition of this bestseller from 1745 is now on display at Neuenbürg Castle.

The longing for the strange and exotic that emerged during that era was reflected in a growing enthusiasm for the Orient, which found expression in literature, music, and the visual arts alike. Thanks to improvements in printing technology in the 19th century, editions of "One Thousand and One Nights" could now be illustrated much more lavishly. The adventure stories illustrated in this way, such as "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp," "Sinbad the Sailor," and "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," still delight a wide audience today.

Numerous illustrations and fairytale books are complemented in the special exhibition by the staging of an oriental spice bazaar, a listening station, seating and reading corners, and Lotte Reiniger's famous silhouette film "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" from 1926, which, with a running time of 65 minutes, is considered the first feature-length animated film in film history.

The exhibition is on view until September 11, 2016. Opening hours are Tuesday-Saturday 13 p.m.-18 p.m., Sunday and public holidays 10 a.m.-18 p.m.

Supporting program and further information at www.schloss-neuenbuerg.de

Exhibition duration: 13.3.-11.9.2016

Admission: 3 euros, reduced 2 euros, family ticket 9 euros