Malcesine Goethe

The tale of Goethe's (near) imprisonment in Malcesine still persists. According to it, the poet prince was so overwhelmed by the sight of the castle that he drew it. Because Malcesine was the northernmost outpost of the Venetian sphere of influence in those days, he is said to have been mistaken for an Austrian spy and to have narrowly escaped imminent arrest or to have been imprisoned for a short time.

The reality, however, may have been somewhat different: After unfavorable winds had driven his barge to Malcesine, Goethe made a drawing of the fort for his close friend Charlotte von Avena. This actually aroused the suspicion of the inhabitants, who could not explain his interest in the old ruins, which in the meantime had fallen into disrepair, and de facto thought of espionage: "The inhabitants found it suspicious because here is the border and everything is afraid of the [Austria] emperor."

The eloquent poet prince, however, tried to dispel their suspicions by explaining that "many travelers go to Italy only for the sake of the ruins" and "not only Greek and Roman antiquities, but also those of the Middle Ages deserve attention."

In order to "gain time and favor," he urged them to look at the ruins with the eyes of a traveler and recognize their charm. In other words, Goethe drew the attention to Malcesine's tourist potential, pioneered local tourism, so to speak - and his calculation was to work out: The initial suspicion gradually dissipated; finally, a summoned local, employed years ago in Frankfurt, "to whom something foreign was not strange," suggested the following recommendation to the local administrator: '[...] Let us dismiss him kindly, so that he may speak well of us to his countrymen and encourage them to visit Malcesine, whose beautiful location is well worthy of admiration by strangers.'

But Goethe did not mention a (threatening) capture in his travel report with a single syllable....

Details about Malcesine

If one reads his descriptions carefully, one suspects that Goethe himself did not like the fort too much... For example, he had already drawn attention in advance "to the decay of these towers and these walls, to the lack of gates, in short, to the defenselessness of the whole condition" and - as can be seen from the above quotation - (in the first place) only referred to their charm in order to gain time and favor. Thus he was also glad that "the morning sun bathed tower, roccette and walls" during his remarks "in the most beautiful light"...

Further detail about Malcesine

By the way, the Podestá is said to have seized and torn the said drawing of the castle with "Italian composure" .