From the Hans Christian Andersen biography "The Life of Hans Christian Andersen. Day By Day", written by DPhil Johan de Mylius:

1852

Trip to Germany, Italy and Switzerland
Departure from Leipzig

1852: Trip to Germany, Italy and Switzerland


5 April

Release of Historier (Stories), including:"Aarets Historie (The Story of The Year), "Verdens deiligste Rose" (The Lovliest Rose in the World), "Et Billede fra Castelsvolden" (A Picture from the Rampart at Castel), "Paa den yderste Dag" (The Final Day), "Det er ganske vist" (That is Quite So), "Svanereden" (The Swan's Nest), "Et godt Humeur" (A Good Mood).

Spring 1852

Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann exhibits some of her paintings in London, and Queen Victoria even requests a special presentation at Buckingham Palace. Amongst the portraits is her painting of HCA, completed in 1850. Queen Elisabeth does not, however, purchase this painting, which is later bought by the Melchior family.

16 May

Departure from Copenhagen, aboard the steam-ship 'Skirner', to Travemünde and from here on to Lübeck, where he sees eg. the picture frise "Dødedansen" (The Dance of Death). In the diary, 17th May, he comments; "Death certainly looks cheerful". From here by train, via Magdeburg and Halle to Weimar. Is collected by and invited to stay with his old friend Beaulieu, the lord chamberlain. Visits the hereditary grand duke and is obliged to address questions relating to nation. Comments in the diary on 20th May: "Do not feel quite at home".
Also visits Eckermann and Mrs von Gross. Socialises with Liszt and Princess Wittgenstein, who lives with Liszt.

"He and the princess seem to me very like fire-spirits, with flames burning. Momentarily, one may be warmed by them, but one cannot get close to them without being burnt" (diary, 31st May).

Attends a performance of Tannhäuser on the 29th. Feels the music works through thought, but lacks melody. Sees Lohengrin few days later:

"Lohengrin is a good text and wonderful music, but without melody. A whispering tree, without flower or fruit", (dairy, 5th June).

Liszt wishes to stage the opera Ravnen (The Raven) by Andersen and Hartmann. Asks HCA to contact Hartmann on this matter.

1 June

Drives with Mrs von Gross and the Beaulieu family out to Tiefurth and sees the park of the writer and landscape gardener, Prince Pückler-Muskaus. The park had recently been laid out according to a new plan. The impressions from this visit may have been significant for HCA's description of the park in "Gartneren og Herskabet" (The Gardener and the Gentry) (1872).

1852: Departure from Leipzig


8 June

Receives the German translation of Fliedermütterchen (The Elder-Tree Mother) from Lorck.

10 June 1852

Travels to Leipzig, where he is joined by Viggo Drewsen, who has arrived from Copenhagen. Lorck seeks out HCA, accompanied by a painter, who receives the picture by C.A. Jensen to base his work on. Departure from Leipzig on 13th, stopping in Nuremberg, then continuing to Munich, where HCA is invited to visit King Max at Starnberg. After dining at court, there is a romantic sail on the lake, and out on a little island, HCA reads fairy-tales and converses about how both the position of king and poet is a calling. Meets some Americans in Munich who remark:

"That I was so widely read in America that all my novels are sold at the railway stations there!" (the diary, 21st June).

Is requested to visit King Ludwig (father of King Max) at the castle Wittelsbach.

28 June

Departs Munich, accompanied by Viggo Drewsen. Via Lindau, Chur and across the Alps (the Splügen Pass) to Italy. From Como by train to Milano (where they go up to the open marble halls of the cathedral: "Like a fantasy castle made of snow" (the diary, 4th July). Return via Como and Luzern (where Viggo Drewsen sees HCA's Werke (works) in the window of a book-seller. They continue on to Zürich, and from there via Schaffhausen and Freiburg to Heidelberg, where HCA by chance meets his friend from the past, August Kestner (Lotte's Sohn (son), the minister resident of Hannover in Rome). The journey continues to Frankfurt. An invitation is received, through an intermediary, from the Augustenborg family to visit them at Homburg. The invitation is declined, because of the national issue. Further on to Kastel by train and from there along the Rhine via St. Goar and Koblenz to Cologne. Then via Hannover, Hamburg and Kiel, on the way back to Copenhagen.

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