Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty

Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty (born on December 21, 1748 in the Mariensee monastery near Hanover, died on September 1, 1776 in Hanover) is one of the most important German poets in terms of his artistic rank. The importance is based above all on the variety of forms, originality and haunting mood of his approximately 140 poems, which were set to music by numerous composers (Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Brahms and Tchaikovsky).

Along with the Schlegel brothers, Karl Philipp Moritz, Carl Sternheim and Kurt Schwitters, Hölty is the most important poet associated with the city and the region. He spent his childhood and school days in the village of Mariensee and the last years of his short life in Hanover, where he died in 1776.

In his honor, the Hölty Prize for Poetry has been awarded every two years by the city and Sparkasse Hannover since 2008.