Explore the real-world places that appear in The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Heidelberg Old Town, Hanna's Apartment Building, University of Heidelberg Law School, Heidelberg Regional Court, Heidelberg Castle and 4 more.
Hauptstraße — Where young Michael Berg lives
Fifteen-year-old Michael Berg lives in this historic area when he first becomes ill with hepatitis and meets Hanna Schmitz. The narrow medieval streets and baroque buildings form the backdrop for his walks to and from school, including the fateful day when he vomits on the street and Hanna helps him home. The Old Town represents Michael's lost innocence and the world before his transformative relationship with Hanna.
Heidelberg's Old Town is one of Germany's best-preserved medieval city centers. Built along the Neckar River, it features baroque and Renaissance architecture dating from the 17th-18th centuries, having been rebuilt after destruction in the War of the League of Augsburg.
The Old Town remains a major tourist destination and UNESCO World Heritage site. The Hauptstraße is now a pedestrian zone filled with shops, cafes, and restaurants, while maintaining its historic character.
Visit: Heidelberg Old Town (historic site)
Bahnhofstraße area — Site of the secret affair
This is where Hanna Schmitz lives in a modest apartment when she begins her affair with fifteen-year-old Michael. Here, Michael reads aloud to Hanna from classics like 'The Odyssey' and 'The Lady with the Dog' before and after their sexual encounters. The apartment becomes a sanctuary of literature and intimacy, until Hanna suddenly disappears without explanation, leaving Michael devastated and confused about her abrupt abandonment.
The area near Heidelberg's main train station developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with modest apartment buildings for working-class residents and civil servants.
The neighborhood remains residential with a mix of historic and modern apartment buildings. The exact building is fictional but represents the typical housing of the era.
Augustinergasse — Michael's legal education
Years later, Michael Berg studies law at Germany's oldest university. It's here that he participates in a seminar examining Nazi war crimes trials, including the trial where he unexpectedly encounters Hanna Schmitz as a defendant accused of war crimes while serving as an SS guard. This reunion forces Michael to confront his past relationship and grapple with Hanna's hidden history as a concentration camp guard.
Founded in 1386, Heidelberg University is Germany's oldest university and one of Europe's most prestigious institutions. The law faculty has a distinguished history and played important roles in German legal scholarship and constitutional development.
Heidelberg University remains one of Germany's top universities. The law school continues to be highly regarded, and the historic buildings in the Old Town still house various university departments.
Visit: Heidelberg University (historic site)
Römerstraße — Site of Hanna's war crimes trial
This is where Hanna Schmitz stands trial for war crimes committed as an SS guard at concentration camps. Michael attends the proceedings as part of his law school seminar, watching in anguish as Hanna is prosecuted alongside other former guards. The trial reveals Hanna's illiteracy when she refuses to provide handwriting samples, preferring to accept a life sentence rather than admit she cannot read or write. Michael realizes this secret shame drove many of her life decisions.
German regional courts (Landgerichte) were established in the post-war period to handle serious criminal cases, including war crimes trials of former Nazi officials and collaborators during the 1960s and 1970s.
The Heidelberg Regional Court continues to operate as part of the German judicial system, handling serious criminal and civil cases for the region.
Schlossberg — Overlooking the city
The castle ruins loom over Heidelberg throughout Michael's story, a constant presence visible from the Old Town where he grows up. The castle represents the weight of German history and the ruins of the past that continue to overshadow the present, much like how Michael's relationship with Hanna and the revelation of her Nazi past haunts his entire adult life.
Heidelberg Castle was built in the 14th century and served as the residence of the Prince-electors of the Palatinate. It was partially destroyed by French troops in the late 17th century and has remained a romantic ruin ever since, becoming a symbol of German Romanticism.
The castle is one of Germany's most famous ruins and a major tourist attraction. Visitors can reach it by funicular railway and explore the grounds, gardens, and the German Pharmacy Museum housed within.
Visit: Heidelberg Castle (historic site)
Along the Neckar — Walks and reflection
Michael often walks along the Neckar River, both as a young man during his affair with Hanna and later as an adult grappling with his memories and guilt. These riverside paths provide space for contemplation about his relationship with Hanna, the moral complexities of their affair, and his struggle to understand how someone he loved could have participated in the Holocaust.
The Neckar River has flowed through Heidelberg for millennia, with the promenade paths developed in the 19th and 20th centuries as public walking areas alongside the historic city center.
The Neckar River promenade remains popular for walking, cycling, and recreation. The paths offer scenic views of the Old Town and castle, and are lined with cafes and restaurants.
Visit: Neckar River Promenade (park)
Alsace, France — Site of Hanna's crimes
Though not directly visited in the novel, Struthof (Natzweiler-Struthof) is referenced as one of the concentration camps where Hanna Schmitz worked as an SS guard. The trial reveals the horrific conditions at such camps and Hanna's role in selecting prisoners for death transports. Michael must reconcile his memories of intimate moments with Hanna against the reality of her participation in genocide.
Natzweiler-Struthof was a Nazi concentration camp operational from 1941-1944 in the Vosges Mountains. It was the only concentration camp established by the Germans on French soil and was used for medical experiments and as a labor camp.
The site is preserved as a memorial and museum, serving as a place of remembrance for the victims and education about the Holocaust. It was designated a national memorial in 1954.
Visit: Natzweiler-Struthof Memorial (memorial)
Location undisclosed — Where Hanna serves her sentence
After her conviction, Hanna serves her life sentence in a women's prison. Years later, Michael begins sending her audio recordings of books, continuing their pattern of him reading to her. Through the prison warden, Michael learns that Hanna has taught herself to read and write using his recordings and books. The prison becomes the final stage of their relationship, where Hanna prepares for her eventual release and attempts at reconciliation.
Women's prisons in post-war Germany were reformed as part of the democratization process, emphasizing rehabilitation over purely punitive measures, though conditions remained austere.
The specific prison in the novel is not identified by location, representing the general system of corrections facilities in Germany.
Near Old Town — Source of literary recordings
Michael likely uses the public library resources to obtain books and create the audio recordings he sends to Hanna in prison. The library represents the literary connection that defined their relationship from the beginning - from Michael reading aloud in her apartment to the recorded books that help Hanna learn to read and write while incarcerated.
Heidelberg has maintained public libraries since the 19th century, serving as centers of learning and culture in the university town. The city's intellectual tradition emphasizes the importance of literature and education.
Heidelberg maintains several modern public libraries that continue to serve residents and visitors, offering traditional books as well as digital resources and audio materials.
Visit: Heidelberg Public Library (library)
More by Bernhard Schlink: All Bernhard Schlink books