How a forgotten era became a setting – and why places hold stories.
Rostock, 1615
When I began writing Jakob – The Voice of the New Age, I knew it had to be a place that really existed. A city you could touch. A city whose stones are still there today.
Rostock in the early 17th century was exactly that: a vibrant Hanseatic city, brimming with craftsmanship, trade and education. The university was already over 150 years old. Bookbinders and publishers worked in the shadow of St Mary’s Church. The sea was close by.
An era between new beginnings and upheaval
The year 1615 lies just before the Thirty Years’ War – a time that was to change Europe. People lived in a world that did not yet know what was to come. That is what fascinates me: this coexistence of everyday life and a historic turning point.
Jakob does not know what history has in store for him. He knows only his life, his work, his questions.
Why Places Carry Stories
When I walk through Rostock today, I sense something of that era. The old brick-paved alleys, the harbour, the churches. History is not over – it is engraved in what remains.
That is what I wanted to bring to life in this novel.