Who rides there so late through the night and wind?
–Goethe, Der Erlkönig
Waldeinsamkeit
Ludwig Tieck (1789 - 1853)
Waldeinsamkeit, [Forest solitude,
Die mich erfreut, which delights me,
So morgen wie heut As tomorrow as today
In ewger Zeit, In eternal time,
O wie mich freut. O how delights me
Waldeinsamkeit. forest solitude.]
The forest plays an important role in German history and culture. Not only they have been living near or within them, they also have a mythological identification that has only been strengthened over the centuries. In the rise of Romanticism forests became a dominant theme in poetry, painting and music. Today almost a third of Germany's total area is covered by forests.