Motorists driving today on the highway along the borders of Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein might hardly notice the castle ruins of Hohenems on the eastern side, apparently of little relevance today. Hohenems is located south of Dornbirn and north of Feldkirch in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, not far away from Lake Constance. However, in the Middle Ages, it was the residence of the noble family of Ems, who enjoyed considerable wealth and political esteem, and who supported the arts and assembled a significant library. In the late eighteenth century two of the most important manuscripts containing the

Nibelungenlied

were discovered in the castle library (ms. A: 1779; ms. C: 1755).

One of the members of the von Ems family was the famous Middle High German poet Rudolf von Ems,

2542 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Rudolf von Ems". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 April 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14719, accessed 05 May 2024.]

14719 Rudolf von Ems 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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