Zdeňka Psůtková: Ulrika

Johann Wolfgang Goethe used to be a frequent guest in our spas, whether it was Karlovy Vary, Teplice or Mariánské Lázně. It was during his stay in Marienbad in 1821 that he met his old friend Amalie von Levetzow, who introduced him to her daughter Ulrika. After his initial, almost paternal, fascination with the young girl, his relationship with Ulrica changed so much during his next two summers in Bohemia that he considered marrying her. Ulrika inspired the almost 74-year-old Goethe to write Elegy from Marienbad, a poem that is one of the highlights of his lyrical output. The poet's love for the charming Ulrica thus became a legend. Zdeňka Psůtková's radio play captures these moments and follows Ulrika's subsequent fate and how she copes with this legend during her lifetime.