The story
Lit.Cologne in Cologne
Founded in 2001, lit.Cologne grew from a first edition of 65 events and 30,000 visitors into Europe's largest literature festival, formally recognised as such by North Rhine-Westphalia's state government in 2012. Held each spring over roughly two weeks, it now hosts up to 200 live events, including readings and public conversations, attended by close to 100,000 visitors, with a guest list that has included Toni Morrison, Jonathan Franzen and Paul Auster.
Organisers dissatisfied with how literature was typically presented to the public founded lit.Cologne in 2001, staging a first edition from 21 to 25 March that year which drew thirty thousand visitors to sixty-five events, a modest start for what would grow within roughly a decade into Europe's largest literature festival.