Two German writers should be remembered on this path, despite the fact that they were not in Switzerland when the events occured. They were both anti-Nazis and they also fled Switzerland because they feared losing their refuge in the Confederation during the war.
On this street lived Emil Ludwig (1881 - 1948), a celebrated German biographer, who was born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) to a Jewish family. After studying law and history at the Universities of Breslau and Berlin, he pursued a career as a journalist and playwright. In 1906 he moved to Switzerland, where he obtained the citizenship in 1932.
Ludwig's notoriety peaked in 1920, with the publication of his extraordinary biography on Napoleon Bonaparte, which was an extraordinary success both commercially and critically, confirming him as one of the leading biographers of his time. From then on, he wrote a series of fascinating biographies on prominent historical figures, including Goethe, Bismarck, Lenin, and Gandhi, and in 1932 he published the book-interview with Benito Mussolini entitled "Conversations with Mussolini." His works were distinguished by smooth writing and in-depth attention to the psychology of the protagonists. Although he obtained Swiss citizenship, Ludwig chose to leave Ascona and Ticino momentarily, fearing the invasion of the Rome-Berlin Axis powers. He spent a period in the United States, but, after the end of the war, he returned to Ascona, where he spent the last years of his life.
Another notable author is Eric Maria Remarque(1898 – 1970), a praised German writer and author of the bestseller "Nothing New on the Western Front" (literal translation of "Nothing New in the West"). The novel grew out of his painful experience as a combatant in World War I and secured him fame and recognition as a writer and journalist in Berlin. In 1930, he chose to settle in Porto Ronco, Switzerland.
Remarque stood out for his staunch opposition to Nazism, so much so that he left Switzerland before the outbreak of World War II and moved to the United States, following in the footsteps of many other compatriots fleeing the Nazi regime. Despite being residents of Canton Ticino, foreigners in opposition to the Nazi regime risked being reported to Italian or German consular authorities, with the further risk of losing the renewal of their passports and residence permits in the Confederation…
After the end of the war, in 1949 Eric Maria Remarque returned to Switzerland. In 1958 he married actress Paulette Goddard, and in 1969 he received honorary citizenship from Ascona, the town where he had decided to settle. He died in Locarno after a long illness. His literary legacy remains indelible in the history of world literature.