Bookshop Spotlight – Goetheanum Bookshop
by Floris Books • 19 February 2025 • Anthroposophy, Bookshops • 0 Comments
We’re shining a spotlight on some of the specialist bookshops that we work with who help us bring our books to our readers. Check out the first post we ran with Rudolf Steiner Bookshop, London.
In this post we travel to the Goetheanum Bookshop in Dornach, Switzerland. The bookshop is inside the Goetheanum (pictured above), the world centre for the anthroposophical movement. The building was designed by Rudolf Steiner and named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
We chat to Michaela at the bookshop (pictured below with two of the Floris Books team during a visit to the Goetheanum for a conference) about the range of books (and non-book products) they sell and find out a little bit about the people who work there.
From L to R: Christian Maclean, Floris Books, Michaela Müller, Goetheanum Bookshop and David Budd, Floris Books
Can you tell us about the bookshop and the range of books you sell?
It is hard to pinpoint the exact opening date of our bookshop due to its varied history and ownership changes. Initially, it was a subdivision of what is now Verlag am Goetheanum, which relocated from Berlin to Dornach in 1924.
We stock all the collected works of Rudolf Steiner and all anthroposophical materials we can find. Our offerings include sections on religion, economy, medicine, medicinal plants, biodynamic agriculture, as well as philosophy and natural science. Our pedagogy section is complemented by a large children’s book section.
We stock selected fiction works and highlight our impressive biography section. Our eurythmy and speech section is vast, and we take pride in offering a wide variety of arts books. We stock all books from past and future exhibitions at the Goetheanum.
Additionally, we offer high-quality non-book products, such as wood-carved animals, cyanotype paper, prisms, and other glass objects. Our postcard selection is immense and delights all visitors, regardless of their familiarity with anthroposophy.
Share three interesting facts about the bookshop
- We have books in several languages to meet all our guests’ needs. We offer books mainly in German plus French, Italian, Spanish, English and Dutch as well as Japanese and Chinese.
- Our bookshop employees range from young to old, providing a diverse range of perspectives and experiences to assist our customers.
- Everyone who works in the bookshop gets involved in all of the varied tasks we might encounter each day – from helping customers find a book they’re looking for on a particular subject, arranging eye-catching displays, to checking out new books coming from the publishers we work with. We’re a great team!
What bookshop events or conferences at the Goetheanum do you have coming up that you’d like to highlight?
As the home of the worldwide anthroposophical movement the Goetheanum has a lot of different events happening week to week. You can find up to date details of all forthcoming conferences listed in the Goetheanum’s online calendar.
Find opening hours for the bookshop here. You can also discover helpful information on travelling to the Goetheanum, including access details for wheelchair users here.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Goetheanum Bookshop soon!
Visit the Goetheanum Bookshop at Rüttiweg 45, 4143 Dornach, Switzerland. Find them online here.
We hope you enjoyed visiting Switzerland with us! What bookshops do you visit to buy anthroposophical books? We’d love to hear about some of your local favourites.
