Walter Paepcke spearheaded the ambitious Goethe Bicentennial Convocation that brought 2,000 people to Aspen in the summer of 1949.

Dr. Albert Schweitzer spoke at the event on his only trip to the United States.

Eminent musicians and humanitarians convened to celebrate Goethe’s great spirit of optimism during the beginning of the Cold War era.

Concerts were held in a light-filled tent designed by architect, Eero Saarinen, which contrasted with the usual stuffiness of concert halls.

The Goethe Festival spawned many of Aspen’s cultural institutions, such as the Aspen Music Festival and School, the International Design Conference and the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies.