Erich Kästner was born in Dresden on February 23, 1899.

After studying history, philosophy, German studies and theater studies in Leipzig, he initially worked as a journalist and author in Leipzig and Berlin. During the National Socialist era, Kästner remained in Berlin and worked as an editor in Munich after the end of the Second World War. He inspired millions of readers with his texts and writings until he retired from the literary world in 1965.

He visited Wiesbaden on October 14, 1970 on the occasion of the opening of a school named after him in Schierstein, where the writer was received by Lord Mayor Schmitt in the ballroom of the town hall following the inauguration.

Schmitt praised Kästner's work, both for his young and older readers. The author expressed his thanks for the warm welcome in the spa town and then signed the town's Golden Book.

With numerous new editions and adaptations of his children's books in particular, the legacy of Dr. phil. Erich Kästner's legacy continues even after his death in 1974.