The novella "Grete Minde" by Theodor Fontane tells the story of a young woman who, out of hatred and disappointment, sets fire to the town of Tangermünde on the Elbe, burying many people in the flames and rubble. "Grete Minde" is set at the beginning of the 17th century, ending in 1617 with the city's fire. The novella is based on true events that Fontane researched in Tangermünde in 1878. There was indeed a Grete Minde who lived there, a legal inheritance dispute took place, and in 1617, a major fire occurred in the town, which also destroyed large parts of the local St. Stephen's Church. Heinrich Theodor Fontane (1819-1898) was a German writer and licensed pharmacist. He is considered the most significant German representative of German realism.