For Heinrich Mann (1871-1950), France was the land of his dreams and visions; it represented the ideal counterpoint to the reactionary Wilhelmine Germany. However, he primarily knew France through books and newspapers, and he only made his first trip there quite late in life: he was already 52 years old and had written his most important works. Throughout his life, the idea of France shaped his thoughts and his self-stylization as a person and an author. In 1933, he sought refuge on the Côte d'Azur, but he was also expelled from there and had to flee to the USA under dramatic circumstances in 1940. Nevertheless, he clung to the idealization of France and the role of intellectuals there until the end. Above all, he advocated for Franco-German understanding early on – this is his true legacy.