Ludwig Wittgenstein spent a significant part of his life in Cambridge, though his relationship with the place was characterised by ambivalence. On the one hand, the environment provided him with the space to develop intellectually; on the other, he often found the, in his view, rigid and formal academic atmosphere off-putting. He was early recognised and supported as an exceptional talent by thinkers such as Russell and Moore. Nevertheless, the academic world remained alien to him and seemed remote. Even following his appointment as Professor in 1939, his attitude towards the university remained reserved. Yet Cambridge was the setting in which he forged his most important philosophical relationships and brought his ideas to decisive maturity.

Wittgenstein first visited Cambridge in 1911 at the age of 22 and passed away there in 1951 at the age of 62.

Source: Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.

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At 3 Trinity Street, Dr Bevan, Ludwig Wittgenstein’s physician, had his practice. As his cancer symptoms worsened, Wittgenstein visited him there. He spent the final months of his life at Dr Bevan’s house at 76 Storey’s Way, where he passed away on 29 April 1951.

Sources:

Schmidt, A. (Hrsg.). (2023). „I think of you constantly with love …“: Briefwechsel Ludwig Wittgenstein – Ben Richards 1946–1951. Haymon Verlag

Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.

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In a bookshop on Trinity Street in Cambridge, John Maynard Keynes is commemorated, a contemporary and companion of Ludwig Wittgenstein. When Wittgenstein returned to Cambridge in 1929 after a long absence, Keynes wrote in a letter: "Well, God has arrived. I met him on the 5.15 train“ (Monk, 1991, p. 255).

Source: Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.

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Elizabeth Anscombe was a close associate and literary executor of Wittgenstein. Her grave is located in the same cemetery, in close proximity to Wittgenstein’s final resting place.

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Frank Plumpton Ramsey, a mathematician and philosopher, was a close confidant of Wittgenstein and translated his Tractatus into English. In 1923, Ramsey travelled to Puchberg am Schneeberg in Lower Austria, where Wittgenstein was working as a Primary School Teacher, to visit him and discuss the Tractatus. Ramsey died at a young age and, like Wittgenstein, is buried at the Ascension Parish Burial Ground in Cambridge.

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George Edward Moore was the predecessor of Ludwig Wittgenstein in the Chair of Philosophy at Trinity College, Cambridge, a position Wittgenstein assumed in 1939. In 1929, Moore, together with Bertrand Russell, acted as an examiner during the defence of Wittgenstein’s doctoral thesis (Tractatus). Their graves lie only a few metres apart in the Ascension Parish Burial Ground in Cambridge.

Source: Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.

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Presumably, this is the location in Cambridge where, in 1935, a street photographer took the photograph of Ludwig Wittgenstein with Francis Skinner. External link: https://www.leopoldmuseum.org/media/image/800/5707.jpg

This photo was taken at Great Saint Andrew’s Church (on the right in the picture) and shows the view looking southeast. Christ’s College can be seen on the left.

Source: Own Research.

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The Wren Library is the library of Trinity College and houses the manuscripts of Ludwig Wittgenstein, which are occasionally put on display. One photograph taken by Wittgenstein himself (Nedo, 2012, S. 323) shows Fania Pascal, with what I believe to be the Wren Library visible in the background.

Sources:

Nedo, M. (2012). Ludwig Wittgenstein: Ein biographisches Album. C.H. Beck.

Own Research.

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The Gibbs Building was the site of a philosophical confrontation between Ludwig Wittgenstein and Karl Popper in 1946 – famously known in literature as "Wittgenstein’s Poker" by David Edmonds and John Eidinow (Ecco Press, 2001).

On the left the King's College Chapel.

External link: King’s College / Gibbs Building

Sources:

• Edmonds, D., & Eidinow, J. (2001). Wittgenstein’s Poker: The Story of a Ten-Minute Argument Between Two Great Philosophers. Ecco.
• Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.

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At this spot in the centre of Cambridge stood the Arts Cinema, once frequented by Wittgenstein. Today, a bar and restaurant occupy the site.

Source: Nedo, M. (2012). Ludwig Wittgenstein: Ein biographisches Album. C.H. Beck.

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