In 1911, Henri Marteau was a guest in the small town of Lichtenberg at the invitation of a friend, the Dortmund music director Georg Hüttner. Hüttner came from nearby Schwarzenbach am Wald and owned a vacation home on the Burgberg in Lichtenberg.
Soon after, Henri Marteau bought several plots of land on the outskirts of the town and told his wife that she could build a “summer cottage” there. In 1912/13, the “cottage” became a stately villa designed by the Swiss architect Hans Schwab (1875-1950). The summer house became the permanent residence of the Marteau family after 1918.
With his students, but also with his chamber music partners, Marteau repeatedly organized concerts in Lichtenberg from 1913 on. Thus, a nationally known music scene developed in the small town.
Henri Marteau was also a frequent guest in other Upper Franconian towns. In Bad Steben, about 3 km from Lichtenberg, he often gave concerts, especially after the First World War. He also enjoyed performing in the spa gardens there. Other concert venues of Marteau in Upper Franconia were Bamberg, Bayreuth, Coburg, Hof, Kulmbach, Naila, Rehau and Selb.