 In 1828 his legal career took him to Marienwerder (Kwidzyn), and in 1829 south again to Düsseldorf, whence he was able to acquaint himself with the medieval monuments of the Rhineland.He also found in the Rhineland a more congenial society in which to pursue his interest in art history, and in particular developed a friendship with Gottfried Kinkel.In summer 1830 Schnaase travelled through the Low Countries; his examination of the monuments there led to his first major publication, the "Niederländische Briefe" ("Dutch letters"), which appeared in 1834.