Culture town Weimar

Weimar is a Thuringian town which is rich of traditions, which is the home of Schiller and Goethe, but the home of the 'Bauhaus' as well. Many places in this city are evidence of this.

The famous german poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe lived in Weimar between 1775 and his dead in the year 1832. This means that he spent 57 years or approx. two thirds of his life (he was 82 when he died) in this beautiful city. Together with other poets like Friedrich Schiller, Christoph Martin Wieland and Johann Gottfried Herder he shaped the era of the "Weimarer Klassik" (Weimar classicism) essentially.

But Goethe was not only a poet – he was a politician as well. Between 1776 (one year after he came to Weimar) and 1815 he was a secretary of different departments at the royal court of the duchy of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach). Over the years, his responsibilities were road-building, defense, finances and mining.

The house where Goethe lived is a museum today (Goethe-Nationalmuseum) – as well as Friedrich Schiller's residential house (Schillermuseum), where he lived during the last seven years of his life.

But let's talk about the city itself ... with slightly over 60,000 citizens it's the fourth largest city in Thuringia, after the capital Erfurt, Jena and Gera. The city has two universities: the 'Music Academy Franz Liszt' and the 'Bauhaus University'. The 'Bauhaus' (literally: "house of construction", but it should be seen as "School of building") was established in 1919 by Walter Gropius as an Academy of Art and Design. Till this day, the 'Bauhaus' has a large influence to architecture, (graphical) design, typography and art.

Weimar is abound in palaces and castles. The largest one is the 'Stadtschloss' (City Castle) in the midst of the city center. It was refaced a couple of times and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage "Klassisches Weimar" (Classical Weimar). Today it shelters a museum with a strong focus on painting between 1500 and 1900. Outside the city limits the Belvedere Castle can be found which was the summer residence of the dukes of Saxony-Weimar resp. Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach. This castle is part of the UNESCO World Heritage as well.

The city center is full of spots which are worth to be viewed:

• The old city hall – with its prestigious balcony and the belltower it's one of Weimar's landmarks. 

• The city house – a Renaissance building from the 15th century

• The entire market place (the city house can be found here) with amazing buildings around

• The Goethe and Schiller Monument

• The Liszt House (the composer and pianist Franz Liszt lived in Weimar as well) which is a museum nowadays

• Many 'Bauhaus' buildings (see above)

and many more.

Weimar is worth a visit, and one day is not enough for sure.