Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [223]
Both Goethe and Schiller are interred at the Historischer Friedhof (Historical Cemetery) in the neoclassical Fürstengruft (Am Poseckschen Garten; adult/concession/under 16 €3.50/3/free; 10am-6pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Nov-Mar), along with Duke Carl August.
PARK AN DER ILM
The sprawling Park an der Ilm (Ilm Park), just east of the Altstadt, is as inspiring and romantic now as it was when Goethe lived here from 1776 until 1782 in what is now Goethes Gartenhaus ( 545 401; adult/concession/under 16 €4.50/3.50/free; 10am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Mar). By giving him this simple cottage, Carl August successfully induced Goethe to stay in Weimar. It’s within view of the Römisches Haus ( 545 401; adult/concession/under 16 €3.50/3/free; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct), the duke’s summer retreat, built under Goethe’s supervision. Perched on top of an artificial bluff, Weimar’s first neoclassical house now contains restored period rooms and an exhibit on Ilm Park.
On the western edge of the park, the Liszt-Museum ( 545 401; Marienstrasse 17; adult/concession/under 16 €4/3/free; 10am-6pm Wed-Mon Apr-Oct) is where the composer and pianist resided in Weimar in 1848 and again from 1869 to 1886, writing such key works as the Hungarian Rhapsodies and the Faust Symphony.
ART NOUVEAU IN WEIMAR
Belgian art-nouveau architect, designer and painter, Henry van de Velde is considered a pioneer of modernity. In 1902, he founded the arts and crafts seminar in Weimar that Walter Gropius later developed into the Bauhaus. For nine years, starting in 1908, van de Velde and his family lived in the Haus Hohe Pappeln ( 545 965; Belvederer Allee 58; adult/concession €2.50/2; 1-5pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct), which looks a bit like a ship on its side and features natural stone, stylised chimneys, loggias and oversized windows. One floor is open for touring and features furniture that van de Velde designed for a local family. To get here, take bus 1 or 12 to Papiergraben.
Van de Velde also added an art-nouveau touch to the Nietzsche Archiv ( 545 401; Humboldt-strasse 36; adult/concession/under 16 €2.50/2/free; 1-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct), where the philosopher spent his final years in illness.
There’s also a cluster of splendidly restored art-nouveau buildings (though not by van de Velde) on Cranachstrasse, Gutenbergstrasse and Humboldtstrasse, just west of the Historischer Friedhof.
BAUHAUS IN WEIMAR
Considering that Weimar is the birthplace of the influential Bauhaus school, the Bauhaus Museum ( 545 401; Theaterplatz; adult/concession €4.50/3.50; 10am-6pm) is a rather modest affair. But if all goes according to plan, that’ll change when it moves into splashy new digs in 2013. Meanwhile, the old building will present temporary exhibits on the group’s profound impact on modern design and construction. How profound? Read up on it in the boxed text, Click here.
The only Bauhaus building ever constructed in Weimar is Georg Muche’s Haus am Horn ( 904 056; Am Horn 61; 11am-5pm Wed, Sat & Sun Apr-Sep). Today, it’s used for exhibitions and events.
HERZOGIN ANNA AMALIA BIBLIOTHEK
The phoenixlike rebirth of Anna Amalia’s precious library ( 545 401; www.klassik-stiftung.de; Platz der Demokratie 1; adult/concession incl audioguide €6.50/5.50; 10am-3pm Tue-Sun) following a 2004 fire is nothing short of a miracle. These days, the magnificent Rokokosaal (Rococo Hall) is again crammed with 40,000 tomes once used for research purposes by Goethe, Schiller and other Weimar hotshots. Scholars may still borrow the books; for the rest of us, the fine busts and paintings of these men are just as interesting. Entry is by timed ticket and capped at 250 people per day, so book in advance or start queuing before the ticket office opens at 9.30am.
* * *
GOETHE – THE LITERARY LION
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe bestrides German culture like a colossus. He’s often called the ‘German Shakespeare’, but not even Shakespeare lived