Gedenkstätte Buchenwald
Between 1937 and 1945, hidden from Weimarers and surrounding villagers, 250,000 men, women and children were incarcerated here, some 56,500 of whom were…
Matt Munro
Weimar
The historical epicentre of Germany's 18th-century Enlightenment, Weimar is an essential stop for anyone with a passion for the country's history and culture. A pantheon of intellectual and creative giants lived and worked here: Goethe, Schiller, Bach, Cranach, Liszt, Nietzsche, Gropius, Herder, Feininger, Kandinsky – and the list goes on. You’ll see them memorialised on the streets, in museums and in reverently preserved houses across town. In summer, Weimar’s many parks and gardens lend themselves to quiet contemplation of all this intellectual and cultural gravity (or allow you to take a break from it).
Weimar is also the place where, post-WWI, the constitution of the German Reich, known by historians as the Weimar Republic (1919–33), was drafted, though there are strangely few reminders of this historical moment. Nearby, the unadorned, unaltered remains of the Buchenwald concentration camp provide sobering testament to the crimes of the subsequent Nazi regime.
Explore Weimar
- Gedenkstätte Buchenwald
Between 1937 and 1945, hidden from Weimarers and surrounding villagers, 250,000 men, women and children were incarcerated here, some 56,500 of whom were…
- HHerzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek
Assembled by Duchess Anna Amalia (1739–1807), the power (and purse) behind Weimar's classical florescence, this Unesco-listed library has been beautifully…
- GGoethe-Nationalmuseum
This is the world's leading museum on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's literary colossus. It incorporates his home of 50 years, gifted by Duke Carl…
- SSchloss Tiefurt
Built in 1765 and developed by the younger brother of Duke Carl August, this Unesco-listed country house flowered under the ownership of Duchess Anna…
- PPark an der Ilm
Following the Ilm, this Unesco-listed, 58-hectare park was landscaped between 1778 and 1828, and continues to provide a bucolic backdrop to old Weimar…
- HHaus Hohe Pappeln
This unusual house was designed by its first occupant, Belgian art-nouveau architect-designer Henry van de Velde. In 1902 van de Velde founded the arts…
- NNeues Museum
The 'new museum' is actually one of Germany's first, built as the Grand Ducal Museum in 1869. The building itself is a domed neo-Renaissance masterpiece,…
- SSchillers Wohnhaus & Museum
The poet and dramatist Friedrich von Schiller (a close friend of Goethe) lived here from 1802 until his early death, in 1805. Study up on the man, his…
- SStadtschloss Weimar
Situated in the former residential palace, which was rebuilt in 1789–1803 after a fire, the Schlossmuseum houses works of art dating from the Middle Ages…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Weimar.
- See
Gedenkstätte Buchenwald
Between 1937 and 1945, hidden from Weimarers and surrounding villagers, 250,000 men, women and children were incarcerated here, some 56,500 of whom were…
- See
Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek
Assembled by Duchess Anna Amalia (1739–1807), the power (and purse) behind Weimar's classical florescence, this Unesco-listed library has been beautifully…
- See
Goethe-Nationalmuseum
This is the world's leading museum on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's literary colossus. It incorporates his home of 50 years, gifted by Duke Carl…
- See
Schloss Tiefurt
Built in 1765 and developed by the younger brother of Duke Carl August, this Unesco-listed country house flowered under the ownership of Duchess Anna…
- See
Park an der Ilm
Following the Ilm, this Unesco-listed, 58-hectare park was landscaped between 1778 and 1828, and continues to provide a bucolic backdrop to old Weimar…
- See
Haus Hohe Pappeln
This unusual house was designed by its first occupant, Belgian art-nouveau architect-designer Henry van de Velde. In 1902 van de Velde founded the arts…
- See
Neues Museum
The 'new museum' is actually one of Germany's first, built as the Grand Ducal Museum in 1869. The building itself is a domed neo-Renaissance masterpiece,…
- See
Schillers Wohnhaus & Museum
The poet and dramatist Friedrich von Schiller (a close friend of Goethe) lived here from 1802 until his early death, in 1805. Study up on the man, his…
- See
Stadtschloss Weimar
Situated in the former residential palace, which was rebuilt in 1789–1803 after a fire, the Schlossmuseum houses works of art dating from the Middle Ages…
Guidebooks
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