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Town in Thuringia, Germany
Photo: User:Mahlum, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Weimar is the town of Goethe and Schiller and is found in Thuringia (Thüringen) state, Germany. It is one of the all-time favourites with German school classes (or rather their teachers) because of the high density of cultural (Goethe, Schiller) and historic (Weimar republic, a former Nazi concentration camp close by) sights. In 2020, it was home to 65,000 people.
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Weimar is the birthplace of Bauhaus. The museum opened its doors in April 2019 at its current location. It used to be in a building at Theaterplatz.
Part of the Bauhaus Sites protected by UNESCO.
City Castle
Home of the biggest sponsor of Goethe and Schiller. Art gallery.
Unique library and art selection, famous for its rococo style. A fire in 2004 did great damage but the library reopened in 2007. Features the Rokokosaal (Historic Building and Rococo Hall)
Foundation place of the first German democracy in 1918 and successor of the Weimar Hof theatre where Goethe's premiers took place. Well known theatre today.
A picturesque garden with Goethes summer house. Lie down on the lawn and enjoy the scenery.
A charming park with summer castle a short distance to the south of the city.
This is a very famous statue of two of the most important German writers.
Museum about the Weimar Republic. Former home of the provisional Bauhaus-Museum until 2018.
The composer Franz Liszt lived here. It is now a museum.
A system of tunnels underneath the Park an der Ilm that can be visited.
Guided tours available. A minimum age of 14 is recommended.
Contemporary art installation by Rebecca Horn (1999) on the Holocaust. In a former tram station.
Museum about Johann Wolfgang von Goethe including his residence.
Friedrich Schiller lived here in the last three years before he died in 1805.
Weimar's cultural institution for opera, theatre and concerts. There are six stages across the city.
The nation of thinkers and poets (Land der Dichter und Denker) became a country of judges and hangmen (Richter und Henker) in the period from 1933-45. To complement the experience of Weimar, the cultural capital, make a trip to the Buchenwald Memorial. This is a good experience to see how close genius and nightmare of German history can come. A free introductory 30min movie is shown every hour on the hour from 10:00 to 16:00 (German with English subtitles). Public tours (only in German) are offered for €7 adults, or €3 reduced.
The History Experience
This is an interactive multimedia tour (choice of languages) through Weimar's history from prehistoric times to the present. It features audio, video, wax figures and detailed sets you move through guided by famous historical figures. An excellent introduction to Weimar.
Annual event during late summer, four weeks full of cultural events and activities.
Traditionally a harvest market this is today Weimar's biggest fair, one weekend every year in mid October.
Listen to a concert.
A friendly, cheap Italian restaurant with 90 main dishes to choose from, including 45 types of pizza and many salads or pasta dishes.
Local bakery. You can observe the bakers while enjoying a sandwich, cake or coffee.
Near the historical graveyard, this hostel is a bit out of the way. A ten minute walk will bring you downtown, though, and bus-line #6 stops nearby too (Cranachstraße).
Very central, affordable but a little grungy. It is altogether quite small, so it's a good idea to book ahead of time if possible.
Central, Weimar's first private hostel.
In the northern part of Weimar, 10 minutes drive from the city centre, and has its own free car park. Easy access A4 motorway (Autobahn A 4) or the local public transport system.
The hotel offers 143 rooms & suites.
Buy or taste the gin they produce.
By train
The best and most convenient way is by train. Deutsche Bahn offers direct long-distance-train connections from Berlin, Leipzig, Erfurt and Frankfurt.
By car
By plane
The nearest airport (ERF) is in Erfurt and has been dubbed "Erfurt - Weimar airport" for tourism purposes but so far it has attracted mostly outbound holiday charter services.
By bus
Weimar also has some domestic bus lines passing through
Weimar is small and the best way to get around is by foot or by bike. The city has a public transport system but as a tourist you won't need it.
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Erfurt · International · ERF
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