Germany: Classical Weimar - everything breathes Goethe
How an enlightened Duchess propels a provincial town to the center of the German classical period.
It is incomprehensible that Weimar could become a world famous cultural center if you realize what a small provincial town it was when Goethe arrived. The town, residence of the mini-state Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, had less than 6,000 inhabitants. But Goethe, Schiller, Herder and Wieland came to Weimar for a reason: the creative and art-loving Duchess Anna Amalia, who wanted the very best education for her son. She introduced the 18-year-old crown prince to 25-year-old Goethe, already a well-known writer at the time, and they connected immediately. When the prince became Duke himself, he invited Goethe to Weimar. The writer remained until his death, almost 60 years later.
Goethe and Schiller in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30436] Since 1857 Goethe and his friend Schiller stand in front of Weimar's Deutches Nationaltheater, of which Goethe was the director between 1791 and 1817. In 1919 a constitutional assembly took place in the theater which resulted in the founding the Weimar Republic. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Portrait of Goethe in Anna-Amalia Library in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30461] Portrait of Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) painted by Ferdinand Carl Christian Jagemann in 1806. The portrait can be found in Herzogin-Anna-Amalia-Bibliothek in Weimar. The library was founded in 1691 and renewed by Duchess Anna Amalia in 1761-66. Goethe was (co-) director of the institute from 1797 till his death in 1832. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30438] Goethes Wohnhaus at the Frauenplan in Weimar was for 47 years the residence of the great poet, writer and statesman. The Late Barock house was built in 1709 and became the living quarters of Goethe in 1782. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Study in Goethe's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30440] Goethes Wohnhaus at the Frauenplan in Weimar was for 47 years the residence of the great poet, writer and statesman. The Late Barock house was built in 1709 and became the living quarters of Goethe in 1782. Here we see Goethe's study in which many of his famous works saw the light of day. Some of them were dictated to an assistant while he walked circles around the table that is in the foreground of the picture. Photo Paul Smit.
Small dining room in Goethe's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30442] Goethes Wohnhaus at the Frauenplan in Weimar was for 47 years the residence of the great poet, writer and statesman. The Late Barock house was built in 1709 and became the living quarters of Goethe in 1782. Here we see the 'Kleines Esszimmer' (small dining room) where Goethe dined with his family. Photo Paul Smit.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30426] Marketplace in Weimar with Neogothic town hall (1841). In the tower the white bells of the chimes can be seen. They date from 1987 and are made of Meissner porcelain. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30435] In Restaurant Scharfe Ecke in Weimar knödel (Klösse) are a local speciality. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Goethe's Garden House in the Stadtschloss Museum of Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30485] A pointillist rendition of Goethes Gartenhaus can be found in the Stadtschloss Museum of Weimar. The painting was made in 1902 by Christian Rohlfs. Goethes Gartenhaus can be found just outside Weimar in the valley of the Ilm. Bought in 1776, it was the first house that he possessed in Weimar and he lived here for six years. Already during his lifetime it became a kind of 'national shrine', and nowadays it is still visited by thousands of Goethe-pilgrims. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Schiller bust in the Stadtschloss Museum of Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30486] Bust of Schiller in the 'Schiller Gedächtnisraum' (memorial room, completed in 1840) in the Stadtschloss Museum of Weimar. The bust is a replica of the portrait by Johann Heinrich Dannecker. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Study in Schiller's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30446] Schiller's Wohnhaus in the Schillerstrasse was the residence of the writer in Weimar between 1802 till his death in 1805. Here we see the desk in his study. A monologue from 'Demetrius' was found on the desk after his death. Photo Paul Smit.
Reception room in Schiller's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30448] Schiller's Wohnhaus in the Schillerstrasse was the residence of the writer in Weimar between 1802 till his death in 1805. Here we see the reception room (“Empfangszimmer”) with a copy of the painting of Schiller which was made by Anton Graff in 1786. Photo Paul Smit.
Drawing room in Schiller's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30451] Schiller's Wohnhaus in the Schillerstrasse was the residence of the writer in Weimar between 1802 till his death in 1805. Here we see a part of the drawing room (“Gesellschaftszimmer”) where Schiller entertained his guests. Photo Paul Smit.
Wallpaper of drawing room in Schiller's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30452] Schiller's Wohnhaus in the Schillerstrasse was the residence of the writer in Weimar between 1802 till his death in 1805. Here we see a detail of the wallpaper in the drawing room (“Gesellschaftszimmer”). Schiller was very interested in the esthetic properties of his rooms. In a letter he wrote to Goethe: “I’m looking forward to the beautiful walls that are going to surround me”. For Schiller, beauty was not merely an aesthetic experience, but a moral one as well: the Good is the Beautiful. Ironically, Schiller’s beautiful wallpapers might nog have been very good for his health and may have hastened his early death, as recent research has shown that the pigments in the original wallpapers not only contained copper and lead but also arsenic. The wallpapers that can nowadays be seen in the Schillerhaus have been reconstructed in 1985-1988 from remnants that were still present from Schiller’s time. Photo Paul Smit.
Bust of Goethe in Anna-Amalia Library in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30462] Copy of a bust of Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) in the Herzogin-Anna-Amalia-Bibliothek in Weimar. The original, made in 1829 by the French sculptor Jean David d'Angers, is in the Galerie David d'Angers in Angers. The library was founded in 1691 and renewed by Duchess Anna Amalia in 1761-66. Goethe was (co-) director of the institute from 1797 till his death in 1832. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Goethe bust in the Stadtschloss Museum of Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30484] Copy of a bust of Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) in the Stadtschloss Museum of Weimar. The original, made in 1829 by the French sculptor Jean David d'Angers, is in the Galerie David d'Angers in Angers. This copy was made by the Micheli Brothers in the beginning of the 20th century. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Juno Room Goethe's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30439] Goethes Wohnhaus at the Frauenplan in Weimar was for 47 years the residence of the great poet, writer and statesman. The Late Barock house was built in 1709 and became the living quarters of Goethe in 1782. Here we see the Juno Room which was named after the colossal bust of the Roman goddess Juno (seen on the left). It was the music room of the house and many famous guests were entertained here, like Novalis, Schlegel and Mendelssohn. Above the grand piano hangs a water colour by Johann Meyer, which is copy of a Roman fresco representing marriage customs. Photo Paul Smit.
Cranach painting in Goethe's House in Weimar
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30441] In the Orbino Room in Goethes Wohnhaus in Weimar hangs a child portrait of Johann Friedrich II der Mittlere, Duke of Sachsen-Coburg-Eisenach, painted by Lucas Cranach der Jüngere (1515-1586). Johann Friedrich II was the oldest son of Johann Friedrich I der Grossmütige. Photo Paul Smit.
Bust-room in Goethe's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30443] Goethes Wohnhaus at the Frauenplan in Weimar was for 47 years the residence of the great poet, writer and statesman. The Late Barock house was built in 1709 and became the living quarters of Goethe in 1782. Here we see the vaulted 'Büstenzimmer' (bust-room) which Goethe ordered to be constructed in 1793 following a Roman example. In the foreground stands a plaster cast of the Ilioneus Torso (after a Roman copy of a Greek original), which Goethe received as a gift on his 80th birthday from King Ludwig I von Bayern. On the left we see a plaster copy of the bust of Schiller by Johann Heinrich Dannecker. On the right is a marble bust of the philosopher and theologian Johann Gottfried von Herder, sculpted by Alexander Trippel. Photo Paul Smit.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30427] Marketplace in Weimar with Neogothic town hall (1841). In the tower the white bells of the chimes can be seen. They date from 1987 and are made of Meissner porcelain. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Goethe's Garden House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30437] Goethes Gartenhaus can be found just outside Weimar in the valley of the Ilm. Bought in 1776, it was the first house that he possessed in Weimar and he lived here for six years. Already during his lifetime it became a kind of 'national shrine', and nowadays it is still visited by thousands of Goethe-pilgrims. The cyclers in front of the house are following the long distance cycle trail (Radfernweg) “Thüringer Städtekette”, a 225 km long route which connects seven of Thuringia's most beautiful towns. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Schiller bust in Goethe's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30444] Plaster copy of the bust of Friedrich von Schiller by Johann Heinrich Dannecker in the 'Büstenzimmer' of Goethe's House in Weimar. The original dates from 1793 and Dannecker made this plaster copy in 1794. Photo Paul Smit.
Study in Schiller's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30445] Schiller's Wohnhaus in the Schillerstrasse was the residence of the writer in Weimar between 1802 till his death in 1805. Here we see his study. Photo Paul Smit.
Study in Schiller's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30447] Schiller's Wohnhaus in the Schillerstrasse was the residence of the writer in Weimar between 1802 till his death in 1805. Here we see the desk in his study with the celestial globe he owned. Photo Paul Smit.
Reception room in Schiller's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30449] Schiller's Wohnhaus in the Schillerstrasse was the residence of the writer in Weimar between 1802 till his death in 1805. Here we see the reception room (“Empfangszimmer”) with a copy of the painting of Schiller which was made by Anton Graff in 1786. Photo Paul Smit.
Wallpaper of reception room in Schiller's House in Weimar.
[GERMANY.THUERINGEN 30450] Schiller's Wohnhaus in the Schillerstrasse was the residence of the writer in Weimar between 1802 till his death in 1805. Here we see a detail of the wallpaper in the reception room (“Empfangszimmer”). Schiller was very interested in the esthetic properties of his rooms. In a letter he wrote to Goethe: “I’m looking forward to the beautiful walls that are going to surround me”. For Schiller, beauty was not merely an aesthetic experience, but a moral one as well: the Good is the Beautiful. Ironically, Schiller’s beautiful wallpapers might nog have been very good for his health and may have hastened his early death, as recent research has shown that the pigments in the original wallpapers not only contained copper and lead but also arsenic. The wallpapers that can nowadays be seen in the Schillerhaus have been reconstructed in 1985-1988 from remnants that were still present from Schiller’s time. Photo Paul Smit.
