Classical Weimar

Weimar is unusual. Despite being comparatively small in size, it has achieved great stature.

The cornerstone of its cultural significance was laid more than 200 years ago, when Weimar became the intellectual centre of Germany. The sites associated with the poets and their patrons are remarkably well preserved, as are the beautiful, extensive parks of Classical Weimar – a period encouraged by the support of an enlightened royal house and brought to worldwide attention through Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Friedrich Schiller, Germany’s most famous poets. UNESCO honoured the legacy of Classical Weimar in 1998 by awarding it World Heritage status. The ensemble includes the celebrated Duchess Anna Amalia library, Goethe’s House, Schiller’s House, Weimar Palace, the three palaces and parks of Belvedere, Ettersburg and Tiefurt, Anna Amalia’s Wittums Palace and sites associated with Johann Gottfried Herder –the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (the Herderkirche) with its three-panelled altarpiece by Lucas Cranach, Herder’s house and the former grammar school. The historical cemetery with its royal crypt is also part of the World Heritagesite. All of these magnificent treasures have been lovingly restored and are presented to the highest standard, allowing visitors to experience a fascinating chapter in Germany’s cultural history at close hand.