Goethe House, Weimar, Germany

The Goethe House is the main house where poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe lived in Weimar, though he did live in several others in the town. Goethe House is one of sites in a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of multiple structures related to Weimar Classicism.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe lived in the house on Frauenplan for 50 years until his death in 1832, apart from his journeys and a lengthy stay in Italy. He first moved into the Baroque house which built in 1709 on June 1, 1782 as a tenant. In 1792, Duke Carl August of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach purchased the property and gave it to his state minister Goethe, who by then had been ennobled, in 1794. Goethe had the building reconstructed according to his own designs as the only owner. The most significant changes made to the house were the construction of a spacious staircase with three passageways and the corresponding niches for sculptures, and the mounting of stucco friezes. This reconstruction work reflects Goethe’s ideology of classical art.

The part of the house facing the town contains the elegant living, social and collection rooms, while the back of the house with the working areas is looking at the spacious gardens. The front and back of the house are linked by two passages on the upper floor; these bridge the coach house and inner courtyard with the fountain. Goethe lived here not only with his family, but also with several servants and house mates such as his friend and advisor, the artist Johann Heinrich Meyer at the times.

Besides serving as a place to live and work, the great house gave Goethe the opportunity to expand his art and nature collection constantly until it reached the dimensions that are still being preserved today. The 18 accessible rooms show not only original furniture and other belongings of the household, but also personal mementoes and numerous objects from all parts of Goethe’s collection: hand drawings, paintings, sculptures, bronzes, majolica, coins and medallions. The arrangement and display of the collection largely corresponds to their presentation during the last years of the poet’s life. The highlight of the tour is Goethe’s study with its authentic furnishings and the view of the adjoining private library.

References:

Klassik Stiftung Weimar

User Reviews

Μαρια Σιουγγαρη (2 years ago)
Νοt really interesting, the leaflet with the numbers of rooms did not correspond with the nrs on the audioguide. Few personal things of Goethe to see, only the Majolica collection was interesting, and his study and library, but the books were missing. The ticket too much expensive for such a poor place to see

Kerstin Blum (2 years ago)
Amazing insights into the life of Goethe. Such a beautiful and inspiring space. Well presented and updated with video installations and the incredible wealth of the attached museum.

Aamir Hussain Shahani (2 years ago)
Beautiful residence of famous German poet Goethe. Pleased to know that this country has saved its heroes residence with a neat and clean environment and proper maintenance. They also provide an audio guide to visitors therefore no need to ask someone about the place. The audio guide has all the information you want to know about the place.

olena salata (3 years ago)
The great poet Goethe lived in this not big house in Weimar for 50 years, collected 26 thousand works of art and fell in love with a woman from the common people. A museum about how and where it all happened in the life of a German genius, it is well stocked but lacks modern interactivity.

Irina V O (3 years ago)
Such an enriching experience! Allocate at least 2.5h (towards 3) for the house and museum and take an audio guide, it has the optimal level of information (in my opinion :D)! Check for special offers before going: currently, the 3rd Sunday in a month is free from 14.00.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright caminanteK

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.

Goethe House

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix