Weimar: Goethe, Bauhaus and Park on the Ilm

Discover Weimar through its literature, Bauhaus heritage and designed landscapes. On the edge of the old town lies the 48-hectare Park on the Ilm, a unique landscape garden. To this day, it is a place for recreation, learning and the aesthetic enjoyment of nature. When looking for accommodation in Weimar, consider whether the parkland, literary sites or Bauhaus history should be the focus of your stay.

Literary history in houses and objects

Goethe’s Garden House in Park on the Ilm was his first home of his own in Weimar, in 1776. There, Goethe wrote the ballad “The Erlking” and the poem “To the Moon.” The “Stone of Good Fortune,” erected in 1777, also stands in the garden. Goethe and his drawing teacher Adam Friedrich Oeser designed it; it is considered one of Germany’s first non-figurative monuments.

The Garden House displays original furnishings, artworks, manuscripts and a selection of drawings from Goethe’s estate. Here, you can encounter not only the places where Goethe lived and wrote, but also objects and works associated with his estate.

Schiller’s House also brings literary history to life through tangible objects: visitors can see Schiller’s original desk and bed. Friedrich Schiller spent the last three years of his life and work in the house on the Esplanade. At Schiller’s House, visitors can write with a quill and ink, create their own silhouette and experiment with colors.

Bauhaus and Weimar Classicism

The Bauhaus Museum Weimar presents one of the country’s most important Bauhaus collections and the world’s oldest Bauhaus collection. The Klassik Stiftung Weimar’s collection now comprises 13,000 objects and documents. The museum’s outstanding exhibits include the Wagenfeld Lamp, Marcel Breuer’s slatted chair and Marianne Brandt’s teapot.

A distinctive point of orientation is the terrace, which leads from Weimarhallenpark into the Bauhaus Museum and invites visitors to linger even before entering. Beyond individual houses, the buildings and parks of Classical Weimar bear witness to the cultural flourishing of Weimar Classicism. They also reflect the enlightened patronage of the dukes in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, which drew important German writers and thinkers such as Goethe, Schiller and Herder to Weimar. Individual exhibits are thus part of a broader cultural context.

Weimar and the wider travel destination of Weimarer Land

In the wider travel destination of Weimarer Land, the Thuringian Three Towers Trail runs through the protected landscape of the Middle Ilm Valley in southern Weimarer Land. It links Paulinenturm near Bad Berka, Hainturm in the Belvedere Forest near Weimar and Carolinenturm near Blankenhain.

The Goethe Adventure Trail follows Goethe’s route to Charlotte von Stein and connects Weimar with Großkochberg. Its twelve themed stations explore the relationship between nature and culture. For multi-day cycling trips, consider the cycle routes between Weimar, Apolda and Bad Sulza: they combine nature, cultural history and regional cuisine. When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore first decide whether Weimar’s cultural sites are your main focus or whether you would also like to include regional routes in your plans.

Weimar is connected to Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance rail network. Check timetables and connections for your travel dates.

Discover more destinations: Kleinschwabhausen, Gaberndorf, Lehnstedt, Kapellendorf, Nohra, Magdala, Mellingen, Kranichfeld.

Go to the wider travel overview: Weimarer Land.