Classical Weimar

It all began with Duchess Anna Amalia, who attracted poets and philosophers to the province and brought fame to the town. "Classical Weimar" is the fascinating legacy of Weimar Classicism, a cultural movement that had an enduring literary and scholarly influence. It produced major works that were characterised by their cosmopolitan outlook, accessible nature and humanist approach. Weimar became the focal point of European intellectual thought and was home to writers such as Christoph Martin Wieland, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder and Friedrich Schiller. Weimar Classicism ended with Goethe's death in 1832. Reminders of Classical Weimar include the places where the writers and their patrons lived and worked - Goethe's House and the Schiller House, Belvedere Palace, Ettersburg Palace and Tiefurt Palace with their fabulous parks, sites associated with Herder, Wittums Palace, where the illustrious round table assembled, the renowned Duchess Anna Amalia Library and the royal crypt with its historical cemetery. This superb ensemble of 22 historic houses and literary monuments prompted Weimar's inclusion on the World Heritage list.