Weimar - a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Weimar is located in Thuringia, close to Jena, Erfurt, Halle, and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 64,000. The oldest record of the city dates back to 899. Weimar was the capital of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, and in the 20th century, the city gave its name to the Weimar Republic.
Weimar is famous as the great centre of German classical literature: It was home of luminaries such as Bach, Goethe, Schiller, and Herder; and the piano virtuosi Hummel (a pupil of Mozart) and Liszt. The tombs of Goethe and Schiller as well as their archives are in the city.
After World War I, the German National Assembly met in the National Theatre in Weimar and in 1919 adopted the constitution of the ‘Weimar Republic’. Besides Dessau, Weimar was the centre of the Bauhaus movement with famous teachers such as Wassily Kandinsky, Lyonel Feininger, and Oskar Schlemmer to name but a few. During World War II, a concentration camp was established in the immediate vicinity of the town of Buchenwald which provided slave labour for local industry. Between July 1937 and April 1945, altogether 250,000 persons from throughout Europe were imprisoned there. The number of victims is estimated at approximately 56,000.
Weimar was later part of the German Democratic Republic (1949–1990). Following German reunification, UNESCO designated ‘Classical Weimar’ a World Heritage Site in 1998, and in 1999 Weimar was elected European Capital of Culture.
The city houses art galleries, museums, and the German National Theatre. The famous Anna Amalia Library which was damaged during a fire in 2004 belongs to the UNESCO world heritage, and is one of the oldest public libraries in Europe. Fortunately, the building and a great deal of the collection was restored, and the library is open to the public again.

Sightseeing

The local tourist office offers electronic guided tours with headphone and a tour map. Guided tours in English for groups are available, too, but need to be booked in advance.

For further information, please, contact your hotel or the local tourist information office at

Enjoy your stay in Weimar!