What to do and see in Weimar, Thuringia: The Best Museums

The Goethe National Museum is the most important museum for the presentation and study of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s life and works. An extraordinary treasure is contained within – the poet’s actual residence with original furnishings and collection pieces. Numerous items from his personal collections are on display in the accompanying exhibition “Flood of Life – Storm of Deeds” which highlights Goethe’s vastly diverse interests beyond his literary production.

Franz Liszt lived in the former court gardener’s house at the edge of the Park on the Ilm from 1869 until his death in 1886. This is where he gave lessons to many young and talented pianists from Germany and abroad. In 1887 Grand Duke Carl Alexander opened several rooms to the public as a memorial site. All the furnishings in the music salon and study are authentic, including the Bechstein grand piano.

The Baroque palatial residence in the centre of Weimar was home to the dowager Duchess Anna Amalia of Saxony-Weimar and Eisenach for many years until 1807. This is where she held her famous social gatherings. The Duchess’s former parlour with its original furnishings is among the most authentic rooms in the mansion that best reflects domestic culture around 1800.

This place is temporarily closed. The former residence of the grand ducal family of Saxony-Weimar and Eisenach possesses a rich and eventful history. For many centuries, the castle represented the cultural heart of the city. It was here that the artistically-minded Ernestine dynasty lived and ruled for almost 400 years in the company of famous poets, philosophers, artists and composers. The first phase of a major renovation project at the Weimar City Castle began in summer 2018. A new Klassik Stiftung Weimar visitor centre on the ground floor will be completed in the following years. Large sections of the castle will be opened to visitors free of charge. On the upper-level belétage, curators are busy developing a new exhibition which includes rooms which have never been opened to the public before. Following the grand re-opening, visitors can look forward to fascinating stories that took place inside and “behind the scenes” of the castle.

The former Grand Ducal Museum, built in 1869, was one of the first museums established in Germany. In years past, the museum mainly served as a venue for temporary exhibitions, but in April 2019, it will reopen with a permanent exhibition on early modernist art from the Weimar Painting School to Henry van de Velde. A large museum workshop invites guests to experiment with the techniques of the arts and crafts.

Before he passed away in 1805, Friedrich Schiller spent his last three years at this residence on Esplanade where he wrote his famous plays “The Bride of Messina” and “William Tell”. Today, Schiller’s original desk and bed are displayed in his former living quarters.

Buchenwald (1937-1945) became a synonym for the crimes committed by the National Socialists. Until 1950, the Soviets used the grounds for a special camp; after 1958 the German Democratic Republic established the “Nationale Mahn- und Gedenkstätte” here. After 1990, the memorial was reorganized according to a new concept now also providing for commemoration of the fates of other victim groups. New exhibitions place the crimes in their historical contexts. The history of Weimar and Buchenwald provides a unique historical resonator for historical-political education work. This uniqueness lies in the proximity between the camp and Weimar as a cultural centre, and in the access thus offered to the past. Opening hours Museums | 10 - 18 Uhr The outdoor facilities are accessible daily until sundown. |