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GERMAN WORLD HERITAGE SITES

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The vestiges of Weimar’s literary past

As part of our tour of Germany's UNESCO World Heritage sites, we wander around the traces of Classicism in the beautiful city of Weimar.

The vestiges of Weimar's literary past
Photo: DPA

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 characterized 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.

RELATED PHOTO GALLERY: A few shots from Weimar

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.

Worth a visit is also Wittums Palace, where the illustrious round table assembled, the renowned Duchess Anna Amalia Library and the historical cemetery with its royal crypt, where you can see the tombs of Goethe and Schiller. It has been a UNESCO-World Heritage site since 1998.

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