A visit to Weimar--the European Cultural City of 1999.
Goethe had the latin salute Salve emblazoned above the entrance to his house in Weimar. This year Salve is the motto with which Weimar bids welcome to the thousands of visitors to flock to the European Cultural City 1999. With a population of approximately 60,000, Weimar is the smallest city to receive this distinction. Nevertheless, the modest town in the heart of Thuringia is so rich in German cultural history that it can compete with major European metropolises. Like few other places, Weimar evokes abundant contradictory feelings. It is seen as both center and symbol of German intellectual life, especially during the high Enlightenment period of the 18th and 19th centuries. Probably no other German city is associated with the names of so many men who had a leading influence on this country’s culture. In addition to the dominant Dichter duo of Goethe and Schiller, the composers J.S. Bach and Franz Liszt, the theologian Johann Gottfried Herder, the painters Lucas Cranach and Lyonel Feininger and the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche are among those who at some point lived and left their mark here. Most houses in which Weimar’s prominent personalities resided have been preserved in their original state. It is a rare treat to stroll through Liszt’s music chamber. A tour of Goethe’s large villa promises the opportunity to peek at his private library and austere study. But the name Weimar is not only associated with the great minds that shaped it. It is also a byword for the failed effort to establish the first parliamentary democracy in Germany. The Weimarer Republik began here in 1919 and eventually led to the rise of National Socialism. The Nazis left traces of their atrocities in Weimar: a complete picture of this town is impossible without a visit to the memorial site of the former concentration camp Buchenwald, just outside the city. Nowhere else are the glory and terror of German history juxtaposed so strikingly. The organizers of the Cultural City Year have chosen to deal head-on with the ambivalent aspects of their city’s history. They have opened the Zeitschneise, a footpath leading from Ettersburg castle, in Goethe’s days a center for artists and intellectuals, to the concentration camp site. “By opening this path one can experience the uncanny proximity between modern barbarism and classic culture,” explains Bernd Kauffmann, Cultural City Commissioner, who stresses the need for contemplation of the past. At the end of the millennium Weimar pauses to reflect upon, regret and celebrate its heritage. But the Cultural City program, which features hundreds of events throughout the year, proves that Weimar strives to be more than a living museum. Weimar presents itself as a modern, vibrant city. It will be a place of artistic exchange, creativity and challenge. The program offers a broad range of exhibitions, lectures, dance and theater performances. And, of course, there is always Goethe, whose 250th anniversary will be celebrated on August 28. But despite Weimar’s obvious pride in its most famous citizen, it is determined to treat its spiritual father not only with awestruck veneration. “Of course this city has a complex. That’s undisputed,” says Kauffmann. “We will take this man and his work seriously, as well as lightly, ironically, cheerfully. We cannot deal exclusively with the seriousness. The subject of the Übervater of German culture must also be approached with humor, and sometimes I would almost say gegen den Strich gebürstet (go against the grain).” Weimar’s cultural year will be an exciting one, promising to bridge Eastern and Western Germany – a mix of rich history and the future, provincial charm and an exciting, international showcase. Walking through Weimar: With every step you take in Weimar you stumble over history. The city offers an almost overwhelming multitude of historic sites and museums. You can easily explore Weimar on foot. A good place to start is the Marktplatz. Here you can pick up a city map and other helpful information at the tourist office before setting out on a tour of this German gem. The beautifully decorated Renaissance facade of the Cranach Haus is one of the highlights of the Marktplatz. From here it is just a short stroll to the Stadtschloß, a castle which Goethe helped rebuild after it burned down in 1774. Today the Schloß houses an important collection of paintings by artists of the Weimar School. You can cross the river Ilm at the Sternbrücke and then wander the expansive grounds of the Park an der Ilm. This is where Goethe proved his talent as a landscape architect, creating sweeping lawns, clusters of trees and artificial waterfalls, which give the park its “natural” appearance so fashionable in the 18th century. The park is dotted with a number of remarkable buildings and pavillions, including the picturesque ruin of the Tempelherrenhaus and one of Weimar’s icons, Goethe’s beautiful Gartenhaus, the cottage to which he often retreated to pursue his writing. For the Cultural City Year a replica of the famous Gartenhaus has been created and can be visited until the fall. Starting in May, a second copy based on computer-generated reproduction techniques promises a unique experience. You shouldn’t miss the Römisches Haus in the Ilmpark which reopens in May after extensive reconstruction. The temple-like building, which was constructed with Goethe’s co-operation, exudes an austere coolness and is a masterful example of classicist interior design. At the edge of the park you pass by the Liszt-Haus, where the Hungarian composer established a salon for music lovers and musicians from all over the world. Today it is a museum, including original furniture and documents from Liszt’s lifetime. A few blocks away stands the famous Goethehaus, a mecca for all Weimar tourists. From here you can walk through the Schillerstraße pedestrian zone and visit the Schillerhaus, which also offers a vivid representation of how the poet lived and worked. You can end your tour at the Theaterplatz in front of the Deutsches Nationaltheater, where the famed double statue of Goethe and Schiller marks a fitting end to a stroll in the footsteps of German history’s prominents. Celebrating Weimar as the European Cultural City of the Year, the town will present a wide-ranging program with hundreds of cultural events throughout the year. Highlights in April include performances of Goethe’s Faust I & II (April 4 and 9, Deutsches Nationaltheater) and the internationally acclaimed Staatskapelle Weimar gives concerts on April 17 and 18 at the Deutsches Nationaltheater. Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days will be presented at E-Werk on April 23-25, 27, 28 and 30. For those with staying power, a Shakespeare marathon from 10:00 a.m. April 23 through 1:00 p.m April 25 takes place at the Restaurant Shakespeares. The Tokyo Ballet company presents A Japanese Night with performances on April 3-5 and 8-10 at the Viehauktionshalle. May events include a major Goethe exhibition, opening May 1 at the Goethe-Nationalmuseum – a broad panorama of literature, politics and art between 1750 and 1840. Especially for dance lovers, the Bejart Ballet Lausanne on May 14-16, 18-20 performs at the Viehauktionshalle. For tickets and and a detailed program call the Weimar 1999 GmbH at (03643) 24 00 24, fax (03643) 24 00 25, or visit their well organized and informative web pages at www.weimar1999.de