Would Goethe have started at the Goethe.Culture.Run 2025 in Weimar?

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So the question arises: was Goethe a physically active person? The answer is clear: Yes! He was definitely athletic and interested in physical activity. Although Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was not a ‘sportsman’ in the modern sense, the most famous German poet and thinker had various activities that indicate an active life.

5 facts that speak in favour of a sporty Goethe:

1. hiking and walking:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a passionate walker. While travelling through Italy and during the years he spent in Weimar, he took every opportunity to explore nature. Walks served him both as relaxation and as a source of inspiration. The landscapes around Weimar in particular, such as the Ilm valley, played a central role in his everyday life.

2. horse riding:
Riding was not only a common means of transport in Goethe's time, but also a popular sporting activity. Goethe himself was a skilled rider and used this skill both when travelling and for leisure activities.

3. swimming:
Goethe was a keen swimmer who particularly enjoyed swimming in rivers. His swimming in the Ilm near Weimar is well known. For him, swimming was not only a refreshing leisure activity, but also an important contribution to his health.

4.Physical fitness and health:
Goethe attached great importance to a balanced interplay of body and mind. His notes in letters and diaries prove that he was intensively concerned with topics such as diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

5. interest in movement and body awareness:
Goethe's fascination with the human body went beyond the purely literary. His anatomical studies, in particular on the structure of human bones, make it clear that he also viewed the body from a scientific and practical perspective.
 

Goethe would have run in the race in Weimar

Although Goethe was not an ‘athlete’ in the modern sense, he integrated physical activities such as hiking, swimming and riding into his everyday life and was certainly physically active for his time. His passion for nature and exercise was also reflected in his works, in which nature and life often play a central role. It can therefore be concluded that Goethe would certainly have laced up his shoes for the Goethe.Culture.Run in Weimar.