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Weimar, European City of Culture in the heart of Thuringia

Goethe.Culture.Run: On the trail of the poet and classicism

No Weimar without Goethe. Reason enough to celebrate the anniversary of his arrival in Weimar 250 years ago. A sporting highlight will be the Goethe.Culture.Run on April 27, 2025.

 

Weimar, the home of Goethe and many other personalities

Weimar's rise to become the centre of literary Europe began with the arrival of the 26-year-old Goethe. The city owes its worldwide reputation as a centre for culture, art and modernity to him. The list of famous personalities who chose Weimar as their adopted home is long: in addition to Goethe, Schiller, Bach, Liszt and the avant-gardists of the Bauhaus characterised the city's various eras.

Weimar's cultural history with the UNESCO World Heritage label

Many sights of Weimar's cultural history bear the UNESCO World Heritage mark. A total of 16 ensembles can be found in a very small area. The cityscape is characterised by classical architecture, historic parks and magnificent palaces. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the city every year just to explore them and make a pilgrimage through the more than 25 museums.

Classic sights as part of the Goethe.Culture.Run

However, Weimar's guests are not only travelling along museum trails. Great art and light muse, concerts and theatre, exhibitions and contemporary interactions attract visitors. The culinary side is also worth discovering: first and foremost the Thuringian bratwurst and Thuringian dumplings. Weimar beer is now available non-alcoholic or as a shandy. The classic sights are part of the Goethe.Culture.Run and can be explored along the individual sections of the route, true to the poet's recommendation.

Weimar in the Faust 2025 theme year

In the 250th year since Goethe's arrival in Weimar, the Thuringian royal seat is being transformed into a lively Faust workshop. From Walpurgis Night onwards, the Klassik Stiftung Weimar is inviting visitors to numerous exhibitions, events and debates on Goethe's masterpiece. Guests can follow in the footsteps of “Faust” through Weimar. The multimedia literary exhibition “Faust” presents Goethe's masterpiece in an innovative way with comic art, video interviews and objects from Goethe's collections to offer both newcomers and connoisseurs fresh perspectives on Heinrich Faust as a modern protagonist. A special highlight is also the presentation of the original manuscript of “Faust II” in the Goethe and Schiller Archive, which was completed shortly before Goethe's death.