You only see what you know (Goethe)
The Van de Velde Building was designed by Henry van de Velde for the Grand Ducal Saxon School of Arts and Crafts. Today it houses the Faculty of Art and Design of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. At the central staircase you can see a restored mural, originally made by Oskar Schlemmer.
The quotes on the house walls of Weimar are a challenge for attentive walks. They inspire not only to look at gable ends but also to reflect. This quote from Jules Renard made me pensive: “If you know life, please give me its address” (Wenn Sie das Leben kennen, geben Sie mir doch bitte seine Anschrift). What exactly makes us think we know life? [German]
The Goethe garden house is a building in the Ilmpark of Weimar. It was Goethe’s home and workplace until he moved to the Frauenplan in June 1782. Here he wrote the famous ballad of the Erlkönig and the poem To the Moon. [German]
Not far from the artificial ruins in Ilmpark stands a monument to the English writer William Shakespeare. The tribute of a British poet in Weimar surprises, but there are interesting links. Goethe is considered one of the main protagonists in the German Shakespeare reception in his time. [German]
On the way from the Duchess Anna Amalia Library to the market, I pass a Renaissance portal with a strikingly large number of coats of arms. The windows have colourful lines like fresh make-up. The gate belongs to the Red Castle (Rote Schloss), which was built in the years 1574/76 as a widow’s residence for Duchess Dorothea Susanne. [German]
Many years ago, I came across an old ruin with a misleading name in the Ilmpark. The name Tempelherrenhaus (House of the Templars) made me think of a religious gathering place. In fact, it is a former café that was destroyed in World War II. The mysterious name derives from the once placed sculptures that represented the temple masters. [German]
This sculpture named Versunkener Riese (Sunken Giant) was created by the German sculptor Walter Sachs. The art piece is located on the Frauenplan, a square known for the nearby Goethe National Museum. [German]
The municipal museum of Weimar is housed in the Bertuchhaus. This former residential and commercial building was built in the years 1780/1803 in classicistic style. Its name goes back to the then owner Friedrich Justin Bertuch, who worked as a writer and publisher. [German]
Promenaders reach Villa Haar via a long outside staircase that connects the building with the Ilmpark (Park an der Ilm). Trees provide shade during the ascent, revealing a neo-Renaissance style villa. The stairwell inside is not particularly large but enchanted by its lovely wall decoration. [German]
The original mausoleum was built as a family grave for Chamberlain Christoph Jenichsen, in 1715. The name Kassengewölbe refers to the Landschaftskassendirektorium (provincial treasury), which became the owner of this place in 1742. Friedrich Schiller is one of the most famous persons who found their final resting place here. [German]
The historic cemetery (Historische Friedhof) is part of the Classic Weimar World Heritage Site. Among many other personalities Johann Wolfgang von Goethe rests here in the Ducal Vault (Fürstengruft). Another notable burial ground of Weimar is the Jacobsfriedhof, which is considered the oldest cemetery of the town. [German]
I love to visit construction sites of museums. They help to understand how the interior structure of the exhibition building is designed. With curiosity and blue protective coatings on my shoes, I enter the shell construction of the Bauhaus Museum in Weimar. Its opening is scheduled for April 2019. [German]