Weimar City Castle

The former residence of the grand ducal family of Saxony-Weimar and Eisenach possesses a rich and eventful history. For many centuries, the castle represented the cultural heart of the city. It was here that the artistically-minded Ernestine dynasty lived and ruled for almost 400 years in the company of famous poets, philosophers, artists and composers.

The Weimar City Castle is currently closed for renovation and will gradually be reopened to the public as work progresses. The poet's rooms and the castle chapel can be visited on guided tours. The renovation project is slated for completion by 2030. It will feature an entirely new exhibition which will provide access to previously cordoned-off sequences of rooms. As the new, dynamic centre of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar, the City Castle will serve as a visitor centre, debate forum and educational venue. In addition to lively discussions on contemporary issues, visitors can look forward to fascinating stories which have taken place at court and “behind the scenes”.

Castle

The Weimar City Castle with its gatehouse, castle tower and court ladies’ building possesses an eventful history spanning hundreds of years. The castle complex, situated on the banks of the Ilm River, was built on the site of a medieval moated castle first mentioned in documents from the 10^th century. Since the mid-16^th century, the castle served as the permanent residence of the dukes of Saxony-Weimar and Eisenach until their reign ended in 1918.

Today the Weimar City Castle is comprised of four wings. Its classical appearance dates back to 1789 when the Baroque three-wing castle was rebuilt under Goethe’s direction following a devastating fire. Based on plans by the architects Johann August Arens, Nicolaus Friedrich Thouret and Heinrich Gentz, reconstruction work continued until the mid-19^th century under the supervision of Clemens Wenzelaus Coudray. The south wing with the vaulted gateway to the Ilm Park was built between 1912 and 1914 and was designed to resemble the other wings. The City Castle has been used as a museum since 1923 and serves as the administrative headquarters of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar today.