The Goethe-Nationalmuseum is a museum devoted to the German author

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

, in the town of

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Originally comprising the

Goethe House The Goethe House is a writer's house museum located in the Innenstadt district of Frankfurt, Germany. It is the birthplace and childhood home of German poet and playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It is also the place where Goethe wrote hi ...

, where Goethe lived intermittently for 50 years from 1782 to 1832, the museum was founded on 8 August 1885 as a result of the will of Goethe's last living heir, his grandson Walther von Goethe, who left the Goethe House to the state. After the Land of

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

was formed, the Goethe-Nationalmuseum, along with several buildings erected during the classical age and the Weimar palaces, became the property of Thuringia. In the 1920s, more Weimar buildings were assigned to the Goethe-Nationalmuseum. In 1953, these buildings became the property of the "Nationale Forschungs- und Gedenkstätten der klassischen deutschen Literatur in

, NFG" (national research establishments and memorials of German classical literature in Weimar). Since October 1991, the Goethe-Nationalmuseum belongs to the "Klassik Stiftung Weimar" (foundation of Weimar classicism) which succeeded the NFG. It administers the main house and 22 other historical houses and museums throughout and around the Weimar municipal area.

Exhibits and research

The Goethe-Nationalmuseum consists of Goethe's residential building and the "Goethe-Museum". This museum is situated in an extension that was built in 1935 next to the house. The exhibits largely consist of Goethe's collections in the domains of arts and natural science, his library, and about 2,000 drawings he did himself. The collection comprises about 100,000 exhibits and focuses on the period of

Weimar Classicism Weimar Classicism (german: Weimarer Klassik) was a German literary and cultural movement, whose practitioners established a new humanism from the synthesis of ideas from Romanticism, Classicism, and the Age of Enlightenment. It was named after ...

. In Goethe's residential building, situated at the

place "Frauenplan", visitors can view the rooms in which he and his wife, Christiane Vulpius, lived, at Goethe's study and library, the reception room, the rooms where the art collection was stored, and the garden. The house also contains research facilities, including the "Studiensaal", an institution used during the age of Goethe which is similar to a congress or conference centre today. In 1998 the house was inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

along with other buildings and sites associated with Weimar Classicism, because of their exceptional architecture and testimony to Weimar's influence as a cultural hub during the late 18th and 19th centuries.

References

External links

* Museums in Weimar 1885 establishments in Germany Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Literary museums in Germany Biographical museums in Germany Museums established in 1885 {{Thuringia-struct-stub