View source for Weimar

{{hatnote group|
{{redirect-distinguish-text|Weimar, Germany|the [[Weimar Republic]]}}{{for-multi|the France–Germany–Poland grouping|Weimar Triangle|the UNESCO World Heritage Site|Classical Weimar (World Heritage Site)|other uses}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox German place
|type                = Stadt
|image_flag          = Hissflagge Weimar.svg
|image_coa           = DEU Weimar COA.svg
|coordinates         = {{coord|50|58|52|N|11|19|46|E|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan          = Thuringia WE.svg
|plantext            = Location of Weimar within Thuringia
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
 | border = infobox
 | perrow = 1/2/2/1
 | total_width = 280
 | align = center
 | caption_align = center
 | image1 = Weimar stadtschloss front 2025.jpg
 | image2 = Weimar Herderplatz Stadtkirche Herderdenkmal.jpg
 | image3 = Goethe-Schiller-Denkmal 01.jpg
 | image4 = Buchenwaldmemorial.jpg
 | image5 = Town Hall of Weimar 01.JPG
 | image6 = Schloss Belvedere Weimar Panorama.jpg
 }}
|image_caption      = View over Weimar with [[Schloss Weimar]] in the middle, Church of [[St. Peter und Paul, Weimar]], [[Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar]] with [[Goethe and Schiller Monument]], Memorial of [[Buchenwald concentration camp]], Town Hall Weimar and [[Schloss Belvedere, Weimar]].
|state              = Thuringia
|district           = Kreisfreie Stadt
|elevation          = 208
|area               = 84.48
|postal_code        = 99423, 99425, 99427, 99428
|area_code          = 03643, 036453
|licence            = WE
|Gemeindeschlüssel  = 16 0 55 000
|divisions          = 12 districts
|website            = {{URL|https://www.weimar.de/|weimar.de}}
|mayor              = Peter Kleine<ref>[https://wahlen.thueringen.de/datenbank/wahl1/wahl.asp?wahlart=BM&wJahr=0000&zeigeErg=LAND&auswertung=2 Gewählte Bürgermeister - aktuelle Landesübersicht], Freistaat Thüringen. Retrieved 25 June 2024.</ref>
|leader_term        = 2024&ndash;30
|Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeister
|party              = 
}}

'''Weimar'''{{Efn|English: {{IPAc-en|ˈ|v|aɪ|m|ɑr}} {{respell|VY|mar}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|aɪ|m|ɑr}} {{respell|WY|mar}},<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of 'Weimar' |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/weimar-republic}}</ref> {{IPA|de|ˈvaɪmaʁ|lang|De-Weimar.ogg|small=no}}; {{langx|la|Vimaria or Vinaria}}.}} is a city in the [[state (Germany)|German state]] of [[Thuringia]], in [[Central Germany (cultural area)|Central Germany]] between [[Erfurt]] to the west and [[Jena]] to the east, {{cvt|80|km|0|abbr=off}} southwest of [[Leipzig]], {{cvt|170|km|0|abbr=off}} north of [[Nuremberg]] and {{cvt|170|km|0|abbr=off}} west of [[Dresden]]. Together with the neighbouring cities of Erfurt and Jena, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia, with approximately 500,000 inhabitants. The city itself has a population of 65,000. Weimar is well known because of its cultural heritage and importance in German history.

The city was a focal point of the [[German Enlightenment]] and home of the leading literary figures of [[Weimar Classicism]], [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] and [[Friedrich Schiller]]. In the 19th century, composers such as [[Franz Liszt]] made Weimar a music centre. Later, artists and architects including [[Henry van de Velde]], [[Wassily Kandinsky]], [[Paul Klee]], [[Lyonel Feininger]], and [[Walter Gropius]] came to the city and founded the [[Bauhaus]] movement, the most important German design school of the [[interwar period]].

The political history of 20th-century Weimar was volatile: it was the place where [[Weimar Constitution|Germany's first democratic constitution]] was signed after the [[First World War]], giving its name to the [[Weimar Republic]] (1918–33), which existed between the end of World War I and the rise of the Nazis. It was also one of the cities mythologized by [[Propaganda in Nazi Germany|Nazi propaganda]].

Until 1948, Weimar was the capital of Thuringia. Many places in the city centre have been designated as [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]s, either as part of the [[Classical Weimar (World Heritage Site)|Classical Weimar]] complex (containing monuments to the classical period of Weimar in 18th and 19th centuries) or the [[Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau|Bauhaus complex]] (containing buildings associated with the Bauhaus art school).<ref name=unesco1>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/846 |title=Classical Weimar |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |access-date=29 July 2022 |archive-date=29 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729182249/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/846 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=unesco2>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/729 |title=Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |access-date=29 December 2018 |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226210010/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/729 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Heritage tourism]] is one of the leading economic sectors of Weimar.

Noted institutions in Weimar are the [[Bauhaus University, Weimar|Bauhaus University]], the [[Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt", Weimar|Liszt School of Music]], the [[Duchess Anna Amalia Library]], and two leading courts of Thuringia (the Supreme Administrative Court and Constitutional Court). In 1999, Weimar was the [[European Capital of Culture]].

==History==
=== Prehistoric times ===
Archaeological finds dating back to the [[Thuringii]] epoch (3rd to 6th centuries) show that the Weimar part of the [[Ilm (Thuringia)|Ilm]] valley was settled early. A tight network of settlements occupied much of the area of today's city.

=== Middle Ages ===
[[File:Kasseturm in Weimar.jpg|thumb|The Kasseturm is a relic of the former city wall at Goetheplatz.]]
The oldest records regarding Weimar date to 899. Its name changed over the centuries from ''Wimares'' through ''Wimari'' to ''Wimar'' and finally Weimar; it is derived from [[Old High German]] ''wīh-'' (holy) and ''-mari'' (standing water, swamp).<ref>Gitta Günther, Wolfram Huschke, and Walter Steiner, ''Weimar'' (Böhlau, 1993), p. 494.</ref> The place was the seat of the [[County of Weimar]], first mentioned in 949, which was one of the most powerful jurisdictions in [[early Middle Ages]] Thuringia. In 1062 it was united with the [[County of Orlamünde]] into the new County of Weimar-Orlamünde, which existed until the [[Thuringian Counts' War]] in 1346. It fell to the [[House of Wettin|Wettins]] afterwards.

The Weimar settlement emerged around the count's wooden castle and two small churches, dedicated to [[Saint Peter]] (which later became the main church), and to [[James the Great|Saint James]], respectively. In 1240, the count founded the dynasty's monastery in Oberweimar, run by [[Cistercians|Cistercian]] nuns. Soon after, the counts of Weimar founded the town, which was an independent parish since 1249 and called ''civitas'' in 1254. From 1262, the citizens used their own seal. The regional influence of the Weimar counts was declining as the influence of the Wettins in Thuringia increased. Hence, the new small town was relatively marginal in a regional context, also due to the fact that it was located far from relevant trade routes, such as the [[Via Regia]]. The settlement around Saint James Church developed into a suburb during the 13th century.

After becoming part of Wettin territory in 1346, urban development improved. The Wettins fostered Weimar by abolishing [[socage]] and granting privileges to the citizens. Now Weimar became equal to other Wettinian cities like [[Weißensee, Thuringia|Weißensee]] and grew during the 15th century, with the establishment of a [[town hall]] and the current main church. In 1438 Weimar acquired trade privileges for woad, a plant from which blue dye was made. The castle and the walls were finished in the 16th century, making Weimar into a full city.

=== Early Modern Period ===
{{main|Saxe-Weimar}}
[[File:We-marktplatz01.jpg|thumb|left|Market Square with some 16th-century Renaissance patricians' houses]]
[[File:Weimar 1 (Merian).jpg|thumb|Weimar in 1650]]
After the [[Treaty of Leipzig]] (1485) Weimar became part of the electorate of the Ernestine branch of Wettins with [[Wittenberg]] as capital. The [[Protestant Reformation]] was introduced in Weimar in 1525; [[Martin Luther]] stayed several times in the city. As the Ernestines lost the [[Schmalkaldic War]] in 1547, their capital Wittenberg went also to the Albertines, so that they needed a new residence. As the ruler returned from captivity, Weimar became his residence in 1552 and remained as such until the end of the monarchy in 1918. The first Ernestine territorial partition in 1572 was followed by various ones, nevertheless Weimar stayed the capital of different [[Saxe-Weimar]] states. The court and its staff brought some wealth to the city, so that it saw a first construction boom in the 16th century. The 17th century brought decline to Weimar, because of changing trade conditions (as in nearby [[Erfurt]]). Besides, the territorial partitions led to the loss of political importance of the dukes of Saxe-Weimar and their finances shrunk. The city's polity weakened more and more and lost its privileges, leading to the absolutist reign of the dukes in the early 18th century. On the other hand, this time brought another construction boom to Weimar, and the city got its present appearance, marked by various ducal representation buildings. The city walls were demolished in 1757 and during the following decades, Weimar expanded in all directions. The biggest building constructed in this period was the ''[[Schloss Weimar|Schloss]]'' as the residence of the dukes (north and east wing: 1789–1803, west wing 1832–1835, south wing: 1913–1914). Between 1708 and 1717 [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] worked as the court's organist in Weimar.

{{clear}}

=== Golden or Classical Age (1758–1832) ===
{{main|Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach}}
[[File:The Grand-Ducal Palace, Weimar.jpg|thumb|The [[Weimarer Stadtschloss|Grand-Ducal Palace]]]]
[[File:Goethe Schiller Weimar.jpg|thumb|The [[Goethe–Schiller monuments|Goethe-Schiller Monument]] in front of the [[Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar]] |alt=Photograph of a large bronze statue of two men standing side by side and facing forward. The statue is on a stone pedestal, which has a plaque that reads "Dem Dichterpaar/Goethe und Schiller/das Vaterland". Behind the monument there is a large, 3-storey building with an elaborate stone façade.]]
The period from the start of the regencies of [[Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel|Anna Amalia]] (1758–1775) and her son [[Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach|Carl August]] (1775–1828) through to Goethe's death in 1832 is denoted as the "golden" or the "classical" age because of the high level of cultural activity in Weimar. The city became an important cultural centre of Europe, having been home to literary figures including [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]], [[Friedrich Schiller|Schiller]], [[Johann Gottfried von Herder|Herder]], [[Christoph Martin Wieland|Wieland]] and [[Friedrich Justin Bertuch|Bertuch]]; and in music the piano virtuoso [[Johann Nepomuk Hummel|Hummel]]. It has been a site of [[pilgrimage]] for the German intelligentsia since Goethe first moved to Weimar in 1775. Goethe was also active in civic duties while living there. He served as Privy Councilor to the Grand Duke of [[Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]] for an extended period. The tombs of Goethe and Schiller, as well as their archives, may be found in the city. Goethe's ''[[Elective Affinities]]'' (1809) is set around the city of Weimar. In comparison to many major German states, the dukes' policy was liberal and tolerant in this period. The liberal Saxe-Weimar constitution was brought into effect in 1816.

=== Silver Ages and The New Weimar (1832–1918) ===
The time after Goethe's death is denoted as the "silver" age because Weimar remained an influential cultural centre. The first emphasis was fostering music. In 1842, [[Franz Liszt]] moved to Weimar to become the Grand Ducal court conductor. Liszt organized the premiere of [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''[[Lohengrin (opera)|Lohengrin]]'' (1850) as well as the world première of [[Camille Saint-Saëns|Saint Saëns]]' opera [[Samson et Delilah]] (1877) in the city. The [[Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt", Weimar|Weimar School of Music]] was founded in 1872 as Germany's first orchestra school. [[Richard Strauss]] worked in Weimar between 1889 and 1894 as second conductor in the acclaimed Staatskapelle Weimar (the court orchestra founded in 1491). Several of his encores for works such as ''Don Juan'' and ''Macbeth'' were performed by the Staatskapelle Weimar. He also premièred Humperdinck's opera [[Hansel and Gretel (opera)|Hänsel and Gretel]] 1893 in Weimar. [[Friedrich Nietzsche]] moved to Weimar in 1897, and died there three years later.

In 1860 the [[Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School]], the precursor of today's [[Bauhaus University, Weimar|Bauhaus University]], was founded. This was the beginning of academic arts education in Weimar. The institution created its own painting style, the ''Weimar School'' of painting with representatives such as [[Max Liebermann]] and [[Arnold Böcklin]]. The [[Kunstgewerbeschule]] Weimar was found by [[Henry van de Velde]] with the support of [[William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach|Grand Duke William Ernest]] in 1902 and represents the other root of [[Bauhaus]], known as "Das Neue Weimar" ("The New Weimar") around [[Harry Graf Kessler]]. It was a foundation against [[Prussia]]'s restrictive arts policy favouring [[Historicism (art)|Historicism]] instead of international [[Arts and Crafts movement|Arts and Crafts]] and [[Art Nouveau]].

As early as the 19th century, the curation of Weimar and its heritage started. Many archives, societies and museums were founded to present and conserve the cultural sights and goods. In 1846, Weimar was connected by the [[Thuringian Railway]]. In the following decades, the city saw a construction and population boom (like most late-19th century cities in Germany). Nevertheless, Weimar did not become industrialised, and remained a city of clerks, artists and rentiers. During the [[German Revolution of 1918–19]] the last reigning grand duke of [[Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach|Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]], William Ernest, had to abdicate and went in exile to [[Henryków, Lower Silesian Voivodeship|Heinrichau]] in Silesia.

=== Weimar Republic ===
The period in German history from 1919 to 1933 is commonly referred to as the [[Weimar Republic]], as the Republic's [[Weimar Constitution|constitution]] was drafted there rather than [[Berlin]]. The capital was considered too dangerous for the [[Weimar National Assembly|National Assembly]] to use as a meeting place because of street rioting during the [[Spartacist uprising]]. Reich President [[Friedrich Ebert]] favored Weimar because he hoped it would remind the victorious Allies of Weimar Classicism while they were deliberating the terms of the [[Treaty of Versailles]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sturm |first=Reinhard |date=23 December 2011 |title=Weimarer Republik: Vom Kaiserreich zur Republik 1918/19 |trans-title=Weimar Republic: From Empire to Republic 1918/19 |url=https://www.bpb.de/themen/erster-weltkrieg-weimar/weimarer-republik/275834/vom-kaiserreich-zur-republik-1918-19/ |access-date=17 June 2013 |website=Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung |language=de |archive-date=16 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216205128/https://www.bpb.de/themen/erster-weltkrieg-weimar/weimarer-republik/275834/vom-kaiserreich-zur-republik-1918-19/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Since the calm and centrally located Weimar had a suitable place of assembly (the [[Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar|theatre]]), hotels and infrastructure, it was chosen as the host city.

In 1920, the federal state of [[Thuringia]] was founded by an association of eight former microstates (Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Saxe-Gotha]], [[Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg|Saxe-Altenburg]], [[Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen|Saxe-Meiningen]], [[Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt]], [[Schwarzburg-Sondershausen]], [[Principality of Reuss-Gera|Reuss-Gera]] and [[Principality of Reuss-Greiz|Reuss-Greiz]]) and Weimar became its capital. Due to that fact, the city experienced another period of growth.

In 1919, [[Walter Gropius]] founded the Bauhaus School by a merger of the Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School with the Kunstgewerbeschule Weimar. The Bauhaus in Weimar lasted from 1919 to 1925, when it moved to [[Dessau]], after the newly elected right-wing Thuringian council put pressure on the school by withdrawing funding and forcing its teachers to quit. Many buildings in Weimar today have influences from the Bauhaus period. However, only one original Bauhaus building was constructed during 1919–1925, the [[Haus am Horn]], now used for exhibitions and events on Bauhaus culture.

The Weimar Republic era was marked by a constant conflict between progressive and ''[[Völkisch movement|Völkisch]]'' forces, the former represented by Harry Graf Kessler and the latter by [[Adolf Bartels]] in Weimar. The ''Weimarer Zeitung'' was published in Weimar as a local newspaper. After 1929, the right-wing forces prevailed and Weimar became an early centre of [[Nazism]].

=== Nazi Germany and World War II ===
[[File:Jedemdasseine.jpg|thumb|left|[[Buchenwald concentration camp|Buchenwald's]] main gate, with the slogan ''[[Jedem das Seine]]'' ("to each his own")]]
Weimar was important to the Nazis for two reasons: first, it was where the hated Weimar Republic was founded, and second, it had been a centre of German high culture in recent centuries. In 1926, the [[NSDAP]] held its party convention in Weimar. [[Adolf Hitler]] visited Weimar more than forty times prior to 1933. In 1930, [[Wilhelm Frick]] became minister for internal affairs and education in Thuringia {{En dash}} the first NSDAP minister in Germany. In 1932, the NSDAP came to power in Thuringia under [[Fritz Sauckel]]. In 1933, the first [[Nazi concentration camps]] were established around Weimar in [[Nohra]] (the first one in Germany) and [[Bad Sulza]]. Most prisoners at this time were communists and social democrats. After [[Kristallnacht]] in 1938, harassment of Jews became more intense, so that many of them emigrated or were arrested. The Weimar Synagogue was destroyed in 1938.

During the 1930s, the barracks in Weimar was greatly extended. One famous person serving as a soldier in Weimar was [[Wolfgang Borchert]], later a well known poet and playwright. As it was the capital of Thuringia, the Nazis built a new Roman-fascist-style administrative centre between the city centre and the main station. This {{Interlanguage link|Gauforum|de}}, designed by [[Hermann Giesler]], was the only Nazi governmental building completed outside Berlin (though there were plans for all German state capitals). Today it hosts the Thuringian State Administration. Other Giesler buildings are the {{Interlanguage link|Villa Sauckel|de}}, the governor's palace and the {{Interlanguage link|Hotel Elephant|de}} in the city centre.

In 1937, the Nazis established [[Buchenwald concentration camp]] {{Cvt|8|km|mi}} from Weimar city centre. Between July 1938 and April 1945, some 240,000 people were incarcerated in the camp by the Nazi regime, including [[Allied airmen at Buchenwald concentration camp|168 Western Allied POWs]].<ref>Bartel, Walter: ''Buchenwald—Mahnung und Verpflichtung: Dokumente und Berichte'' (Buchenwald: Warnings and our obligation [to future generations]—Documents and reports), Kongress-Verlag, 1960. p. 87, line 8. {{in lang|de}}</ref> The [[number of deaths in Buchenwald]] is estimated at 56,545.<ref>[http://buchenwald.libsyn.com/ Podcast with one of 2000 Danish policemen in Buchenwald.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013163821/http://buchenwald.libsyn.com/ |date=13 October 2007}} Episode 6 is about statistics for the number of deaths at Buchenwald.</ref> The Buchenwald concentration camp provided [[slave labour]] for local industry, including the ''[[Wilhelm Gustloff Stiftung|Wilhelm-Gustloff-Werk]]'' arms factory.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Victor |first=Edward |year=2001 |title=Buchenwald |url=http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/Buchenwald.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227003110/http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/Buchenwald.htm |archive-date=2022-12-27 |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=www.edwardvictor.com}}</ref>

The city centre was partially damaged by US Air Force bombing in 1945 with some 1,800 people killed and many historic buildings destroyed. Nevertheless, most of the destroyed buildings were restored soon after the war because of their importance in German cultural history. The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Weimar in April 1945, and the city surrendered to the US [[80th Infantry Division (United States)|80th Infantry Division]] on 12 April 1945.<ref>Stanton, Shelby, ''World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939–1946'', Stackpole Books (Revised Edition 2006), p. 150</ref> The residents of Weimar were ordered to walk through Buchenwald, to see what had been happening so close to the city, as documented in [[Billy Wilder]]'s film ''[[Death Mills]]''. The city ended up in the [[Soviet occupation zone of Germany]], so US troops were soon replaced by Soviet forces.

=== Since 1945 ===
From 1945 to 1950, the Soviet Union used the occupied Buchenwald concentration camp as a [[NKVD special camps in Germany 1945–1949|NKVD special camp]] to imprison defeated Nazis and other Germans. The camp slogan remained {{lang|de|[[Jedem das Seine]]}}. On 6 January 1950, the Soviets handed over Buchenwald to the [[East German]] [[Ministry of Internal Affairs]].

In 1948, the East German government declared Erfurt as Thuringia's new capital, and Weimar lost its influence on German contemporary culture and politics. (The state of Thuringia itself was dissolved in 1952 and replaced by three [[Administrative divisions of East Germany|Bezirk]]e (districts) in a local government reform; Weimar belonged to the Bezirk of Erfurt.) The city was the headquarters of the [[8th Guards Army (Soviet Union)|Soviet Union's 8th Guards Army]] as part of the [[Group of Soviet Forces in Germany]]. Due to its fame and importance for tourism, Weimar received more financial subsidies from the GDR government and remained in better condition than most East German cities.

[[File:Anna amalia bibliothek weimar brandschaden 03092004 nachmittag.jpg|thumb|The destroyed Anna Amalia Library in 2004]]
After German reunification in 1990, Weimar experienced significant economic hardship, but funding restored much that had deteriorated. In 1991, the city hosted the first trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland giving its name to the [[Weimar Triangle]] format.<ref>Sarah Helm (23 May 1996), [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/weimar-triangle-takes-shape-for-power-1348723.html 'Weimar Triangle' takes shape for power] ''[[The Independent]]''.</ref> It was designated as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1996 (Bauhaus) and 1998 (Classical Weimar). The [[European Council of Ministers]] selected the city as [[European Capital of Culture]] for 1999. Tourism has become an important economic factor over the decades. Weimar is now a popular residence of people working in Erfurt and [[Jena]], both less than 20 minutes away.

In 2004, a fire broke out at the [[Duchess Anna Amalia Library]]. The library contains a 13,000-volume collection including Goethe's masterpiece ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]]'', as well as the duchess's music collection. An authentic [[Luther Bible]] from 1534 was saved from the fire. The library is one of the oldest in Europe, dating back to 1691, and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over one million volumes were housed in the library, of which forty to fifty thousand were damaged beyond repair. A number of books were shock-frozen in [[Leipzig]] to save them from rotting. The library was reopened in 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Phoenix from the Flames: Weimar's Duchess Anna Amalia Library Re-Opens |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/phoenix-from-the-flames-weimar-s-duchess-anna-amalia-library-re-opens-a-512782.html |last=Herwig |first=Malte |newspaper=Der Spiegel |date=22 October 2007 |via=Spiegel Online |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930025653/https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/phoenix-from-the-flames-weimar-s-duchess-anna-amalia-library-re-opens-a-512782.html |archive-date=30 September 2012}}</ref>

== Geography and demographics ==
=== Topography ===
Weimar is situated within the valley of the Ilm river, a tributary of the [[Saale]] river on the southern border of the [[Thuringian Basin]], a fertile agricultural area between the [[Harz]] mountains {{cvt|70|km}} to the north and the [[Thuringian Forest]] {{cvt|50|km}} to the southwest. The municipal terrain is hilly; the height of the city centre in the Ilm valley is approximately 200 m of elevation. To the north, the terrain rises to [[Ettersberg]], the city's backyard mountain, 482 m in height. The range of hills in the south of Weimar rises up to 370 m and is part of the Ilm Saale Plate [[Muschelkalk]] formation. The eastern, central and western parts of the municipal territory are in agricultural use, whereas the Ettersberg and some southern areas are wooded.

=== Climate ===
Weimar has a [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfb'') or an [[oceanic climate]] (''Cfb'') according to the [[Köppen climate classification]] system.<ref name = koppen>{{cite journal |last1=Kottek |first1=M. |last2=Grieser |first2=J. |last3=Beck |first3=C. |last4=Rudolf |first4=B. |last5=Rubel |first5=F. |title=World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated |journal=Meteorol. Z. |volume=15 |pages=259–263 |url=http://www.schweizerbart.de/resources/downloads/paper_free/55034.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430155105/http://www.schweizerbart.de/resources/downloads/paper_free/55034.pdf |archive-date=2011-04-30 |url-status=live |doi=10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130 |access-date=22 January 2013 |year=2006 |issue=3 |bibcode=2006MetZe..15..259K}}</ref><ref name=Peel>{{cite journal |last1=Peel |first1=M. C. |last2=Finlayson |first2=B. L. |last3=McMahon |first3=T. A. |year=2007 |title=Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification |journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P |url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.html |issn=1027-5606 |doi-access=free |access-date=11 October 2013 |archive-date=10 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210144308/http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.html |url-status=live }} ''(direct: [http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf Final Revised Paper] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203170339/http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |date=3 February 2012 }})''</ref> Summers are warm and sometimes humid with average high temperatures of {{cvt|23|C|F}} and lows of {{cvt|12|C|F}}. Winters are relatively cold with average high temperatures of {{cvt|2|C|F}} and lows of {{cvt|-3|C|F}}. The city's topography creates a microclimate caused through the basin position with sometimes [[Inversion (meteorology)|inversion]] in winter (quite cold nights under {{cvt|-20|C|F}}). Annual precipitation is only {{cvt|535|mm|in|sp=us}} with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Light snowfall occurs, mainly from December through February, but snow cover does not usually remain for long.

The Weimar ([[Erfurt–Weimar Airport]]) weather station has recorded the following extreme values:<ref name=sklima/>
* Its highest temperature was {{convert|37.6|C|F}} on [[2022_European_heatwaves#July_heatwave_2|20 July 2022]].
* Its lowest temperature was {{convert|-25.0|C|F}} on 11 January 1982.
* Its greatest annual precipitation was {{convert|766.9|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 2002.
* Its least annual precipitation was {{convert|295.6|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1982.
* The longest annual sunshine was 2,039.4 hours in 2022.
* The shortest annual sunshine was 1,341 hours in 1977.

{{Erfurt-Weimar weatherbox}}

=== Administrative division ===
[[File:Weimar Stadtgliederung.png|thumb|Districts of Weimar]]
Weimar abuts the district of [[Weimarer Land]] with the municipalities [[Berlstedt]], [[Ettersburg]], [[Kleinobringen]], [[Großobringen]] and [[Wohlsborn]] in the north, [[Kromsdorf]], [[Umpferstedt]] and [[Mellingen, Germany|Mellingen]] in the east, [[Vollersroda]], [[Buchfart]], [[Hetschburg]], [[Bad Berka]] and [[Troistedt]] in the south and Nohra, [[Daasdorf am Berge]], [[Hopfgarten, Thuringia|Hopfgarten]] and [[Ottstedt am Berge]] in the west.

The city itself is divided into 10 inner urban and 11 suburban districts. The centre is formed by the district ''Altstadt'' (old town) and the [[Gründerzeit]] districts ''Nordvorstadt'' in the north, ''Parkvorstadt'' in the east and ''Westvorstadt'' in the south and west. Later additions are ''Südstadt'' in the south and ''Schönblick'' in the southwest. Finally, there are the [[Plattenbau]] settlements, constructed during the [[East Germany|GDR]] period, ''Weststadt'' and ''Nordstadt'' as well as two industrial areas in the north and west.

The 11 suburban districts are villages which became incorporated during the 20th century; however, they have mostly stayed rural to date: 
*Gaberndorf (incorporated in 1994)
*Gelmeroda (1994)
*Legefeld/Holzdorf (1994)
*Niedergrunstedt (1994)
*Oberweimar/Ehringsdorf (1922)
*Possendorf (1994)
*Schöndorf (1939)
*Süßenborn (1994)
*Taubach (1994)
*Tiefurt (1922)
*Tröbsdorf (1994)

=== Demographics ===
[[File:Weimar Einwohner.svg|thumb|History of population until 2010]]

Over the centuries, Weimar remained a small town of less than 5,000 inhabitants. When it became the capital of Saxe-Weimar in 1572, population growth was stimulated and the population increased from 3,000 in 1650 to 6,000 in 1750. Around the year 1800, Weimar had 7,000 inhabitants. Their number grew constantly over the years to 13,000 in 1850, 28,000 in 1900 and 35,000 at the beginning of World War I. During the interwar period, the new capital of Thuringia saw a population boom, which led to 65,000 inhabitants in 1940. Since that time, the population levels have stagnated. The years 2009 to 2012 brought a moderate growth of approximately 0.35% per year, whereas the population in bordering rural regions is shrinking with accelerating tendency. Suburbanization played only a small role in Weimar. It occurred after the reunification for a short time in the 1990s, but most of the suburban areas were situated within the administrative city borders.

The birth surplus was +3 in 2012, this is +0.0 per 1,000 inhabitants (Thuringian average: −4.5; national average: −2.4). The net migration rate was +4.5 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 (Thuringian average: -0.8; national average: +4.6).<ref>According to [http://www.tls.thueringen.de/startseite_hinweis.asp Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012040533/http://www.tls.thueringen.de/startseite_hinweis.asp |date=12 October 2013 }}</ref> The most important regions of origin are rural areas of Thuringia, [[Saxony-Anhalt]] and [[Saxony]] as well as foreign countries like Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

Like other eastern German cities, Weimar has a relatively small foreign population (compared to the German average): circa 4.0% are non-Germans by citizenship, while 7.9% have a migrant background (according to [[2011 EU census]]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ergebnisse.zensus2011.de/?locale=en#StaticContent:160550000000,BEG_1_4_8,m,table |title=Population depending on citizenship (groups) and migrant background and experience |website=Zensus 2011 |access-date=2020-05-17 |archive-date=10 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110002707/https://ergebnisse.zensus2011.de/?locale=en#StaticContent:160550000000,BEG_1_4_8,m,table |url-status=live }}</ref> Differing from the national average, the biggest groups of migrants in Weimar are [[Vietnamese people in Germany|Vietnamese people]], [[Russians in Germany|Russians]] and [[Ukrainians in Germany|Ukrainians]].{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} During recent years, the economic situation of the city improved: the unemployment rate declined from 20% in 2005 to 5.1% in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de/Navigation/Statistik/Statistik-nach-Regionen/Politische-Gebietsstruktur/Thueringen/Weimar-Stadt-Nav.html |title=Arbeitsmarkt im Überblick – Berichtsmonat Dezember 2019 – Weimar, Stadt |website=Bundesagentur für Arbeit |language=de |access-date=2020-05-17 |archive-date=14 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214005136/http://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de/Navigation/Statistik/Statistik-nach-Regionen/Politische-Gebietsstruktur/Thueringen/Weimar-Stadt-Nav.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Due to the official atheism in the former [[East Germany|GDR]], most of the population is non-religious. 21.1% are members of the [[Evangelical Church in Central Germany]] and 6.8% are Catholics (according to 2011 EU census).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ergebnisse.zensus2011.de/?locale=en#StaticContent:160550000000,BEG_1_1_5,m,table |title=Population depending on sex and religion (in detail) |website=Zensus 2011 |access-date=2020-05-17 |archive-date=10 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110002707/https://ergebnisse.zensus2011.de/?locale=en#StaticContent:160550000000,BEG_1_1_5,m,table |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Culture, sights and cityscape ==
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS = Classical Weimar
| Image = Park an der Ilm, Römisches Haus, Weimar.JPG
| caption = Park an der Ilm
| Criteria = Cultural: iii, vi
| ID = 846
| Year = 1998
}}

===World Heritage Sites===
Two [[World Heritage Sites]] converge in Weimar: 
*The [[Classical Weimar (World Heritage Site)|Classical Weimar]] World Heritage Site consists of 11 sites related to Weimar as a European centre of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.<ref name = "unesco1"/>
*The [[Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau]] World Heritage Site comprises six separate sites, two in Weimar, which are associated with the Bauhaus art school, which had a revolutionary influence on 20th century architectural and aesthetic thinking and practice.<ref name = "unesco2"/>

=== Museums ===
Weimar has a great variety of museums:
*The ''[[Goethe-Nationalmuseum]]'' at Frauenplan shows the life of [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] in his former residence.
*Goethe's garden house in the ''[[Park an der Ilm]]'' shows an exhibition about Goethe and his connection to nature.
*The ''Schiller-Museum'' at Schillerstraße shows the life of [[Friedrich Schiller]] in his former residence. 
*The ''Goethe- und Schiller-Archiv'' at Hans-Wahl-Straße collects the estate of Goethe, Schiller and other various artists. In 2001, it became a member of the UNESCO [[Memory of the World Programme]].
*The ''Wittumspalais'' at Theaterplatz shows early-modern court lifestyle with items like furniture and porcelain.
*The ''Liszt-Haus'' at Marienstraße shows the life of [[Franz Liszt]] in his former summer residence.
*The ''[[Nietzsche-Archiv]]'' at Humboldtstraße shows the life and estate of [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]. 
*The ''Gedenkstätte Buchenwald'' in former [[Buchenwald concentration camp]] commemorates the victims of Nazi terror. 
*The ''[[Bauhaus Museum, Weimar|Bauhaus-Museum]]'' at Theaterplatz shows an exhibition about the [[Bauhaus]] design school. 
*The ''Schlossmuseum'' inside the residence castle exhibits early-modern antiques and other objects of court life. 
*The ''[[Duchess Anna Amalia Library]]'' at Platz der Demokratie is an important early-modern library with various print objects. 
*The ''Neues Museum'' at Weimarplatz shows an exhibition of contemporary art. 
*The ''[[Weimar City Museum|Stadtmuseum]]'' at Karl-Liebknecht-Straße exhibits the municipal history of Weimar. 
*The ''Kunsthalle Harry Graf Kessler'' at Goetheplatz hosts rotating exhibitions of contemporary artists. 
*The ''[[Haus am Horn]]'' at Am Horn street was the first building designed entirely on the design principles of the Bauhaus art school. 
*The ''[[Weimarer Fürstengruft|Fürstengruft]]'' at the historic cemetery is a mausoleum of famous Weimar citizens like Goethe and Schiller as well as the dukes of Saxe-Weimar.
*The ''Museum für Ur- und Frühgeschichte Thüringens'' (museum of pre- and protohistory of Thuringia) at Humboldtstraße exhibits various objects of early Thuringian history such as archaeological finds. 
*The ''Deutsches Bienenmuseum'' (German bee museum) at Ilmstraße in Oberweimar district hosts the only pure exhibition about bees and apiculture in Germany.
<gallery>
File:030430-goethehaus.jpg|Goethe-Nationalmuseum
File:Schiller Weimar.jpg|Schiller-Museum
File:Goethe-Schiller-Archiv Weimar.JPG|Goethe- und Schiller-Archiv
File:Bauhaus Museum Weimar 01.JPG|Bauhaus-Museum
File:Neues Museum Weimar2.JPG|Neues Museum
File:Stadtmuseum Weimar im Bertuchhaus.jpg|Stadtmuseum
File:Museum für Ur- und Frühgeschichte Thüringens (Westansicht).jpg|Museum für Ur- und Frühgeschichte Thüringens
</gallery>

=== Cityscape ===
The historic city centre of Weimar is situated between the Ilm river in the east, Grabenstraße in the north, Goetheplatz and Theaterplatz in the west and Schillerstraße in the south. Its two central squares are the Marktplatz in the south (with the town hall) and the Herderplatz in the north (with the main church). Despite its medieval origin, there are only a few medieval buildings, many being destroyed by frequent fires throughout the city's history. Most buildings in this area date back to the 17th and 18th century. Furthermore, Weimar has two old suburbs: in the north, the ''Jakobsvorstadt'' around St. James' Church (medieval origin) and another one in the south around Frauenplan square. The majority of buildings in these areas are also of 17th- and 18th-century origin. During the late 19th and early 20th century, Weimar grew in all directions. Because of its function as an "officials' city", the houses in these areas are more substantial than in many comparable [[Gründerzeit]] quarters in Germany. The most uptown areas are those right and left of the ''[[Park an der Ilm]]'' in the southeast, whereas the western and northern quarters are more basic and mixed with industrial areas in their outer parts. During the GDR period, two new [[Plattenbau]] settlements were developed in the west and the north of the city. After 1990, suburbanization occurred for a short time and the rural districts of Weimar saw significant growth as part of the larger city.

=== Sights and architectural heritage ===
==== Religious buildings ====
The city's main church is the Evangelical [[St. Peter und Paul, Weimar|St. Peter and Paul]] on the Herderplatz (known as Die Herderkirche). It was rebuilt in late Gothic style after a fire around 1500. Between 1726 and 1735, the interior underwent a Baroque remodelling by Johann Adolf Richter. [[Johann Gottfried Herder]] was the dean of the church between 1766 and 1803. The second old Evangelical church of Weimar is St. James on Rollplatz, rebuilt in 1712 in Baroque style. The Roman Catholic parish church of Weimar is dedicated to the Sacred Heart and was built between 1888 and 1891 in historicist forms imitating [[Florence Cathedral]]. Another church is the Russian Orthodox Chapel within the historic cemetery. It was built in 1862 as the funerary chapel of [[Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (1786–1859)|Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna]] and was one of the first Russian-styled buildings in Germany.

Interesting churches in the suburban districts are the Lutheran parish church of [[Gelmeroda]], which was the inspiration for many paintings by [[Lyonel Feininger]], and the Lutheran parish church of [[Oberweimar]], which was a former monastery, and is a good example of Gothic architecture in Weimar.
<gallery>
File:Weimar Stadtkirche Peter Pa.jpg|St. Peter and Paul's Church
File:Die Jakobskirche in Weimar.jpg|St. James' Church
File:Herz-Jesu-Kirche Weimar2.JPG|Sacred Heart Church 
File:Russ orthodoxe kirche we2.JPG|Russian-Orthodox Chapel
File:GelmerodaKirche1.JPG|Gelmeroda Parish Church
File:Kirche Oberweimar.jpg|Oberweimar Parish Church
</gallery>

==== Castles and palaces ====
Due to its function as a ducal residence, Weimar is rich in early-modern castles and palaces. The biggest one is the ''[[Schloss Weimar|Stadtschloss]]'' at Burgplatz in the city centre. Today's four-wing building was started after a great fire in 1774. The tower and the Bastille building at its south-western edge are relics of older castles in this place.

The ''Fürstenhaus'' at Platz der Demokratie was the first parliament building in Weimar, established in the 1770s. Today it is in use by the Weimar School of Music. The ''Green Castle'' next to the Fürstenhaus was built in the 1560s in Renaissance style and hosts today the [[Duchess Anna Amalia Library]]. The ''Yellow Castle'' at Grüner Markt was built in 1703 and is the municipal library today. The neighbouring ''Red Castle'' is also part of the library and was built in the 1570s. The ''Wittumspalais'' is a smaller widow mansion near Theaterplatz, established in 1768. Outbildings of the ducal residence are the ''Husarenstall'' (1770), the later residence of [[Charlotte von Stein]] at Ackerwand street, the ''Marstall'' (1870s) at Kegelplatz, today used as Thuringian State Archive and the ''Reithaus'' (1710s) within the ''Park an der Ilm''.
<gallery>
File:Weimar, castello 06.JPG|Court of the Stadtschloss
File:Weimar Fürstenhaus 2012.jpg|Fürstenhaus
File:Weimar Grünes Schloss (HAAB).jpg|Green Castle
File:Rotes Schloss in Weimar.jpg|Red Castle
File:Weimar Wittumspalais2.jpg|Wittumspalais
File:Weimar Charlotte von Stein.jpg|Husarenstall
File:Reithaus im Ilmpark.jpg|Reithaus
</gallery>

Furthermore, there are some impressive ducal country residences around Weimar. They are marked by their beautiful parks and gardens. [[Schloss Belvedere, Weimar|Schloss Belvedere]], south-east of Weimar was built between 1724 and 1732 in Baroque style with an orangery near to a ducal hunting forest. North-east of Weimar, at [[Ettersburg]] lies another ducal hunting lodge next to the Ettersberg mountain and its forest, [[Schloss Ettersburg]]. It was established between 1706 and 1711 also in Baroque style. The third summer residence, [[Schloss Tiefurt]], is located in [[Tiefurt]], north-east of Weimar. The small lodge in a wide park in Ilm valley was rebuilt in 1775 in late-Baroque forms.
<gallery>
File:Belvedere weimar1.jpg|Schloss Belvedere, main building
File:Beethovenhaus & Bachhaus des Schloss Belvedere (Weimar).jpg|Schloss Belvedere, side buildings
File:Schloss Ettersburg.JPG|Schloss Ettersburg
File:Schloss Tiefurt.JPG|Schloss Tiefurt
</gallery>

==== Other sights ====
*The town hall at Marktplatz was built between 1837 and 1841 in Neo-Gothic style by ''Heinrich Heß'' after the former one (15th-century) burnt down. 
*The two main buildings of [[Bauhaus University, Weimar|Bauhaus University]] at Marienstraße are icons of 20th-century early-modern architecture. Both were built by [[Henry van de Velde]] between 1904 and 1911. They mark the transition from older Historicism and Art Nouveau to the new international modern style in Germany by their functional forms (e. g. skylights for better working conditions inside). 
*The German National Theatre at Theaterplatz was built in 1906/07 in neo-classicist forms. Two predecessors were in use after 1779 and 1825 as ducal court theatres during Weimar's golden age. In 1919, the [[Weimar National Assembly]] developed the Weimar Constitution in this theatre.
*The ''Gauforum'' at Weimarplatz is a Roman-fascist style representative government district between the city centre and the main station. This Gauforum, designed by [[Hermann Giesler]], was the only realized Nazi government district outside Berlin (whereas there were plans for all German state capitals). Today it hosts the Thuringian Administration State Department.
*The ''[[Park an der Ilm]]'' is the city's largest park along [[Ilm (Thuringia)|Ilm]] river between the ducal palace and the district of Oberweimar. It was established between 1778 and 1833 and is an [[English landscape garden]] today, part of UNESCO world heritage. Sights inside the park are ''Goethe's garden house'' (1690s) and ''Römisches Haus'' (in the style of a Roman temple, 1790s). 
*The Historic Cemetery at Karl-Haußknecht-Straße was opened in 1818 and hosts the graves of Goethe, Schiller and many other famous people from Weimar. 
*The ''Goethe-Schiller-Denkmal'' at Theaterplatz is the most famous memorial in Weimar. It was made by [[Ernst Rietschel]] between 1852 and 1857 and is dedicated to Goethe and Schiller, the most important poets of German classical literature.
*A rather unknown monument is the Lenin-light-box inside the theatre hall "La Redoute". It's a copy of a stained window by Alexander Leonidovich Korolev that shows Lenin in Petrograd (St. Petersburg).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://leninisstillaround.com/2017/03/14/the-light-box/ |title=The light box |date=14 March 2017 |access-date=12 May 2020 |archive-date=14 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814204833/https://leninisstillaround.com/2017/03/14/the-light-box/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<gallery>
File:Rathaus Weimar, 2023.jpg|Town hall
File:Bauhaus University Weimar 03.JPG|Southern main building of Bauhaus University
File:Van-de-Velde-Bau in Weimar (Südgiebel).jpg|Northern main building of Bauhaus University
File:Theater Weimar.JPG|Theatre and Goethe-Schiller-Denkmal
File:Weimar - Goethe und Schiller Statuen am Theaterplatz.jpg|Goethe-Schiller-Denkmal
File:Gauforum Weimar Westseite.JPG|One building of the Gauforum
File:Römisches Haus im Park an der Ilm (Weimar).jpg|The Römisches Haus in Park an der Ilm
</gallery>

=== Events ===
Since 1998, Weimar has hosted the annual festival [[Yiddish Summer Weimar]], a major celebration of [[Klezmer|klezmer music]], [[Yiddish song]], [[Yiddish Language]], dance and culture.

The Onion Market (Weimarer Zwiebelmarkt) is an annual festival held in October in Weimar and it is Thuringia's largest festival. The festival is held over 3&nbsp;days and approximately 500 stalls and more than 100 stage performances are put up across the city.<ref>{{cite web |title=October 7th to 9th: the Onion Festival in Weimar |url=http://www.around-germany.com/664/october-7th-to-9th-the-onion-festival-in-weimar/ |author=Festivals & Concerts, Leisure |date=Aug 2011 |publisher=AroundGermany |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825073331/http://www.around-germany.com/664/october-7th-to-9th-the-onion-festival-in-weimar/ |archive-date=25 August 2011}}</ref>

Weimar first celebrated the Onion Market in 1653. Stalls typically offer [[onion]] plaits, themed arts and crafts and numerous onion-based foods, including onion cakes, onion soups and onion breads. The festival also hosts numerous [[beer garden]]s, live music, fairground attractions and a [[Ferris wheel]].

There are several clubs with live music once or twice a week. There is also a [[student club]] in the city centre which also features disco and live music events on Friday- and Saturday nights (Kasseturm). There are several smaller theatre and cabaret venues other than the large "DNT" (Deutsches National Theater). There are four cinemas including a 3-D cinema,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weimar-atrium.de/?page_id=1037 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409102221/http://www.weimar-atrium.de/?page_id=1037 |archive-date=9 April 2013 |title=Cinemagnum 3D Kino Weimar &#124; Weimar Atrium}}</ref> and a Bowling Alley<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weimar-atrium.de/?page_id=1038 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225070159/http://www.weimar-atrium.de/?page_id=1038 |archive-date=25 February 2013 |title=Bowling &#124; Weimar Atrium}}</ref> in the Weimar Atrium, the local mall.

== Economy and infrastructure ==
===Agriculture, industry and services ===
The area around Weimar is relatively fertile and 48% of the municipal surface are used for agricultural production. Most common agricultures are cereals, [[maize]] and [[rapeseed]], while famous agricultural products from the Weimar region are potatoes (especially from [[Heichelheim]], {{cvt|7|km}} to the north) for dishes with [[:de:Thüringer Klöße|Thuringian dumpling]]s ([[Knödel]] from potatoes), onions (from [[Heldrungen]] and [[Oldisleben]], {{cvt|45|km}} to the north), which are sold at Weimar Onion Market in October, and [[Saale-Unstrut]] wine from [[Bad Sulza]], {{cvt|25|km}} to the north-east.

Industry has never been dominant in Weimar, nevertheless there were several big factories from different sectors until 1990. After reunification, nearly all factories got closed, either because they failed the adoption of free market economy or because the German government sold them to west German businessmen who closed them to avoid competition to their own enterprises.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} On the other hand, the federal government started early in the 1990s to subsidize the foundation of new companies, but it took long time before the economic situation got stabilized around 2006. Since this time, unemployment decreased and overall, new jobs develop. Today, there are many small and medium-sized companies in Weimar with electro-technics and engineering in focus. Nevertheless, settlement of new factories isn't much in focus of the local government, because it concentrates itself on developing tourism and services.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} The biggest companies with production in Weimar are [[Bayer]] (pharmaceutical factory), [[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola]] (beverages) and [[Hydrema]] (dump truck factory). A new big commercial zone was established in the 1990s in the neighbouring municipality of [[Nohra]] with focus on logistics and distribution.

Due to its tradition as a capital, Weimar is a centre of governmental services to date. Furthermore, creative branches like media, advertising, architecture and design are important for Weimar's economy. The most important sector is tourism with 3,500 hotel beds, 350,000 visitors and 650,000 overnight stays in hotels in 2012 and a large number of German one-day visitors. Other services like retail, trade fairs and specialized hospitals are more brought by the near neighbour cities Erfurt and Jena with their infrastructure.

===Transport===
==== By rail ====
[[File:Weimar Bahnhof.jpg|thumb|[[Weimar station|Weimar Railway Station]]]]
Weimar is connected by the [[Thuringian Railway]] to [[Leipzig]] in the east and to [[Frankfurt]]/[[Kassel]] in the west. Furthermore, there are some regional railways to [[Gera]] via [[Jena]] and to [[Kranichfeld]] via [[Bad Berka]]. Today, there are long-distance trains to Frankfurt via [[Erfurt]] and [[Fulda]] and to [[Dresden]] via Leipzig and regional trains to [[Göttingen]] and [[Eisenach]] via Erfurt, to [[Halle (Saale)|Halle]] via [[Naumburg (Saale)|Naumburg]], to [[Altenburg]], [[Glauchau]], [[Zwickau]] and [[Greiz]] via [[Jena]] and [[Gera]] and to Kranichfeld. After the new [[Erfurt–Leipzig/Halle high-speed railway]] was opened in 2015, Weimar was disconnected from the German long-distance train network. However the regional train service are augmented to connect Weimar with [[Intercity-Express|ICE]]-stops in Erfurt, Halle and Leipzig.

In freight transport exists an [[Intermodal freight transport|intermodal]] terminal in Vieselbach ''(Güterverkehrszentrum/GVZ)'' with connection to rail and Autobahn, {{cvt|15|km}} west of Weimar.

==== By road ====
Weimar is located at the [[Bundesautobahn 4]] ([[Frankfurt]]–[[Dresden]]). Furthermore, there are two federal roads to Erfurt and Jena ([[Bundesstraße 7]]) and to [[Rudolstadt]] and [[Kölleda]] ([[Bundesstraße 85]]) as well as some regional roads to [[Sömmerda]], [[Oßmannstedt]] and [[Magdala]]. A bypass road around Weimar was built in the 2000s in the north and west; the eastern and southern continuation are in discussion, but not in definite planning because of some difficulties in routing.

==== By aviation ====
The [[Erfurt-Weimar Airport]] lies approximately {{cvt|30|km}} west of Weimar. It was largely extended in the 1990s, but the anticipated rise in passengers did not occur so that there is only rare air traffic, mostly to Mediterranean holiday regions. Other flights are carried out via [[Frankfurt Airport]], which can be reached in 3 hours, and via [[Berlin Brandenburg Airport]], which is also about 3 hours away.

==== By bike ====
Biking is becoming more popular since the construction of quality cycle tracks began in the 1990s. For tourism, there are the ''Ilm track'' and the ''Thuringian city string track (Radweg Thüringer Städtekette)''. Both connect points of tourist interest, the first along the [[Ilm (Thuringia)|Ilm]] valley from the [[Thuringian Forest]] to the [[Saale]] river and the second close to medieval [[Via Regia]] from [[Eisenach]] via [[Gotha]], [[Erfurt]], Weimar, and [[Jena]] to [[Altenburg]]. Additionally, there are themed routes like the Goethe cycle track and the Feininger cycle track. For inner city everyday traffic, some cycle lanes exist along several main streets. Bike rental is offered in the city centre.

==== Bus service ====
For a small city, Weimar is well served by city bus routes, which also serve all of the surrounding towns and villages. An hourly bus route serves the Buchenwald Memorial and [[Classic car|oldtimer]] buses operate in the city's historical centre. All bus routes are connected at Goethe Square in the city centre, and many also serve the main railway station. [[Tram]]s served the city from 1899 to 1937. [[Trolleybus]] service started in 1948 and was discontinued in 1993.<ref name="murray">{{cite book |last=Murray |first=Alan |title=World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia |year=2000 |page=69 |publisher=Trolleybooks |location=Yateley, Hampshire, UK |isbn=0-904235-18-1}}</ref>

===Education===
[[File:Bauhaus University Weimar 03.JPG|thumb|University's main building]]
After the reunification, the educational system was realigned. Some academies were combined into the new [[Bauhaus University, Weimar|Bauhaus University]], founded in 1996 with approximately 4,200 students and focus on architecture, design and media. The [[Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt", Weimar|Liszt School of Music]] is a university focussed on music and music education founded in 1872 with 850 students today. Furthermore, there are three regular [[Gymnasium (Germany)|Gymnasiums]], the ''Musikgymnasium Schloss Belvedere'', an elite boarding school with focus on music, and the Thuringia International School with an international (and foreign language) curriculum.

The most important archives in Weimar are the ''Goethe- und Schiller-Archiv'' (member of UNESCO [[Memory of the World Programme]]) with focus on German literary history and the Thuringia Main State Archive with governmental documents from last 500 years. The [[Duchess Anna Amalia Library]] hosts books and documents of German literary and cultural history.

== Politics ==
=== Mayor and city council ===
The most recent mayoral election was held on 26 May 2024, and the results were as follows:
{{election table}}
! colspan=2| Candidate
! Party
! Votes
! %
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Peter Kleine
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]] ([[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]/Weimarwerk)
| 21,808
| 72.7
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| Stefan Markus Giebel
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]]
| 3,057
| 10.2
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| Andreas Leps
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]]
| 2,923
| 9.7
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| André Störr
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]
| 2,192
| 7.3
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 29,980
! 97.6
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid votes
! 745
! 2.4
|-
! colspan=3| Total
! 30,725
! 100.0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 50,968
! 60.3
|-
| colspan=5| Source: [https://wahlen.thueringen.de/datenbank/wahl1/WAHL.asp?wahlart=LR&wJahr=2024&zeigeErg=WK&auswertung=1&wknr=055&gemnr=&terrKrs=&gemteil=000&buchstabe=&Langname=&wahlvorschlag=&sort=&druck=&XLS=&anzahlH=0&Nicht_existierende=&x_vollbildDatenteil=&optik=&aktual=&ShowLand=&ShowWK=&ShowPart= Wahlen in Thüringen]
|}

The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2024, and the results were as follows:
{{election table}}
! colspan=2| Party
! Lead candidate
! Votes
! %
! ±
! Seats
! ±
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU)
| align=left| Jörg Geibert
| 17,581
| 19.9
| {{increase}} 2.4
| 8
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| 
| align=left| Weimarwerk Citizens' Alliance
| align=left| Wolfgang Hölzer
| 15,558
| 17.6
| {{decrease}} 0.3
| 7
| {{steady}} 0
|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]] (Grüne)
| align=left| Andreas Leps
| 13,579
| 15.4
| {{decrease}} 3.1
| 6
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD)
| align=left| Thomas Hartung
| 12,520
| 14.2
| {{increase}} 1.0
| 6
| {{steady}} 0
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] (Die Linke)
| align=left| Hubert Krüger
| 12,227
| 13.8
| {{decrease}} 2.4
| 6
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD)
| align=left| Karl-Heinz Stöpel
| 12,099
| 13.7
| {{increase}} 2.7
| 6
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP)
| align=left| Angelika Hampicke
| 2,414
| 2.7
| {{decrease}} 0.9
| 1
| {{steady}} 0
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Pirate Party Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Pirate Party Germany|Pirate Party]]/[[Party of Humanists|Humanists]] (Piraten/PdH)
| align=left| Oliver Kröning
| 1,195
| 1.4
| New
| 1
| New
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany|dieBasis]]
| align=left| Uwe Schnetter
| 1,200
| 1.4
| New
| 1
| New
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 88,373
! 100.0
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid ballots
! 1,123
! 3.6
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=3| Total ballots
! 30,776
! 96.4
! 
! 42
! ±0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 50,968
! 60.4
! {{decrease}} 1.1
! 
! 
|-
| colspan=8| Source: [https://wahlen.thueringen.de/datenbank/wahl1/WAHL.asp?wahlart=KW&wJahr=2024&zeigeErg=WK&auswertung=1&wknr=055&gemnr=&terrKrs=&gemteil=000&buchstabe=&Langname=&wahlvorschlag=&sort=&druck=&XLS=&anzahlH=0&Nicht_existierende=&x_vollbildDatenteil=&optik=&aktual=&ShowLand=&ShowWK=&ShowPart= Wahlen in Thüringen]
|}

===Lord Mayor===
List of mayors and lord mayors (since 1793)

The years behind the names indicate the years of office, whereby the year of office did not correspond to the calendar year.

Since 1838, the city has had a lord mayor.<ref>[https://stadt.weimar.de/ueber-weimar/stadtgeschichte/oberbuergermeister/ ''Weimars Stadtoberhäupter seit 1793.''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820103710/https://stadt.weimar.de/ueber-weimar/stadtgeschichte/oberbuergermeister/ |date=20 August 2022}} In: ''stadt.weimar.de,'' retrieved 24 April 2019</ref>

*1793–1797: Johann Heinrich Siegmund Rentsch
*1798–1811: {{interlanguage link|Carl Adolph Schultze|de}}
*1811–1813: Daniel Wilhelm Brunnquell
*1813: {{interlanguage link|Carl Christian August Paulssen|de}}
*1814–1820: Bernhard Friedrich Rudolph Kuhn
*1820–1838: {{interlanguage link|Carl Leberecht Schwabe|de}}
*1838–1850: Carl Georg Hase
*1851–1866: {{interlanguage link|Wilhelm Christian Friedrich Bock|de}}
*1867–1873: Otto Schäffer
*1873–1875: {{interlanguage link|Leo Fürbringer|de}} (conservative)
*1875–1910: [[Karl Pabst]] (liberal)
*1910–1920: {{interlanguage link|Martin Donndorf|de}} (non-party)
*1920–1937: {{interlanguage link|Walther Felix Mueller|de}} (non-party)
*1937–1945: {{interlanguage link|Otto Koch|de|Otto Koch (Bürgermeister)}} ([[Nazi Party|NSDAP]])
*15–30 April 1945: {{interlanguage link|Erich Kloss|de|Erich Kloss (Jurist)}} (non-party)
*1 April–5 November 1945: {{interlanguage link|Fritz Behr|de}} (SPD)
*1945–1946: {{interlanguage link|Otto Faust|de}} (SPD/[[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|SED]])
*1946–1948: Gerhard Hempel ([[Liberal Democratic Party of Germany|LDP]])
*1948–1953: {{interlanguage link|Hermann Buchterkirchen|de}} (CDU)
*1953–1959: {{interlanguage link|Hans Wiedemann (politician)|de|Hans Wiedemann (Politiker)}} (CDU)
*1960–1969: [[Luitpold Steidle]] (CDU)
*1969–1970: {{interlanguage link|Paul Ullmann|de}} (CDU)
*1970–1982: {{interlanguage link|Franz Kirchner|de}} (CDU)
*1982–1989: [[Gerhard Baumgärtel]] (CDU)
*1989–1990: {{interlanguage link|Volkhardt Germer|de}} (acting) (SED)
*6–2 June. July 1990: Wolfgang Hentzschel (CDU)
*27 July 1990 – 1994: Klaus Büttner (CDU)
*1994–2006: Volkhardt Germer (non-party)
*2006–2018: {{interlanguage link|Stefan Wolf (politician)|de|Stefan Wolf (Politiker)|lt=Stefan Wolf}} (SPD)
*since 1 July 2018: Peter Kleine (independent, for CDU and Weimarwerk Civic Alliance)

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{see also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Weimar is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Partnerstädte |url=https://stadt.weimar.de/ueber-weimar/partnerstaedte/ |website=stadt.weimar.de |publisher=Weimar |language=de |access-date=2021-02-14 |archive-date=20 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420072810/https://stadt.weimar.de/ueber-weimar/partnerstaedte/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Blois]], France
*{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Hämeenlinna]], Finland
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Siena]], Italy
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Trier]], Germany
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Zamość]], Poland
{{div col end}}

===Friendly cities===
Weimar also has friendly relations with:<ref>{{cite web |title=City friendships |url=https://stadt.weimar.de/en/ueber-weimar/city-friendships/ |website=stadt.weimar.de |publisher=Weimar |access-date=2021-02-14 |archive-date=19 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419225742/https://stadt.weimar.de/en/ueber-weimar/city-friendships/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Fulda]], Germany
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Jerusalem]], Israel
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Kamakura]], Japan
*{{flagicon|IRN}} [[Shiraz]], Iran

==Notable people==
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
*[[Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel|Anna Amalia]]
*[[Johann Sebastian Bach]]
*[[Friedrich Baumbach]]
*[[Hector Berlioz]]
*[[Hans von Bülow]]
*[[Peter Cornelius]]
*[[Lucas Cranach the Elder]]
*[[Marlene Dietrich]]
*[[Johann Peter Eckermann]]
*[[Lyonel Feininger]]
*[[Paul Feyerabend]]
*[[Ute Freudenberg]]
*[[Caspar David Friedrich]]
*[[Uziel Gal]]
*[[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]
*[[Auguste Götze]]
*[[Walter Gropius]]
*[[Ulrike Grosse-Röthig]]
*[[Peter Gülke]]
*[[Nina Hagen]]
*[[Johann Gottfried Herder]]
*[[John Horrocks (fisherman)|John Horrocks]]
*[[Johann Nepomuk Hummel]]
*[[Johannes Itten]]
*[[Joseph Joachim]]
*[[Wassily Kandinsky]] 
*[[Andrey Kartapolov]]
*[[Harry Graf Kessler]]
*[[Paul Klee]]
*[[Serhiy Kulchytsky]]
*[[Christine Lieberknecht]]
*[[Ulrike Liedtke]]
*[[Franz Liszt]]
*[[Martin Luther]]
*[[László Moholy-Nagy]]
*[[Friedrich Nietzsche]]
*[[Andreas Oswald]]
*[[Jean Paul]]
*[[Friedrich Preller the Elder]]
*[[Friedrich Preller the Younger]]
*[[Joseph Joachim Raff]]
*[[Friedrich Schiller]]
*[[Baldur von Schirach]]
*[[Oskar Schlemmer]]
*[[Arthur Schopenhauer]]
*[[Frédéric Soret]]
*[[Rudolf Steiner]]
*[[Richard Strauss]]
*[[Harry Thürk]]
*[[Marcus Urban]]
*[[Henry van de Velde]]
*[[Christiane Vulpius]]
*[[Eberhard Wagner]]
*[[Richard Wagner]]
*[[Dorothea Juliana Wallich]]
*[[Johann Gottfried Walther]]
*[[Christoph Martin Wieland]]
*[[Carl Zeiss]]
{{div col end}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |editor=John M. Jeep |title=Medieval Germany: an Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p4uHav3mZLsC |year=2001 |publisher=[[Garland Publishing]] |isbn=0-8240-7644-3 |chapter=Weimar}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Weimar}}
{{NIE Poster|year=1905}}
{{Wikivoyage|Weimar}}
*{{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}
*[http://www.wimare.de/historic.php?lang=en&city=w Historic tour in 49 pictures]
*[https://www.nationaltheater-weimar.de/ Deutsches Nationaltheater (German National Theater)]
*[https://www.weimarhaus.de/ The Weimar Story]
*[http://www.ginkgomuseum.de/ Ginkgo Museum, Weimar]
*[http://net.lib.byu.edu/~catalog/people/rlm/latin/v/0vnames.htm Latin Place Names]
*[https://norbert-nail.de/thueringen-amerikanischer-situationsbericht-weimarer-land-mai-1945.html Thuringia between War and Peace] (in German)

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Weimar
|North = [[Sangerhausen]]
|Northeast = [[Halle (Saale)|Halle]]—[[Leipzig]] <br /> [[Naumburg (Saale)|Naumburg]]
|East = [[Jena]]—[[Gera]]
|Southeast = 
|South = [[Rudolstadt]] <br />[[Saalfeld]]
|Southwest = [[Ilmenau]]
|West = [[Eisenach]]—[[Erfurt]]
|Northwest = [[Nordhausen (district)|Nordhausen]]
}}

{{Germany districts thuringia}}
{{Cities in Thuringia}}
{{European Capital of Culture}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Germany}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Weimar| ]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Germany]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Germany]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Germany]]
[[Category:Urban districts of Thuringia]]