Weimar, << VY mahr >> (pop. 62,764), a city in central Germany, has long been an important center of German history and culture. It lies on the Ilm River in the state of Thuringia. Many famous architects, artists, musicians, and writers have lived and worked in Weimar. In addition, the city was the site of several key events between World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945).
Weimar was first mentioned in historical documents about A.D. 900. The area officially became a city in the 1300’s. For centuries, German nobles lived there. After World War I, Weimar was the site of political meetings that led to the foundation of a new German government. In 1919, German voters elected a national assembly to write a constitution. The assembly met in Weimar, and the new republic became known as the Weimar Republic. The republic ended after Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933 and established a dictatorship. In the mid-1930’s, Hitler’s Nazi Party built the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar. Thousands of prisoners at the camp were murdered by the Nazis or died as a result of starvation or disease. The surviving prisoners were freed around the end of World War II in 1945 (see Buchenwald ).
Weimar is known for its rich artistic tradition. Lucas Cranach the Elder, one of the leading German painters of the Renaissance, lived and worked in Weimar during the final year of his life. Some of Germany’s greatest writers—including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Gottfried von Herder, Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, and Christoph Martin Wieland—also lived in Weimar. Composers who helped to make Weimar a major center for music include Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt of Hungary, and Richard Strauss. The architect Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus, an influential school of design, in Weimar in 1919 (see Bauhaus ).
Today, manufacturing and tourism are important parts of Weimar’s economy. The city’s factories produce a wide range of products. Major tourist sites include the Belvedere Palace, the Duchess Anna Amalia Library, the German National Theatre, the National Goethe Museum and Goethe House, the Schiller House, and the beautifully landscaped Park on the Ilm. The annual Weimar Arts Festival is held in the summer and features such events as dance, music, and theater performances.
See also Germany (The Weimar Republic) ; Thuringia .
