Visiting Weimar, the city where all the worthy people stop

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: The memorial house of Albert Schweitzer, a missed visitor in Weimar

I wanted to visit Weimar for a long time – more than 12 months, probably – attracted by the history but also given my interest in the Bauhaus movement. For the latest, I didn’t find too many traces – in comparison with Dessau – but history is one of the marks of the city: an impressive number of cultural and religious personalities – among which Martin Luther, Johann Sebastian Bach, Schiller and Goethe, Liszt or Christian Andersen – visited, lived and created here. What we omit sometimes about Weimar it’s also the fact that Buchenwald concentration camp is less than 10 km. away from the city. Terrible memories…

The city is three hours (if the Deutsche Bahn is not in one of its often troubles) and 100 euros away from Berlin. During my less than 12 hours stay I was followed by the music: as the headquarter of a music academy, many wanna-be artists are rehearsal very often, with the windows open so the music is pleasantly invading the street. A former communist state, the

A lot of opportunities to learn more about the Thuringian cuisine

city wasn’t too much affected by the usual urban and architectural ambitions. In exchange, you can find here the memorial house of Albert Schweitzer who never lived here, but was an important idol of the GDR’s authorities, aiming to turn him into a symbol of the fight for peace.

You can find here an amazing and impressive number of restaurants – featuring many cuisines all over the world, but also the Thuringian cuisine, with its famous brands of bratwurst – two big shopping malls bearing the names of Goethe and Schiller, and many parks and gardens. Very close of Jena, Erfurt or Gotha, Weimar is enjoying a pleasant and green ambiance. If the weather is against your outdoor plans, you have plenty of options to visit memorial houses and museums or to stop in a cosy café. The prices are good.

The local people are used with tourists and although English is not their strong point, they are very friendly and ready to help.

A golden welcome, near the Central Station

: After a Japanese breakfast at Hauptbahnhof, I was delighted to meet these Japanese ladies

The transportation is made by foot. Be aware, there are more than 1 bus with the same number but heading to different directions so it’s better to know where do you want to go and check if your bus is reaching your destination. The time between buses can be of 20 minutes, which is a bit unpleasant for speedy tourists – as I was.

At the end of my trip – while waiting in the train station my train with a delay of more than 30 minutes – I concluded

The former Soviet military court

that, although I found here a different town that I was expected – not too much glamour and fantastic white Bauhaus buildings – I had a pleasant and quiet trip. A good recommendation for those trying to find more about Germany.