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103-911: Because the National Assembly convened in Weimar rather than in politically restive Berlin, the period in German history became known as the Weimar Republic . At the end of World War I , following the outbreak of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 , state power lay with the Council of the People's Deputies . It was formed on 10 November by revolutionary workers' and soldiers' councils in Berlin and headed by Friedrich Ebert of

206-405: 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, and a Bowling Alley in

309-568: 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

412-464: A humid continental climate ( Dfb ) or an oceanic climate ( Cfb ) according to the Köppen climate classification system. Summers are warm and sometimes humid with average high temperatures of 23 °C (73 °F) and lows of 12 °C (54 °F). Winters are relatively cold with average high temperatures of 2 °C (36 °F) and lows of −3 °C (27 °F). The city's topography creates

515-595: A 13,000-volume collection including Goethe's masterpiece 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

618-690: A Reich president. His function was somewhat like that of the former emperor but with the restrictions that had been made to the constitution in October 1918 , notably that war and peace were to be decided by Reich law, not by the head of state. The ministers appointed by the Reich president required the confidence of the National Assembly. The National Assembly convened at the German National Theater in Weimar on 6 February 1919. It elected

721-704: 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

824-674: A local newspaper. After 1929, the right-wing forces prevailed and Weimar became an early centre of Nazism . 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 –

927-416: A microclimate caused through the basin position with sometimes inversion in winter (quite cold nights under −20 °C (−4 °F)). Annual precipitation is only 535 mm (21.1 in) 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

1030-430: A migrant background (according to 2011 EU census ). Differing from the national average, the biggest groups of migrants in Weimar are Vietnamese people , Russians and Ukrainians . During recent years, the economic situation of the city improved: the unemployment rate declined from 20% in 2005 to 5.1% in 2019. Due to the official atheism in the former GDR , most of the population is non-religious. 21.1% are members of

1133-491: 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

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1236-513: Is Thuringia's largest festival. The festival is held over 3 days and approximately 500 stalls and more than 100 stage performances are put up across the city. 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 gardens , live music, fairground attractions and

1339-555: 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. Weimar has

1442-612: Is commonly referred to as the Weimar Republic , as the Republic's constitution was drafted there rather than Berlin . The capital was considered too dangerous for the 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

1545-687: 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 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

1648-425: 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 Goethe , Schiller , Herder , Wieland and Bertuch ; and in music the piano virtuoso Hummel . It has been a site of pilgrimage for the German intelligentsia since Goethe first moved to Weimar in 1775. Goethe

1751-524: Is derived from Old High German wīh- (holy) and -mari (standing water, swamp). 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

1854-512: Is no doubt about that, but that this attempt at cutting away our honor will one day fall back on the originators, that it is not our honor that will perish in this world tragedy, that is my belief until my last breath. Eugen Schiffer (DDP) and Rudolf Heinze (DVP), whose parties had rejected the treaty the day before, explicitly stated in their speeches that the supporters of the treaty would act exclusively out of "patriotic sentiment and conviction" (Schiffer), even if they had different opinions about

1957-645: Is the Evangelical 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

2060-588: Is the most significant arts organization in Weimar . The institution unites the Deutsches Nationaltheater (German National Theater) with the Staatskapelle Weimar (Weimar State Orchestra). It plays on a total of six stages across the city. All sections of the theater and orchestra periodically give additional guest performances and appear in electronic media. The precursor ensemble of Staatskapelle Weimar dates from 1482, with

2163-524: 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. The city's main church

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2266-582: The Entente Powers' terms a "dictated" or "enforced" peace ( Gewaltfrieden ) intended to strangle the German people. The territorial, economic and political demands would deprive Germany of the air to breathe. The conditions were unacceptable, he said, and were in stark contrast to the assurances given by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson . The Reich government could not agree to the conditions and would make counterproposals based on Wilson's 14-point program . Prussian Minister President Paul Hirsch assured

2369-648: The Evangelical Church in Central Germany and 6.8% are Catholics (according to 2011 EU census). Two World Heritage Sites converge in Weimar: Weimar has a great variety of museums: 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

2472-460: The 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: 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

2575-542: The Reich Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils also approved the decree by a clear majority. Because of the Spartacist uprising , a general strike and the accompanying armed struggles that roiled the Reich capital from 5 to 12 January 1919, it was agreed that the National Assembly should not initially meet in Berlin. Four possible locations – Bayreuth , Nuremberg , Jena and Weimar  – were considered. Friedrich Ebert favored Weimar because he wanted

2678-596: The Reichstag election on 6 June 1920 , the Republic's first Reichstag took the place of the National Assembly. Weimar Weimar is a city in the German state of Thuringia , in Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, 80 km (50 mi) southwest of Leipzig , 170 km (106 mi) north of Nuremberg and 170 km (106 mi) west of Dresden . Together with

2781-511: The Reithaus (1710s) within the Park an der Ilm . Furthermore, there are some impressive ducal country residences around Weimar. They are marked by their beautiful parks and gardens. 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

2884-616: The Social Democratic Party (SPD). He had been appointed German chancellor on 9 November by Maximilian von Baden , the last chancellor under the German Empire . Both von Baden and the Social Democrats called for the speedy election of a National Assembly to establish a new government for Germany. The Council decided on 30 November to hold the election on 19 January 1919. On 19 December

2987-653: The Soviet occupation zone of Germany , so US troops were soon replaced by Soviet forces. From 1945 to 1950, the Soviet Union used the occupied Buchenwald concentration camp as a NKVD special camp to imprison defeated Nazis and other Germans. The camp slogan remained Jedem das Seine . On 6 January 1950, the Soviets handed over Buchenwald to the East German Ministry of Internal Affairs . In 1948,

3090-601: The Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School , the precursor of today's 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 Grand Duke William Ernest in 1902 and represents

3193-555: The 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 Saint James , respectively. In 1240, the count founded the dynasty's monastery in Oberweimar, run by 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,

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3296-453: The 19th century, composers such as Franz Liszt made Weimar a music centre. Later, artists and architects such as 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

3399-463: The 2016–2017 season, with an initial contract of three years. Karabits concluded his tenure as its GMD in the summer of 2019, following an inability to reach terms on contract negotiations for extending his tenure. In June 2020, the company announced the appointment of Dominik Beykirch as its new chief conductor, effective with the 2020–2021 season. Beykirch had previously served as Zweite Kapellmeister and Erste Koordinierter Kapellmeister with

3502-570: The 22 June vote. The only exception was that the majority of the deputies of the Bavarian Peasants' League , who had abstained from the first vote, now approved the ratification law. In part as a response to the treaty, and particularly Article 231 that assigned sole responsibility for the war to Germany, the Assembly established an inquiry into guilt for the war on 20 August 1919. Its four subcommittees were tasked with examining

3605-523: 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 forces, the former represented by Harry Graf Kessler and the latter by Adolf Bartels in Weimar. The Weimarer Zeitung was published in Weimar as

3708-750: 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 Bezirke (districts) in a local government reform; Weimar belonged to the Bezirk of Erfurt.) The city was the headquarters of the 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

3811-459: 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. The Onion Market (Weimarer Zwiebelmarkt) is an annual festival held in October in Weimar and it

3914-467: The GDR government and remained in better condition than most East German cities. 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. It was designated as

4017-566: The German government sold them to west German businessmen who closed them to avoid competition to their own enterprises. 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

4120-573: 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

4223-740: The Reich Office of the Interior and charged him with drafting a Reich constitution. Preuß, a teacher of constitutional law and one of the founders of the German Democratic Party, based his draft of the Weimar Constitution in large part on the Frankfurt Constitution of 1849 which was written after the German revolutions of 1848–1849 and intended for a unified Germany that did not come to pass at

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4326-701: The Reich government of full support on behalf of the constituent states of the German Reich and also sharply criticized the Entente's conditions. Speakers from all parties, from the USPD to the DNVP, also declared the Entente's demands unacceptable. The chairman of the liberal German People's Party (DVP) and later Reich Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann described the peace terms of the victorious powers as "an outpouring of political sadism". Only Hugo Haase , chairman of

4429-558: The SPD politician Eduard David as its president, but because of an inter-party agreement he stepped down after just four days. On 14 February 1919 the National Assembly elected Constantin Fehrenbach , a Centre Party deputy and former vice president, as his successor. On 11 February the National Assembly elected the previous head of government, Friedrich Ebert (SPD), as provisional Reich president. He asked Philipp Scheidemann of

4532-643: The SPD receiving the most votes at 38%, followed by the Catholic Centre Party (which in this election ran as the Christian People's Party) with 20%, the liberal German Democratic Party (DDP) 19%, the national-conservative German National People's Party (DNVP) 10% and the more leftist and antiwar breakaway from the SPD, the Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD), 8%. Numerous small parties made up

4635-777: The SPD to form a government. The three party coalition of the SPD, the Centre Party and the DDP that he brought together in the Scheidemann cabinet came to be known as the Weimar Coalition . On 12 May 1919 the National Assembly met in Berlin for the first time. There it heard and then debated a statement by Minister President Philipp Scheidemann on the peace terms of the Versailles Treaty . In his speech Scheidemann, to great applause from all parties, called

4738-468: The USPD, combined his rejection of the Entente's demands with sharp attacks on the Reich government, accusing it of having caused the current situation in the first place through its policy of enforcing a truce between political parties ( Burgfriedenspolitik ) during the war. Following the Entente's rejection of its counterproposals, the Scheidemann cabinet resigned on 20 June 1919 because it

4841-554: The Weimar Atrium, the local mall. 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 , 7 km (4.3 mi) to the north) for dishes with Thuringian dumplings ( Knödel from potatoes), onions (from Heldrungen and Oldisleben , 45 km (28 mi) to

4944-424: The camp by the Nazi regime, including 168 Western Allied POWs . The number of deaths in Buchenwald is estimated at 56,545. The Buchenwald concentration camp provided slave labour for local industry, including the Wilhelm-Gustloff-Werk arms factory. 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

5047-506: The causes of the war, what brought about its loss, what missed opportunities for peace had presented themselves, and if international laws had been broken. The inquiry continued for thirteen years, until the Nazi Party victory in the election of July 1932 . The inquiry's findings were hampered by lack of cooperation from both the government and the military and were in general watered down and deflected blame away from Germany. On 15 November 1918 Friedrich Ebert had appointed Hugo Preuß to

5150-410: The changes raised the number of eligible voters by around 20 million. The turnout was 83%, a slightly lower percentage than in the last Reichstag elections in 1912 , but a much greater absolute turnout due to the expanded suffrage. Among women the turnout was 90%. The Communist Party of Germany (KPD), founded in December 1918, boycotted the elections. The election for the National Assembly resulted in

5253-565: 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

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5356-425: The citizens. Now Weimar became equal to other Wettinian cities like 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. After the Treaty of Leipzig (1485) Weimar became part of

5459-457: 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

5562-524: The city. The 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 Hänsel and Gretel 1893 in Weimar. Friedrich Nietzsche moved to Weimar in 1897, and died there three years later. In 1860

5665-455: The classical period of Weimar in 18th and 19th centuries) or the Bauhaus complex (containing buildings associated with the Bauhaus art school). Heritage tourism is one of the leading economic sectors of Weimar. Noted institutions in Weimar are the Bauhaus University , the 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

5768-413: The comment that it would be impossible for the German Reich to fulfill all the economic conditions of the treaty and regretted that it had not been possible to extract further concessions from the Entente. Speakers from the SPD and the Centre, Paul Löbe and Adolf Gröber, also condemned the treaty. They objected in particular to the statement in the Entente draft treaty that Germany was solely to blame for

5871-417: The company. The company elevated Beykrich's title to music director as of the 2023–2024 season. In October 2023, the company announced the appointment of Ivan Repušić  [ de ] as the next chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Weimar, effective with the 2024–2025 season. In August 2024, the company announced that Beykirch is to stand down as music director of the company, per his own request, at

5974-542: 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 Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , William Ernest, had to abdicate and went in exile to Heinrichau in Silesia. The period in German history from 1919 to 1933

6077-453: The demonstration. Prussian security police fired into the crowd leaving 42 people dead and over 100 wounded. The Reichstag Bloodbath was the deadliest demonstration in German history. Beginning on 30 September 1919, the National Assembly met in the renovated Reichstag building in Berlin. During the Kapp Putsch it briefly moved to Stuttgart and met there on 18 March 1920. The National Assembly dissolved on 21 May 1920. After

6180-455: 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 on 12 April 1945. 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

6283-439: 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

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6386-433: The end of World War I and the dismantling of the German Empire , the ensemble was renamed the Weimar Staatskapelle . Ernst Praetorius directed concert and opera programming from 1924 to 1933. Because his wife was Jewish, Praetorius left the post after the National Socialists ascended to power in Germany in 1933. Paul Sixt  [ de ] directed activities there during the Nazi regime. After World War II and

6489-454: The end of the Nazi regime, Hermann Abendroth became Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) and chief conductor of the ensemble, serving from 1945 to 1956. Successive GMD's of the ensemble have included Gerhard Pflüger (1957–1973), Lothar Seyfarth (1973–1979), Rolf Reuter (1979–1980), Peter Gülke (1981–1982), Hans-Peter Frank (1988–1996), George Alexander Albrecht (1996–2002), Jac van Steen (2002–2005) and Carl St.Clair (2005–2008). Oleg Caetani

6592-420: 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,

6695-503: The ensemble's Kapellmeister from 1819 to 1837, on the appointment by the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna . Franz Liszt began his tenure as Kapellmeister in 1842, and championed the music of Richard Wagner , Hector Berlioz , Peter Cornelius . Through this and his teaching activities, Liszt enhanced the prestige of Weimar as a musical hub, notably conducting the world premieres of Wagner's Lohengrin in 1850 and Cornelius's Der Barbier von Bagdad in 1858. After Liszt left in 1858, he

6798-412: The father of the Weimar Constitution. During July of 1919, the Assembly moved quickly through the draft constitution with most debates concluded within a single session. On 31 July the Assembly passed the revised committee proposal for the constitution by a vote of 262 to 75, with USPD, DNVP and DVP against. Key topics of debate were as follows: On 13 January 1920, while the National Assembly

6901-444: 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

7004-467: The following decades, Weimar expanded in all directions. The biggest building constructed in this period was the 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. The period from the start of the regencies of Anna Amalia (1758–1775) and her son Carl August (1775–1828) through to Goethe's death in 1832

7107-405: The following extreme values: Weimar abuts the district of Weimarer Land with the municipalities Berlstedt , Ettersburg , Kleinobringen , Großobringen and Wohlsborn in the north, Kromsdorf , Umpferstedt and Mellingen in the east, Vollersroda , Buchfart , Hetschburg , Bad Berka and Troistedt in the south and Nohra, Daasdorf am Berge , Hopfgarten and Ottstedt am Berge in

7210-534: The formation of a musical ensemble in service of the Weimar Fürsten (Princes). In 1602, the ensemble attained resident status at the Weimar court, as the Herzoglichen Hofkapelle ( Ducal Court Ensemble ). Notable musicians in the early history of the Staatskapelle Weimar included Johann Hermann Schein (1615–1616) and Johann Sebastian Bach (1705, 1708–1717), both of whom went on to the St. Thomas Church, Leipzig . Bach particularly worked as resident organist and Kapellmeister . Johann Nepomuk Hummel served as

7313-423: The governing parties, the consequences if the treaty were rejected. In a 22 June roll call, 237 deputies voted in favor of signing the peace treaty, 138 against, and five abstained. Of the major parties, the SPD, Centre and USPD approved, while the DDP, DNVP and DVP rejected the treaty, on both sides by large majorities of the delegates. The Reich government informed the Entente the same day that it would sign

7416-546: The government no longer had a choice; it had to sign the treaty: Let us sign, that is the proposal I have to make to you on behalf of the entire cabinet. The reasons that compel us to make the proposal are the same as yesterday, only now we are separated by a period of barely four hours before the resumption of hostilities. We could not justify a new war even if we had weapons. We are defenseless, but without defense does not mean without honor ( wehrlos ist aber nicht ehrlos ). Certainly, our enemies want to take away our honor, there

7519-466: The government's powers during the transitional phase from the German Empire to the Weimar Republic. The National Assembly was to adopt a constitution and "urgently needed" Reich laws, thus allowing it to act as an interim parliament. A States' Committee served in the place of the later Reichsrat to represent the interests of the German states. The "business of the Reich" was to be conducted by

7622-404: The hand that signed the treaty would wither. He did not see that the situation had changed since then. The DNVP and DVP were also strongly opposed to the treaty. The USPD was the only opposition party to endorse its acceptance. Hugo Haase called the issue at stake a terrible dilemma for the National Assembly. Although he too sharply criticized the treaty, he pointed out, as had the representatives of

7725-566: The local government, because it concentrates itself on developing tourism and services. The biggest companies with production in Weimar are Bayer (pharmaceutical factory), 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. Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar The Deutsche Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar ( DNT ), or German National Theater and Weimar State Orchestra,

7828-521: 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

7931-402: The north), which are sold at Weimar Onion Market in October, and Saale-Unstrut wine from Bad Sulza , 25 km (16 mi) 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

8034-408: 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 instead of international 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

8137-555: The place where Germany's first democratic constitution was signed after the First World War , giving its name to the Weimar Republic (1918–33). It was also one of the cities mythologized by Nazi propaganda . Until 1948, Weimar was the capital of Thuringia. Many places in the city centre have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites , either as part of the Classical Weimar complex (containing monuments to

8240-442: 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

8343-503: The remainder. Out of a total of 416 delegates 36 were women, although this increased to 41 during the term of the Assembly. If the latter number is taken, at 10% women, the Weimar National Assembly was one of the most female parliaments of its time. On 10 February the Assembly passed the "Law on Provisional Reich Power" ( Gesetz über die vorläufige Reichsgewalt ) to go into effect the following day. It regulated

8446-518: The right path forward. The DNVP speaker Georg Schultz, however, did not make his opinion on the issue clear. Ratification of the treaty through the "Law on the Conclusion of Peace between Germany and the Allied and Associated Powers" ( Gesetz über den Friedensschluß zwischen Deutschland und den alliierten und den assoziierten Mächten ) finally took place on 9 July 1919 with results similar to

8549-400: 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

8652-557: The terms of the Treaty of Versailles . Since the calm and centrally located Weimar had a suitable place of assembly (the 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-Gotha , Saxe-Altenburg , Saxe-Meiningen , Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt , Schwarzburg-Sondershausen , Reuss-Gera and Reuss-Greiz ) and Weimar became its capital. Due to that fact,

8755-474: 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

8858-417: The time. He was influenced as well by Robert Redslob's theory of parliamentarianism, which called for a balance between the executive and legislative branches under either a monarch or the people as sovereign. After the National Assembly was seated, Preuß became a member of the constitutional committee, which was chaired by the Assembly's vice president, Conrad Haußmann of the DDP. Preuß later became known as

8961-499: The treaty but with reservations as to the provisions on war guilt and the extradition of Germans to the victorious countries. French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau replied that evening on behalf of the Allied Powers that the treaty could only be accepted or rejected in its entirety. At the meeting of the National Assembly on 23 June, Minister President Bauer informed the plenum of the Entente's position and stated that

9064-413: The victorious Allies to be reminded of Weimar Classicism , which included the writers Goethe and Schiller , while they were deliberating the terms of the peace treaty.  On 14 January 1919 the choice fell to Weimar. The elections for the National Assembly were the first held in Germany after the introduction of women's suffrage and the lowering of the legal voting age from 25 to 20 years. Together

9167-439: The war. On behalf of their parliamentary groups, however, they spoke in favor of acceptance, since the only alternative was the resumption of hostilities, which would lead to even worse consequences. Eugen Schiffer , the former Reich Finance Minister, spoke on behalf of the majority of German Democratic Party deputies against accepting the treaty. He reminded the two governing parties of Philipp Scheidemann's 12 May warning that

9270-538: 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

9373-464: Was +4.5 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 (Thuringian average: -0.8; national average: +4.6). 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. 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

9476-507: 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

9579-489: Was brought into effect in 1816. 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 (1850) as well as the world première of Saint Saëns ' opera Samson et Delilah (1877) in

9682-554: 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

9785-417: 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 Gauforum  [ de ] , designed by Hermann Giesler ,

9888-501: Was negotiating the Works Councils Act, which created an obligation for companies with twenty or more employees to have works councils, a demonstration against the law took place in front of the Reichstag building . The left-wing opposition parties USPD and Communist Party, among others, had called for the demonstration because they felt the councils would lack sufficient worker representation. About 100,000 people gathered for

9991-614: Was principal guest conductor of the ensemble from 1984 to 1987. The ensemble was officially renamed the Staatskapelle Weimar in 1988. In September 2009, the Swedish conductor Stefan Solyom became GMD of the ensemble, with an initial contract of five years. He concluded his Weimar tenure in July 2016. In July 2015, the ensemble announced the appointment of Kirill Karabits as its next GMD and chief conductor, effective with

10094-640: Was reopened in 2007. 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 70 km (43 mi) to the north and the Thuringian Forest 50 km (31 mi) to the southwest. The municipal terrain is hilly; the height of the city centre in the Ilm valley

10197-469: Was succeeded by Eduard Lassen who remained as director until his retirement in 1895. Lassen conducted several world premieres during his tenure, including the first performance of Camille Saint-Saëns 's Samson et Dalila in 1877. Richard Strauss served as second Kapellmeister under Lassen from 1889 to 1894 and led the premieres of his own Guntram and Engelbert Humperdinck 's Hänsel und Gretel . Peter Raabe became Kapellmeister in 1907. With

10300-583: Was the European Capital of Culture . Archaeological finds dating back to the Thuringii epoch (3rd to 6th centuries) show that the Weimar part of the Ilm valley was settled early. A tight network of settlements occupied much of the area of today's city. The oldest records regarding Weimar date to 899. Its name changed over the centuries from Wimares through Wimari to Wimar and finally Weimar; it

10403-468: 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. Due to its function as a ducal residence, Weimar is rich in early-modern castles and palaces. The biggest one is the Stadtschloss at Burgplatz in the city centre. Today's four-wing building was started after

10506-734: 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 Villa Sauckel  [ de ] , the governor's palace and the Hotel Elephant  [ de ] in the city centre. In 1937, the Nazis established Buchenwald concentration camp 8 km (5.0 mi) from Weimar city centre. Between July 1938 and April 1945, some 240,000 people were incarcerated in

10609-512: Was unwilling to give its assent to the Treaty of Versailles. The new Minister President, Gustav Bauer (SPD), who headed a government of the SPD and the Centre, promoted the signing of the treaty but continued to criticize individual provisions, especially those concerning the extradition of Germans to the Entente and the imposition of war guilt on Germany alone. He combined his call for approval with

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