Awakening of the Spirit Weimar

A w a k e n i n g o f t h e S p i r i t :
W e i m a r

“Be noble, helpful and good.”
That was the motto of the Weimar Classicism in the late 18th and early
19th centuries.
"The true, the beautiful, the good” was the lodestar in the cultural
firmament of the great minds assembled here, whose effect still radiates
into modern times. The striving after true humanity, the longing for the
realisation of highest ideals found expression in the works of these
writers:
Friedrich Schiller, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
Johann Gottfried Herder,
Christoph Martin Wieland and many others.

In his essay “On Grace and Dignity” Schiller develops the concept of
“moral beauty.”
And in Goethe’s Faust the choir of angels may proclaim:
“Whoever aspires unvariedly is not beyond redemption.”
Goethe describes this situation of Weimar as the spiritual and cultural heart of
Europe thus:
Oh Weimar! A special lot fell upon you:
Like Bethlehem in Judea, small and great!
From the poem: “On Mieding’s Death”

Various, Die Gartenlaube (1856) b 317, marked as in the public domain, details on Wikimedia Commons.
Weimar and its poets: Die Gartenlaube (1856)
Caption:
„Einsiedel and Seckendorf. Mrs von Kalb. Von Humboldt brothers. Schiller. Wieland. Von
Lengefeld sisters. (Mrs von Schiller. Mrs von Wolzogen). Duke Karl August. Goethe. Musäus.
Herder. Kotzebue. Kuebel. Duchess Amalie. Duchess Louise.“

The
Ernestiner
family of
noble
descent

Patron of the arts
Grand Duke Carl August
of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach

Sculpture of a lion in front of
Weimar City Palace

Donndorf Fountain in Weimar:
Maternal love

“Russischer Hof” hotel in Weimar

“There are moments in a man’s life
When he is closer to the spirit of the world than otherwise.
And has a question free to destiny.”
Schiller, Wallenstein

Goethe and Schiller, two of the most prominent poets in world history, shaped the
Weimar Classicism movement very strongly, from the beginning of their
friendship in 1794 until Schiller’s death in 1805.
Weimar also blossomed into a city of cultural heritage owing to Goethe’s
friendship with Duke Carl August.

Johann Christoph Friedrich Schiller

“It is the
spirit that
builds
its own
body.”
Schiller, Wallenstein

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

“You can also build beautiful things with stones that have been put
in your path.”
Quotation attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Richard Wagner,
the visionary and inspired composer,
was connected with the city of Weimar as well.
He had two of his operas,
Tannhäuser and Lohengrin,
performed at the Weimar Court Theatre.

Lohengrin, a romantic opera in three acts, is not only one of
the most significant creations of our culture. This work has
also made its impression on the city of Weimar.
When a warrant was issued for Richard Wagner’s arrest
because of his involvement in the May uprisings in Dresden
in 1849, he had to flee from Germany. His friend and patron
in Weimar, Franz Liszt, helped him to obtain false papers,
which enabled him to find refuge in Switzerland.

On 28 August 1850 the premiere of the romantic opera
Lohengrin took place in Wagner’s absence at the Court
Theatre in Weimar with Franz Liszt as conductor.
And so for the first time the world heard the tender,
unearthly beautiful sounds,which announce the arrival
of the Swan Knight, armoured with truly supernatural
power:

Lohengrin: The Arrival of the Marvellous
"How handsome and noble he is to behold, brought by such a miracle to our land!"
Lohengrin Act 1, Scene 3

Photo credits:
Page 4:
Various, Die Gartenlaube (1856) b 317, marked as in the public
domain, details on Wikimedia Commons.
Page 10:
Royalty-free photo: Canva.com.
With the exception of the pictures according to the picture credits and
the quotations
photos and text - copyright © 2021 Manfred Peter Luef: www.luef.co.at