Editing Weimar (section)

==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.

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=== 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>