Editing Weimar (section)

=== 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>