Accompanying Programme

At the website of the Erfurt Tourist Information you will find many places of interest (e.g. Cathedral St. Mary, Augustinian Monastery, various museums and historical buildings). You can explore them by yourself or you can choose between several interesting guided tours within the city of Erfurt.

Weimar’s cultural highlights are: 

• UNESCO World Heritage "Bauhaus Sites". The Bauhaus in Weimar is represented by the former Grand Duke's Saxon School of Fine Arts, the Grand Duke's Saxon School of Arts and Crafts and the "Haus am Horn".

• UNESCO World Heritage "Ensemble Classical Weimar". The World Heritage Site of classical Weimar contains: Goethe's Home at the Frauenplan, Schiller's Home, the Widow Palace, the Town Church St.Peter and Paul, the Residential Palace, the Duchess Anna Amalia Library, the Ducal Vault and Historic Cemetery, the Park on the river Ilm with its Roman House, Goethe's Garden House, the Tiefurt Palace and Park, the Belvedere Palace and Orangery and its Park, the Ettersburg Palace and Park.

The centre of Eisenach has many historical buildings and museums: Bach's House on Frauenplan, Luther's House and the market square - with the town hall and the palace. For jazz fans, the international Jazz Archive in the industrial monument old malthouse will be of special interest. 

c. 50 minutes by train (round trip c. 25-30 €) 

• the famous Naumburger Cathedral: the late Romanesque and Gothic Cathedral goes back to the 13th century and offers many interesting details: glass windows from the Middle Ages, the west-rood-screen with the Passion relief, a late Romanesque crypt, and life-sized figures depicting the twelve founders of the Cathedral.
• A medieval city centre with many places of interest: the Marientor, a 14th century town double-gate fortress; the Nietzsche house, home to the family of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche from 1858-1897; the Imperial House from 1525 with seven late Gothic gables ornamented with tracery.

c. 1 hour by train (round trip c. 52 €) 

Leipzig’s cultural highlights are:  

• Johann Sebastian Bach was Leipzig's musical director between 1723 and 1750. The city has dedicated itself to maintaining Bach's heritage with the Bach Archives, the Bach Museum, the St Thomas' Boys Choir, and the Gewandhaus Orchestra.
• Between 1765 and 1768, Johann Wolfgang Goethe studied in Leipzig. A scene from his celebrated "Faust" in Auerbach's Cellar, made the restaurant world-famous.
• Leipzig was the starting point for the events which led to the Peaceful Revolution of 1989. You can visit the original locations of St Nicholas's Church, where after the Prayers for Peace were said, the demonstrations started along Augustusplatz and the central ring road to the headquarters of the secret police, part of which has been incorporated into the Museum in the "Round Corner".
• Leipzig's Old Town Hall is one of the most beautiful Renaissance town halls in Germany. It was built between 1556 and 1557 in just nine months.
• Leipzig Zoo is one of the oldest and most varied zoos in the world, e.g. "Pongoland" is the world's largest zoo facility for anthropoids.

c. 2.5 hours by train (round trip c. 90 €)

Dresden’s cultural highlights are:  

• the Historical Green Vault, Europe's most splendid treasury museum (tickets must be booked in advance as soon as possible),
• the Frauenkirche, a magnificent baroque dome that is the most famous symbol of reconstruction after the Second World War (guided tours available).
• On the left banks of the Elbe you will find the historical city centre with Zwinger, Frauenkirche, Semper Opera (guided tours available).
• On the right side of the Elbe you may experience fascinating variety within the Neustadt: baroque street blocks, monumental government buildings and the centre of colorful alternative culture (guided tours available).