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april: ilmpark gems.

i love to come back to weimar, i think i already mentioned a few times how much i love this little city. my gynaecologist is still situated here, so i always have a reason to definitely visit my mother's home town.
after my appointments i always take a stroll in the park on the ilm, a park in the middle of weimar - basically the green heart of the town. it was still cold and relatively bare of greenery, but the park has more to offer than just nature and the river ilm. there are a few little sights scattered through-out the park and it offers quite a lot of beautiful perspectives.

this place is directly situated next to my doctor's office and it was the residence of johann carl august musäus - a popular author & collector of folk stories back in his days. today it's used by an albert schweitzer foundation as a museum.

ilm river. in the background you can see the reithaus - the european youth education and meeting center resides here.

it's quite flood-prone, this building. it was formerly a riding hall. my mother always told me that this place was a prominent meeting spot for young people when she was young, and it's quite wonderful that it still is a place for the youth to meet up and for entertainment and learning.

i spy with my little eye - a blackbird.

this alley leads to the star bridge.

there are huge spaces of lawn in the ilmpark - probably a fantastic place in summer for all kinds of activities.

goethe's gartenhaus - a domain where johann wolfgang von goethe resided while he lived in weimar.

the pogwisch house - a former vineyard house in which the last descendant of goethe - walther von goethe -lived up to the late 19th century.

villa haar - formerly a homestay for war orphans - now it's a venue for all kinds of events, like weddings and meetings. it's quite a beautiful building and it even has an own little park surrounding it.

the entry pathway to villa haar.

old dead trees are a great decoration for parks - and in my opinion should never be carried away.


the ilm is a small river, but still very idyllic.

far on the left side you can see a suspension bridge ( the weimar citizen call it 'schaukelbrücke' - swing bridge ) - which was built in 1833. it was currently being renovated. the building in the front is an old mill. i left the park here and made my way back into the inner city.

the school of arts building of the bauhaus university. it is an art nouveau building through and through. next time i'm in weimar i want to take a closer look at the campus. 

the wieland square. christoph martin wieland was another geman poet who lived in weimar.

the herder church ( officially st. peter & paul ). it is called after johann gottfried herder - philosopher, theologian & poet. by now you can guess it - weimar was chock-full famous thinkers in its heydays - a fact that contributes to my adoration of this city. there is so much history and culture hidden in every alley & street of weimar - it is pure bliss for my culture-loving heart.

throughout the city you can find several famous quotes on the house walls. this one is by heinrich heine ( one of my favourite writers ever ): when we really think about it, we are all naked in our clothes.

classical meets medieval architecture. i love the tiny squares you can find all over weimar.

when i came home from my weimar visit, it was time to make some use out of all the wild garlic we found the day before. wild garlic butter! it is delicious.

and in the evening i got to witness my homeland's beautiful sunsets.


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