weimar atrium decorations.
on christmas day my parents and i visited weimar again & i have to tell you, it was a pretty special atmosphere. the christmas market booths were still around but they weren't open nor illuminated & the streets were pretty empty as most people of course celebrate christmas day with their beloved ones. i love exploring cities when the're not busy and it seems like apocalypse came upon us. sundays & holidays are perfect for that, especially when there's absolutely no shop open. people just casually stroll through the streets & there is this special vibe that tells you, time passes by a whole lot slower.
the only businesses who still provide some sort of activity are restaurants & cafes and even they are a lot less busy when holidays roll around. everything just seems more relaxed and laid back.
strolling around in weimar is always a favourite pastime of mine, this city just speaks to my heart & mind so deeply. i love the culture, the history, the nature around it, the general vibe. it has a very bohemian feel to it, wild & sophisticated at the same time, full of art & artisanry. architectural-wise you can find everything here, medieval houses, 19th century historism, art nouveau & bauhaus. bauhaus is pretty big in weimar, it is one of the historic cradles of this particular art school. actually THE cradle, because walter gropius actually founded it here.
all in all weimar is a city that is never too overcrowded ( except on special occasions & festivities ), but is still a hotspot for all things related to art, history & architecture, which is basically everything i ask for in a city. it's a cute little city with a very special energy radiating out of all nooks & crannies. and it's the birthplace of my mum as well! we still have relations in the city. my cousins on the maternal side still live around here so we always have plenty of reasons to visit :)
the weimar atrium is a shopping mall. the fact that it was completely empty delighted me so much! when do you ever get a chance to shoot pictures inside an almost empty mall? close to never. such a good chance!
interesting residential buildings. don't you think they have this particular bauhaus feeling, only with a very modern touch?
the kirms-krackow house is the site of a biedermeier museum & garden. biedermeier was a special german art movement that developed due to major developments and turnovers between 1815 & 1848 ( years of revolution etc ) and was basically about withdrawing from society into the private realms of family & friends. it's a very cozy & romantic style of art.
the biedermeier garden in winter. i think it's really a gem in spring & summer, but even when there was not much colour around i found it quite impressing. it's just this beautiful little treasure in the middle of the city. i LOVED the pink house.
looking back.
let me move in, please? i dream of living in cute tiny houses since forever. i'm sure i will never be able to inhabit one someday, but i like to dream of unattainable things every so often.
the garden was built on a terrace overlooking the city palace & the former stables, now the thuringian main state archives.
another part of the garden.
the world is full of daily miracles, said martin luther once. i agree whole-heartedly.
i loved this little arrangement on the watering trough.
leaving the kirms-krackow house.
there was a cool photographer shop nearby. matthias eimer is the owner of it, and i'd say he's pretty good at his craft, which basically is the profession of taking portraits.
the herderkirche ( also called st peter & paul ) and its square.
clashing architectural styles.
the house in the front is tightly connected to my family. my mom lived here in her childhood. she always tells me that it was a rundown rathole ( remember this was post-world war in the state of german democratic republic ). she's always mesmerized looking at this renovated jewel, never quite grasping that she once lived in a place that nowadays must be really expensive to live in. i love getting an insight to my mother's past. allegedly she was a very rambunctious child, always coming home dirty after spending her afternoons in the palace garden nearby. i can picture that quite vividly, haha.
a very modern building stands right on the opposite of the baroque house.
in the middle of the street. i just looked up what's inside my mother's old living place now and apparently there are several baroque appartments you can book for staying overnight. like a boutique hotel, but with a historical touch.
details of the house nearby. august von kotzebue lived here, a well-known dramatist.
finding interesting modern elements developed into a tiny obsession of mine, haha.
pretty cute reindeer light sculpture.
walking towards marktplatz & city hall. the building on the left is actually in its main features a medieval house, but somehow along the way it was embellished with brutalist elements.
the tourist information has its headquarters inside the brutalist/medieval mashup of a building.
city hall facade.
the marktplatz is one of the many squares that are turned into a little christmas market. as you can see, no lights were on, which made for a strange experience. the scenery was eerily completed with carillon music coming from the city hall, which i included for your listenting pleasure :)
loved the christmas arch structure. it's actually a pavillon which is attached to a food & drink stand.
50 shades of grey, architectural-style. it's the rotes schloss ( red palace ), only the window sills are red, though.
carl august memorial on platz der demokratie. i quite like this picture, as it's kind of dramatic.
more architectural collisions.
cute alley called seifengasse ( soap alley ). there's a little hotel in this street with a joined cafe in its rooms and we decided to stop there and eat some cake and drink a cup of coffee. it was a really cute cafe (cafe gretchens ) in a comfortable setting, very family & kids-friendly. i'm giving 2 thumbs-up for that and really recommend it as well!
gustav klimt cutlery in a shopping window. i really want these ;_;
this is probably one of the most famous klimt motives ever, haha. you can find it on a lot of basic commodities. it's really beautiful, though, don't you think so as well? such a loving embrace.
christmas wreath glittering through the windows.
very oldschool chinese restaurant. the guest room is air-conditioned, y'all! and there's a waiter serving you! i really love finding these antiquated gems. throws you back right into the old times.
the university's library by night.
there's a huge ass chair in front of it, too :D
the bauhaus university is mainly known for its engineering & architecting faculties, and it seems like a really cool place to me. next time i'm back in weimar i will try to capture more of the university's main buildings & localities. the main building in geschwister-scholl-straße is truly an extraordinary example of bauhaus architecture.
the german national theatre. it's a national treasure and very well-loved. it dates back to the times of johann wolfgang von goethe, who was also its most famous director.
modern mall buildings right next to the dnt. every winter there's a skating rink in front of the theatre & it's always really nice to just stand there for a while, sipping a hot mulled wine and watch the shenanigans on ice. very entertaining at times!
and we're off to a new year and telling the old one good-bye.
Comments