The special exhibition is critically dedicated to the services of the Weimar Grand Duchess Sophie for the care and promotion of Goethe's manuscript estate in the late 19th century and explores the connection between literature and politics right up to the present day.
In 1885, Grand Duchess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach became the sole heir to Goethe's handwritten estate. From then on, she pursued the goal of making his writings accessible to the public: she initiated the Weimar Edition, the first complete edition of all of Goethe's works, selected certain Germanists for the large-scale project and censored some of his writings. With the Goethe and Schiller Archive, she founded the first literary archive in Germany, for which she had her own archive building constructed. In 1896, she opens the archive as a literary museum, where historical originals are exhibited from then on. She actively supports the founding of the Goethe National Museum and the Goethe Society.
Held photo studio: Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, 1888 © Klassik Stiftung Weimar
The multi-faceted work of the Grand Duchess reflects the spirit of the Wilhelmine era of strengthening national identity through the promotion of national literature. The exhibition critically illustrates the influence Sophie has had on the constitution of the national and international image of Goethe to this day and the interrelationship between literature and political power in Sophie's time and in current cultural policy.
April 8 to December 15, 2024
