Weimar (dpa/th) – For the thorough renovation of the historic house of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in Weimar, three architectural offices with their designs are shortlisted. At the beginning of next year there will be further selection interviews with the relevant offices in Berlin and Dresden. The winning design should then be announced at the end of February, the Klassik Stiftung announced on Friday in Weimar. This summer, a multi-stage, Europe-wide architectural competition was announced for the monument-appropriate restoration and museum redesign.
The ensemble is part of the Goethe National Museum, is a listed building and is part of the Unesco World Heritage. In the course of the repairs planned from 2026, the residential building is to be adapted to a contemporary technical and museum standard. “The restoration of Goethe’s house and garden in accordance with the requirements of the monument is about safeguarding a unique world heritage site,” emphasized the President of the Classic Foundation, Ulrike Lorenz. The competition presented a wide range of possibilities for this.
Up to and including the Goethe anniversary year in 2025, the home and death house of the poet will remain open to visitors. According to earlier information, the closure is expected to last until 2028. However, there should be alternative offers for visitors for this time.
Goethe arrived in Weimar in 1775. In 1782 he then moved into the house on Frauenplan in the city center for almost 50 years. It is now part of the ensemble of the Goethe National Museum, which, according to the Klassik Stiftung, has around 140,000 visitors a year. Books, original pieces of furniture and objects from Goethe’s own collection can still be seen there.