Did you know that Tiefurt House started as a tenant’s house in the late 16th century? It belonged to a ducal estate and was transformed in 1765. The Tiefurt we see today has a rich history.
Tiefurt House became the summer residence of Duchess Anna Amalia in 1781. She was the Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. For about 25 years, Tiefurt was her favorite place. It became the heart of a circle of poets. This was part of the Weimar Classicism movement. Giants like Goethe, Herder, Wieland and Schiller visited Tiefurt. Imagine these intellectual salons buzzing with ideas.
The house has a main building with seven rooms on the upper floor. A smaller building connects to it. In 1776, Charles Augustus gave it to his brother Constantine. Constantine’s tutor, Karl Ludwig von Knebel, also stayed here. Anna Amalia and her two servants lived on the upper floor. Her courtier, Luise von Göchhausen, resided in the auxiliary building.
Tiefurt played a crucial role in Weimar’s cultural scene. Duchess Anna Amalia turned it into her ‘temple of the muses’. Much of the art inside was collected by the Duchess during her travels to Italy.
After the Duchess’s death in 1807, Tiefurt was neglected. Charles Augustus’s son, Charles Frederick, began renovations. Goethe was still alive at this time. In 1907, Tiefurt opened as a museum. From 1978 to 1981, it was restored to its 1800s decor. The rooms were arranged as they were in Anna Amalia’s time.
The parkland around Tiefurt is equally enchanting. The landscape garden is in the English style and is open to the public. Schiller is buried in the grand-ducal burial chamber here. Eduard Petzold, a well-known landscape gardener, oversaw the gardens during the 19th-century renovations.
The Schlosspark Tiefurt extends over 21 hectares on both sides of the Ilm. Gentle meadows with beautiful trees reach the riverbank. On the other side of the Ilm, a steep slope covered with trees rises. It allows views of the surrounding landscape and back into the park.
In 1776, Prince Friedrich Ferdinand Constantin and his tutor, Karl Ludwig von Knebel, created an English landscape park. Winding paths led to park features and seating areas. These were framed by diverse plantings. After Constantin left Weimar in 1781, Duchess Anna Amalia continued to develop the park. She transformed the Ilm valley into a sentimental garden. It included park features like the Vergil tomb, the Temple of the Muses, and a salon.
After French troops plundered Tiefurt in 1806, and Anna Amalia died the following year, Tiefurt faded from attention. It regained its original importance between 1846 and 1850. This was thanks to a comprehensive renovation and redesign of the park by the court gardener Eduard Petzold. Many of the tree groups that define the park today were planted at this time.
Today you can still visit the Temple to the Muses. It features a sculpture of Polyhymnia from 1803. Don’t miss the “Yellow Bridge” over the Ilm. It offers a beautiful view towards the teahouse in the castle park. The rooms offer insight into the different furnishings and phases of use of the castle. Sculptures and busts by the court sculptor Martin Gottlieb Klauer, as well as porcelain from China, Meissen and Vienna, are among the highlights of the interior. The works of art on display also recall Anna Amalia’s trip to Italy from 1788 to 1790. From the inner courtyard, you can visit the so-called cold kitchen. The historical show dishes made of porcelain, wax and papier-mâché on display there come from the ducal estate and imitate the dishes deceptively realistically.
Tiefurt stands as a testament to a golden age. It preserves the memory of Duchess Anna Amalia’s vision. Take a moment to imagine life here. Picture the poets, thinkers, and artists who once gathered in this idyllic retreat.