111
Left Approach to the Baroque Schloss
Belvedere near Weimar Below Goethes
Gartenhaus, the summerhouse given as a
gift to Goethe, WeimarDRIVE 10: Hilltop Castles and Lush Landscapes
e Schloss Belvedere
Thuringia; 99425
The summer palace of Duke Carl
August, the Baroque Schloss
Belvedere has a cheery canary-
yellow colour scheme.
Some of its out build ings
have been modernized
as a music school, but
the rooms in the main
resi dence (Apr–Oct: open
daily) have been restored
as a historical backdrop
for displays of por celain,
glass and furniture. Learn about
the lovely gardens in the west pavilion
before exploring the 106 acres
(43 ha) of greenery, landscaped
into the natu ralistic English style of
the late 1700s.EAT AND DRINK IN WEIMARCrêperie du Palais inexpensive
Gallettes (savory crêpes), crêpes and
Breton cider are served in this cozy
sidestreet French café near Herderplatz.
Am Palais 1, 99423; 03643 40 15 81;
closed Mon
Zum Weissen Schwan moderate
Regional fare such as Sauerbraten
(marinated beef ) with Klösse
(dumplings) plus Goethe’s favorite
dish, boiled beef in green herb sauce,
is served in the writer’s local inn.
Frauentorstrasse 23, 99423; 03643 90
87 52; closed Mon
Anna Amalia expensive
The Italian cuisine of master-chef
Marcello Fabbri is con sistently hailed
by critics as the culi nary highlight of
Thuringia. Tables are avail able on the
garden terrace in summer.
Markt 9, 99423; 03643 80 26 39;
closed Sun & MonDAY TRIP OPTIONS
Meiningen is an ideal base for
exploring the Thuringian Forest,
while Weimar makes an excellent
base for most sights along this drive.Outdoor pursuits
Explore Meiningen 5 before driving
to the half-timbered houses in
Schmalkalden 4 , leaving time for
the palace chapel before setting off
to ski or hike in Oberhof 6 , and to
work up an appetite for lunch in
Arnstadt 8. Visitors can then eitherstroll its streets or drive to Ilmenau 7
for a walk on the Goethewanderweg.Follow the B19 to Schmalkalden, then
retrace the route to Meiningen and take
the B62 and Heinrich-Ehrhardt-Strasse
to Oberhof. Follow the route to Arnstadt,
and then retrace the route to Ilmenau.Classics and culture
In Weimar w, tour Goethe’s
house before traveling back in
time with Erfurt’s q Krämerbrücke
and cathedral, both medievalshowpieces of the state’s capital city.
Next, browse the art in Schloss
Friedenstein 0 , then return east
past Drei Gleichen 9 to Arnstadt 8.
Drivers can then travel back to
Weimar to spend time in Schloss
Belvedere’s e gardens.Follow the B7 to Erfurt, then continue
on it to Schloss Friedenstein. Follow the
tour in reverse order to Arnstadt and
then retrace the entire route back to
Weimar to reach Schloss Belvedere.Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under €20; moderate, €20–€40; expensive, over €40between the two and joins
Rittergasse to emerge at Herderplatz,
on which is the Kirche St. Peter und
Paul 8. The church’s sump tuous
trip tych was painted by Cranach.
This painting serves as an intro duc-
tion to the art in the Stadtschloss 9
(closed Mon) at the end of
Vorwerksgasse, which runs behind
the church. Rebuilt in Neo-Classical
style on Goethe’s advice, this palace
houses the Saxe-Weimar
dynasty’s gallery, includ-
ing Cranach’s wedding
portraits of Johann
Friedrich and his bride.
On leaving the palace from
the southern side, emerge
at its origi nal Renaissance
gateway and tower. Walk
behind the palace and
cross the Ilm to reach a
broad park. Follow signs to
the Goethes Gartenhaus 0 (open
daily) beside the Ilm. This summer-
house was given to Goethe for
drawing up the plans for Weimar.
Cross the river on a footbridge to
the left of the house, and turn
Statue of Duke Carl
August, Theaterplatzright. Beyond a folly, on Marienstrasse,
lies Liszthaus (Apr–Oct: open Wed–Mon),
home of the Romantic composer
Franz Liszt. Turn right into Ackerwand
to return to the parking lot.
ª Turn left on to Marienstrasse
and continue on it to reach the
Schloss Belvedere.