European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 4, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A Monument memorializing victims of the holocaust stands on a Mountainside near Weimar. Below a statue in the City s old  a City of culture s by Crystal Laureano staff writer about 20 Miles East of Erfurt on route b-7 is the City of Weimar. The City is known in recent history As the place where the grand National Assembly adopted the Constitution of the first German Republic a the Weimar Republic a in 1919. The Constitution was dissolved by Adolph Hitler in 1933 soon after his Rise to Power. But Weimar s history began Long before that. Here too 1,000 years of history rises up to Greet you in historical buildings and monuments. Many of the same people noted As famous residents in Erfurt also lived in Weimar. The town is said to have reached cultural Ascendancy at the turn of the 18th Century during the reign of grand Duke Charles Augustus. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe became a member of the Duke s court and is credited with influencing cultural interests in the town. Among the sights in town Are former Homes of Goethe and his Good Friend writer Friedrich von Schiller As Well As their tombs. Johann Sebastian Bach was the City s court organist and concertmaster for nine years and the Home of composer Franz Liszt is a popular tourist Stop. Statues museums and famous buildings seem to be at every turn. There is the Goethe National museum in the poet s former Home on Frauen plan the Schiller House on Schille Strasse the Herder museum in the Kirms Krackow House the Wieland museum in the Wittum palais and the Goethe Schiller archives containing 600,000 manuscripts and 60 Complete collections of literary bequests. There Are statues of Schiller and Goethe of Martin Luther and one of Charles on a grand horse just to name a few. Today Weimar is still More a cultural City than an Industrial one. The air is a bit easier to breathe and the buildings seems less marred by pollution. The Small Market place in the old City has a bit of a Flea Market flavor because it offers More than the traditional fruit vegetable and Flower fare. You can also find various Wicker items Blue on White Thuringer Ceramic pottery lace tablecloths and souvenirs. Around the Corner from the Market place is the municipal Palace which is open from tuesday through sunday. Beside the Palace grounds a Small Park on the Banks of a Stream makes a great place to take a sightseeing break. Speaking of Breaks. Weimar has its own Beer Erfurt does t and it s Worth a try. When driving or walking around the town of Weimar Don t be surprised by the number of former red army vehicles and soldiers on the streets. There Are a couple of russian military compounds in the area and despite the demise of communism in East Germany and the breakup of the soviet Union the soldiers Are still there. To the North of Weimar sits a Mountain called the Ottersberg. Atop the Ottersberg the nazis built Buchenwald concentration Camp where More than 65,000 men women and children were brought to their deaths during world War ii. On the Side of the Mountain visible from the Highway is a powerful memorial to those who perished in the Camp. Stripes Magazine june 4, 1992