Thuringian Palace Days Weimar

Whitsun in Weimar's Palaces

The Thuringian Palace Days are the annual Whitsun festival of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar and its partners from the Thuringian Treasury. From May 22 to 25, 2026, 13 cultural institutions with over 20 residences throughout Thuringia will open their doors — Weimar, with its palaces, parks, and the Klassik-Stiftung, forms the centre. The 2026 motto — «Performed! Travelling People and Courtly Theatre» — takes the tension between travelling artists and courtly representation as its guiding principle.

Schloss Belvedere and Schloss Tiefurt at the Centre

The two Baroque pleasure palaces on the outskirts of Weimar are the most important festival venues:

• Schloss Belvedere with its park — summer residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, today a museum of Rococo furniture and courtly art. During the Palace Days, «Adventure Garden» backpack tours for families
• Schloss Tiefurt with its park — summer seat of Duchess Anna Amalia and her literary circle. Constantin Festival on May 23, 2026 with its 250th anniversary (Prince Constantin in Tiefurt)
• Stadtschloss Weimar — Wittumspalais and Dichterzimmer (Poets' Rooms)
• Park an der Ilm with the Goethe Garden House

«Travelling People and Courtly Theatre»

The 2026 motto explores how travelling artists — theatre troupes, musicians, acrobats, dancers — used the palace rooms as a stage. The highly cultured courts needed the «travelling people» for their entertainment but kept them at a distance through access restrictions. This tension of mobility, privilege, and audience runs through the entire programme of music, dance, theatre, and visual arts.

Highlights 2026

• «Goethe and the Women» — literary-musical performance
• «Goethe Times, Bad Times» — Weimar Cabaret in the tradition of political cabaret
• Liedstadt Festival Weimar — hourly concerts with various artists on May 23, all concerts free of charge
• Themed tours through the Dichterzimmer, the restored palace chapel, and the Wittumspalais
• Ekhof Theatre in Friedenstein Castle (Gotha) — one of the world's second-oldest Baroque theatres with preserved stage machinery
• Workshops: Building a card theatre, Puppet making, experiencing palace history
• «Adventure Garden» backpack tours in Schloss Belvedere for families
• Free rally activities for children in Schloss Kochberg
• App «Weimar+» with audio guides and interactive content for children, rental devices available at museum ticket offices

Weimar — Treasury of German Culture

The city of Weimar (approx. 65,000 inhabitants) in the state of Thuringia has been the most important German cultural centre since the time of Goethe, Schiller, and Herder and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998. The Klassik Stiftung Weimar manages 25 museums, libraries, palaces, and parks, making it one of Germany's largest cultural institutions. The Palace Days annually open the entire ensemble for a joint festival — an ideal opportunity to experience Weimar's cultural heritage in its breadth.