Goethe’s collections

By the end of his life, Goethe had amassed an extraordinary trove of over 26,000 artworks and some 23,000 natural-scientific specimens. He insisted that he did not collect items “on whims of fancy or by chance, but always with a plan and intention” as the “logical consequence of his own education”. For this reason, he wanted to keep his collections as intact as possible for his descendants and posterity. His extensive collections remain preserved in Weimar today. Along with his writings and books, they reflect his diverse interests and paths to knowledge. As Goethe, who was admittedly a “visual person” once said: “Everything depends on the viewing”.

Only a fraction of Goethe’s collections is on display in the rooms of the residence and in the permanent exhibition. The majority of Goethe’s extensive collections is stored in the depots and study rooms of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar, e.g. in the natural scientific collection and the study rooms of the Goethe National Museum, the stone pavilion at the Goethe Residence and in the depository of the Graphic Art Collections.