Wieland Estate in Ossmann­stedt

Christoph Martin Wieland was one of the most prominent writers of the Enlightenment. Between 1797 and 1803, he spent some of his most productive years at his country estate in Ossmannstedt about ten kilometres northeast of Weimar. The Baroque manor – now a museum with partially original interior furnishings – and the park where Wieland’s gravesite is located, provide an impression of the life and works of this famous poet, translator and publisher.

Exhibition: Germany’s First Writer

The exhibition concept in the historic living quarters of the Wieland Estate will portray Christoph Martin Wieland as a novelist, chronicler of the French Revolution, and a translator. Additional exhibition space in the historic residence, the interplay with the romantic park and the Wieland gravesite on the Ilm River, and other detailed information and media are sure to make Ossmannstedt an exciting new experience for all friends of Weimar Classicism.

Estate park with Wieland’s gravesite

Like Roman poets of antiquity, Wieland spent much of his time on his estate as a “poet squire”. It was perhaps this affinity for Roman culture that led him to name his idyllic sanctuary “Osmantium”. Like his predecessors, he too cultivated his estate, planting vegetable gardens and a rose garden. The park was also a meeting place for social gatherings. The avenue of linden trees and the meadow orchard are lasting reminders of what the park looked like in Wieland’s times.

According to his wishes, Wieland was buried in a removed corner of the park directly along the Ilm River in 1813 next to his wife Anna Dorothea and Sophie Brentano who died from a severe illness in 1800 in Ossmannstedt at the age of 24. The burial site is marked by a three-sided sandstone obelisk which bears the dates of birth and death of the deceased and an inscription written by Wieland: “Love and friendship entwined these kindred souls in life – And this shared stone covers their mortal remains”.

Education and Research Centre

The Wieland Academy of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar is housed in the manor building. You can book these for your event, such as class trips, university seminars or teacher training courses. 27 beds in 11 rooms, 2 seminar rooms and a spacious inner courtyard await you.

In addition to the academy and the museum, the Wieland research center is also housed in this building.