Goethe Apparatus

Visitors of the Goethe Residence in Weimar can now experience one of the most fascinating rooms in his home – the study – in a new and innovative way: as an immersive media station.

Goethe’s study was the centre of his major areas of creative production throughout his life – from literature and the natural sciences to his graphic art collections and drawings. It is a room that Goethe used for over 40 years and repeatedly redesigned, rearranged and changed to suit his needs.

The Goethe Apparatus is an innovative “tool” that allows visitors to playfully explore Goethe’s working world, as well as the facets of history contained within the museum. One of the special features of the Goethe Apparatus is an interactive 3D visualisation of the drawing table from Goethe’s estate. This can be operated virtually with all its functions and drawers. Using controllers, visitors can open drawers, move items around and examine virtual objects.

On a high-resolution, curved LED video wall, the only one of its kind in Europe, the 3D modulation is transmitted in a visually appealing way and offers numerous possibilities for interaction.

Using cutting-edge 3D scanning technology, the photorealistic 3D models, developed in cooperation with digitus.art , look stunningly authentic and feature the surface textures and optical-physical properties of the actual objects.