Our days in Weimar were marked by blustering winds, rain, and even a little snow, and we spent them exploring various parts of the city that spoke to its history. Weimar’s history is evident everywhere you go, but as with all cities in Germany its history is complex and its memories reveal past sins. Weimar was the site of the doomed Weimar Republic, Germany’s attempt at democracy following its complete political and economic defeat after World War I. During the Weimar Republic, German culture thrived and the avant-garde was able to flourish. It was at this time that the Bauhaus School, led by Walter Gropius, began in 1919. The Bauhaus School revolutionized the face of form and functionality in the Arts, but it was forced into shuttering its windows when the NSDAP (Nazi) Party came into power. On our first day we withstood the brisk wind and rain to observe a museum dedicated to the Bauhaus and discuss its significance.

Weimar is a beautiful city, with typical cobblestone walkways, known as Kopfsteinpflaster in the German language, which lead you through wide-open squares and intimate paths. It is a quiet city; people don’t speak loudly here and when you walk at night you’ll find that the streets are filled with heavy silences. Weimar isn’t Berlin or Vienna, where the traffic never stops and you can find a café on any street corner humming with a consistent buzz of conversation. After World War II it was a part of the East German state, the German Democratic Republic known as the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), and the legacy of Soviet influence survives to this day. Freedoms were greatly limited behind the Iron Curtain and an atmosphere of tension and hushed tones proves hard to eliminate in Weimar.

Despite all that Weimar has been through in the 20^th century, it is still regarded as a symbolic cultural capital of Germany. A literary titan who is proudly associated with Weimar is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Our study group was lucky to have the chance to visit his home and a museum dedicated in his honor, and we understood a little bit more why Goethe is worshipped as a German cultural hero. His colleague, and another literary great, was Friedrich Schiller. Along with Goethe, Schiller resided in Weimar, and these two men lend their names to define Weimar as one of Germany’s most important cultural and historical cities.

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Vienna is the one city on our trip that I had been to previously and I was especially excited to return because it is the place where my grandfather grew up. It was a completely different experience seeing Vienna years later, after having learned German and studying the culture of the German-speaking world. Upon arriving, the first thing that we did together was look at a map. One of the main architectural features of Vienna is its Ringstraße, which encircles the inner city and is lined by buildings such as the Vienna State Opera and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts). Walking along this street, I was slightly in awe of the feel of all of these grand and imposing buildings and felt the affluence of the Hapsburg Empire. It was really interesting to be in a place where just walking down the streets gives so much of a sense of the city’s history.

In Vienna, one can spend a lot of time seeing the many palaces and residences of the Hapsburgs, which, like the buildings along the Ringstraße, are quite impressive and ornate. Schönbrunn Palace, decorated in the lavish Rococo-style, was a summer residence of the Hapsburgs and gives a glimpse into the lifestyle of Emperor Franz Josef and Sisi. We also saw the Hofburg Palace and the Belvedere Palace, which I was excited to go to because I learned before this trip that my grandfather’s uncle was once the head groundskeeper there. They had a great collection of Klimt paintings at the Belvedere Palace and we also got to see Klimt’s studio when we went to a concert at Klimt-Villa.

The concert was very interesting and entertaining, especially for the cultural experience and observation of the very distinct Viennese theater and music culture. It was quite formal and the concertgoers had a certain type of pride and “Hochnäsigkeit,” roughly translated as haughtiness, for the art that isn’t as palpable in Berlin or in other cultural centers. And of course, the three rounds of clapping as the musicians walk on and off of the stage are a must in Vienna.

Another interesting characteristic of Vienna was the café culture. It is not uncommon for the waiters to be slightly impolite and neglectful of the customers, and what was supposed to be a quick lunch one day before exploring museums turned into an almost 2-hour long affair. Nevertheless, Viennese cafes are a great place to relax, read a newspaper, and enjoy some delicious Sachertorte.

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