Goethe in Bohemia

In the footsteps of the prince of poets and naturalists

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) was a German poet, novelist, playwright and politician who also devoted himself to natural sciences and architecture. Goethe visited Bohemia a total of seventeen times, and these were not only spa stays. He spent a total of 1,114 days in Bohemia. He had been impatiently preparing for his first trip to Bohemia since the spring of 1785, as evidenced by letters to friends. At the time, Goethe, who was thirty-five years old, complained of stomach problems and gout attacks before the trip. The spa stay in Karlovy Vary lasted 45 days and took place from July 4 to August 17, 1785. Goethe last visited Bohemia in 1823 for a period of 75 days.

Goethe and Schiller monument in Weimar

Numerous traces of Goethe can also be found in the territory of the Egeria National Geopark. We have set ourselves the goal of collecting materials on Goethe's stays in Bohemia, and also creating a kind of database of places he visited. It will not only be about places in the geopark territory, but we will also expand somewhat more widely across Bohemia. And we will also look at the German border region. We will also present literature (popular and professional) associated with Goethe's stays in Bohemia. If you are not too interested in the history of natural sciences, you can take this Goethe database as tips for trips to interesting places and undertake similar adventures as the famous poet. And perhaps even compare what has changed in those two hundred years.

Some of the locations are already listed on the geopark website and we will gradually add others.

Andělská Hora

Goethova skalka

Goethova trasa

Komorní hůrka

Nejdecká skála

Loket

Teplá

Zámek Kynžvart (Schloss Kynžvart)

Železná hůrka