Goethe- und Glasmuseum

Description

In the Thuringian town of Stützerbach, situated between Ilmenau and Schleusingen, the Goethemuseum Stützerbach makes Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s regional connection to the mining and glass landscape visible.

The museum is housed in the former residence of glassworks owner Johann Niclaus Gundelach (d. 1748). Between 1776 and 1780 the property was repeatedly used as a place of stay by his grandson Gottlob (d. 1778) and great-grandson Johann Daniel Gundelach (d. 1811); Goethe visited the house a total of thirteen times. An entry in his diary is documented for 25 July 1776; Goethe’s letters to the Gundelach family do not appear to have been preserved.

Karl August von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1757–1828) also lodged here. Goethe’s visits were probably connected with his oversight of the mining of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and with the porcelain production that began in Ilmenau in 1777. The Gundelach family had belonged to the glassmaking craft for generations and were partners in the Glashütte Allzunah.

The house has two storeys and a high mansard roof covered with slate. Later owners preserved the so-called “Goethe room” in its original condition. Since 1962 the building has served as a public memorial to Goethe.

The exhibition places Goethe’s scientific studies and his writings on mining questions in Ilmenau at its centre. Also on display are papers bearing Stützerbach watermarks, as well as documents and objects relating to the technical history of glass and paper production. In addition to the Gundelach-Haus, sources name another place where Goethe stayed: the house of Johann Elias Glaser, who was related to the Gundelach family. The Goethemuseum Stützerbach forms the terminus of the Goethe trail Ilmenau–Stützerbach.