WEIMAR (vi'mar), a small but inter esting town of Germany; capital of the former grand-duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Ei senach, and former residence of the grand-duke ; 31 miles E. of Gotha and 155 S. W. of Berlin. It stands in a pleasant valley on the left bank of the Ilm; the environs are in no way remarkable, and the town itself is irregularly and poorly built. Though formerly the residence of the court, Weimar carries on neither trade nor manufactures, and seems a dull, provincial-looking town. The luster con ferred on it by the residence here, at the close of the 18th and earlier portion of the 19th century, of Goethe, Schiller, Herder, and Wieland, at the court of Karl-August, has faded since that group was broken up by death: and now the interest of the place (Thackeray's "Pum pernickel") is almost wholly derived from its monuments, traditions, and as sociations. The town church (Stadt kirche), dating from the year 1400, has a "Crucifixion" by Cranach, and contains a number of memorable tombs, among which are those of Bernhard of Weimar and Herder. The ducal palace, rebuilt
in 1790-1803 after the fire of 1774, is a handsome building, some of the apart ments of which are decorated by frescoes illustrating the works of Goethe, Schil ler, Herder, and Wieland. Other build ings are the Rothes Schloss (1574) ; the Griines Schloss, with a library of 180, 000 volumes, and relics of Luther and Gustavus Adolphus; the court theater (rebuilt 1825), where Liszt produced Wagner's "Lohengrin"; and the houses of Cranach, Goethe, Schiller, and Herder. The park and gardens of the palace, within which is the summer residence of Goethe, are much esteemed as a prom enade. In Weimar in 1919 was held the National Assembly which formulated a new constitution for the German Re public. (See GERMANY). Pop. about 35, 000.