Only a few bone-chilling remnants are left of this concentration camp, where 250,000 people suffered and 56,000 died between 1937 and 1945. From 1945 to 1950, the Soviet occupation forces used the site as an internment camp, where over 7,000 more lives were lost. A museum inside the old storehouse reflects the site's tragic past. To get there via public transportation, take the Buchenwald bus (No. 6) from Hauptbahnhof and travel 4 miles northwest of Weimar. Open April–Oct, Tues–Sun 10–6; Nov–March, Tues–Sun 10–4. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Admission is free.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's home from 1782 to 1832 (located at Frauenplan 1) is Weimar's premier tourist attraction. The nobleman's former home is a fine, ochre-painted Baroque mansion filled with antiquities and books. A 15-minute walk away in the Park an der Ilm is Goethe's Gartenhaus. This small cottage was Goethe's first residence in Weimar, and even after he made his fortune, he continued to use it as a modest summer retreat.

From 1802 to 1805, Friedrich von Schiller spent his last years in this much-photographed house. His last works, including Wilhelm Tell, were written here, and his books remain on the shelves. The second-floor rooms look much like they did during his time—the house was turned into a museum in 1847, and careful restorations were made in the 1980s. Admission: $4.25 adults, $3 students and children 6–18, free for children under 6.

This three-floor museum houses European art from the Reformation through the 20th century. Highlights include the paintings by Lucas Cranach on the first floor, a large collection of works by German painters and a great deal of religious iconography from the 19th and 20th centuries. Admission: $5.50 adults, $4.25 seniors and students, free for children under 6. Open April–Oct, Tues–Sun 10–6; Nov–March, Tues–Sun 10–4.

For a grander take on domestic interiors, head for Wittumspalais, home of the Duchess Anna Amalia, whose salon played an important part in the intellectual life of the town. Her old house contains many mementos of the German Enlightenment movement. Admission is $4.25 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and free for children under 6. Hours: March 15–Oct 25, Tues–Sun 10–6; Oct 26–March 14, Tues–Sun 10–4.