Schillerhaus Rudolstadt
About This Site
The Schillerhaus is the former home of the von Lengefeld family, where Friedrich Schiller spent the summer of 1788 courting Charlotte von Lengefeld and, on 7 September that year, met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe for the first time.[1] The restored rooms now hold a museum built entirely around that Rudolstadt summer.
The summer of 1788, in a house lived in since 1775
Louise von Lengefeld had moved into the house with her daughters Charlotte and Caroline in 1775, after her husband's death, and the family lived there until 1789.[1] Schiller spent the summer of 1788 with the two sisters, deepening a friendship that had already turned him from his restless travelling life and given him new confidence in his writing. Before he married Charlotte, he spent that summer living alongside both her and her married sister, Caroline von Beulwitz.[2]
Where Goethe and Schiller first met, 7 September 1788
On 7 September 1788 Schiller and Goethe met in this house for the first time.[1] The meeting was a reserved one, and it would be another six years before it grew, in Jena, into the enduring friendship the two men are remembered for. The museum's exhibition, in rooms restored between 2005 and 2009, is built around this one Rudolstadt summer: Schiller's time here, his bond with the Lengefeld sisters, and the first encounter with Goethe.[2]
Questions visitors ask
- When did Schiller stay in this house?
- In the summer of 1788, with the Lengefeld sisters; the family had lived there since 1775 and stayed until 1789.[1]
- When did Goethe and Schiller first meet?
- On 7 September 1788, in this house[1] — a reserved encounter that grew, six years later in Jena, into their enduring friendship.
- What does the museum's exhibition show?
- The one Rudolstadt summer of 1788: Schiller's stay, his bond with the Lengefeld sisters, and his first meeting with Goethe, in rooms restored between 2005 and 2009.[2]
- What are the opening hours and admission?
- April to October daily 10:00–18:00, November to March daily 10:00–17:00; €6 adults, €3.50 reduced, children and pupils free.
Sources
- Schillerhaus (Rudolstadt) — Wikipedia, retrieved 30 August 2026
- Museum — Schillerhaus Rudolstadt, retrieved 30 August 2026
Connected Historical Figures
writer • poet • historian
writer • statesman • naturalist
Visit Information
€6 adults; €3.50 reduced; children and pupils free; combined ticket with the Heidecksburg €9, with the Heidecksburg and the Thüringer Bauernhäuser €11
April–October daily 10:00–18:00, November–March daily 10:00–17:00
Schillerstraße 25, 07407 Rudolstadt
In Weimar's history
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The house where Schiller courted Charlotte von Lengefeld in 1788 and first met Goethe.