Johann Gottfried Herder

Herder was an influential German philosopher, theologian, and literary critic, and a key precursor of the Romantic and nationalist ideas that grew in the late 18th century. Invited to Weimar in 1776 by Duchess Anna Amalia and Goethe, Herder became the General Superintendent (chief pastor) of Weimar's Lutheran church. He played a major role in the city's cultural life, contributing to the Weimar Classical movement with works on literature and folklore. In Weimar, Herder wrote influential texts such as "Ideas on the Philosophy of History of Mankind" (1784–91), advocating cultural relativism and the importance of folk tradition. He also collected folk songs and tales, which later inspired the Brothers Grimm. Herder's intellectual presence complemented Goethe and Schiller: he championed Sturm und Drang ideals and helped shape Weimar's humanistic climate. Personally, Herder was known for his humane, enlightenment sermons (delivered in the Stadtkirche, now called the Herder Church in his honor). Ennobled in 1802, Herder died in Weimar in 1803 and was interred at the church he served. Though sometimes at odds with Goethe, Herder profoundly influenced the era's literary and philosophical discourse. Today, Herder is commemorated by a statue on Herderplatz and by the very church and school bearing his name – a reminder of how this clergyman-scholar wove together faith, folklore, and philosophy in Goethe's Weimar.