Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig, Schillerhaus

The Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig, Schillerhaus, stands in Gohlis, inside Leipzig’s oldest surviving farmhouse. Friedrich Schiller spent several summer weeks here in 1785.

The upper room housed Schiller, while the former stable accommodated publisher Georg Joachim Göschen. Gohlis offered Leipzig residents nature and conversation during the eighteenth century. After a difficult period, Schiller found friendship, recognition and support among like-minded people here. That change inspired “An die Freude”, the poem widely known as “Ode to Joy”. The exhibition follows his friendships, everyday concerns and the journey of those famous verses. Objects, media stations and playful elements bring the poet’s surroundings into view, alongside the history of the village. Robert Blum helped rediscover the summer residence in the 1840s, creating the basis for this place of remembrance.

The house and garden also host readings, guided tours, workshops, concerts and theatre performances. Lines from “Ode to Joy” appear in unexpected places around the rooms and rose bushes. Families can explore creative educational activities, while the rural setting preserves a relaxed connection with Schiller’s summer retreat.