| 13/3/1772 | Premiere of Lessing's "Emilia Galotti" at the Herzogliches Opernhaus in Braunschweig. the play was baded on the myth of Verginia by Livius. Lessing attended neither the premiere nor the performances that followed. The reason was a raging toothache. After the play was performed in Vienna in July. His future wife Eva König wrote that it was a great success. The play would be an important influence to Goethe's novel "Die Leiden des jungen Werthers" (1774) as well as Friedrich Schiller's play "Kabale und Liebe" (1784). [Lessing, Gotthold Ephraïm][Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 30/10/1772 | Karl Wilhelm Jerusalem commits suicide. This led to Goethe's writing of "Die Leiten des Jungen Werthers". After the work was published many further suicides were committted. |
| 23/8/1774 | Premiere of Goethe's "Clavigo" at the Ackermannsche Theater in Hamburg. Goethe wrote it in eight days in May 1774 and it was performed by the troupe of the late actor Konrad Ernst Ackermann. The tragedy included with Beaumarchais as a stage character. When Beaumarchais saw the play in Augsburg later in the year he didn't agree with the way Goethe had portrayed him. Goethe wasn't present during the premiere and probably saw it for the first time in Mannheim in 1799. [Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron de] |
| 13/9/1775 | Premiere of Goethe's "Erwin und Elmire" in Frankfurt am Main. Goethe had written the libretto for this musical play. It was performed by the Marchand troupe. It was set to music by Johann André. |
| 7/11/1775 | Goethe arrives in Weimar. His engagement with the banker's daughter Elisabeth 'Lili' Schöneman was broken and he had enough of Frankfurt am Main. He accepted the invitation of the young Duke Karl August of Saxe-Weimar. He arrived at five o'clock in the morning in Weimar. |
| 8/2/1776 | Premiere of the first verion of Goethe's "Stella" in Hamburg. The full name of the tragedy was "Stella. Ein Schauspiel für Liebende in fünf Akten". |
| 11/6/1776 | Goethe is appointed Privy Legation Councilor in Weimar. He also became a member of the Privy Consilium, the three-member advisory board to the Duke of Weimar. His annual salary was 1,200 thales. |
| 21/11/1776 | Premiere of Goethe's "Die Geschwister" in Weimar. It was a four-person play in one act that Goethe wroter in October 1776 in the garden house on the Ilm in Weimar. Goethe played Wilhelm and August von Kotzebue played the postman. [Kotzebue, August von] |
| 30/1/1777 | Premiere of Goethe's "Lila" at the Liebhabertheater in Weimar. It was a musical play, a 'festival with song and dance' that Goethe wrote for the 20th birthday of Louise of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He wrote it in a few week at the end of 1776 and in early 1777. Goethe himself played two parts. |
| 8/10/1777 | Friedrich Melchior Grimm visits Johann Wolfgang von Goethe at the Wartburg |
| 30/1/1778 | Premiere of Goethe's "Der Triumph der Empfindsamkeit" at the Hoftheater in Weimar. It was a play in six acts. It was performed with music by Carl Friedrich Siegmund von Seckendorff. Goethe himself played Andrason and Corona Schröter was Mandandane. [Schröter, Corona] |
| 6/4/1779 | Premiere of Goethe's "Iphegenie" at the Ducal private theatre in Weimar. Goethe would rewrite the play in 1781 in prose and converted it to verse form in 1786. Corona Schröter played the title part, Goethe was Orest and Duke Carl August was Pylades. [Schröter, Corona] |
| 5/9/1779 | Goethe is appointed privy councilor in Weimar |
| 12/9/1779 | Goethe travels to Switzerland for the second time. He was in the company of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar and he met many old acquaintances. |
| 13/1/1780 | Goethe returns from Switzerland to Weimar |
| 7/10/1781 | Goethe travels to Gotha to visit Friedrich Melchior Grimm |
| 0/9/1783 | Goethe visits Göttingen. He visited Caroline Schelling's family house there but she missed his visit. |
| 3/9/1786 | Goethe leaves from Karlsbad for Italy. He had permission from the Duke of Saxe-Weimar to visit Italy. His desire to see Italy had grown over time and he would only return to Weimar in 1788. |
| 29/10/1786 | Goethe arrives in Rome. He stayed with the painter Tischbein. |
| 2/4/1787 | Goethe arrives in Palermo. He stayed there until he moved on to Alcamo on 18 April. He was accompanied by the painter Christian Heinrich Kniep. |
| 23/4/1788 | Goethe leaves Rome to return to Weimar |
| 18/6/1788 | Goethe returns from Italy to Weimar. He had visited Rome, Naples and Sicily. He wrote about his travels in his book "Italienische Reise". Shortly afterwards he was released from his government duties in Weimar and he his reponsibilities were concentrated on culture and arts. |
| 12/7/1788 | Goethe meets Christiane Vulpius for the first time. She spoke to him at the Park an der Ilm in Weimar on behalf of her brother, the author Christian Vulpius. A long affair resulted and in 1806 they would finally marry. [Vulpius, Christian August][Vulpius, Christiane] |
| 7/9/1788 | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller meet for the first time in Rudolstadt. Goethe kept his distance afterwards and it would take years before they became close friends. Schiller had previously witnessed Goethe in 1780 during the graduation ceremony of his own class at the Karlschule in Stuttgart. [Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 15/12/1788 | Friedrich Schiller is appointed professorship of history in Jena. He was recommended by Goethe. In 1789 he took up this professorship. [Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 9/1/1789 | Premiere of Goethe's "Egmont" at the Nationaltheater in Mainz. Goethe had started writing his drama in 1775 and finished it in 1787. It was staged by the director of the Nationaltheater Siegfried Gotthelf Eckardt, known as Koch, who played Egmont himself. |
| 10/2/1789 | Goethe becomes a honorary member of the Prussian Academy of Arts |
| 15/5/1789 | Goethe's "Egmont" is staged in Frankfurt am Main. It was the same production as performed during the premiere in Mainz earlier that year. |
| 31/3/1790 | Goethe arrives in Venice. He had come to Venice to welcome Anna Amalia, the mother of Duke Karl August of Weimar. But his love for Italy had cooled by this time. |
| 7/9/1791 | The Hoftheater in Weimar is opened with a performance of Iffland's "Die Jäger". Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was in charge of the theatre and wanted to keep Iffland in Weimar. But Iffland went to Berlin where he was put in charge of the Nationaltheater. [Iffland, August Wilhelm] |
| 17/12/1791 | Premiere of Goethe's "Der Gross-Coptha" at the Ducal Theatre in Weimar. It was a comedy in five acts that Goethe had written in the summer of 1791. The music was by Johann Friedrich Kranz. |
| 21/8/1792 | Goethe visits Georg and Therese Forster in Mainz. The he met Caroline Schelling as well. |
| 13/6/1794 | First known letter of Friedrich Schiller to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 20/7/1794 | Friedrich Schiller and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe meet at the house of August Batsch and start their friendship [Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 17/7/1796 | Goethe visits Caroline Schlegel at her home in Jena. Later that afternoon Caroline and her husband visited Friedrich and Charlotte Schiller. [Lengefeld, Charlotte von][Schiller, Friedrich von][Schlegel, August Wilhelm von] |
| 19/12/1796 | Caroline and Wilhelm Schlegel dine at Goethe's house in Weimar. It was a midday meal and they returned to Jena later that afternoon. [Schlegel, August Wilhelm von] |
| 12/1/1798 | Premiere of Friedrich Schiller's "Wallensteins Lager" at the Hoftheater in Weimar. It was the first part of the Wallenstein trilogy and it was performed on the occation of the opening of the converted Court Theatre in Weimar. Goethe was the director. Anton Genast played the Kapuziner. [Genast, Anton][Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 18/2/1798 | Karl Gustav von Brinckmann visits Goethe. He would visit Goethe again on 20 and 22 February. |
| 30/1/1799 | Premiere of Friedrich Schiller's "Die Piccolomini" at the Hoftheater in Weimar. It was the second part of his Wallenstein trilogy. Goethe was the director. Heinrich Vohs was Max Piccolomini. [Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 20/4/1799 | Premiere of Friedrich Schiller's "Wallensteins Tod" at the Hoftheater in Weimar. It was the third part of his Wallenstein trilogy. Goethe was the director. Heinrich Vohs was Max Piccolomini. [Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 21/6/1799 | Friedrich von Hardeberg (Novalis) visits Goethe in Weimar |
| 21/7/1799 | Ludwig Tieck, Friedrich von Hardenberg and Wilhelm Schlegel dine with Goethe in Weimar [Schlegel, August Wilhelm von][Tieck, Ludwig] |
| 6/9/1801 | Friedrich Tieck dines with Goethe in Weimar |
| 11/9/1801 | Premiere of Friedrich Schiller's "Die Jungfrau von Orleans" at the Comödienhaus in Leipzig. Friederieke Wilhelmine Hartwig played Johanna. The play would be the drama that was the most performed on German stages until 1885. Schiller wrote to his friend C.G. Körner that Goethe had stated that it was his best work. Among those who didn't like it were Friedrich Ludwig Schröder and Clemens Brentano. [Brentano, Clemens][Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 1/11/1801 | Wilhelm Schlegel reads his play "Ion" to Goethe in Jena. At the same time Friedrich Tieck worked on Goethe's bust. He would finish it on 8 November. [Schlegel, August Wilhelm von] |
| 30/1/1802 | Premiere of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of Gozzi's "Turandot" at the Hoftheater in Weimar. Schiller translated the play and re-interpreted it in the Romantic style. It was produced by Goethe. [Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 15/5/1802 | Goethe's "Iphigenie" is staged in Weimar in an adaptation by Friedrich Schiller. Goethe's play was based on "Iphegenia in Tauris" by Euripides and it had been first performed in 1779 in Weimar. This version was adapted by Friedrich Schiller. It was staged several times but Schiller's version was lost afterwards. [Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 17/3/1804 | Premiere of Friedrich Schiller's "Wilhelm Tell" at the Hoftheater in Weimar. It was the last play Schiller finished. He had been acquainted with the Tell saga since his future wife Charlotte von Lengefeld had introduced him to it in 1789. The premiere was directed by his friend Goethe. [Lengefeld, Charlotte von][Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 1/5/1805 | Last meeting between Goethe and Schiller. They met on their way to the Hoftheater in Weimar. Schiller died eight days later. [Schiller, Friedrich von] |
| 15/1/1806 | Premiere of Goethe's revised version of "Stella" in Weimar. It was a tragedy in five acts. Goethe had written it in 1775 and it was performed in Hamburg on 8 February 1776. He reworked it from 1803 to 1805. |
| 16/2/1807 | Premiere of Goethe's "Torquato Tasso" in Weimar. He has written it between 31 March 1780 and 31 July 1789. It was printed in Febraury 1790 but not performed before this date. |
| 2/10/1808 | Goethe on audience with Napoleon at the palace in Erfurt. It was the first meeting between the two and Christoph Wieland was with him. Talleyrand, Berthier and Savary were there as well. When he was first invited in 1806 Goethe had excused himself for health reasons and during Napoleon's second visit to Weimar, Goethe was in Karlsbad. Napoleon spoke to Goethe about "Die Leiden des jüngen Wethers" and Goethe observed that the emperor knew it very well. [Napoleon I Bonaparte][Wieland, Christoph Martin] |
| 6/10/1808 | Goethe meets Napoleon during the Court Ball in Weimar. It was their second meeting, after Napoleon had received him and Wieland in Erfurt four days before. Wieland was also there on this occasion. Napoleon invited Goethe to come to Paris to write a Caesar tragedy. In his opinion there was no good work yet on this subject. On 14 Oct 1808 Goethe received the Légion d'Honneur. [Napoleon I Bonaparte][Wieland, Christoph Martin] |
| 15/6/1810 | Beethoven's music to Goethe's "Egmont" is first performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna. Amalie Adamberger sang the parts that Beethoven had written with her in mind. The first part, the Ouvertüre, became so well known that it was often performed apart from Goethe's play. Goethe and E.T.A. Hoffmann praised Beethoven's music. [Adamberger, Antonie][Beethoven, Ludwig van][Hoffmann, Ernst Theodor Amadeus] |
| 0/7/1812 | Beethoven and Goethe meet in Teplice. Both were in that city at the time and Bettina von Arnim arranged their first meeting. They saw each other several times during the next days. [Beethoven, Ludwig van] |
| 15/12/1812 | Napoleon passes through Weimar on his way back from Russia. It happened during the night and he sent his greetings to Goethe. [Napoleon I Bonaparte] |
| 29/7/1814 | Johann Wolfgang Goethe arrives in Wiesbaden. He stayed in Hotel Adler before he moved to Hotel Bären where his friend C.F. Zelter stayed as well. He met many people in Wiesbaden and on Sundays he was often invited by Friedrich August von Nassau to dine at Schloss Biebrich. He would leave Wiesbaden om 12 September 1814. |
| 4/8/1814 | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is visited by Johann Jacob von Willemer and his stepdaughter Marianne in Wiesbaden. Goethe knew him for a long time and Willemer's stepdaughter Marianne Jung was with him. Within a short time Willemer would marry Marianne, allthough he had formally adopted her. A secret love affair between Goethe and Marianne would develop afterwards. [Willemer, Marianne von] |
| 21/7/1815 | Goethe travels from Wiesbaden to Cologne. Between 21 July and 31 July he travelled down the Rhine to Cologne. There he visited the Cathedral and several private collections, including that of Franz Walraf. |
| 22/8/1815 | Goethe leaves Wiesbaden. He was accompanied by Sulpiz Boisserées. [Boisserée, Sulpice] |
| 26/5/1821 | Opening of the Königliches Schauspielhaus in Berlin with Goethe's "Iphigenie". The old theatre at the Gendarmentmarkt had burnt down in 1817. Karl Friedrich Schinkel built the new theatre between 1818 and 1821. King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia attended the opening. [Friedrich Wilhelm III, king of Prussia][Schinkel, Karl Friedrich] |
| 15/8/1823 | Anne Milder-Hauptmann performs for Goethe in Marienbad. Goethe wrote afterwards that she managed to make four small songs big and the remembrance of her performance brought tears into his eyes. [Milder-Hauptmann, Anna] |
| 28/8/1827 | Goethe receives the Großkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bayerischen Krone in Weimar. King Ludwig I of Bavaria travelled personally to Goethe in Weimar for the award ceremony. [Ludwig I, König von Bayern] |
| 20/10/1828 | Nöggerath dines with Goethe. He was on his way back to Bonn from the Verein der Naturforscher in Berlin and he was very welcome. He told Goethe about the mineralogical circumstances in the area around Bonn. [Nöggerath, Johann Jacob] |
| 19/1/1829 | Premiere of Goethe's "Faust" at the Court Theatre in Braunschweig. It was the first performance of the complete first part of "Faust". Eduard Schütz was Faust and Wilhelmine Berger was Gretchen. Heinrich Marr was Mephisto. |
| 28/8/1829 | Goethe's "Faust" is performed in Leipzig. The occasion was Goethe's 80th birthday. Rosalie Wagner played Gretchen to great acclaim. [Marbach, Johanna Rosalie] |
| 22/7/1831 | Goethe completes the second part of his "Faust". He had completed the first part in 1805. Based on his old notes he worked from 1825 to 1831 on the second part. For many years it was considered to be unplayable, but in 1852 it was staged by Johann Peter Eckermann. [Eckermann, Johann Peter] |
| 15/5/1838 | First performance of Goethe's "Faust" in Berlin at the Schauspielhaus |
| 20/10/1852 | Premiere of Goethe's "Faust II" at the Hoftheater in Weimar. Until then it was considered unplayable. The first of three parts was staged by Johann Peter Eckermann and performed once on the occasion of the 50th service anniversary of Carl Eberwein. The other parts were first performed in 1856 after Eckermann's death. [Eberwein, Carl][Eckermann, Johann Peter] |
| 21/6/1885 | Foundation of the Goethe Society in Weimar. Within a few months it counted 1,600 members. |
| 21/1/1933 | Premiere of Gustaf Gründgens adaption of Goethe's "Faust II" at the Schauspielhaus am Gendarmemarkt. Werner Krauss was Faust and Gründgens was Mephistopheles. Other actors were Hans Otto, Paul Bildt, Elenonora von Mendelssohn, Veit Harlan, Maria Koppenhöfer, Wolfgang Heinz and Elsa Wagner. [Bildt, Paul][Gründgens, Gustaf][Harlan, Veit][Koppenhöfer, Maria][Krauss, Werner][Otto, Hans][Wagner, Elsa] |
| 12/5/1945 | The Coffins of Goethe and Schiller are returned to the Fürstengruft in Weimar. Gauleiter Fritz Sauckel had them transported to Jena and ordered to blow them up when the allied troops would arrive. This was avoided. [Schiller, Friedrich von] |
