Jena, July 12, 2026. A themed city tour takes interested participants on a historical journey back to the era around 1800 today and on a further date in the autumn. The tour highlights the work of the early Romantics and the epoch when Jena was considered the intellectual center of Europe.
- Event: City tour “Jena around 1800 – On the trail of the fabulous rebels”
- Dates: Sunday, 12.07.2026 and Sunday, 27.09.2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM each day
- Meeting point: Historisches Rathaus Jena, Markt 1, 07743 Jena
- Endpoint: Schillergarten
- Price: 10.00 Euro per person (tickets available on-site, not suitable for children)
- Registration: Required by phone at 03641 634302 or via email at info@jena-stadtfuehrung.de
World Capital of Philosophy
Around the year 1800, the relatively small city of Jena on the Saale was the epicenter of European intellectual life. Thinkers such as Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel revolutionized philosophy, while the Schlegel brothers, Novalis, and visionary women dared to propose entirely new ways of living and a modern understanding of the “I.” They formed what was arguably the first romantic-philosophical shared living arrangement in history and defied the rigid social conventions of their time.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe also gladly escaped the Weimar court life to find inspiration in vibrant Jena. Here, he deepened his close friendship with Friedrich Schiller, who lived, researched, and worked in Jena for an entire decade. Those who walk through the alleys attentively today encounter this legacy at many corners – including scientific sites such as the historical Anatomische Sammlung Jena, which is closely linked to Goethe’s research.
From the Market Square to the Schillergarten
The two-hour tour, led by Sabine Weiß (“Stadtführungen mit Herz”), connects this atmospheric retrospective of the rebels of the mind directly with the real locations in the cityscape. Starting at the historical town hall directly on the market square, the path leads to the most important places where the poets and thinkers were active.
Using short, contemporary quotes, the intellectual world of that time is reconstructed in a vivid and understandable way. The tour finally ends in the idyllic Schillergarten, the former retreat of Friedrich Schiller.
🏛️ History & Buildings: The Jena Circle
The era between 1798 and 1804 entered literary history as “Jena Early Romanticism.” The protagonists were characterized by a radical subjectivism. The freedom of the individual and the unity of art, science, and life were at the center of their work. The historical town hall and the Schillergarten remain to this day stone witnesses of this era, which left a lasting mark on the entire European cultural and intellectual history from Jena.
Source:
Jena around 1800 – On the trail of the fabulous rebels
Transparency note: This article was created automatically, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.