On August 28, 1999, Weimar, European City of Culture for the year 1999, celebrated the 250th birthday of the man whose name comes to mind whenever Weimar is mentioned: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe . A 'citizen of the world', Goethe was a man of extraordinary curiosity, he was fascinated by his immediate environment as well as by what was distant, his interest was attracted by the familiar as much as by the unknown.
Generally recognized as one of the greatest and most versatile European writers and thinkers of modern times, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had a great impact on the growth of literary romanticism. Best known for his lyrical poetry, novels, and particularly for his dramatic poem Faust , Goethe also made substantial contributions to biology and to the history and philosophy of science. He was without question one of the greatest figures of German culture, encompassing literature, science, music, and philosophy within his work. In awareness of all this Germany celebrates Goethe Year 1999 . The whole world is also going to celebrate Goethe's anniversary: Dublin , London , Moskau, New York , Rom , Tokyo .
Goethe's life, bright from the very youth and till the old age, was full of love and passion . He fell in love with many women , and they served an inexhaustible source of his inspiration. Kaethchen and Friederike, Lili, Marianne, Christiane, both Charlotten, and Ulrike once occupied a great place in the master's life, but he valued his freedom too much, and therefore got married only in 1806, to legitimate his son August, born by Christiane Vulpius. All Goethe's passions are described in his six-volume autobiography, Aus meinem Leben: Dichtung und Wahrheit. To the extremes of Goethe's love life belongs also the suggestion of his homosexuality.
Goethe was and still remains the greatest German poet and one of the most famous writers of the world. He has left us the huge literary heritage, and by reading his beautiful works we will pay our tribute to Goethe's genius.