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Pilgrimage to Weimar –
1999 (by Brian Storer
& Irene Schofield)
Just by way of introduction we have owned and loved Weimaraners for over 10 years now. We’ve been members of the WCGB since 1996. We live in Cape Town, South Africa. When we had the opportunity to visit Germany, we were asked to make a list of the places we would like to see and the things we would like to do, so that our hosts could plan an itinerary for us. Our only request was to go to Weimar.
We
arrived in Frankfurt on a Thursday in May. Friday lunchtime we were on our way
to Weimar, old East Germany. Due to traffic jams on the Autobahn, a 2 hour journey stretched to 5 hours. The beautiful
mountain and forest scenery was much appreciated as we crawled towards our
destination. The prolonged journey only heightened our anticipation. We did not
know what to expect, our only expectations were based on what we had read in
books on the history of the origins of the Weimaraner. We arrived in Weimar at
about 8 p.m. in broad summer’s daylight to behold a stunning Old World city. We arrived in the midst of a “shuetzenfest”, a festival with a colourful parade based on a hunting tradition. “How did they know we would be arriving?” we mused. As it transpired Weimar is celebrating a year of cultural activity. Weimar was home to a great German poet, dramatist, novelist and scientist, Johan Wolfgang von Goethe from 1775 until his death in 1832. This man, who once had Kaiser Napoleon III as a guest in his home, is the icon of Weimar. There are statues in the courtyards, replicas big and small for the tourists. Goethe T-shirts and mugs, barometers, replicas of his home and countless other objects and memorabilia. You can also visit his home. Live
orchestral music could be heard as we toured the late evening cobbled streets
and courtyards. The next day the celebrations continued. A rock concert was in full
swing in the Market Square and traders were selling traditional German fare and
beer. Our search for the illusive Weimaraner commenced in earnest. We scoured
the gift shops, bought the obligatory car sticker, a Mendelssohn CD and Weimar
T-shirts. We searched for and enquired about the existence of a statue
commemorating the Weimaraner, you know, the grauen Vorstehhunde
with the yellow eyes. Our enquiries were met mostly by blank stares and shaking
of heads. This with a German interpreter!! Our efforts were rewarded when we
found 11 Weimar postcards
(the same postcard) with a Weimaraner on it. I bought the lot. At the same shop we found a
magazine with a cover picture of a Weimaraner in the forefront of the home of
Goethe, see picture enclosed. At last some recognition.
The magazine has a 4 page article titled “Graue Excellenz” with
beautiful pictures of Weimaraners in it. I can only read a few words, but it is
now on my bookshelf. We visited the tourist information desk at the city
library. The first person we spoke to had never heard of a Weimaraner. She
referred us to a colleague who confirmed that there was no statue but that on
the wall of a building on a street, which name now eludes me, there was a plaque
commemorating the Weimaraner. Ignoring the carnival atmosphere around us we
eventually found the street, but the fronts of the buildings were all being
renovated. No Weimaraner plaque. Disillusioned
and dejected, we promised to return one day to Weimar, a very special place
steeped in history and culture, to nail our own plaque to any wall. With us we
will bring Weimaraner T-shirts, key rings, baseball caps and beer mugs and
we’ll rub the noses of the people of Weimar in the history of the Weimaraner. If only we had known earlier of the Mayor of Weimar and the Weimaraner,
Cento.
We would definitely have paid him a visit. On
returning to South Africa, our research into the man Goethe revealed that he was
in fact a lifelong friend of the Grand Duke Carl August of Weimar and a
political minister in the Court of Weimar. The Duke (1757–1828) is credited
with establishing the Weimaraner as a hunting breed. Surely these men had
occasion to discuss the Weimaraner. We can only wonder what words Goethe, a man
of words, would have used to describe this beautiful dog.
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