In 1999, two hundred and fifty years after Goethe’s birth, Weimar was named the European Capital of Culture. This collection of essays by German and North American specialists explores such topics as architecture, architectural history, art history, cultural studies, German studies, political science, religious studies, sociology, and social history in an assessment of Weimar’s legacy from Goethe to 1999. Why Weimar? offers critical reflections on Goethe and his involvement in politics; on the crucial stages in the social history of Weimar; on the uses and misuses of Weimar in the construction of a German cultural identity; on Weimar and its legacy in art history and in literature; on Holocaust memorials; as well as on other issues at the intersection of culture and politics from the Weimar Republic to the Berlin Republic.