The former vineyard cottage, at the edge of the Park on the Ilm, was Goethe’s first place of residence in Weimar in 1776. This is where he wrote the ballad of the “Erlkönig” and the poem “To the Moon”. The cottage, furnished with original pieces of furniture such as the high desk and sitting trestle, was an important retreat for Goethe in his later years. The displayed artworks and manuscripts belonged to Goethe’s estate and refer to a time when he called the cottage his home.