Göhre

The Stadtmuseum Jena stands in the Göhre on the northern side of the old market square. Its foundations date back to the 13th century. In 1893 Paul Göhre bought the building and gave it his name. He replaced the old market mill with a grand neo-Gothic house in 1907. The complex once housed a wine trade and restaurant until at least 1917. Nearby cellars and the Klosterhof belonged to the same business. The museum opened in 1901 under art historian Paul Weber. Bombing in the Second World War destroyed parts of the collection and the Weigelstraße building. After decades of temporary homes, the museum moved to the Göhre in 1988. A time-line in the stairwell guides visitors through four floors of exhibits. Visitors see the ‘Jenaer Lutherausgabe’, more successful than Wittenberg’s, and the 1816 Wartburg flag with Germany’s first black-red-gold colours. The building also contains a library for research. The neo-Gothic ‘Neue Göhre’ extension displays the art collection. Exhibits range from medieval art to the present day. City views, professor portraits and models of Jena’s buildings fill the galleries. Special shows explore Jena’s role as a book city and its involvement in Second World War crimes.