TOUR TO THE KÖTHEN BACH FESTIVAL: WEIMAR – KÖTHEN

This tour will take place in 2022 again!

DAY 1, SELF ORGANIZED ARRIVAL AND WEIMAR

We meet at 3 pm. at the hotel in Weimar. If you booked a rental bike, we already meet at 2pm. In Weimar, you are guided around the surviving Bach sites, such as the city castle and city church, where many of Bach’s children where baptised. After this there is some time to explore the city.

DAY 2, WEIMAR – NAUMBURG, 58 KM

We take the idyllic Ilm Valley bike trail going past castles, such as the summer residence of Weimar’s dukes and duchesses. Finally, we get to the Thuringian Wine Gate and the spa town of Bad Sulza. A few kilometres onwards, we leave the Ilm behind and for the rest of the day follow the trail along the Saale, passing by romantic castles until we reach Bad Kösen with its impressive graduation works. Further on our way, the route leads us along the lower vineyards of Saale/Unstrut until we arrive in Naumburg.

DAY 3, NAUMBURG – WEIßENFELS, 20 KM

In Naumburg a guided tour of the famous Hildebrandt organ awaits us, which conveys the singularity of Bach’s sound ideal until today. You can also visit the city with the famous dome individually. After lunch we cycle to Weißenfels to visit the Heinrich Schütz House.

DAY 4, WEIßENFELS – LEIPZIG, 60 KM

The next morning brings a guided tour of the chapel of Neu-Augustburg Castle and a visit at the Jägerhof, the place Bach’s Hunting Cantata was performed for the first time. Later, we cycle east towards the White Elster. If the weather is nice we stop at the baroque castle Wiederau for lunch, and enjoy coffee and cake whilst listening to a cantata dedicated to Wiederau. The tour continues on the Elster bikeway through the Leipzig lake district to Leipzig. The evening is at your free disposal.

DAY 5, LEIPZIG

After an extensive tour around the city’s many Bach sites, there is an opportunity to visit the Bach Museum and explore the city individually.

DAY 6, LEIPZIG – HALLE A. D. SAALE, 40 KM

We leave Leipzig behind and cycle along the dikes of the White Elster until we reach the city center of Halle. Here, we visit the Museum of the eldest Bach Son, Wilhelm Friedemann-Bach-House, and the George-Frederic-Handel- Museum, Handel being one famous Bach contemporary.

DAY 7, HALLE A. D. SAALE – KÖTHEN, 45 KM

Today we continue to the final stage of the trip which leads us across the Petersberg (“Mount Peter”) and further along the Fuhne to the residential city of Köthen. In the evening we will visit concerts of the Köthen Bach Festival with Avi Avital Isabelle Faust and Bach´s Solo Sonatas and Partitas for violin in the Spiegelsaal of Köthen Castle. We recommend that you book further concerts of the festival for the days in Köthen individually directly via Köthen Bach Festival.

DAY 8, KÖTHEN BACH FESTIVAL

Today there are many opportunities for exploring the city. Here, Bach held his fourth post. We spend the morning at the Bach exhibition in the city palace and later on discover Bach’s traces during a tour of the city. During the day we listen to three concerts of the Bach festival in St. Agnus Church, Spiegelsaal and St. Jakob Church, details see below.

DAY 9, KÖTHEN BACH FESTIVAL

On Sunday morning there is a service with a Bach cantata and time to visit concerts of the festival individually. In the afternoon at 1 pm and 7 pm we visit concerts of the Köthener BachCollektiv with music by J. S. Bach and Vivaldi. We will spend the evening together.

DAY 10, DEPARTURE

After breakfast everyone will embark on their individual journey home. Alternatively, you can join our return shuttle to Weimar.

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:

• nights at mid-range hotels incl. breakfast
• lunch packs or picnics (on cycling days)
• all entrance fees to museums and churches: St Wenzel Church Naumburg, Heinrich Schütz House Weißenfels, Chapel of Neu-Augustusburg Castle Weißenfels, Bach Museum Leipzig, Wilhelm-Friedemann-Bach-House Halle, George Frederic Handel Museum Halle, City Palace Köthen, Church St. Agnes Köthen
• City tours in Weimar, Leipzig, Köthen
• Organ tour and organ concert in St Wenzel Church Naumburg, Hildebrandt organ
• concerts of Köthener Bachfesttage
• Luggage transport from first to last hotel
• Guided Tour
• List of equipment
• Sheet music and information leaflets on Bach’s compositions

PRICES will follow in end of 2021

Per person in double accommodation:

Per person in single accommodation:

Optional extras:

• Rental trekking bike:
• Rental e-bike:
  • all bikes include bike bags, locks, tools
• Rental helmet:
• Return shuttle from Köthen to Weimar (incl. person, luggage and individual bike):

Changes reserved