TOUR TO THE KÖTHEN AUTUMN FESTIVAL (KÖTHENER HERBST)
Weimar – Köthen (225 km)
August 30 – September 8, 2025, 10 days
Explore the second half of Johann Sebastian Bach´s life, the years of his mastery: this tour begins in Weimar, where Bach lived nine years. Passig Naumburg and Weißenfels we continue to Leipzig, where Bach spent a large portion of his life as director of music at St. Thomas. The foloowing two cycling stages lead us via Halle on the river Saale to Köthen, where we will attend four concerts and a cantata church service at the Köthen Autumn Festival with the theme “Bach´s musical roots”. Köthen has much to discover about Bach, who worked here for many years as court music director. Immerse yourself in Bach’s life for a short but intensive time: in addition to museums and churches, Köthen has in store for you a baroque evening meal, at which you can indulge in culinary dimensions of the baroque Köthen times.
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ITINERARY
DAY 1, SELF ORGANIZED ARRIVAL AND WEIMAR
We meet at 3 pm. at the hotel in Weimar. 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. Here we start the travel musically with an organ tour.
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. Here we will visit the museum of famous composer Heinrich Schütz. Finally, we stop off to the sounds of Bach’s Hunting Cantata at the Jägerhof, the place it was performed for the first time.
DAY 4, WEIßENFELS – LEIPZIG, 60 KM
The next morning we visit the chapel of Neu-Augustusburg with a guided tour. Later, we cycle east towards the White Elster. 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. If the weather is nice, we stop for a bath in the lake Cospuden. 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 cycling along the dikes of the White Elster. If the weather is nice, we take a lunch break with a bath at a lake. Afterwards we will reach the city center of Halle, check-in into our hotel and visit the Museum of the eldest Bach Son, the Wilhelm-Friedemann-Bach-House, and the George-Frederic-Handel- Museum, Handel being one famous Bach contemporary. We spend the evening together at a restaurant next to the Saale-river.
DAY 7, HALLE A. D. SAALE – KÖTHEN, 45 KM
We continue to the final stage of the trip to the residential city of Köthen after a stop at the lake Edderitz. In the evening, we will visit a concert of the Köthen Autumn Festival with the motto “Bach´s musical roots” with cantatas by J. S. and Johann Christoph Bach at the St. Agnus Church, the church where Bach and his second wife Anna Magdalena went to service.
DAY 8, KÖTHEN AUTUMN FESTIVAL
Today we discover Bach’s traces during a guided tour of the city where he held his fourth employment at the royal court. Afterwards we visit the Bach exhibition in the city palace. In the afternoon, there is a lecture by Bach-specialist Prof. Dr. Peter Wollny. In the evening, a concert at the beautiful hall of mirrors in the palace with chamber music by Bach, Telemann and Vivaldi awaits us.
DAY 9, KÖTHEN AUTUMN FESTIVAL
On Sunday morning there is a festive service with a Bach cantata. At 11.30 am, we listen to an organ concert at St. Jakob Church. After lunch break, we visit the final concert of the festival with the famous Thomaner Choir and Thomaskantor Andreas Reize. We will spend the evening together and will have a special baroque dinner like in Bach`s time.
DAY 10, DEPARTURE
After breakfast everyone will embark on their individual journey home.
We have developed a sustainable tour concept and pay our tour guides, musicians and local partners fair wages.
INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:
- 9 nights at mid-range hotels incl. breakfast
- lunch packs or picnics (on cycling days)
- 1 dinner on the last day in Köthen (Bach Menu)
- Guided Tour
- Luggage transport from first to last hotel
- 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, Handel-HouseHalle, City Palace Köthen
- City tours in Weimar, Leipzig, Köthen
- Organ tour and organ concert in Herder Church Weimar and St. Wenzel Church Naumburg, Hildebrandt organ
- 4 concerts of Köthen Autumn Festival (Köthener Herbst):
- Friday September 5, 30 pm: Opening Concert, St. Agnus Church
- Saturday September 6, 7.30 pm: Chamber Concert, Mirror Hall Palace Köthen
- Sunday, September 7, 11.30 am: Organ Concert, St. Jakob Church
- Sunday, September 7, 5 pm: Final Concert with Thomanerchoir Leipzig, St. Jakob Church
- Sheet music and information leaflets on Bach’s compositions
- List of equipment
Changes reserved!
PRICES:
Double room per Person: 2390,- €
Single room supplement: 350,- €
Optional extras:
- Rental touring bike: 180,- €
- rental e-bike: 300,- €
GROUP SIZE AND MINIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
The minimum number of participants for our tours is 15. If the minimum number is not reached, we reserve the right to withdraw from the tour contract. The corresponding declaration must be sent to you at least 29 days before the scheduled beginning of the tour.
The average group size is approximately 15 to 25 people.
