TOUR TO THE KÖTHEN AUTUMN FESTIVAL
Weimar – Köthen (235 km)
August 29 – September 6, 2027
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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 concert played by the Bach by Bike Ensemble in the Weimarer music summer.
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, 47 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 will then experience an organ tour at the Market Church, where Bach once tested the organ and young Handel learned to play it. We hear the amazing contrasts of these medium-toned and romantic instruments in direct comparison. We spend the evening together at a restaurant next to the Saale-river.
DAY 7, HALLE A. D. SAALE – KÖTHEN, 50 KM
We continue to the final stage of the trip to the residential city of Köthen after a stop at the lake Edderitz. We discover Bach’s traces during a guided tour of the city where he held his fourth employment at the royal court. In the evening, we will visit a piano recital in the famous Mirror Hall in the Palace of the Köthen Autumn Festival.
DAY 8, KÖTHEN BACH FESTIVAL
On Sunday morning we listen to an organ concerto in the Jakobs church. Afterwards we visit the Bach exhibition in the city palace. In the afternoon we visit the final concert of the festival led by former leader of Thomaner Choir Leipzig, Gotthold Schwarz. We will celebrate the end of the tour together and will have a special baroque dinner like in Bach`s time.
DAY 9, DEPARTURE
After breakfast everyone will embark on their individual journey home. We wish all guests a safe journey
We have developed a sustainable tour concept and pay our tour guides, musicians and local partners fair wages.
INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:
- 8 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-House Halle, City Palace Köthen
- City tours in Weimar, Weißenfels , Leipzig, Köthen
- Organ tour and organ concert in Herder Church Weimar, Marktkirche Halle and St. Wenzel Church Naumburg, Hildebrandt organ
- 1 concert Weimarer organ summer in ther Herderkirche Weimar
- 3 concerts of Köthen Autumn Festival (Köthener Herbst):
o Saturday September 4, 7.30 pm: piano recital, Mirror Hall Palace Köthen
o Sunday, September 4, 11.30 am: Organ Concert, St. Jakob Church
o Sunday, September 5, 5 pm: Final Concert, St. Jakob Church - Sheet music and information leaflets on Bach’s compositions
- List of equipment
Changes reserved!
PRICES:
Double room per person: N.N.,- €
Single room supplement: N.N.,- €
Optional extras:
Rental touring bike or rental e-bike; all bikes including delivery to first and pick-up from last hotel, bike bags or baskets and locks: on request
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.
