A unique document was displayed in the exhibition “Treasures of the Goethe and Schiller Archives” in Weimar: Goethe’s passport, with which the poet took a bathing trip to Carlsbad.
The Passport
On May 10, 1808, authorities in Weimar issued Johann Wolfgang von Goethe a passport as he planned to travel to Carlsbad. The poet’s extensive and well-stocked archive has preserved this document.
Depending on the issuing authority, passports were entirely different. In this case, it is a single sheet – an official form in German and French.
Passport Details Johann Wolfgang Goethe Passport
The paper’s dimensions of 34 cm in height and 42 cm in width do not appear to be handy, so someone folded it several times to create a more practical format.
The form filled out with handwritten information on the Privy Councilor bears the signature of the Weimar police chief Carl Wilhelm von Fritsch and the seal of “HERZOGL. S. LANDES POLICEY COLLEGIUM “.
On the obverse of the pass, the entry note of the “KK border post Oberschönbach” dated 14 May 1808 can be seen on the bottom left. From such visibilities in the so-called “sighting” of the passport later developed the visa, as is common today as an entry, transit, or residence permit in some countries. Johann Wolfgang Goethe Passport
Front of the passport from 1808, Klassik Stiftung Weimar
Unlike at present, passports had less to do with citizenship at the time, they were more of a travel document and confirmed that the person concerned had the permission of the country of origin for that one trip. The destination and validity period was specified. Above all, they certified the identity of a person.
The evolving modern passport system is exemplified by the present passport because some German and European states then used similar bilingual printed forms based on the French model. Johann Wolfgang Goethe Passport
Goethe’s Description
In two marginal columns, the form provides for a rather detailed description of the person. For instance, we describe the 57-year-old Privy Councilor (who is actually 58 years old at this juncture) as standing at “5 feet 8 inches” tall, which equates to approximately 1.60 meters. It’s important to note that the specialist literature offers varying information about Goethe’s height.
Whether the height given on the passport came about by actual measurement or merely by approximate estimation must remain open. Furthermore, the passport states that Goethe had “brown” hair and a “high” forehead, that his face was “brownish” and “perfect”, and that his mouth and nose were “excellent”.
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