Officially the Stadtkirche St Peter und Paul, everyone in Weimar calls it the Herderkirche after Johann Gottfried Herder, who served as its superintendent from 1776 until his death in 1803. The late-Gothic hall church dominates the Herderplatz, and its triple-winged Cranach Altarpiece is reason enough to step inside. The central panel shows the Crucifixion with Martin Luther standing at the foot of the cross — a bold statement of Reformation allegiance when it was painted.
Herder's influence on German literature and philosophy was enormous, though he is less remembered than his contemporaries Goethe and Schiller. His memorial stands in the square outside. The church interior is plain by Catholic standards but handsome, with good acoustics that make it a regular venue for concerts. Free to enter.