On the far side of the Ilm is the Goethe and Schiller Archive, another of the city's many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

Constructed in 1896 and the oldest such archive in the country, the building houses the papers of some 60 German writers, including Otto Ludwig and Fritz Reuter. 

Together with the manuscripts of some 450 notable people from the 18th to the early 20th centuries - including scholars, writers, philosophers, and composers - this important collection numbers almost 600,000 manuscripts.

Other highlights include the archives of Germany's major publishing houses and an impressive autograph collection.