Hefte zur Baukunst, a publication series issued by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, showcases architectural structures of historic importance, documenting their background, development, and professional restoration.

The fourth volume in this series is dedicated to the Goethe Theater in the town of Bad Lauchstädt. Erected by Goethe, the building is the only original theater that survives from that period. Goethe commissioned Heinrich Gentz (1766–1811), one of the leading architects of his time, with the planning and design of the project.

Once completed, Goethe used it as a lucrative rehearsal stage for Weimar where he enthusiastically put on plays by his friend Schiller. Located far from the big cities, this economical, elegant and compact structure became the prototype of the modern bourgeois theater and still illustrates the imaginary world and dramatic performance practices of the Enlightenment and Classicism.

The theater was carefully restored to its original condition of 1802 as part of a conservation project conducted between 2015 and 2022, which is documented in detail in this new release.