The Novalis Memorial in Weißenfels is located in the house where the early Romantic poet Friedrich von Hardenberg, called Novalis, lived from 1786 until his early death in 1801. With his father's appointment as director of the salt works of Artern, Kösen and Dürrenberg, a change of residence became necessary for the family. The favourable location between Kösen and Dürrenberg made Weißenfels the obvious place to live; Novalis' father bought the "Haus am Kloster 94" there in the spring of 1786.
Responsible body of the memorial is the Literaturkreis Novalis e. V. (Novalis Literature Circle), founded in 1991 and based in the Novalis Haus (Klosterstraße 24) in Weißenfels. The association has set itself the task of promoting research, care and communication of the life, work and impact of the poet, but also of other Weißenfels writers. The exhibition, which was expanded in 2001 on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the poet's death, was redesigned a few years later and reopened in February 2010.
