"Until now, I had been like the cooks who have a row of pots by the fire, from some of which they only give something to taste. Now, however, I was supposed to do all the cooking, that is, show with all my instruments, with singing and with the pen what I had learned." This is how Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) remembered his time in Eisenach. He had taken up a position as concertmaster there in 1708. However, he was soon commissioned by the Duke to set up a court orchestra. Telemann regularly performed with his small ensemble at nearby Wilhelmsthal Castle, where some of his works were premiered. The baroque palace complex is one of the few secular performance venues for Telemann's world premieres that have been preserved in their original state. The so-called Telemann Hall in the New Palace forms the heart of the palace complex today. It is considered to be the oldest free-standing concert hall in Europe and impresses not only with its magnificent hunting and musical motif stucco work, but also with its excellent acoustics. Today, the hall is used as a venue on selected dates - especially during the Telemann Days, which take place every two years.