The Guest House of the Council of Ministers of the GDR in Saxony, was built between 1953 and 1958 as a secluded retreat for high-ranking officials of the German Democratic Republic. Also known as the “House of the Intelligentsia,” it hosted prominent guests from politics, arts, and culture, including Lotte Ulbricht, Horst Sindermann, and foreign leaders like Kim Il-sung. In 1960, Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich spent three days at the guest house, where he composed his Eighth String Quartet (Op. 110) under a weeping beech tree – his only work written outside the Soviet Union. After German reunification, the building was transformed into Hotel Albrechtshof Gohrisch, which still operates today. The hotel preserves the architectural charm and historical significance of the site, offering visitors a peaceful stay in the Saxon Switzerland region.