Welcome to Thuringia....painter Otto Dix (1891 – 1969), is commemorated in the house of his birth, now used as a museum. The historical core of the town stands on a medieval underground

Welcome to Thuringia.

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Contents Thuringias̓ cities and towns 04Famous personalities 08Castles and palaces 10Nature and activities 12

Event highlights 14Crafts and traditions 16Hospitable Thuringia 17Contact and service 18Map and travel information 19

Welcome Contents

Thuringia – a treasure trove right at the centre of Germany.

Thuringia is a guarantee of very special hospitality as a traditional holiday area. Set right at the heart of Germany this state has both – beautiful countryside and cities with a past as exciting as their present. Where else can you find such a wealth of culture in such a small area as here! There are mighty fortresses, castles, monasteries and churches in cities full of history, such as Erfurt, the state capital, Weimar, the city of literary classics and the Bauhaus, Eisenach, the home of the Wartburg Castle or Jena, the city of the sciences. What is more, there are many UNESCO World Heritage Sites to be found everywhere and visitors meet at every turn with famous personages, like Martin Luther or J. S. Bach, Goethe and Schiller, Liszt and Wagner, Gropius and Feininger. Thuringia’s delightful countryside has been a paradise for both active and relaxing holidays for generations and our renowned, true hospitality will guarantee you an unforgettable stay. You will be enthralled!

View to Arnstadt and Wachsenburg Castle

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Thuringia’s cities breathe more than a thousand years of his-tory. Right up to the present day, they feature medieval for-tresses and fortifi cations, royal palaces, parks, impressive Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau buildings, theatres and orchestras rich in tradition, valuable libraries and art collections. The very stones have a tale to tell in the fascinat-ing and lovingly restored Old Towns, where people love to meet in coff ee houses and the pedestrian shopping areas entice visitors to dawdle awhile.

More than 1,260 years old, the state capital of ERFURT in-vites visitors to encounter the Middle Ages cast in stone. Meticulously restored houses and churches still bear wit-ness today to the wealth of the once powerful trading and university city, which boasts one of the best preserved listed medieval city centres under protection order in Germany. The impressive ensemble of St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. Severus Church belongs to the city’s most photographed sights. In the autumn of 2011, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a large-scale mass at the cathedral square imposingly framed by these two churches.

From the former Petersberg fortress, with its underground maze of passageways that can be visited, the view stretches across Erfurt’s Old Quarter as far as WEIMAR, which owes its fame to both the literary classics and the revolutionary Bauhaus movement. Poets, painters, musicians and archi-tects, such as Goethe, Schiller and Cranach, Liszt, Gropius and Nietzsche, chose to live here and made it what it is today – namely a centre of German intellectual life. But Weimar also stands for the two faces of history – at the heart of the city is the German National Theatre long directed by Goethe and founding site of the Weimar Republic whereas outside the city gates stands Buchenwald Memorial site, the former concentration camp.

Another pearl shining on our string is EISENACH, situated at the foot of the famous Wartburg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is where St. Elisabeth, the Hungarian prin-cess and Thuringian Landgravine (1207-1231) spent most of her short life and this is where Martin Luther and Johann Sebastian Bach went to school. Contemporarily designed authentic venues commemorate the reformer M. Luther and the composer and organist J. S. Bach but there is also a fas-cinating museum dedicated to the city’s over hundred-year-old tradition of automobile construction.

www.visit-thuringia.com www.visit-thuringia.com

A chain of fascinating cities like pearls on a string.Welcome to medieval Erfurt, to Classical Weimar and to Eisenach, the town of Johann Sebastian Bach, Martin Luther and Wartburg Castle.

In the middle of Erfurt’s Old Town, the 125-metre long Krämerbrücke (Merchants’ Bridge) spans the River Gera, supported by seven mighty wooden arches. Completely cov-ered by 32 houses, it is the longest of its kind in Europe.

Fish Market, Erfurt

German National Theatre, Weimar

Weimar Summer – arts, music and culture

Centuries-old memorials to Jewish life. Synagogues, historic homes, cemeteries and mikvehs are among the authentic testimonies to Jewish life in Thuringia. Many of them are today used as museums or serve as meeting-places and can be visited. Smaller Thuringian towns, such as Mühlhausen (synagogue with library), Sonders-hausen (mikveh with the foundation walls of the former synagogue), Bleicherode (former synagogue in the “Alte Kanzlei“) or Heiligenstadt

(cemetery), have venues equally as impressive as Thuringia’s capital city of Erfurt. After exciting new discoveries were made, there is now an attractive complex, consisting of the synagogue, mikveh and cemetery in close proximity and commemorating the signifi cant Jewish presence in medieval Erfurt. In the “Alte Synagoge” museum, exhibits include a gold and silver treasure; which has already been exhibited and admired in New York, London and other cities. The absolute star of the treasure is a golden wedding ring almost fi ve centimetres in height, one of only three surviving examples of this invaluable item world-wide.

Fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the fi elds of culture and nature. Thuringia boasts sites included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in the fi elds of both culture and nature. The following have received this internationally coveted quality seal: medieval Wartburg Castle near Eisenach, where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German in only 10 weeks; the Bauhaus founded by Wal-ter Gropius in Weimar, with a museum and the model home “Am Horn”; the “Classic Weimar” complex, to which homes, castles, parks, a library, a church and a cemetery belong, associated with the names of famous people like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller and Gottfried Herder and the Hainich National Park, an outstanding area where old beech woods have been left in their natural state and with the unique at-traction of a treetop trail along which visitors can walk and enjoy spectacular views.

Luther House, Eisenach

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Hidden gems to be discovered. Altenburg, Meiningen, Rudolstadt, Jena, Gera, Gotha and other towns with a great historical past have exciting sights just waiting to be seen.

Where historic fl air and contemporary modernity combine to form a harmonious whole, where ancient town walls surround many a beautiful park, where museums and other temples of the muses are to be found behind well-kept historical facades, where castles, palaces, mansions and churches off er unlimited photo opportunities, where visitors can stroll gently through lanes, markets and squares and stop to rest in small cafés and restaurants – these are Thuringia’s fascinating and many-facet-ed towns. One example is the town of GERA, where the German

painter Otto Dix (1891 – 1969), is commemorated in the house of his birth, now used as a museum. The historical core of the town stands on a medieval underground system of passages and cellars once used to store beer, the “Höhler”. GOTHA fascinates with its magnifi cent Early Baroque Friedenstein Castle and Park, housing several museums and the Baroque Ekhof Theatre, the oldest of its kind in the world. Further jewels include the Bach town of ARNSTADT with an internationally unique collection of dolls entitled “Mon plaisir”; the theatre and Schiller town of

Meiningen – Theatre and royal residence town.Arts, music and culture create the atmosphere of the more than thousand year-old for-mer royal residence town of Meiningen. Broad avenues and fi ne buildings alternate with ancient narrow alleys and half-timbered houses.

The park with its English gardens, numerous fountains and monuments to the cultural history of the town tempts visitors to take a pleasant walk. The Meiningen Theatre has a reputation extending far beyond the borders of Thuringia. Original stage designs in the “Zauberwelt der Kulisse” Theatre Museum provide an impression of the masterly illusio-nist work created by Meiningen artists.

MEININGEN, from which the famous Thuringian dumplings are said to originate; RUDOLSTADT with the mighty Heidecksburg Residential Castle and the Schiller House, picturesquely situated on the River Saale; the medieval half-timbered town of SCHMAL-KALDEN; the playing-card town of ALTENBURG with its castle and museum of playing cards, theatre and collections of European art in the Lindenau Museum; the university town of ILMENAU with Kickelhahn Hill where Goethe wrote his world-famous poem “Wanderer’s Night Song”; SUHL, the historical weapon town, ideal starting point for activities in the Thuringian Forest and home of a unique Museum of manufactured arms.

SAALFELD is renowned for its ”Fairy Grottoes” and their multi-coloured underground fairytale landscape whereas GREIZ, the former residence of princes, houses a Summer Palace with valu-able works of art and a large collection of caricatures. JENA is the town of the traditional-rich optics industry with numerous mu-seums, the world’s oldest ZEISS Planetarium, Germany’s second

oldest Botanical Gardens, the Schiller University and the large town church where Luther preached. Real gems are also half-timbered MÜHLHAUSEN with its venues commemorating the German Peasants’ War and its Divi Blasii Church where J. S. Bach once was organist; the miners’ town of SONDERSHAUSEN, also a town of music and formerly a royal residence with an impressive castle; NORDHAUSEN, the starting point of the Harz narrow-gauge railways that take their passengers up the Brocken Mountain, the highest point in the Harz region, and fi nally APOLDA with its tradition of knit fashions and bell-man-ufacturing, popular with in-ternationally renowned fashion designers and lovers of fi ne arts.

View from Jentower to downtown Jena

Medieval town centre of Schmalkalden

The famous monument of the young J. S. Bach in Arnstadt

Schiller House, Rudolstadt Lindenau Museum, Altenburg

Ilmenau Town Hall and Goethe monument

Divi Blasii Church, Mühlhausen

The Meiningen Theatre


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Great names and outstanding works.

Where else are there so many writing desks of famous men standing as close together as in the cultural state of Thuringia? The encyclopaedias listing great minds would be sadly depleted without all those who found Thuringia a good place to spend their lives or to live and work for a while. In your search for the authentic venues where these men lived, studied, worked and played, you will discover history.

Martin LUTHER went to school in Eisenach from 1498 to 1501 and displayed his skills as a clear-sighted politician in Schmalkalden. He spent his student years in Erfurt, where the old Augustinian Monastery offers fascinat-ing insights into his life: today a historic Luther venue and meeting place, a modern congress centre, hotel and museum. Hunted by the church and outlawed, he found refuge at Wartburg Castle, took on the guise of “Junker Jörg” (Squire George) and translated the New Testament into German – his greatest cultural achievement.

Johann Sebastian BACH, the most famous member of this musical family, spent half of his life in Thuringia. Born in Eisenach, his education, the death of his parents and then his work as a violinist, organist and composer took him all over the state. Bach held his first post as a young and rebellious organist in Arnstadt. Ohrdruf, Weimar, Mühlhausen, Erfurt and Dornheim, where he married, are further stations in Bach’s life in Thuringia.

Johann Wolfgang von GOETHE came to Thuringia from Frankfurt/Main as a young man. During his time here, he was not only an inspired poet and dramatist but also much more. As a government minister, librarian, theatre director and sometime architect, he left his mark mainly in Weimar, Jena, Eisenach, Ilmenau, Erfurt, Rudolstadt and Gotha.

Encounter the works of Luther, Bach, Goethe, Schiller, Liszt, Wagner and Gropius at authentic venues.

In Eisenach, the town where Bach was born, the huge community of Bach lovers worldwide can visit the oldest and largest museum on the great composer where they can also enjoy a concert played on historic instruments.

Bauhaus University, Weimar

Augustinian Monastery, Erfurt

Goethe National Museum, Weimar

To discover.> the architect Walter GROPIUS and the Bauhaus movement in

Thuringia, which attracted artists like Feininger, Itten, Klee, Kandinsky, Muche and Schlemmer, the towns of Weimar, Jena, Erfurt and Gera should be on the agenda.

> the composer Franz LISZT, amongst the most important places are Eisenach, Erfurt, Weimar, where his original home can still be visited Meiningen and Sondershausen.

> the founder of the fi rst German kindergarten, Friedrich FRÖBEL, visitors must see Oberweissbach, the town where he was born, and the Fröbel Museum in Bad Blankenburg.

> the life and work of Lucas CRANACH the Elder (1472 - 1553) in towns like Eisenach, Gotha or Weimar. He is regarded one of the most infl uential artists of the German Renaissance, was a friend of Martin Luther and supporter of the Reformation. Retrace the path of this painter in important works of art in towns like Eisenach, Gotha or Weimar.

> the mechanic Carl ZEISS, who laid the foundations of the international optics company of the same name, Jena is the major location.

> the Expressionist painter Otto DIX, visitors must not miss the house where the artist was born in Gera, now a museum and gallery.

> the composer Richard WAGNER, the Reuter-Wagner villa in Eisenach with the second-largest collection on Wagner after Bayreuth and Wartburg Castle where he was inspired to write his opera “Tannhäuser” are obligatory.

> Henry VAN DE VELDE (1863 – 1957), the major designer and architect who paved the way for the Bauhaus, his architectural heritage in Thuringia can be visited, including in the towns of Weimar, Jena and Gera.

> The most important stations of the poet and dramatist Friedrich SCHILLER in Thuringia include Meiningen and Bauer-bach, Rudolstadt, Jena and Weimar.


Martin Luther Walter Gropius Johann Sebastian BachJohann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller

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Magnifi cent castles, legendary fortresses, beautiful parks.

More than 450 castles and fortresses tower over Thuringia’s countryside, with origins that can be traced back to the early Middle Ages.

Because of its very special history, Wartburg Castle near Eisenach is seen as one of the most famous of all German castles. It was one of Europe’s most famous centres of the muses and the home and place of work of Saint Elisabeth. In the castle, the painter Moritz von Schwind commemorated both the competition between minnesingers, known as the Battle of the Bards, and the history of St. Elisabeth in much-admired frescoes. In 1521, Martin Luther translated the New Testament from Greek into German in the Luther study, which can still be visited. Contem-porary artists have found Wartburg Castle to be the ideal setting for concerts and special events.

The Leuchtenburg Castle near Kahla is a fully preserved medi-eval castle high above the river Saale valley and surprises its visitors with an internationally unique display of porcelain, pre-senting both familiar and quite unknown facets. The legendary ensemble of fortresses called “Drei Gleichen” between Erfurt and Arnstadt ; Gotha with its Friedenstein Castle ; the strong-hold on Kyff häuser hill with the imposing monument – one of the largest medieval castles in Germany – or the ruined fortress of Hanstein with high Gothic castle ruins in the picturesque

Eichsfeld region – every one a unique building with its own history. Thuringia’s wealth of such edifi ces also encourages the organisation of events and so organ, choir and chamber con-certs in castle ballrooms alternate with medieval and knightly festivals, hearty meals and princely dinners.

And the castles and palaces with their attractive parks are no diff erent. Heidecksburg Castle in Rudolstadt was Friedrich Schiller’s secret love. Overlooking the town of Rudolstadt, in its interior it holds architectural and cultural-historical treasures such as the majestic festive hall which is one of the most beau-tiful of the German Rococo period.

Magnifi cent and mighty buildings, like the Weimar City Palace, Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen, Altenburg Castle, Wil-helmsburg Castle in Schmalkalden or the Greiz Castles were royal residences and contrast sharply with other more graceful buildings and parks. Usually built as summer homes, the latter provided romantic rooms for relaxation and recreation. They include the Dornburg Palaces up above the vineyards near Jena and greatly favoured by Goethe, the Molsdorf Rococo Palace near Erfurt with its English-style park, and moated Kochberg Castle near Rudolstadt.

Thuringia’s castles extend an open invitation – to fascinating tours through history, to museums with unique cultural treasures, to concerts or plays in a very special ambience, and to romantic hotels and restaurants.

The Baroque Universe in Gotha – Friedenstein Castle. Gotha is famous for its historic connections to international nobility, the fi rst insurance company in Germany and the so called “Baroque Universe”. The Baroque Universe means Friedenstein Castle, which was built from 1643 onwards and is the largest early Baroque castle complex in Germany. Together with its castle park described by Goethe as “divine”, an imposing ensemble has sur-vived almost without alterations. Past centuries come to life in a way possible only in few other castles or museums. The Ekhof The-atre, which is the oldest surviving Baroque theatre worldwide and used regularly during the summer months, the Castle Church where concerts are also held and the unique collections of art, nature and history are on display in magnifi cent historic rooms (ranging from ancient Egypt to East Asian art from the 20th century) make this former royal residence become a true Universe.

UNESCO World Heritage Wartburg Castle, Eisenach

Fascination parks and gardens.Historic gardens and parks, private gardens and green city spaces: Many highlights of garden art can be viewed and enjoyed in Thuringia. On the former Cyriaksburg fortress site in Erfurt, the egapark has been enchanting young and old alike for some 50 years now. One of its main attractions is the largest fl owerbed with ornamental plants in Europe. Not far from Oberhof are the Rennsteig Gardens, about seven hectares in size, with about 4,000 types of plants i.e. from the mountains of Europe and Asia

and from the Arctic regions. In the spa town of Bad Langensalza, a pretty Rose Garden with a rose museum recalls the tradition of rose-growing that has fl ourished here for more than a century now. From this garden of 11,000 roses it is only a short distance to the tranquil Japanese Garden. Altenstein Castle near Bad Liebenstein features a 160-hectare countryside park, dating from the end of the 18th century. It is one of the most signifi cant garden works of art throughout Germany.

Friedenstein Castle, Gotha


Japanese Garden in Bad LangensalzaDornburg Palaces Leuchtenburg Castle

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A paradise for active holidaymakers.

No visitors have ever failed to enthuse about Thuringia’s coun-tryside – the almost 1,000-metre heights of the virtually end-less Thuringian Forest, the many-faceted Schiefergebirge (Slate Mountains), the legendary Kyff häuser hills which Emperor Bar-barossa helped to win fame, the Harz Mountains or the Rhoen, land of open spaces, numerous lakes and dams. In the Hainich National Park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, visitors can experience largely unspoilt nature. Spreading in the town triangle of Eisenach-Mühlhausen-Bad Langensalza, the Hainich National Park has been awarded this protection status because of its large number of primal beech woods. The region can be viewed beautifully from a 24-metre high treetop trail about 500 metres long or, alternatively, visitors can hike round the World Heritage Site and its attractions on the lovely 130-kilometre “Hainichland Trail”.

Another paradise for hikers is the “Rennsteig Trail” that fol-lows the heights of the Thuringian Forest for 168 kilometres in length. It runs between Eisenach and Blankenstein through almost endless forests, with vantage points that repeatedly give magnifi cent views of valleys, towns and villages. Thuringia also has many attractive, high-quality cycling tracks to meet all the diff erent demands. Cyclists can enjoy tours along the rivers Ilm, Werra or Saale with little or medium diffi culty, or, for the ambi-tious, along the Rennsteig cycle route through the Thuringian Forest. Less strenuous are the well-made cycle paths through

Hiking, cycling, winter sports and wellness where world champions and Olympic medallists are at home.

Embedded in a rich cultural landscape, the UNESCO World Heritage Hainich

National Park has far more to off er than just jungle-type forest and rare animal

species. Visitors can enjoy cycle and hiking trails, adventure playgrounds, a

barrier-free treetop trail and exhibitions at any time of the year.

Thuringia’s plains and hills, such as the cycle trail “Thuringian town chain”, covering a route of about 225 kilometres and pass-ing many of the picturesque towns. On the fjord-type reservoirs that begin near Saalfeld, known as the “Thuringian Sea”, trips can be enjoyed on passenger ships. The beautiful valleys of the rivers Saale, Werra, Unstrut, Schwarza, Gera or Ilm can also be explored by bike, on foot or in boats. Caves and grottoes entice visitors into a fairytale world. The Saalfeld Fairy Grottoes – the “most colourful show grottoes in the world”, the Sondershausen and Merkers adventure mines and the mythical Barbarossa’s Cave are among the most popular ones.

But an active holiday in Thuringia can also mean climbing, rid-ing, golf, mountain biking, swimming, canoeing, ice-skating or all types of ski sports, for example in the tradition-rich winter sports centre of Oberhof with its ski jumps, ski arena and – its latest attraction – the fi rst indoor ski centre in Central Europe off ering winter sports all the year round. And who knows, you may just run into one of the world champions or Olympic medal-lists who train in Oberhof, for example. Of course, there is also health and relaxation for body and soul awaiting Thuringia’s guests. The state’s spas are fully oriented to those seeking rest and repose and off er excellent wellness hotels, unique thermal baths and adventure pools. Traditional Kneipp treatments or inviting wellness package deals off er exactly what health and relaxation seekers are looking for.

Winter sports in the Thuringian Forest

Thuringia has the longest section of the former border between East and West Germany, running for a length of 763 kilometres. Several border posts have been restored and today provide essential information in their museums and exhibitions.

One of the “hottest spots” in the Cold War was “Point Alpha”. The “Green Ribbon Experi-ence” is the name of a natural landscape along the former border between East and West. A total of 15 adventure routes have been developed for the discovery on foot or by bicycle. Trained nature and country guides off er special tours whereas anyone preferring to travel by themselves can use their mobile phone or MP3 player as a mobile travel guide.

The Green Ribbon Experience.

A total of 16,000 kilometres of well-marked hiking trails and some 1,700 kilometres of cycle routes run through Thuringia’s most beautiful and diverse areas. More than 20 hiking trails have already been awarded one of the quality seals coveted throughout Germany. A unique experience is following routes once walked by famous people like Martin Luther, Johann Se-bastian Bach and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The Pilgrimage Trail, marked with a capital “L”, covers about 900 kilometres in Thuringia and links Martin Luther’s places of works and impor-

tant Reformation venues. “From Bach to Goethe” is the name of a trail running through beautiful countryside between Arnstadt and Ilmenau, marked with a clef and a quill. To see Goethe’s favourite spots and the places where he worked, you can walk the “Goethe Hiking Trail” between Ilmenau and Stützerbach. Along these and other trails, overnight accommodation is off ered by more than 70 quality hosts which have been awarded certifi cates to specialise in rooms for hikers. 140 bed&bike hotels provide special accom-modation for cyclists.

Hiking, biking and lodging of premium quality.

Hikers enjoy magnifi cent views of the Thuringian Forest

Reservoir near Saalfeld

Bicycling adventure routes

Saale Horizontale Trail near JenaSaalfeld Fairy Grottoes


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There is always something happening in Thuringia. Many of these events in art, literature, theatre, music, sport and nature are linked to great traditions and associated to famous people, such as Martin Luther and Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner, to name only a few. But over the course of time, completely new events for visitors to admire, join in or enjoy have developed too – in every season, as shown by the annual list of event highlights.

JANUARY: At the Biathlon World Cup in Oberhof, top athletes from 35 diff erent countries shoot with rifl es – lying down and standing – and fi nish the last metres of the course on skis with their coun-try’s fl ag in their hand, enthusiastically cheered on by thousands of spectators. Only a few minutes away from this spectacular arena, the world’s best racing luge athletes fi ght for victory on the 1,354-metre long artifi cial ice channel that snakes down into the valley.

MARCH - APRIL: The approach of summer is celebrated with a huge festive parade in Eisenach. The climax of Germany’s largest spring festival is the battle of words between Ms. Sunna and Mr. Winter – which the icy man, of course, always loses. Around the time of J. S. Bach’s birthday, the music of this great Baroque master is heard for several weeks like a tapestry of sound everywhere in Thuringia, which has more authentic Bach venues than any other state. The “Thuringia Bach Weeks” are the largest festival of classical music in Thuringia.

JUNE - SEPTEMBER: During a weekend in June, the lanes, squares and streets of Erfurt’s Old Quarter merge into one single stage. As the largest Old Town festival in Thuringia, the “Krämerbrücken-fest“ – Merchants’ Bridge Festival – takes visitors back to medieval town activities and night life with music, dancing, theatre, food and drink. With the special fl air of this shimmering season, the “Weimar Sum-mer” unites everything for which this cultural jewel on the River Ilm has long been famous – art, music, history, Bauhaus, architecture, literature, fi lm and boulevard comedy. With concerts from classical to jazz performed by top soloists and prestigious large orchestras, the “MDR Music Summer” visits Thur-ingia’s loveliest venues between June and September. This musical marathon includes fortresses, castles, parks, churches and mon-asteries.

The small theatre at Friedenstein Castle in Gotha is named after Konrad Ekhof, an early sponsor of German acting, and is the oldest of its kind with fully preserved Baroque stage fi ttings. The productions during the renowned “Ekhof Festival” take pride in making use of this historic heritage. For a weekend in July, the little town of Rudolstadt becomes Ger-many’s centre of folk and international music. With music and danc-ing in the squares and on the streets and happy encounters between people from all over the world, the “International Dance and Folk Festival” with international performers fi lls the town to bursting point. St. Mary’s Cathedral, neighbouring St. Severi Church and the 70 ma-jestic steps leading up to them both form the unique backdrop to all the productions seen by visitors to the Erfurt “Cathedral Steps Festi-val” in July. With the performances presented by actors, singers and orchestra on the open-air opera stage in this spectacular setting, the Festival evenings cannot fail to be a fantastic experience. Today it is diffi cult to imagine a summer in Thuringia without the “Kulturarena Jena”. In July and August, the square outside the thea-tre is turned into an arena for spectacular concerts, fascinating plays and fi lms seldom shown.

OCTOBER: Small but attractive wine fests, traditional rural village festivals and markets with freshly harvested products are an es-sential part of autumn in Thuringia. But since 1653, the highlight has been the “Onion Market in Weimar”. In the town – which is also peo-pled by live musicians and street performers – for one weekend, you will fi nd, almost nothing without onions and garlic, whether baked, boiled or plaited into a decorative string for the kitchen.

Without a summer break or winter rest – the year in Thuringia features highlights in culture, sports and nature.

The year in Thuringia.

This is December in Erfurt, Thuringia, the land of the much-praised Christmas markets and traditions. Across

decorated Old Town squares drifts the fragrance of sweet cake, baked apples and mulled wine, huge fi r trees

spangle with light, wooden pyramids as tall as houses gently revolve and festive music resounds from church

towers and town hall balconies.


Onion Market in Weimar

Kulturarena in Jena

Concert at Wartburg Castle, EisenachInternational Dance and Folk

Festival in Rudolstadt

Luther Cell at Wartburg Castle, Eisenach

The Luther Decade in Thuringia, the heartland of the Reformation.In 2017, millions of Christians will be celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In preparation for this event, a Luther Decade has been instigated, with numerous exhibitions, concerts, theatre perfor-mances, readings and other events. In the towns and villages of Thuringia, the heartland of the Reforma-tion, fortresses, castles, monasteries, churches and homes commemorate the Reformation at authentic locations and in museums and show its eff ects up to the present day. A special Luther hiking trail leads past authentic venues like the following: the idyllically situated village of MOEHRA in the Rhoen region is considered to be the original home of Martin Luther’s family, commemorated by a church and a memorial outside it. In ERFURT some of the most signifi cant roots of Martin Luther’s theology can be traced. Lu-ther’s entry into a monastery, inspired by a thunderstorm nearby, marks the start of the most momentous change in church history. The Augustinian monastery, St. Mary’s Cathedral, the old university and the “Georgenburse” student residence are also witnesses cast in stone to these important events. “No other town knows me better” is how Luther remembered EISENACH, where he spent his schooldays and later years and Wartburg Castle, where he translated the New Testament of the Bible. During the Reformation period, the enchanting half-timbered town of SCHMALKALDEN was at the focus of European politics. Lu-ther prepared religious doctrines for a meeting of the Schmalkaldic Alliance, held partly in today’s Town Hall. Not far from ALTENSTEIN Castle and Park is the part of the forest known as LUTHERGRUND, where Lu-ther’s kidnapping was staged for political purposes in 1521, after which he was taken to Wartburg Castle for refuge. Visitors can also follow in Luther’s footsteps in ALTENBURG, WEIMAR, JENA and GOTHA.

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So very tempting – Thuringian hospitality.

Past meets present.

During their journey of exploration through the treasure trove of Thuringia, visitors will be escorted by a tempting companion, namely Thuringia’s hospitality which has been proverbial for generations. There are, of course, gourmet venues to be found everywhere in the region. But Thuringian hospitality is primarily refl ected in the equally high-standard typical regional cooking. Thuringia is for example a state with a powerful guild of beer-brewers and is proud to possess the oldest certifi cate for brew-ing to German purity standards. The list of products popular with local gourmets is lengthy – sausage in best home-made style; tasty cheese; game from well-tended woodland reserves; the mentioned traditionally strong beers and fl avoursome herb schnapps, excellent wines from one of Germany’s smallest wine-growing areas, amazing chocolate creations or traditional cakes based on grandma’s recipes. The festive season for in-stance wouldn’t be complete without a rich slice of Christmas “Stollen” – raisin and currant-studded cake, crammed with candied fruit and often a thick, sweet slice of marzipan running through the middle. The undisputed favourites in the Thuringian cuisine are the dumplings served with many diff erent types of roast meat and called “Hütes” is some areas. There are numer-ous diff erent recipes for them but common to all is the consis-tence of two-thirds raw grated potatoes over which is poured one-third mashed potatoes. This mixture is then stirred and the

dumplings shaped by hand. After being simmered

in hot salted water for about 20 minutes, they literally melt in your mouth.

Delicious regional specialities and genuine hospitality.

The Thuringians’ creativity and outstanding craftsmanship have been renowned for centuries. Skills are passed on from one generation to the next and supplemented by new features to meet the spirit of the times. Whether glass blowers, potters, porcelain manufacturers, doll makers, fabric weavers or optics specialists – they have all left a remarkable heritage.

The oldest planetarium in the world still in operation in Jena, the pottery town of Bürgel or the glass blower town of Lauscha are all good examples. At some of today’s manufactories –

such as the Gräfenroda garden gnome or the porcelain manu-factory in Kahla – visitors can watch people at work. The Thur-ingian Porcelain Route links towns like Rudolstadt, Sitzendorf, Kahla and Blankenhain. There are both old and new manufac-tories with show workshops selling porcelain fi gures or muse-ums and exhibitions. And of course contemporary and useful souvenirs of Thuringian crafts can be taken home, including stylish knit dresses, everyday porcelain modelled on Bauhaus designs and hand-made Christmas decorations.

Grilled sausages – strictly confi dential!If they have a museum dedicated exclusively to them, like in the Thur-ingian village of Holzhausen, they must be something very special –the Thuringian grilled sausages that sizzle on charcoal barbecues until they are brown all over and are then traditionally served in a bun. Of course, no butcher will disclose his exact recipe – what meat and which spices and how much of each he mixes together before fi lling the mixture into its natural gut casing.

Thuringian butchers have been jealously guarding this secret ever since the sausages have been made – which is for over 600 years according to records. And because these inimitable original Thuringian sausages are legally protected throughout Europe, this will not change now. No matter, as long as the sausages do not change either!

Inviting restaurants serving regional specialities

Porcelain manufactory

Thuringian potato dumplings

Unique far and wide – the Oberweissbach mountain railway and other historic railways in Thuringia.Whether summer or winter, the beautiful landscapes of Thuringia can be enjoyed during a ride on an historic railway. Visitors should not miss the view from the window for one second during their ride in a railway carriage pulled by a thick steel cable on the almost 100-year old Oberweissbach Mountain Railway. Metre by metre, there is something diff erent to see in the incredibly beautiful panorama of Thuringia’s walkers’ paradise and its many attractions. A trip on this “sliding viewing platform” between the valley and the mountain station takes 18 minutes. This Technical Monument that is unique world-wide travels 1.6 metres per second on the 25 per cent climb. Another pure delight is a ride on the Harz narrow gauge railway. The steam trains start in Nordhausen and run on Europe’s longest historical rail network, which is over 130 kilometres long, towards the legendary Brocken Mountain. The town of Meiningen is home to steam locomotive works. Unique in Germany, historic iron horses are serviced and repaired here. During the Christmas period, historical trains run on special occasions to the beautiful Christmas markets i.e. in Erfurt, Eisenach or Meiningen.

Inspired by a great and diverse tradition – today’s Thuringian crafts and design.

Oberweissbach Mountain Railway in winter Thuringian grilled sausages


The Erfurt Stollen is one of the oldest of its kind in Germany

ZEISS Planetarium in Jena

Handmade glass Christmas tree decorations

18 19www.visit-thuringia.com

Postal address: Thuringia Tourist BoardPostfach 90 04 0799107 Erfurt, GermanyFax +49 (0) 361 374 2388 [email protected]

+49 (0) 361 37420Monday to Friday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Contact and Service.Tourist Information Thuringia. Whether by telephone, online or in person – we are always at your service!

Book now. Get information now.

Enjoy your time in Thuringia – and free admission to more than 240 destinations and attractions with the ThüringenCard! They include castles, palaces and muse-

ums, city sightseeing tours, thermal baths, show mines, zoos and lots more.

The ThüringenCard is available in 3 diff erent versions, depending on what your schedule permits. The 24-hour card is valid for 24 hours following its fi rst use. The cards “3 in 365” and “6 in 365” are valid on 3 or, respectively, 6 freely selectable days between 1st January and 31st December in each case.

* Valid for the 24 hours following fi rst use

* Valid on 3 or, respectively, 6 freely selectable days between 1st Jan and 31st Dec; Please note: following fi rst use in each case, the day lasts until midnight

Validity Price for Adults Price for Children

24 hours* 16 € 11 €

3 in 365** 36 € 23 €

6 in 365** 56 € 34 €

ThüringenCard: free time – free admission.

Email us, call us or pay a visit during your stay in Thuringia. We are located opposite the Central Railway Station in Erfurt. Our friendly staff off er you comprehensive and professional service for your holiday in Thuringia:

> detailed information and advice

> Thuringian brochures and catalogues

> direct booking of accommodation and programmes

> ThüringenCard to save money

> event tips, tickets for cultural and sports events

> travel literature, maps, souvenirs and lots more

Travelling “barrier-free” in Thuringia.Visitors with disabilities or travellers with restricted mobility can obtain detailed information from the Tourist Information Thuringia or on the internet at barrier-free-travel.visit-thuringia.com. Attractions and leisure programmes are marked with the appropriate symbols and described in detail.

Thuringia online

www.thuringia-tourism.com

www.visit-thuringia.com

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Rennsteig

Gotha

Arnstadt

Ilmenau

Suhl

Hildburghausen

Eisenach

Bad Langensalza

Erfurt

Sondershausen

Nordhausen

Weimar

Gera

Altenburg

Jena

GreizSaalfeld

Meiningen

Sömmerda

RudolstadtSchmalkalden

Mühlhausen

Bodø

Tromsø

Vadsz

MALTAVallelta

Catanzaro

Palermo

DDDubbblililin

London

Paris

Barcelona RomeMadrid

BBBrussesesesels

Bern

Munich

Amsteeerdrdrdaaamm

Cooooollogne

FFrankfurt

DDrreesdesden

Hamburg

Vienna

Prague

BerlinThuringia

A look at a map will show you – Thuringia has such a central position in Germany and Europe that it is easy to reach, whether by plane, fast train or car, and wherever you are coming from.

Saxony-Anhalt

Hesse

Bavaria

SaxonyStuttgart 419 km

Munich 415 km

Berlin 320 km

Leipzig 143 km

Frankfurt/M 265 km

Düsseldorf 401 km

Dresden224 km

by car/bus by train by air> Autobahn A4

East-West link: Dresden – Frankfurt am Main> Autobahn A9

North-South link: Berlin – Munich> Autobahn A 38

East-West link:Göttingen – Halle/Leipzig

> Autobahn A71 South-North link: Würzburg/Schweinfurt – Sömmerda

> Autobahn A73 South-North link: Nürnberg - Suhl

> ICE train Hamburg – Berlin – Leipzig – Jena – Munich

> ICE train Wiesbaden – Mainz – Frankfurt/Airport – Frankfurt am Main Süd or Frankfurt am Main main station – Eisenach – Gotha – Erfurt – Leipzig – Dresden, every hour (stop in Gotha every 2 hours)

> ICE or IC train Berlin – Halle – Jena – Munich> ICE Hamburg – Berlin – Leipzig – Jena www.bahn.de

Erfurt-Weimar Airport:> direct motorway link to

Autobahn A4 and A71 www.fl ughafen-erfurt-weimar.de

Easy and convenient to get to – the holiday destination of Thuringia.

Travel information:

Imprint Publisher: Thuringia Tourist Board, ErfurtDesign and production: KNSK Werbeagentur, HamburgTitle photo: Archive Thuringia Tourist Board (M. Schuck) + Caro Fotoagentur (A. Muhs)Further photos: Archive Thuringia Tourist Board; Stadtmarketing Arnstadt GmbH (U. Oschmann); T. Babovic; Alte Synagoge Erfurt (Papenfuss | Atelier für Gestaltung); Bildagentur Huber (R. Schmid); J. Negwer; A. Weise | factum; Kunstfest Weimar GmbH (M.Schuck); Eisenach-Wartburgregion Touristik GmbH (A. Nestler); Tourist Information Schmalkalden (W. Benkert); Thüringer Tourismusver-band Jena-Saale-Holzland e. V. (Frits Meyest | Adventur 4 ever); Wirtschaftsbetriebe Mühlhausen GmbH (T. Sieland); Schillerhaus Rudolstadt; Altenburger Tourismus GmbH, Lindenau-Museum

(R. Schübel); E. Driesel | foto-ed; J. Hauspurg; weimar GmbH (M. Schuck); Wikipedia.com, Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Walter Gropius by Louis Held; G. Werner; Wartburg Stiftung Eisenach; Museum Leuchtenburg; Stadt Bad Langensalza, Kur- und Immobilienverwaltung GmbH (H.-P. Szyska); M. Schuck; Natio-nalpark Hainich Verwaltung (T. Stephan); Saalfelder Feengrotten und Tourismus GmbH; Tourismusverband Rennsteig-Saaleland e. V.; B. Neumann; Jena Kultur (A. Hub); Älteste Volkstedter Por-zellanmanufaktur Rudolstadt; Krebs Glas Lauscha GmbH; Zeiss Planetarium Jena; DB Regio Netz GmbH Oberweißbacher Berg- und Schwarzatalbahn; A. Liebich; V. HilscherText: Heinz Stade, Erfurt; Thuringia Tourist Board

Translation: Übersetzungsdienst Macklin, Leipzig

Print: Druckhaus Gera GmbHEditorial Deadline: September 2012Production of the brochure was subsidised by the Thuringian Ministry for Business, Employment and Technology.

Please note: All the information has been researched with the gre-atest possible care and is based on data supplied by the Thuringi-an service providers. However, the publisher assumes no liability for the information provided.

+49 (0) 361 37420

Free time.Free admission.

ThüringenCard. Pay once and discover more than 240 places of interest.

Visit the places associated with great names like Goethe, Schiller or Bach, treasures behind the mighty walls of innumerable fortresses and castles or fascinating underground worlds. Join informative walking tours through attractive historic towns and relax in green oases and blue water.

Enjoy your time in Thuringia and free admission to more than 240 destinations and attractions. * valid for 24 hours following fi rst use; ** valid on 3 or 6 freely selectable days between

1 Jan. and 31 Dec.; please note: a day is from fi rst use until 12 midnight (not 3 or 6 x 24 hrs!); *** 5–14 years of age in association with an adult card, children under 5 free of charge!

Validity Price for Adults Price for Children

24 hours* 16 € 11 €

3 in 365** 36 € 23 €

6 in 365** 56 € 34 €

(5 to 14 years)***

Welcome to Thuringia....painter Otto Dix (1891 – 1969), is commemorated in the house of his birth, now used as a museum. The historical core of the town stands on a medieval underground

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