The Free State of Thuringia
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(© DZT/Jochen Keute)
Thuringia is often described as the "green heart of Germany". This proves to be a highly apt title, given the enticing recreational destinations in the beautiful landscapes of the Thuringian Forest, the Southern Harz and Kyffhäuser Mountains, and along the valleys of the Saale and Rhön.
Thuringia as we know it today came into being in the twentieth century when 7 small states were combined with territories that formerly belonged to Prussia. It borders on 5 other German federal states, giving it a key role in transport links.
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(© Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus)
Thuringia contains many significant cities. These include Erfurt, the state capital and Weimar, the city of German Classicism, along with the university town of Jena, Gera, which is the central hub in eastern Thuringia and cities such as Gotha, Altenburg and Meiningen, which were once the seat of power for princes and other noblemen. Numerous milestones in German history are associated with Thuringia. Saint Elizabeth lived in the Wartburg, just outside Eisenach, which is also where Luther translated the Bible into German. In 1919 Weimar saw the birth of the "Weimar Republic".
Agriculture has always played a very important role in the area extending between the Harz Mountains and the Thuringian Forest. Thuringia’s economic landscape is shaped by the large centres for industrial production that have developed throughout the federal state.
With kind permission of the Bundesrat (September 2010)
