Holiday in Thuringia

What makes Thuringia special as a destination?

Thuringia, the green heart of Germany, combines an overwhelming density of culture, history, and nature in a small area. Weimar alone represents Goethe, Schiller, Bach, Liszt, and the Bauhaus — and thus some of the most significant chapters of German intellectual history. The Wartburg near Eisenach, where Martin Luther translated the New Testament, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a symbol of the German Reformation. The Thuringian Forest stretches as a wooded mountain range from Eisenach to Sonneberg and offers with the Rennsteig Germany's oldest and most famous long-distance hiking trail — 169 kilometers along the ridge of the low mountain range with wide views, dark spruce forests, and historic boundary stones. In winter, Oberhof and the surrounding towns transform into a winter sports center for cross-country skiing, biathlon, and bobsleighing. Erfurt, the state capital, delights with the Krämer Bridge, the longest continuously built and inhabited bridge in Europe, and the majestic cathedral with the Severi Church on the Cathedral Hill. Jena is a university town and the cradle of the optical industry (Zeiss, Schott). Gotha impresses with Friedenstein Castle, the largest early Baroque castle in Germany. Thuringian cuisine is hearty and famous for the original Thuringian bratwurst — at least 15 centimeters long, grilled on a charcoal grill, and served in a bun — as well as dumplings and Rostbrätl. The Hainich National Park protects one of the last primeval forests in Central Europe with a spectacular treetop path.