Thuringia (English:/θəˈrɪndʒiə/;German:Thüringen[ˈtyːʁɪŋən]ⓘ officially theFree State of Thuringia,Freistaat Thüringen[ˈfʁaɪʃtaːtˈtyːʁɪŋən]) is one ofGermany's 16states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area.[5]
The nameThuringia orThüringen derives from the Germanic tribeThuringii, who emerged during theMigration Period. Their origin is largely unknown. An older theory claims that they were successors of theHermunduri, but later research rejected the idea. Other historians argue that the Thuringians were allies of theHuns, came to central Europe together with them, and lived before in what isGalicia today.Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus first mentioned the Thuringii around 400; during that period, the Thuringii were famous for their excellent horses.
The Thuringian Realm existed until after 531. TheLandgraviate of Thuringia was the largest state in the region, persisting between 1131 and 1247. Afterwards the state known as Thuringia ceased to exist; nevertheless the term commonly described the region between theHarz mountains in the north, theWhite Elster river in the east, theFranconian Forest in the south and theWerra river in the west. After theTreaty of Leipzig, Thuringia had its own dynasty again, the ErnestineWettins. Their various lands formed theState of Thuringia, founded in 1920, together with some other small principalities. ThePrussian territories aroundErfurt,Mühlhausen andNordhausen joined Thuringia in 1945.
Thecoat of arms of Thuringia shows the lion of the Ludowingian Landgraves of 12th-century origin. The eight stars around it represent the eight former states which formed Thuringia. Theflag of Thuringia is a white-red bicolor, derived from the white and red stripes of the Ludowingian lion. Thecoat of arms andflag of Hesse are quite similar to the Thuringian ones, since they are also derived from the Ludowingian symbols.
Symbols of Thuringia in popular culture are theBratwurst and theForest, because a large amount of the territory is forested.
Thuringia generally accepted theProtestant Reformation, andRoman Catholicism was suppressed as early as 1520;[citation needed] priests who remained loyal to it were driven away and churches and monasteries were largely destroyed, especially during theGerman Peasants' War of 1525. InMühlhausen and elsewhere, theAnabaptists found many adherents.Thomas Müntzer, a leader of some non-peaceful groups of this sect, was active in this city. Within the borders of modern Thuringia the Roman Catholic faith only survived in theEichsfeld district, which was ruled by theArchbishop of Mainz, and to a small degree inErfurt and its immediate vicinity.
Thuringia was one of the states where theNazi Party first gained real political power during the Weimar Republic.Wilhelm Frick was appointedMinister of the Interior in the statecoalition government after theNazi Party won six deputies to the ThuringianLandtag in the December 1929 election. In this position, he removed from the Thuringian police force anyone he suspected of being a republican and replaced them with men who were favourable towards the Nazis. He also ensured that, whenever an important position came up within Thuringia, a Nazi was given that post. Following theNazi seizure of power in Berlin, theLandtag was formally abolished as a result of the "Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich" of 30 January 1934, which replaced the Germanfederal system with aunitary state. Thuringia was the location of theBuchenwald concentration camp with multiple subcamps.[8]
After being controlled briefly by the US following the end of theSecond World War, from July 1945 the state of Thuringia came under theSoviet occupation zone and was expanded to include parts of Prussian Saxony, such as the areas aroundErfurt,Mühlhausen, andNordhausen. Erfurt became the new capital of Thuringia.Ostheim, an exclave ofLandkreis Eisenach, was ceded to Bavaria.
In 1952, theGerman Democratic Republic dissolved its states, and created districts (Bezirke) instead. The three districts that shared the former territory of Thuringia were Erfurt,Gera andSuhl.Altenburg Kreis was part ofLeipzig Bezirk.
The present Free State of Thuringia was recreated with slightly altered borders duringGerman reunification in 1990.
The landscapes of Thuringia are quite diverse. The far north is occupied by theHarz mountains, followed by theGoldene Aue, a fertile floodplain aroundNordhausen with theHelme as most important river. The north-west includes theEichsfeld, a hilly and sometimes forested region, where theLeine river emanates. The central and northern part of Thuringia is defined by the 3,000 km2 (1,200 sq mi) wideThuringian Basin, a very fertile and flat area around theUnstrut river and completely surrounded by the following hill chains (clockwise from the north-west):Dün,Hainleite,Windleite,Kyffhäuser,Hohe Schrecke,Schmücke,Finne,Ettersberg,Steigerwald,Thuringian Forest,Hörselberge andHainich. Within the Basin the smaller hill chainsFahner Höhe andHeilinger Höhen. South of the Thuringian Basin is the state's largest mountain range, marked by theThuringian Forest in the north-west, theThuringian Highland in the middle and theFranconian Forest in the south-east. Most of this range is forested and theGroßer Beerberg (983 m) is Thuringia's highest mountain. To the south-west, the Forest is followed up byWerra river valley, dividing it from theRhön Mountains in the west and theGrabfeld plain in the south. Eastern Thuringia, commonly described as the area east ofSaale andLoquitz valley, is marked by a hilly landscape, rising slowly from the flat north to the mountainous south. The Saale in the west and the White Elster in the east are the two big rivers running from south to north and forming densely settled valleys in this area. Between them lies the flat and forestedHolzland in the north, the flat and fertileOrlasenke in the middle and theVogtland, a hilly but in most parts non-forested region in the south. The far eastern region (east of White Elster) is theOsterland orAltenburger Land alongPleiße river, a flat, fertile and densely settled agricultural area.
There are two large rivers in Thuringia. TheSaale, a tributary of theElbe, with its tributaries theUnstrut,Ilm and White Elster, drains the most part of Thuringia. TheWerra – the headwater of theWeser – drains the south-west and west of the state. Furthermore, some small areas on the southern border are drained by tributaries of theMain, itself a tributary of theRhine. There are no large natural lakes in Thuringia, but it does have some of Germany's biggest dams, including theBleiloch Dam and theHohenwarte Dam on the River Saale, as well as theLeibis-Lichte Dam and theGoldisthal Pumped Storage Station in the Thuringian Highlands. Thuringia is Germany's only state with no connection to navigable waterways.
Thuringia's climate istemperate with humid westerly winds predominating. Increasingly as one moves from the north-west to the south-east, the climate shows continental features: winters can be cold for long periods, and summers can become warm. Dry periods are often recorded, especially within the Thuringian Basin, leeward to mountains in all directions. It is Germany's driest area, with annual precipitation of only 400 to 500 mm.
Artern, in the north-east, is warm and dry, with a mean annual temperature of 8.5 °C and mean precipitation of 450 mm; contrast this with wet, coolOberhof, in the Thuringian Forest, where temperature averages only 4.4 °C and mean annual precipitation reaches 1300 mm.
Due to many centuries of intensive settlement, most of the area is shaped by human influence. The original natural vegetation of Thuringia is forest withbeech as its predominant species, as can still be found in theHainich mountains today. In the uplands, a mixture of beech andspruce would be natural. However, most of the plains have been cleared and are in intensive agricultural use while most of the forests are planted with spruce andpine. Since 1990, Thuringia's forests have been managed aiming for a more natural and tough vegetation more resilient to climate change as well as diseases and vermin. In comparison to the forest, agriculture is still quite conventional and dominated by large structures and monocultures. Problems here are caused especially by increasingly prolonged dry periods during the summer months.
Environmental damage in Thuringia has been reduced to a large extent after 1990. The condition of forests, rivers and air was improved by modernizing factories, houses (decline of coal heating) and cars, and contaminated areas such as the formerUranium surface mines aroundRonneburg have been remediated. Today's environmental problems are the salination of theWerra river, caused by discharges ofK+S salt mines aroundUnterbreizbach and overfertilisation in agriculture, damaging the soil and small rivers.
Environment and nature protection has been of growing importance and attention since 1990. Large areas, especially within the forested mountains, are protected as natural reserves, including Thuringia's first national park within theHainich mountains, founded in 1997, theRhön Biosphere Reserve, theThuringian Forest Nature Park and theSouth Harz Nature Park.
During the Middle Ages, Thuringia was at the border betweenGermanic andSlavic territories, marked by theSaale river. The main Slavic tribe in what is now Thuringia were theSorbs proper, whounified all tribes in what is now southern half of Eastern Germany. TheOstsiedlung movement led to the assimilation ofSlavic people between the 11th and the 13th century under German rule. The population growth increased during the 18th century and stayed high untilWorld War I, before it slowed within the 20th century and changed to a decline since 1990. Since the beginning of Urbanisation around 1840, the Thuringian cities have higher growth rates resp. smaller rates of decline than rural areas (many villages lost half of their population since 1950, whereas the biggest cities (Erfurt andJena) kept growing).
The 1981 census projected that Thuringia's population would reach 2,221,222 by 2011. The population counted in the 2011 census was 2,181,603, which is about 1.78% less.
The current population is 2,120,237 (31 December 2020) with an annual rate of decrease of about 0.5%, which varies widely between the local regions. In 2012, 905,000 Thuringians lived in a municipality with more than 20,000 inhabitants, this is anurbanization rate of 42% which continues to rise.
In July 2013, there were 41,000 non-Germans by citizenship living in Thuringia (1.9% of the population − among the smallest proportions of any state in Germany). Nevertheless, the number rose from 33,000 in July 2011, an increase of 24% in only two years. About 4% of the population are migrants (including persons that already received German citizenship). The biggest groups of foreigners by citizenship are (as of 2012):Russians (3,100),Poles (3,000),Turks (2,100) andUkrainians (2,000). The number of foreigners varies between regions: the college townsErfurt,Jena,Weimar andIlmenau have the highest rates, whereas there are almost no migrants living in the most rural smaller municipalities.
The Thuringian population has a significantsex ratio gap, caused by the emigration of young women, especially in rural areas. Overall, there are 115 to 120 men per 100 women in the 25–40 age group ("family founders") which has negative consequences for the birth ratio. Furthermore, the population is getting older and older with some rural municipalities recording more than 30% of over-65s (pensioners). This is a problem for the regional labour market, as there are twice as many people leaving as entering the job market annually.
Thebirth rate was about 1.8 children per women in the 1970s and 1980s, shrinking to 0.8 in 1994 during the economic crisis after the reunification and rose again to more than 1.4 children in 2010, which is a higher level than in West Germany. Nevertheless, there are only 17,000 births compared to 27,000 deaths per year, so that the annual natural change of the Thuringian population is about −0.45%. In 2015 there were 17,934 births, the highest number since 1990.
Migration plays an important role in Thuringia. The internal migration shows a strong tendency from rural areas towards the big cities. From 2008 to 2012, there was a net migration from Thuringia toErfurt of +6,700 persons (33 per 1000 inhabitants), +1,800 toGera (19 per 1000), +1,400 toJena (14 per 1000), +1,400 toEisenach (33 per 1000) and +1,300 toWeimar (21 per 1000). Between Thuringia and the other German states, the balance is negative: In 2012, Thuringia lost 6,500 persons to other federal states, the most toBavaria,Saxony,Hesse andBerlin. Only withSaxony-Anhalt andBrandenburg the balance is positive. The international migration is fluctuating heavily. In 2009, the balance was +700, in 2010 +1,800, in 2011 +2,700 and in 2012 +4,800. The most important countries of origin of the Thuringia migrants from 2008 to 2012 werePoland (+1,700),Romania (+1,200),Afghanistan (+1,100) andSerbia/Montenegro/Kosovo (+1,000), whereas the balance was negative withSwitzerland (−2,800) andAustria (−900).
Of the approximately 850 municipalities of Thuringia, 126 are classed as towns (within a district) or cities (forming their own urban district). Most of the towns are small with a population of less than 10,000; only the ten biggest ones have a population greater than 30,000. The first towns emerged during the 12th century, whereas the latest ones received town status only in the 20th century. Today, all municipalities within districts are equal in law, whether they are towns or villages. Independent cities (i.e. urban districts) have greater powers (the same as any district) than towns within a district.
* Average annual change in percent within the last three years (13 December 2009 to 31 December 2012), adjusted from incorporations and the 2011 Census results.
Since theProtestant Reformation, the most prominent Christian denomination in Thuringia has beenLutheranism. During theGDR period, church membership was discouraged and has continued shrinking since the reunification in 1990. Today over two thirds of the population is non-religious. TheProtestant Church in Germany has had the largest number of members in the state, adhered to by 20.8% of the population in 2018. Members of theCatholic Church formed 7.6% of the population, while 71.6% of Thuringians were non-religious or adhere to other faiths.[14] The highest Protestant concentrations are in the small villages of southern and western Thuringia, whereas the bigger cities are even more non-religious (up to 88% inGera). Catholic regions areEichsfeld in the northwest and parts of theRhön Mountains aroundGeisa in the southwest. Protestant church membership is shrinking rapidly, whereas the Catholic Church is somewhat more stable because of Catholic migration from Poland, Southern Europe and West Germany.[citation needed] Other religions play no significant role in Thuringia. There are only a few thousand Muslims (largely migrants) and about 750 Jews (mostly migrants from Russia) living in Thuringia. Furthermore, there are some Orthodox communities of Eastern European migrants and some traditional ProtestantFree churches in Thuringia without any societal influence.
Thuringia is a stronghold for the far rightAlternative for Germany (AfD), the party emerged as the largest in Thuringia in the2021 national elections.[15] In 2017 the party got 22.7%, in 2021 they got 24.0%, and in 2025 they surged to 38.6%.
Thuringia is notable for being the first and only state in Germany where the modern successor to theSocialist Unity Party (SED), the party that ruled formerEast Germany until 1989,The Left (Die Linke), and the new far-rightAlternative for Germany (AfD) have seen their first-ever first place finish in a state election. Die Linke in2019, and the AfD in2024.
TheAlternative for Germany (AfD) became the largest party with 33% of the vote (and 36% of the seats), its best ever performance and the first time it placed first in a state election in Germany. The incumbent governing coalition suffered dramatic losses; the Left had split up, with newSahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) becoming the more popular part, while the remaining Left lost more than half of its support and fell to fourth place on 13%. The 130+ year old SPD, which since late 2021 rules Germany under Chancellor Olaf Scholz, recorded its worst result in any postwar state election, barely passing theelectoral threshold of 5%. The other two parties of thetraffic light coalition in Berlin,Greens and theFree Democratic Party (FDP), did not pass the threshold and lost all of their seats, which contributed to the break-up of that coalition on November 6th. TheChristian Democratic Union (CDU) recorded small gains and came second with 24%. The newly-foundedSahra Wagenknecht Alliance BSW debuted in third place at 16%.[16]
The AfD in Thuringia became the firstfar-right party in Germany since World War II to win a state election.[17][18][19] However, they were left out of the governing coalition, which is made up of the CDU, the BSW and the SPD, with the Left offering "constructive opposition" (basically they offer some input on the coalition's agenda and provide necessary votes).[20]
TheJen Tower is a symbol of East Germany's economy. According to the 2019 study by Forschungsinstitut Prognos,Jena is one of the most dynamic regions in Germany. It ranks at number 29 of all 401 German regions.[21]Opel Eisenach manufacturingTEAG Thüringer Energie AG in Erfurt, the largest electric utility company in Thuringia
Thuringia's economy is marked by the economic transition that happened after the German reunification and led to the closure of most of the factories within the Land. The unemployment rate reached a peak in 2005. Since that year, the economy has seen an upturn and the general economic situation has improved.
Agriculture and forestry have declined in importance over the decades. Nevertheless, they are more important than in most other areas of Germany, especially within rural regions. 54% of Thuringia's territory is in agricultural use. The fertile basins such as the largeThuringian Basin or the smallerGoldene Aue,Orlasenke andOsterland are in intensive use for growing cereals, vegetables, fruits and energy crops. Important products are apples, strawberries, cherries and plums in the fruit sector, cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes (grown in greenhouses), onions, cucumbers and asparagus in the vegetable sector, as well as maize, rapeseed, wheat, barley and sugar beets in the crop sector.
Meat production and processing is also an important activity, with pigs, cattle, chickens and turkeys in focus. Furthermore, there are many milk and cheese producers, as well as laying hens. Trout and carp are traditionally bred in aquaculture in many villages.
Most agricultural enterprises are large cooperatives, founded asLandwirtschaftliche Produktionsgenossenschaft during the GDR period, and meat producers are part of multinational companies. Traditional private peasant agriculture is an exception, as is organic farming.
Thuringia's only wine-growing district is aroundBad Sulza north ofWeimar andJena along theIlm andSaale valley. Its production is marketed asSaale-Unstrut wines.
Forestry plays an important role in Thuringia because 32% of the Thuringian territory is forested. The most common trees are spruce, pine and beech. There are many wood and pulp-paper factories near the forested areas.
Like most other regions of central and southern Germany, Thuringia has a significant industrial sector reaching back to the mid-19th-century industrialisation. The economic transition after the German reunification in 1990 led to the closure of most large-scale factories and companies, leaving small and medium-sized ones to dominate the manufacturing sector. Well-known industrial centres areJena (a world centre for optical instruments with companies likeCarl Zeiss,Schott andJenoptik) andEisenach, whereBMW started its car production in the 1920s and anOpel factory is based today. The most important industrial branches today are engineering and metalworking, vehicle production and food industries. Especially the small and mid-sized towns in central and southwestern Thuringia (e.g.Arnstadt,Schmalkalden andOhrdruf) are highly industrialised, whereas there are fewer industrial companies in the northern and eastern parts of the Land. Traditional industries like production of glass, porcelain and toys collapsed during the economic crises between 1930 and 1990.
Mining was important in Thuringia since the later Middle Ages, especially within the mining towns of theThuringian Forest such asSchmalkalden,Suhl andIlmenau. Following the industrial revolution, the old iron, copper and silver mines declined because the competition from imported metal was too strong. On the other hand, the late 19th century brought new types of mines to Thuringia: thelignite surface mining aroundMeuselwitz nearAltenburg in the east of the Land started in the 1870s, and twopotash mining districts were established around 1900. These are theSüdharzrevier in the north of the state, betweenBischofferode in the west andRoßleben in the east withSondershausen at its centre, and theWerrarevier on the Hessian border aroundVacha andBad Salzungen in the west. Together, they accounted for a significant part of the world's potash production in the mid-20th century. After the reunification, theSüdharzrevier was abandoned, whereasK+S took over the mines in theWerrarevier. Between 1950 and 1990,uranium mining was also important to cover the Soviet Union's need for this metal. The centre wasRonneburg nearGera in eastern Thuringia and the operating companyWismut was under direct Soviet control.
The GDP of Thuringia is below the national average, in line with the other former East German Lands. Until 2004, Thuringia was one of the weakest regions within theEuropean Union. The accession of several new countries, the crisis in southern Europe and the sustained economic growth in Germany since 2005 has brought the Thuringian GDP close to the EU average since then. The high economic subsidies granted by the federal government and the EU after 1990 are being reduced gradually and will end around 2020.
The unemployment rate reached its peak of 17.1% in 2005. Since then, it has decreased to 5.3% in 2019, which is only slightly above the national average. The decrease is caused on the one hand by the emergence of new jobs and on the other by a marked decrease in the working-age population, caused by emigration and low birth rates for decades. The wages in Thuringia are low compared to rich bordering Lands likeHesse andBavaria. Therefore, many Thuringians are working in other German Lands and even inAustria andSwitzerland as weekly commuters. Nevertheless, the demographic transition in Thuringia leads to a lack of workers in some sectors. External immigration into Thuringia has been encouraged by the government since about 2010 to counter this problem.
The economic progress is quite different between the regions of Thuringia. The big cities along theA4 motorway such asErfurt,Jena andEisenach and their surroundings are booming, whereas nearly all the rural regions, especially in the north and east, have little economic impetus and employment, which is a big issue in regional planning. Young people in these areas often have to commute long distances, and many emigrate soon after finishing school.
The unemployment rate stood at 5.9% in 2023 and was higher than the German average.[22][23]
Tourism is an important branch of the economy. Thuringia has a number of well known destinations:Wartburg castle (UNESCO World Heritage Site),Classical Weimar (UNESCO World Heritage Site),Bauhaus Weimar (UNESCO World Heritage Site),Thuringian Forest,Oberhof orRennsteig (ridge walk). City tourism with the centers of Erfurt, Weimar, Jena, Eisenach and Mühlhausen is experiencing dynamic growth. A total of around 9.2 million overnight stays were booked in 2016, compared to 8.3 million ten years earlier. Around 6% of the bookings were made by foreign guests.[25]
As Germany's most central state, Thuringia is an important hub of transit traffic. The transportation infrastructure was in very poor condition after theGDR period. Since 1990, many billions of Euros have been invested to improve the condition of roads and railways within Thuringia.
During the 1930s, the first twomotorways were built across the Land, theA4 motorway as an important east–west connection in central Germany and the main link betweenBerlin and south-west Germany, and theA9 motorway as the main north–south route in eastern Germany, connecting Berlin withMunich. The A4 runs fromFrankfurt inHesse viaEisenach,Gotha,Erfurt,Weimar,Jena andGera toDresden inSaxony, connecting Thuringia's most important cities. AtHermsdorf junction it is connected with the A9. Both highways were widened from four to six lanes (three each way) after 1990, including some extensive re-routing in the Eisenach and Jena areas. Furthermore, three new motorways were built during the 1990s and 2000s. TheA71 crosses the Land in southwest–northeast direction, connectingWürzburg inBavaria viaMeiningen,Suhl,Ilmenau,Arnstadt, Erfurt andSömmerda withSangerhausen andHalle inSaxony-Anhalt. The crossing of theThuringian Forest by the A71 has been one of Germany's most expensive motorway segments with various tunnels (including Germany's longest road tunnel, theRennsteig Tunnel) and large bridges. TheA73 starts at the A71 south of Erfurt in Suhl and runs south towardsNuremberg in Bavaria. TheA38 is another west–east connection in the north of Thuringia running fromGöttingen inLower Saxony viaHeiligenstadt andNordhausen toLeipzig in Saxony. Furthermore, there is a dense network offederal highways complementing the motorway network. The upgrading of federal highways is prioritised in the federal trunk road programme 2015 (Bundesverkehrswegeplan 2015). Envisaged projects include upgrades of theB247 from Gotha toLeinefelde to improveMühlhausen's connection to the national road network, theB19 from Eisenach to Meiningen to improve access toBad Salzungen andSchmalkalden, and theB88 andB281 for strengthening theSaalfeld/Rudolstadt region.
The first railways in Thuringia had been built in the 1840s and the network of main lines was finished around 1880. By 1920, many branch lines had been built, giving Thuringia one of the densest rail networks in the world before World War II with about 2,500 km of track. Between 1950 and 2000 most of the branch lines were abandoned, reducing Thuringia's network by half compared to 1940. On the other hand, most of the main lines were refurbished after 1990, resulting in improved speed of travel. The most important railway lines at present are theThuringian Railway, connectingHalle andLeipzig viaWeimar,Erfurt,Gotha andEisenach withFrankfurt andKassel and theSaal Railway from Halle/Leipzig viaJena andSaalfeld toNuremberg. The former has an hourlyICE/IC service fromDresden to Frankfurt while the latter is served hourly by ICE trains fromBerlin toMunich. In 2017, a new high speed line will be opened, diverting long-distance services from these mid-19th century lines. Both ICE routes will then use theErfurt–Leipzig/Halle high-speed railway, and the Berlin-Munich route will continue via theNuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway. Only the segment west of Erfurt of the Frankfurt-Dresden line will continue to be used by ICE trains after 2017, with an increased line speed of 200 km/h (currently 160 km/h).Erfurt's central station, which was completely rebuilt for this purpose in the 2000s (decade), will be the new connection between both ICE lines. The most important regional railway lines in Thuringia are theNeudietendorf–Ritschenhausen railway from Erfurt toWürzburg andMeiningen, theWeimar–Gera railway from Erfurt toChemnitz, theSangerhausen–Erfurt railway from Erfurt toMagdeburg, theGotha–Leinefelde railway from Erfurt toGöttingen, theHalle–Kassel railway from Halle viaNordhausen to Kassel and theLeipzig–Hof railway from Leipzig viaAltenburg toZwickau andHof. Most regional and local lines have hourly service, but some run only every other hour.
A few small airports are in Thuringia. In public transport isErfurt–Weimar Airport, used for charter flights to the Mediterranean and other holiday destinations. In private flights,Leipzig–Altenburg Airport is a further key airport.
The traditional energy supply of Thuringia islignite, mined in the bordering Leipzig region. Since 2000, the importance of environmentally unfriendly lignite combustion has declined in favour of renewable energies, which reached an amount of 40% (in 2013), and more clean gas combustion, often carried out ascogeneration in the municipal power stations. The most important forms of renewable energies arewind power andbiomass, followed bysolar energy andhydroelectricity. Furthermore, Thuringia hosts two bigpumped storage stations: theGoldisthal Pumped Storage Station and theHohenwarte Dam.
Health care provision in Thuringia improved after 1990, as did the level of general health. Life expectancy rose, nevertheless it is still a bit lower than the German average. This is caused by a relatively unhealthy lifestyle of the Thuringians, especially in high consumption of grains, industrial seed oils, refined carbohydrates and alcohol, which led to significant higher rates of obesity compared to the German average.
Health care in Thuringia is currently undergoing a concentration process. Many smaller hospitals in the rural towns are closing, whereas the bigger ones in centres likeJena andErfurt get enlarged. Overall, there is an oversupply of hospital beds, caused by rationalisation processes in the German health care system, so that many smaller hospitals generate losses. On the other hand, there is a lack of family doctors, especially in rural regions with increased need of health care provision because of overageing.
The Thuringian school system was developed after the reunification in 1990, combining some elements of the formerGDR school system with theBavarian school system. Most German school rankings attest that Thuringia has one of the most successful education systems in Germany, resulting in high-quality outcomes.
Early-years education is quite common in Thuringia. Since the 1950s, nearly all children have been using the service, whereas early-years education is less developed in western Germany. Its inventorFriedrich Fröbel lived in Thuringia and founded the world's firstKindergartens there in the 19th century. The Thuringian primary school takes four years and most primary schools are all-day schools offering optional extracurricular activities in the afternoon. At the age of ten, pupils are separated according to aptitude and proceed to either theGymnasium or theRegelschule [de]. The former leads to theAbitur exam after a further eight years and prepares for higher education, while the latter has a more vocational focus and finishes with exams after five or six years, comparable to theHauptschule andRealschule found elsewhere in Germany.
Thuringia is home to a K-12 international school in the city of Weimar, Thuringia International School (ThIS). The school was established in the year 2000 and is accredited by the Council of International Schools and authorised to offer the International Baccalaureate PYP, MYP and DP. Students who graduate from the school are able to gain admission to colleges and universities around the world.
The German higher education system comprises two forms of academic institutions:universities and polytechnics (Fachhochschule). TheUniversity of Jena is the biggest amongst Thuringia's four universities and offers nearly every discipline. It was founded in 1558, and today has 21,000 students. The second-largest is theTechnische Universität Ilmenau with 7,000 students, founded in 1894, which offers many technical disciplines such as engineering and mathematics. TheUniversity of Erfurt, founded in 1392, has 5,000 students today and an emphasis on humanities and teacher training. TheBauhaus University Weimar with 4,000 students is Thuringia's smallest university, specialising in creative subjects such as architecture and arts. It was founded in 1860 and came to prominence as Germany's leading art school during the inter-war period, theBauhaus.
The polytechnics of Thuringia are based inErfurt (4,500 students),Jena (5,000 students),Nordhausen (2,500 students) andSchmalkalden (3,000 students). In addition, there is a civil service college inGotha with 500 students, theCollege of Music "Franz Liszt" in Weimar (800 students) as well as two private colleges, theAdam-Ries-Fachhochschule in Erfurt (500 students) and the SRH College for nursing and allied medical subjects (SRH Fachhochschule für Gesundheit Gera) in Gera (500 students). The most recent institution of higher education in Thuringia is theDuale Hochschule Gera-Eisenach (1400 students), a cooperative state college founded in 2016 through a merger of the colleges (Berufsakademie) in Gera and Eisenach.
Thuringia's leading research centre isJena, followed byIlmenau. Both focus on technology, in particular life sciences and optics at Jena and information technology at Ilmenau.Erfurt is a centre of Germany's horticultural research, whereasWeimar andGotha with their various archives and libraries are centres of historic and cultural research. Most of the research in Thuringia is publicly funded basic research due to the lack of large companies able to invest significant amounts in applied research, with the notable exception of the optics sector atJena.
Martin Luther (1483–1546), friar (Observant Augustinian), Catholic priest, professor of theology and seminal figure of the 16th-century movement in Christianity known later as the Protestant Reformation, educated inEisenach, translation of the New Testament from Greek into German atWartburg castle
Friedrich von Schiller (1759–1805), poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright; professor of history at the University of Jena before relocating to Weimar
Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553), Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving, lived his last years in Weimar
Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744–1803), philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic, introduces theZeitgeist inKritische Wälder (1769), served as General Superintendent in Weimar
Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland (1762–1836), physician, most eminent practical physician of his time in Germany, born in Langensalza
Napoléon Bonaparte (1769–1821), French military and political leader, twinbattle of Jena-Auerstedt, 14 October 1806, metJohann Wolfgang von Goethe at the governor's palace inErfurt in the presence ofTalleyrand, 2 October 1808 ("Vous êtes un homme. Quel âge avez-vous ? – Soixante ans. – Vous êtes bien conservé. Vous avez écrit des tragédies ?") ("Voilà un homme")
Carl Zeiss (1816–1888), maker of optical instruments commonly known for the company he founded,Carl Zeiss Jena, born in Weimar
Karl Marx (1818–1883), philosopher, economist, social scientist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist, PhD awarded byUniversity of Jena
August Schleicher (1821–1868), linguist, he attempted to reconstruct the Proto-Indo-European language
Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919), biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor, and artist, discovered, described, and named thousands of new species, mapped a genealogical tree relating all life forms, coined many terms in biology, including anthropogeny, ecology, phylum, phylogeny, and stem cell, professor atUniversity of Jena
Ernst Abbe (1840–1905), physicist, optical scientist, entrepreneur, and social reformer, laid the foundations of modern optics, co-owner ofCarl Zeiss Jena, born inEisenach
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844–1900), philologist, philosopher, cultural critic, poet and composer, lived his last years in Weimar
Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist, worked to establish various practical endeavors, including Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophical medicine, invited to work as an editor at the Goethe Matenadaran in Weimar
Max Weber (1864–1920), sociologist, philosopher, and political economist, often cited as among the three founding creators of sociology, born inErfurt
Richard Strauss (1864–1949), leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, director of the Weimar Court Orchestra (Hofkapellmeister) 1889–94
Vassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), influential Russian painter and art theorist, credited with painting the first purely abstract works,Bauhaus master, Weimar
Lyonel Feininger (1871–1956), German-American painter and leading exponent of Expressionism, also worked as a caricaturist and comic strip artist,Bauhaus master, Weimar
Léon Blum (1872–1950), French politician, three times Prime Minister of France, imprisoned inBuchenwald
Paul Klee (1879–1940), Swiss German painter; his highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism,Bauhaus master, Weimar
Walter Gropius (1883–1969), architect, widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture, founder of theBauhaus, Weimar
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969), German-American architect, widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture, joined theBauhaus, Weimar
Otto Dix (1891–1969), painter and printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of Weimar society and the brutality of war, born in Untermhaus (todayGera)
.jpg)
