Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [215]
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Thuringia
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Information
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
CENTRAL THURINGIA
ERFURT
Orientation
Information
Sights
Walking Tour
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking
Entertainment
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
WEIMAR
Orientation
Information
Sights
Walking Tour
Sleeping
Eating & Drinking
Entertainment
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
BUCHENWALD
GOTHA
Orientation & Information
Sights
Sleeping
Eating & Drinking
Getting There & Away
NORTHERN THURINGIA
MÜHLHAUSEN
Information
Sights
Sleeping & Eating
Getting There & Away
AROUND MÜHLHAUSEN
Hainich National Park
KYFFHÄUSER MOUNTAINS
Sights
Sleeping & Eating
Getting There & Around
THURINGIAN FOREST
EISENACH
Orientation
Information
Sights
Activities
Sleeping
Eating & Drinking
Getting There & Around
FRIEDRICHRODA
Orientation & Information
Sights & Activities
Sleeping & Eating
Getting There & Around
ILMENAU
SCHMALKALDEN
Orientation & Information
Sights & Activities
Sleeping & Eating
Getting There & Around
MEININGEN
Orientation & Information
Sights
Sleeping & Eating
Getting There & Away
THE SAALE VALLEY
JENA
Orientation
Information
Sights
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating & Drinking
Entertainment
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
AROUND JENA
Dornburger Schlösser
RUDOLSTADT
Sights
Sleeping & Eating
Getting There & Away
SAALFELD
Sights
Sleeping & Eating
Getting There & Away
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Thuringia’s mystique has long been on the radar of German travellers, but, for most foreign visitors, this former East German state is usually terra incognita. Those who do visit, however, most surely enjoy what they encounter. Places like Weimar, for instance, which became a keystone of German culture and thought during the Age of Enlightenment and later gave birth to the hugely influential Bauhaus movement. Or Eisenach, remarkable for being both a centre of historic German Lutheranism and of car manufacturing. Jena, of course, has kept alive its legacy as a city of science and optics to this day. And don’t forget the state capital, Erfurt, which wears its medieval splendour with pride.
Once you’ve done cultural and historical Thuringia, however, it’s time to shake off all those civilising influences and explore the rich natural offerings of the Thuringian Forest. Its sleepy villages are the portals through which hikers, cyclists and anyone in need of stress relief can indulge their love for the outdoors. You can walk in the footsteps of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, feeling embraced by thick forest and liberated by vistas that send the spirit soaring.
Although its roads and trails are well trodden and its cities were long ago etched onto the world cultural map, Thuringia brings many unexpected rewards for visitors who put aside frantic activity and immerse themselves in the gentle momentum of slow travel.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Culture Vulture Find out why Germany is known as the ‘land of poets and thinkers’ on a saunter around Weimar
Going for Goethe Follow in the footsteps of Germany’s favourite genius by hiking the Goethewanderweg from Ilmenau to Stützerbach
Castle Cravings Go behind the scenes of the Middle Ages at the Wartburg, Martin Luther’s one-time hiding place
Glamour Grotto Go hunting for fairies in the underground world of the Feengrotten in Saalfeld
Science, Seriously Peer through a microscope and into the starry skies in Jena’s Optical Museum and planetarium Click here
Rennsteig Ramble Tackle a leg or two of the Rennsteig, Germany’s oldest trail, by foot or on your bike from Eisenach
Wild Ride Rattle across meadows and through the trees aboard a nostalgic tram Click here running from Gotha to beautiful Friedrichroda and beyond
POPULATION: 2.28 MILLION
AREA: 16,172 SQ KM
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