Gera Theater (2007) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Gera is a city in the German state of
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
and Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
as well as the easternmost city of the ''Thüringer Städtekette'', an almost straight string of cities consisting of the six largest Thuringian cities from Eisenach
Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...
in the west, via Gotha
Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...
, Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
, Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
and Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
to Gera in the east. Gera is the largest city in the Vogtland
Vogtland (; cz, Fojtsko) is a region spanning the German states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia and north-western Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It overlaps with and is largely contained within Euregio Egrensis. The name alludes to the former ...
, and one of its historical capitals along with Plauen
Plauen (; Czech language, Czech: ''Plavno'') is, with around 65,000 inhabitants, the fifth-largest city of Saxony, Germany after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the larges ...
, Greiz
Greiz () is a town in the state of Thuringia, Germany, and is the capital of the district of Greiz. Greiz is situated in eastern Thuringia, east of state capital Jena, on the river ''White Elster''.
Greiz has a large park in its center (Fürstl ...
and Weida. The city lies in the East Thuringian Hill Country, in the wide valley of the White Elster
The White Elster
Accessed on 16 Jan 2011. (, ) is a long river in central
The
The Gera line of Reussians died out in 1802, so that it had no royal residence until the new one moved there from 
After the Nazi takeover of Germany, the Jewish community of Gera was destroyed, the synagogue burnt down in the 
With governmental reorganization in East Germany, the city became the capital of the newly created District of Gera in 1952. The population rose during the GDR period, and massive ''
Accessed on 16 Jan 2011. (, ) is a long river in central
Greiz
Greiz () is a town in the state of Thuringia, Germany, and is the capital of the district of Greiz. Greiz is situated in eastern Thuringia, east of state capital Jena, on the river ''White Elster''.
Greiz has a large park in its center (Fürstl ...
(upstream) and Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
(downstream). Gera is located in the Central German Metropolitan Region
The Central German Metropolitan Region (german: Metropolregion Mitteldeutschland) is one of the officially established metropolitan regions in Germany. It is centered on the major cities of Leipzig and Halle, extending over Central German parts ...
, approximately south of Saxony's largest city of Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, east of Thuringia's capital Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
, west of Saxony's capital Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
and 90 km (56 miles) north of Bavaria's city of Hof (Saale)
Hof () is a town on the banks of the Saale in the northeastern corner of the German state of Bavaria, in the Franconian region, at the Czech border and the forested Fichtelgebirge and Frankenwald upland regions.
The town has 47,296 inhabitants, th ...
.
First mentioned in 995 and developing into a city during the 13th century, Gera has historical significance as being one of the main residences of the Ducal House of Reuss
Reuss (german: Reuß , ) was the name of several historical states located in present-day Thuringia, Germany. Several lordships of the Holy Roman Empire which arose after 1300 and became Imperial Counties from 1673 and Imperial Principalities in ...
and subsequently the capital of the Principality of Reuss-Gera
The Principality of Reuss-Gera (german: Fürstentum Reuß-Gera), called the Principality of the Reuss Junior Line (german: Fürstentum Reuß jüngerer Linie) after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of Re ...
(1848-1918) and of the People's State of Reuss
The People's State of Reuss (german: Volksstaat Reuß) was a short-lived state in what is now Thuringia. The state was formed on 4 April 1919 after the reigning princes of the two Reuss principalities abdicated and elections were held in both ...
(1918-1920), one of the many microstates the Thuringian region consisted of, before they were unified to form Thuringia in 1920.
Over the 19th century, Gera became a centre of the textile industry and saw a period of rapid growth. In 1952, the city also became an administrative centre in GDR
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
as one of the capitals of Gera administrative district (Bezirk). In 1990, Gera became part of re-established Thuringia. The loss of its administrative functions as well as its industrial core (caused both by structural change among the European textile industry and the economic system change after the German reunification) precipitated the city's slide into an enduring economic crisis.
Since 1990, many of Gera's buildings have been restored and big urban planning programmes like the Bundesgartenschau
The Bundesgartenschau BUGA is a biennial federal horticulture show in Germany. It also covers topics like landscaping. Taking place in different cities, the location changes in a two-year cycle.
BUGA cities
*1951 – Hannover
*1953 – Hamburg
...
2007 were implemented to stimulate Gera's economy. Sights include some retained buildings of the royal residence epoque and many public and private buildings from the economic heyday between 1870 and 1930. The famous painter Otto Dix
Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix (; 2 December 1891 – 25 July 1969) was a German painter and printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of German society during the Weimar Republic and the brutality of war. Along with Geor ...
was born in Gera in 1891.
History
Middle Ages
The place name ''Gera'' originally referred to the area of the Elster river valley where the city stands now. The name most likely originated before the EuropeanMigration Period
The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...
– the people who first settled the area during the 8th century adopted the name. The first known documentary mention of Gera dates from 995.
In 999 Emperor Otto III
Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu.
Otto III was crowned as King of ...
assigned the "province" of Gera to the Quedlinburg Abbey
Quedlinburg Abbey (german: Stift Quedlinburg or ) was a house of secular canonesses ''( Frauenstift)'' in Quedlinburg in what is now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was founded in 936 on the initiative of Saint Mathilda, the widow of the East Frankis ...
. In turn, the church assigned the protectorship of this area in 1209 to the Vogt
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
s of Weida (in German: ''Vögte von Weida'') who served as its administrators. The Vogts of Weida were the ancestors of the Reussians, who ruled Gera until 1918. Gera was first mentioned as a town in 1237, though it is unclear in which year Gera got the municipal law. The small town got circumvallated in the 13th century on an area of 350 x 350 m and the Vogts' city castle was built in the south-western corner at today's Burgstraße. A municipal seal was first used in 1350, the council was first named in 1360 and the town hall was mentioned in 1426. The abbess of Quedlinburg remained the formal sovereign of Gera until 1358, as the Wettins followed her up. The Vogt's couldn't emancipate themselves from Wettin rule. In 1450, Gera was almost totally destroyed during the Saxon Fratricidal War
The Saxon Fratricidal WarThis translation is employed by the Museum Leuchtenburg in thei (German: ''Sächsischer Bruderkrieg'') was a war fought between the two brothers Frederick II, Elector of Saxony and Duke William III over Wettin ruled area ...
, but it could recuperate quick because the starting textile manufacture brought wealth to the town.
Early modern period
The Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
was introduced in Gera in 1533 against the will of the Vogts by the Wettins. After the Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War (german: link=no, Schmalkaldischer Krieg) was the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire (simultaneously King Charles I of Spain), commanded by the Duk ...
in 1546, the Wettins lost Gera to the Bohemian Crown
The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were a number of incorporated states in Central Europe during the medieval and early modern periods connected by feudal relations under the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the Kingdom of Bo ...
, who however had no influence on the city, so that the Vogts resp. the Reussians (which arose from the Vogts in the mid-16th century) as indeed rulers were strengthened. During the 16th century, some cloth-makers from the Spanish Netherlands
Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the Ha ...
migrated to Gera as religious refugees at Count Henry's invitation and raised the textile business in Gera. In the 18th century, there was a first peak in this industry (Putting-out system
The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...
), which can be seen today at the large agents houses.
In 1673, the Reussians were raised to Imperial Count
Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...
s which granted them full sovereignty within the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
; Gera became their royal residence. In 1686 and 1780, big town fires destroyed most buildings in Gera. The town was rebuilt relatively uniform during the 1780s in late-Baroque style, which marks the inner city until today.
In 1806 Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
established his Imperial Headquarters at Gera during the War of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, s ...
. From here, on October 12, 1806, the French Emperor purposely sent an arrogant and threatening letter to King Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...
– a letter that enticed Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
to war and a crushing defeat at the Battle of Jena
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
a few days later.
Since 1815
The Gera line of Reussians died out in 1802, so that it had no royal residence until the new one moved there from Schleiz
Schleiz is a town in the district of Saale-Orla-Kreis in Thuringia, Germany. The former municipality Crispendorf was merged into Schleiz in January 2019, and Burgk in December 2019.
Location
Schleiz is in the Thuringian Vogtland area, an ar ...
in 1848. From 1848 to 1918 Gera served as the capital of the Principality of Reuss-Gera
The Principality of Reuss-Gera (german: Fürstentum Reuß-Gera), called the Principality of the Reuss Junior Line (german: Fürstentum Reuß jüngerer Linie) after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of Re ...
. With the industrial revolution in the mid-19th century, Gera grew rapidly, due largely to its textile industry, which saw the first Power loom
A power loom is a mechanized loom, and was one of the key developments in the industrialization of weaving during the early Industrial Revolution. The first power loom was designed in 1786 by Edmund Cartwright and first built that same year. ...
installed in 1836. In 1859, Gera was first connected by railway to Halle via Zeitz
Zeitz ( hsb, Žič) is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.
History
Zeitz was first recorded und ...
and Weißenfels
Weißenfels (; often written in English as Weissenfels) is the largest town of the Burgenlandkreis district, in southern Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, approximately south of Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Halle.
His ...
. During the following decades, rail lines in all directions made Gera to a transport hub, and the town kept growing. The second electric tram in Germany was installed in Gera in 1892.
After World War I, during the German Revolution of 1918–19
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, the prince of Reuss was forced to abdicate and as the resultant "Republic of Reuss
The People's State of Reuss (german: Volksstaat Reuß) was a short-lived state in what is now Thuringia. The state was formed on 4 April 1919 after the reigning princes of the two Reuss principalities abdicated and elections were held in both ...
" joined the newly founded state of Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
in 1920. After the incorporation of some suburbs in the 1910s and 1920s Gera, with some 80,000 inhabitants, was the largest city in Thuringia, although the more centrally located Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
became its capital.
After the Nazi takeover of Germany, the Jewish community of Gera was destroyed, the synagogue burnt down in the Kristallnacht
() or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...
in 1938 and the city's Jews emigrated or were murdered in concentration camps
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
. A month before the end of World War II, on 6 April 1945, U.S. bombing destroyed parts of the city and killed 514 residents. Some 300 buildings were hit, including the Osterstein castle and several historic buildings in city centre, many of which weren't rebuilt after the war. U.S. forces occupied Gera on 14 April 1945 but were replaced by the Soviets on 1 July 1945.
Gera became part of the GDR
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
in 1949 and was a flash point in the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
The East German uprising of 1953 (german: Volksaufstand vom 17. Juni 1953 ) was an uprising that occurred in East Germany from 16 to 17 June 1953. It began with a strike action by construction workers in East Berlin on 16 June against w ...
as thousands of workers – among them many employees of the Soviet-established Wismut uranium mining
Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. Over 50 thousand tons of uranium were produced in 2019. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia were the top three uranium producers, respectively, and together account f ...
entity in the nearby Ore Mountains (''Erzgebirge'') – demanded higher wages and free elections. The demonstrations were put down by Soviet military forces, including armored units.
With governmental reorganization in East Germany, the city became the capital of the newly created District of Gera in 1952. The population rose during the GDR period, and massive ''Plattenbau
(plural: , german: Platte + Bau, lit=panel/slab' + 'building/ construction) is a building constructed of large, prefabrication, prefabricated concrete slabs. The word is a compound of (in this context: panel) and (building). Such buildings ...
'' prefabricated apartment blocks, built throughout East Germany, were constructed in Gera.
After German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
in 1990, Gera became part of the restored state of Thuringia. However, Gera lost most of its administrative functions after reunification, and nearly all the city's factories were closed. This led to a continuing economic crisis with significant unemployment, and the city's population declined from 135,000 in 1990 to less than 100,000 a decade later.
The city hosted the Bundesgartenschau
The Bundesgartenschau BUGA is a biennial federal horticulture show in Germany. It also covers topics like landscaping. Taking place in different cities, the location changes in a two-year cycle.
BUGA cities
*1951 – Hannover
*1953 – Hamburg
...
(federal horticultural exhibition) in 2007.
Geography and demographics
Topography
Gera is located in a smooth-hilly landscape in eastern Thuringia at theWhite Elster
The White Elster
Accessed on 16 Jan 2011. (, ) is a long river in central
Final Revised Paper
'' Summers are warm and sometimes humid, winters are relatively cold. The city's topography creates a microclimate caused through the basin position with sometimes
Gera abuts the following municipalities:
* in the
During the centuries, Gera has been a quite small town of 2,000 inhabitants. As the textile business saw a first peak, the population rose to 7,000 in 1800 and further to 17,000 after the early stage of industrialisation in 1870. Gera's heyday between 1870 and 1930 led to a demographic boom with a population of 83,000 at the end of this phase in 1930. In 1950, Gera had 98,000 inhabitants and the all-time peak was reached in 1988 with a population of 135,000. After the German reunification in 1990, the city saw a significant decline in population, despite the large incorporations of 1994. The population shrunk to 113,000 in 2000 and 95,000 in 2012.
The average decrease of population between 2009 and 2012 was approximately 0.55% p. a, whereas the population in bordering rural regions is shrinking with accelerating tendency.
File:Orangerie in Gera.jpg, Orangerie
File:Gera - Otto Dix Haus.jpg, Otto Dix House
File:Gera - Ferbersches Haus.JPG, Museum for Applied Arts
File:Gera - Schreibersches Haus 2009.jpg, Natural History Museum
File:Stadtmuseum Gera.JPG, City museum
File:Villa Schulenburg Gera.JPG, Schulenburg House
File:Friedrich engels strasse gera.jpg, ''Gründerzeit'' architecture at Friedrich Engels Street
File:Villa eichenberg gera.JPG, Villa Eichenberg
File:Villa hirsch gera.jpg, Villa Hirsch
File:Buga07 VillaJahr.JPG, Villa Jahr (1905–1907)
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1990-0327-315, Gera, Rundfunkgebäude.jpg, Meyer House (1927)
File:Gera Privatklinik Schäfer.jpg, Former Schäfer Hospital, Bauhaus style (1929)
File:Gera - Salvatorkirche.jpg, St. Saviour's Church
File:Trinitatiskirche Gera.jpg, Trinity Church
File:Gera - Johanniskirche.jpg, St. John's Church
File:Gera Untermhaus St. Marienkirche (2007).JPG, St. Mary's Church
File:Zwötzen, Kirche.JPG, St. Martin's Church
File:Kirche-Langenberg.jpg, Fourteen Holy Helpers Church
The ''Stadttheater'' (city theatre) at Küchengartenallee is the former royal Reussian theatre, built in 1902 by
File:Gera Rathaus 2008-2.JPG, Town hall
File:Gera Theater (2007).JPG, Theatre
File:Luftaufnahme der Göttin Genius von links (Theater Gera).jpg, Statue of Genius on the theatre roof
File:Gera - Stadtapotheke 2009.jpg, City Pharmacy
File:Gera Orangerie (2007).jpg, Orangerie at Küchengarten
File:Gera - Schloss Tinz.jpg, Tinz Castle
File:Luftaufnahme Schloss Osterstein (Gera) – Draufsicht.jpg, Remains of Osterstein Castle
File:Gera Osterstein Bergfried.JPG, Tower of Osterstein Castle
File:Gera - Stadtmauer.JPG, City wall
File:Ferberturm Gera.jpg, Ferber's Tower
File:Sinfonieorchester Kiew im Hofwiesenpark Gera.jpg, Veolia Stage in Hofwiesenpark
Agriculture has some importance in the rural districts of Gera, especially in the northern and eastern city parts. Approximately 57% of the municipal territory is in agricultural use: growing maize, rapeseed and crops as well as pasturing cattle.
The city's economy features industrial machinery (Dagro Gera GmbH), communications (DTKS GmbH,
Since the late 19th century, Gera has been a hub in the railway network. The first railway ran to the
Accessed on 16 Jan 2011. (, ) is a long river in central
Thuringian Highland
The Thuringian Highland, Thuringian Highlands or Thuringian-Vogtlandian Slate MountainsKohl, Horst; Marcinek, Joachim and Nitz, Bernhard (1986). ''Geography of the German Democratic Republic'', VEB Hermann Haack, Gotha, p. 7 ff. . (german: Thüring ...
approx. in the south-west, the Ore Mountains approx. in the south-east and the Leipzig Bay
The Leipzig BayDickinson (1964), p. 29.above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
for the city appears as when measured at the market place.
Small tributaries of the White Elster river within the borders of Gera are the ''Erlbach'' on the western side and the ''Wipsenbach'', ''Gessenbach'' and ''Brahme'' on the eastern side.
Climate
Gera has ahumid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(Dfb) or an oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
(''Cfb'') according to the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system. ''(directFinal Revised Paper
'' Summers are warm and sometimes humid, winters are relatively cold. The city's topography creates a microclimate caused through the basin position with sometimes
inversion
Inversion or inversions may refer to:
Arts
* , a French gay magazine (1924/1925)
* ''Inversion'' (artwork), a 2005 temporary sculpture in Houston, Texas
* Inversion (music), a term with various meanings in music theory and musical set theory
* ...
in winter (quite cold nights under ) and heat and inadequate air circulation in summer. Annual precipitation is only with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Light snowfall mainly occurs from December through February, but snow cover does not usually remain for long.
Administrative division
Gera abuts the following municipalities:
* in the Burgenlandkreis
Burgenlandkreis is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Its area is .
History
The district was established as Landkreis Burgenland by the merger of the former Burgenlandkreis and Landkreis Weißenfels as part of the reform of 2007. On 16 ...
district in the north: Wetterzeube
Wetterzeube is a municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. On 1 January 2010 it absorbed the former municipalities Breitenbach and Haynsburg
Haynsburg is a village and a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis ...
and Gutenborn
Gutenborn is a municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was formed on 1 January 2010 by the merger of the former municipalities Bergisdorf, Droßdorf, Heuckewalde and Schellbach.Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...
* in the Greiz
Greiz () is a town in the state of Thuringia, Germany, and is the capital of the district of Greiz. Greiz is situated in eastern Thuringia, east of state capital Jena, on the river ''White Elster''.
Greiz has a large park in its center (Fürstl ...
district in the east: Pölzig
Pölzig is a municipality in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the ...
, Hirschfeld, Brahmenau
Brahmenau is a municipality in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and t ...
, Schwaara
Schwaara is a municipality in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany. The town is member of the municipal association Am Brahmetal Am Brahmetal is a ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Greiz, in Thur ...
, Korbußen
Korbußen is a municipality in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and t ...
, Ronneburg, Kauern
Kauern is a German municipality in the Thuringian Landkreis of Greiz. It belongs to the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Wünschendorf/Elster.
Geography
Neighboring municipalities
Communities near Kauern are Hilbersdorf and Ronneburg in the Landkrei ...
, Hilbersdorf
Hilbersdorf is a German municipality in the Thuringian district of Greiz. It belongs to the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Wünschendorf/Elster and lies in upper Wipsetal.
Geography
From Hilbersdorf, one can reach Gera, Linda bei Weida, and Ronnebu ...
and Linda
Linda may refer to:
As a name
* Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named)
* Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer
* Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...
; in the south: Endschütz
Endschütz is a German municipality in the Thuringian district of Greiz. It belongs to the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Ländereck.
Geography
Neighboring municipalities
Communities near Endschütz include the City of Berga (Elster), Linda bei We ...
, Wünschendorf, Zedlitz
Zedlitz is a municipality in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany. The town has a municipal association with Münchenbernsdorf
Münchenbernsdorf is a town in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated approximately ...
and Hundhaupten; in the west: Saara Saara may refer to:
Places
* Saara, Estonia, a village in Lääne-Viru County, Estonia
* Saara, Greiz, a municipality in Thuringia, Germany
* Saara, Altenburger Land, a municipality in Thuringia, Germany
Other
* ''Saara'' (lizard), a genus of l ...
, Kraftsdorf
Kraftsdorf is a municipality in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and t ...
, Hartmannsdorf and Bad Köstritz
Bad Köstritz is a town in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the White Elster river, 7 km northwest of Gera. Bad Köstritz is known for the Köstritzer brewery and its Schwarzbier (black beer).
History
The ...
* in the Saale-Holzland
Saale-Holzland (official German language, German name: Saale-Holzland-Kreis) is a ''Kreis'' (Districts of Germany, district) in the east of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the district Burgenlandkreis in Sa ...
district: Silbitz
Silbitz is a municipality in the district Saale-Holzland, in Thuringia, Germany.
References
Municipalities in Thuringia
Saale-Holzland-Kreis
{{SaaleHolzland-geo-stub ...
in the north-west.
Gera is divided in different ways. Historically, there are more than 60 villages in the densely settled Elster valley area belonging to Gera today. The actual division knows on the one hand statistical districts and on the other hand political districts. The 12 statistical districts are covering the whole city area and consist of (sometimes) several political districts, urban quarters and/or rural villages. The 16 political districts are covering only few parts of Gera, but not the central urban areas, instead usually rural districts got incorporated during the second half of the 20th century. Each political district can (but doesn't have to) consist of more than one village. Each political district elects an own district council and a district mayor, whereas the statistical districts don't have any political function.
The main urban quarters are the city centre, Untermhaus (incorporated 1919) in the west, Langenberg (1950), Tinz (1919) and Bieblach (1905) in the north, Leumnitz (1919) in the east, Pforten (1919) and Zwötzen (1919) in the south-east as well as Debschwitz (1912) and Lusan (1919) in the south-west.
Demographics
During the centuries, Gera has been a quite small town of 2,000 inhabitants. As the textile business saw a first peak, the population rose to 7,000 in 1800 and further to 17,000 after the early stage of industrialisation in 1870. Gera's heyday between 1870 and 1930 led to a demographic boom with a population of 83,000 at the end of this phase in 1930. In 1950, Gera had 98,000 inhabitants and the all-time peak was reached in 1988 with a population of 135,000. After the German reunification in 1990, the city saw a significant decline in population, despite the large incorporations of 1994. The population shrunk to 113,000 in 2000 and 95,000 in 2012.
The average decrease of population between 2009 and 2012 was approximately 0.55% p. a, whereas the population in bordering rural regions is shrinking with accelerating tendency. Suburbanization
Suburbanization is a population shift from central urban areas into suburbs, resulting in the formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence of the movement of households and businesses out of the city centers, low-density, peripheral urba ...
played only a small role in Gera. It occurred after the reunification for a short time in the 1990s, but most of the suburban areas were situated within the administrative city borders. During the 1990s and the 2000s, many inhabitants left Gera to search a better life in west Germany or other major east German cities like Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
or Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
. Since 2010, emigration is no big issue anymore. Now, the birth deficit, caused by the high average age of the population, is getting a bigger problem because the immigration isn't sufficient to compensate it yet. Despite urban planning activities to tear down unused flats, vacancy is still a problem with rates around 12% (according to 2011 EU census). A positive side effect for the inhabitants is that Gera has one of the lowest rent levels in Germany.
The birth deficit was 715 in 2012, this is -7.5 per 1,000 inhabitants (Thuringian average: -4.5; national average: -2.4). The net migration rate was +3.6 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 (Thuringian average: -0.8; national average: +4.6). The most important regions of origin of Gera migrants are bordering rural areas of Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...
and Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
as well as foreign countries like Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria.
Like other eastern German cities, Gera has only a small amount of foreign population: circa 1.6% are non-Germans by citizenship and overall 5.0% are migrants (according to 2011 EU census 2011 EU census, or EU population and housing census 2011 was an EU-wide census in 2011 in all EU member states.
2011 EU member state censuses
{, class="wikitable sortable"
! Country
! Dedicated article
! Related articles
, -
, Austria , , , , ...
). Differing from the national average, the biggest groups of migrants in Gera are Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
, Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people ( vi, người Việt, lit=Viet people) or Kinh people ( vi, người Kinh) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and Dongxing, Guangxi, Southern China (Jing Islands, Dongxing, Guangxi ...
and Ukrainians
Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian. The majority ...
. During recent years, the economic situation of the city improved a bit: the unemployment rate declined from 22% in 2005 to 11% in 2013, which is still the highest one out of all Thuringian districts. Due to the official atheism in former GDR
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, most of the population is non-religious. 9.8% are members of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany
The Evangelical Church in Central Germany (German: ''Evangelische Kirche in Mitteldeutschland''; ''EKM'') is a United church body covering most of the German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia and some adjacent areas in Brandenburg and Saxony.
...
and 2.6% are Catholics (according to 2011 EU census) making one of the world's lowest amounts of religious people.
Culture, sights and cityscape
Museums
There are some museums in Gera: * The ''Orangerie'' at Orangerieplatz hosts an exhibition of art from the Middle Ages to the contemporary period. * The ''Otto-Dix-Haus'' (“Otto Dix House”) at Mohrenplatz 4, birthplace and childhood home of the famous artistOtto Dix
Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix (; 2 December 1891 – 25 July 1969) was a German painter and printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of German society during the Weimar Republic and the brutality of war. Along with Geor ...
, has a collection of his drawings, prints, paintings and childhood sketch books, and an exhibition about his life.
* The ''Museum für Angewandte Kunst'' (Museum for Applied Arts) at Greizer Straße shows 20th century contemporary art (inside "Ferber House"). It displays collections of Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
ceramics by the artists Otto Lindig
Otto Lindig (4 January 1895, in Pößneck – 4 July 1966, in Wiesbaden) was a German master potter who was a student and later a workshop manager at the famous Bauhaus art school in Weimar, Germany.
Background
Lindig was born in Pößneck, Ger ...
und Theodor Bogler; architectural works of Thilo Schoder; and photographs by Aenne Biermann
Aenne Biermann (March 8, 1898 – January 14, 1933), born Anna Sibilla Sternfeld, was a German photographer of Ashkenazi origin. She was one of the major proponents of New Objectivity, a significant art movement that developed in Germany in the ...
.
* The ''Museum für Naturkunde'' (Natural History Museum) at Nicolaiberg hosts a natural history exhibition (inside the "Schreiber House", the oldest building in the city), with its adjacent botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
, the Botanischer Garten Gera
The Botanischer Garten Gera (0.7 hectares), also known as the Botanischer Garten der Museum für Naturkunde Gera, is a botanical garden located on the grounds of the ''Museum für Naturkunde der Stadt Gera'' at Nicolaistrasse 6, Gera, Thuringia, G ...
* The ''Stadtmuseum'' (city museum) at Museumsplatz shows an exhibition of Gera's municipal history.
* The ''Haus Schulenburg'' (Schulenburg House) at Straße des Friedens is a factory owner's mansion, built in 1913/14 by the famous architect Henry van de Velde
Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium.'' ...
. It hosts topical furniture and decoration and can be visited.
Image gallery
Cityscape
Like its western neighbour-cityJena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
, Gera is a protracted city along a wide valley in south-northern direction. The historic city centre is quite small and located between Sorge in the north, Nicolaistraße in the east, Stadtgraben in the south and Reichsstraße in the west. It survived World War II, but during the 1960s and 1970s, the GDR government demolished larger inner-city areas to rebuild them with modern concrete architecture, which marks the view of Gera's centre, particularly in the north-west until today. Between 1870 and 1930, the city was largely extended in all directions. As distinct from other German cities, there is no citywide spatial separation between the worker's quarters and the upper-class mansion districts, instead, the mansions and the tenements are situated near to each other, spread over all the districts. The hilly areas and those next to the river and the parks are more upscale, whereas the areas next to the railway and the factories are more working-class styled. Nevertheless, the ''Gründerzeit
(; "founders' period") was the economic phase in 19th-century Germany and Austria before the great stock market crash of 1873. In Central Europe, the age of industrialisation had been taking place since the 1840s. That period is not precisely ...
'' architecture is quite diverse and interesting in Gera. Most buildings were extensively refurbished after 1990. Especially Gera's mansion architecture from the 1900s and 1910s is unique. The 1920s brought some modern-style ''Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
'' buildings to the then rich city. During the GDR period, urban growth was handled by establishing big ''Plattenbau
(plural: , german: Platte + Bau, lit=panel/slab' + 'building/ construction) is a building constructed of large, prefabrication, prefabricated concrete slabs. The word is a compound of (in this context: panel) and (building). Such buildings ...
'' settlements on the city's periphery, like the Lusan district in south and the Bieblach district in north.
Image gallery
Sights and architectural heritage
Churches
* The ''St. Saviour's Church'' at Nicolaiberg is the evangelical main church of Gera, built between 1717 and 1720 byDavid Schatz
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
in Baroque style.
* The ''Trinity Church'' at Heinrichstraße is an evangelical parish church (since 1886), built between 1609 and 1611 as cemetery church.
* The ''St. John's Church'' at Clara-Zetkin-Straße is an evangelical parish church, built between 1881 and 1885 in neo-Gothic style.
* The ''St. Mary's Church'' at Untermhaus district is the evangelical parish church of the former village Untermhaus, built around 1450.
* The ''St. Elizabeth's Church'' at Kleiststraße is the catholic parish church of Gera, built in 2000 in modern style as one of only few bigger new churches in Thuringia after 1990.
* The ''St. Martin's Church'' at Zwötzen district is an evangelical parish church, built in 1895 in neo-Gothic style.
* The ''Fourteen Holy Helpers Church'' at Langenberg district is an evangelical parish church, was rebuilt during the 1750s.
Image gallery
Other sights
* The ''town hall'' at Marktplatz (market square) is one of the biggest Renaissance town halls in Germany with a nearly 60 m high tower, built between 1573 and 1576. The Marktplatz itself forms a good ensemble of 18th century patricians houses in late-Baroque style. *The ''Stadttheater'' (city theatre) at Küchengartenallee is the former royal Reussian theatre, built in 1902 by Heinrich Seeling
Heinrich Seeling (1 October 1852 – 15 February 1932) was a German architect.
Life
He was born the son of a bricklayer in the Thuringian town of Zeulenroda, then part of the sovereign Principality of Reuss within the German Confederation. Seeli ...
in neo-Baroque style.
* The ''Stadtapotheke'' (city pharmacy) is a Renaissance building at Marktplatz with a beautiful bay, established in 1592.
* The ''Küchengarten'' (literally “Kitchen Garden”) with the ''Orangerie'' is a park ensemble west of the city centre, established in 1732 by the Reussians.
* The ''Höhler'' is a cellar system under the city centre with a length of approx. , established in 17th and 18th century for storing beer. A part can be visited via an entrance at Nicolaiberg 3.
* The ''Schloss Tinz'' (Tinz Castle) was the royal summer residence of the Reussians, built in 1748 in Baroque style with a surrounding park.
* The ''Schloss Osterstein'' (Osterstein Castle) was the main royal residence of the Reussians, built during the 16th century in Renaissance style. It was hit by bombs in 1945 and partially demolished in 1962. Only the tower remained.
* The ''city wall'' was demolished in the 19th century, only a small part at Stadtgraben remained.
Image gallery
Economy and infrastructure
Basic economic data
In 2022, 22544 people were employed full-time in Gera with a median salary of EUR 2,595.34. The median wage in Gera is 10% lower compared to eastern Germany.Agriculture, industry and services
Agriculture has some importance in the rural districts of Gera, especially in the northern and eastern city parts. Approximately 57% of the municipal territory is in agricultural use: growing maize, rapeseed and crops as well as pasturing cattle.
The city's economy features industrial machinery (Dagro Gera GmbH), communications (DTKS GmbH, Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG (; short form often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a German telecommunications company that is headquartered in Bonn and is the largest telecommunications provider in Europe by revenue. Deutsche Telekom was ...
), security locks (Schloßsicherungen Gera GmbH), optics (POG Präzisionsoptik Gera GmbH), electrical equipment (Electronicon Kondensatoren GmbH), and margarine manufacturing (Othüna). Other companies include a compressor manufacturer (Kompressorenwerk Kaeser), a precision-tool maker (SMK-Präzisionsmechanik), and a subsidiary of the construction company Max Bögl. The e-commerce service-provider D+S Europe has a service centre in Gera with several hundred workers, and Rittal, a manufacturer of information-technology enclosures, moved from Bad Köstritz to Gera. Some industrial branches operating before 1990 no longer have major importance. Sectors either no longer existing or sharply reduced include those in toolmaking ( VEB Wema Union), textiles (VEB Modedruck), textile machinery (VEB Textima), electronic equipment (VEB Elektronik Gera). Other industries that had a presence included VEB Carl Zeiss Jena and a brewery. One important industrial branch had been uranium-ore mining in nearby Ronneburg ( Wismut), whereby the region became the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
's leading uranium supplier. In 2012 Gera had 41 companies with more than 20 workers in the industrial sector, employing 3,400 people and generating an overall turnover of €452 million.
Gera is a supra-centre according to the Central Place Theory
Central place theory is an urban geographical theory that seeks to explain the number, size and range of market services in a commercial system or human settlements in a residential system.Goodall, B. (1987) The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geo ...
in German regional planning. This makes the city a regional centre for retailing, with three major shopping centres: ''Gera-Arcaden'', ''Amthor-Passage'' and ''Elster-Forum''. Health services are important, with one of the biggest hospitals in Thuringia, the SRH Waldklinikum. Nevertheless, Gera's economy is weak compared to equal-sized neighbouring cities like Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
or Zwickau
Zwickau (; is, with around 87,500 inhabitants (2020), the fourth-largest city of Saxony after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz and it is the seat of the Zwickau District. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ' ...
. While Jena counts 51,000 and Zwickau 50,000 jobs liable to pay into the German social insurance, Gera had only 35,000 of those full-time jobs in 2012. The commuter balance was +14,000 in Jena and +16,000 in Zwickau, but only +2,000 in Gera, which is one of the lowest ratios among German supra-centres, highlighting the lack of ability of Gera to provide jobs for the region. The unemployment rate reached 11.2% in September 2013 - the highest among all Thuringian districts.
Transport
By rail
Since the late 19th century, Gera has been a hub in the railway network. The first railway ran to the Thuringian Railway
Thuringian is an East Central German dialect group spoken in much of the modern German Free State of Thuringia north of the Rennsteig ridge, southwestern Saxony-Anhalt and adjacent territories of Hesse and Bavaria. It is close to Upper Saxon sp ...
in Weißenfels
Weißenfels (; often written in English as Weissenfels) is the largest town of the Burgenlandkreis district, in southern Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, approximately south of Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Halle.
His ...
(with connection to Halle) via Zeitz
Zeitz ( hsb, Žič) is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.
History
Zeitz was first recorded und ...
in 1859. Further main lines were opened to Gößnitz
Gößnitz () is a town in the Altenburger Land district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Pleiße, 12 km south of Altenburg, and 20 km northwest of Zwickau
Zwickau (; is, with around 87,500 inhabitants (2020), th ...
(with connection to Chemnitz
Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...
) in 1865, to Saalfeld
Saalfeld (german: Saalfeld/Saale) is a town in Germany, capital of the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia. It is best known internationally as the ancestral seat of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha branch of the S ...
in 1871, to Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
(via Zeitz) in 1873, to Plauen
Plauen (; Czech language, Czech: ''Plavno'') is, with around 65,000 inhabitants, the fifth-largest city of Saxony, Germany after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the larges ...
in 1875, to Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
(with connection to Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
) via Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
in 1876 and to Hof in 1883. The secondary railways to Werdau
Werdau () is a town in Germany, part of the Landkreis Zwickau in Saxony. It is situated on the river Pleiße, 8 km from Zwickau.
The town was mentioned as early as 1304, and in 1398 it was purchased by Frederick, then margrave of Meissen, ...
(opened in 1876) and Meuselwitz
Meuselwitz () is a town in the Altenburger Land district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 12 km northwest of Altenburg and 11 km east of Zeitz.
History
During World War II, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp operated ...
(opened via Pölzig
Pölzig is a municipality in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the ...
in 1901 and via Lumpzig
Lumpzig is a village and a former municipality in the district Altenburger Land, in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town Schmölln.
References
Altenburger Land
Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg
Former municipalities in ...
in 1887) are abandoned. Nevertheless, none of these lines are electrified or in use for long-distance trains. Today, there are regional express trains to Göttingen
Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...
via Jena and Erfurt, to Leipzig via Zeitz, to Altenburg
Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...
, Glauchau
Glauchau (; hsb, Hłuchow) is a town in the German federal state of Saxony, on the right bank of the Mulde, 7 miles north of Zwickau and 17 miles west of Chemnitz by rail ( its train station is on the Dresden–Werdau line). It is part of the ...
and Zwickau
Zwickau (; is, with around 87,500 inhabitants (2020), the fourth-largest city of Saxony after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz and it is the seat of the Zwickau District. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ' ...
via the Gößnitz line, to Greiz
Greiz () is a town in the state of Thuringia, Germany, and is the capital of the district of Greiz. Greiz is situated in eastern Thuringia, east of state capital Jena, on the river ''White Elster''.
Greiz has a large park in its center (Fürstl ...
, to Hof and to Saalfeld. Local trains provide connections to Weimar via Jena, Leipzig, Weischlitz
Weischlitz is a municipality in the Vogtlandkreis district, in Saxony, Germany. It absorbed the former municipalities Kloschwitz and Kürbitz in 1999, Burgstein in 2011, and Reuth in 2017.Gera main station'' (former Prussian station), where all the trains stop, and the ''Gera southern station'' (former Saxonian station), where all the trains, except the local ones to Weimar, stop. More stations in Gera are ''Langenberg'' at the Leipzig line, ''Zwötzen'' at the Saalfeld and Hof line as well as ''Gera Ost'' and ''Liebschwitz'' at the Plauen line. Freight transport by rail is immaterial in Gera since the 1990s.
By road
The two Autobahnen crossing each other nearby at ''Hermsdorf junction'' are theBundesautobahn 4
is an autobahn that crosses Germany in a west–east direction. The western segment has a length of , the part in the east is long. Works to continue the A 4 are in progress, but currently no plans exist to fill the gap completely.
T ...
(Frankfurt–Dresden) and the Bundesautobahn 9
is an autobahn in Germany, connecting Berlin and Munich via Leipzig and Nuremberg. It is the fifth longest autobahn spanning .
Route
The northern terminus of the A 9 is at the Potsdam interchange, where it merges into the A 10, ...
(Berlin–Munich), which were both built during the 1930s. Furthermore, there are three Bundesstraße
''Bundesstraße'' (German for "federal highway"), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.
Germany
Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km.
German ''Bundesstraßen'' ...
n connecting Gera: the Bundesstraße 2
The Bundesstraße 2 (abbr. B2) is Germany's longest federal highway, running some 1000 kilometres from the Polish border near Gartz to the Austrian border near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. From north to south; it passes through major cities such as ...
to Zeitz
Zeitz ( hsb, Žič) is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.
History
Zeitz was first recorded und ...
in the north and Hof in the south, the Bundesstraße 7
The Bundesstraße 7 (abbr. B7) is a German federal highway (Bundesstraße) that stretches from the Dutch border at Venlo in the West to Rochlitz near Chemnitz in the East. It is approximately long. Because of its western origin some stretches of ...
to Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
(via Eisenberg) in the west and to Altenburg
Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...
in the east and the Bundesstraße 92 to Plauen
Plauen (; Czech language, Czech: ''Plavno'') is, with around 65,000 inhabitants, the fifth-largest city of Saxony, Germany after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the larges ...
(via Greiz
Greiz () is a town in the state of Thuringia, Germany, and is the capital of the district of Greiz. Greiz is situated in eastern Thuringia, east of state capital Jena, on the river ''White Elster''.
Greiz has a large park in its center (Fürstl ...
) in the south. Important secondary roads run to Altenburg (via Lumpzig
Lumpzig is a village and a former municipality in the district Altenburger Land, in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town Schmölln.
References
Altenburger Land
Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg
Former municipalities in ...
), to Werdau
Werdau () is a town in Germany, part of the Landkreis Zwickau in Saxony. It is situated on the river Pleiße, 8 km from Zwickau.
The town was mentioned as early as 1304, and in 1398 it was purchased by Frederick, then margrave of Meissen, ...
(via Linda
Linda may refer to:
As a name
* Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named)
* Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer
* Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...
), to Wünschendorf, to Stadtroda
Stadtroda (Roda until 1925) is a town of 6,653 people (2017), located in Thuringia, Germany. Stadtroda lies on the river Roda, a tributary of the Saale. The former municipalities Bollberg and Quirla were merged into Stadtroda in January 2019.
...
and to Hermsdorf. As part of the Bundesgartenschau
The Bundesgartenschau BUGA is a biennial federal horticulture show in Germany. It also covers topics like landscaping. Taking place in different cities, the location changes in a two-year cycle.
BUGA cities
*1951 – Hannover
*1953 – Hamburg
...
2007, a new bypass road was built in the east to improve the connection of southern city parts to the A 4 and to relieve the city centre from transit traffic.
By aviation
The closest regional airports are theLeipzig/Halle Airport
Leipzig/Halle Airport (German: ''Flughafen Leipzig/Halle'') is an international airport located in Schkeuditz, Saxony, Germany and serves both Leipzig, Saxony, and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt.
It is Germany's 14th largest airport by passengers and ...
, about north and the Erfurt-Weimar Airport, about west of Gera. Both serve mainly holiday flights. The nearest major airports are the Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport (; german: link=no, Flughafen Frankfurt Main , also known as ''Rhein-Main-Flughafen'') is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres ...
, the Munich Airport
Munich International Airport- Franz Josef Strauß (german: link=no, Flughafen München) is an international airport serving Munich and Upper Bavaria. It is the second-busiest airport in Germany in terms of passenger traffic after Frankfurt A ...
and the prospective Berlin Brandenburg Airport
Berlin Brandenburg Airport ''Willy Brandt'' (german: Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg "Willy Brandt", , ) is an international airport in Schönefeld, just south of the Germany, German capital Berlin in the state of Brandenburg. Named after the f ...
. In the eastern part of Gera lies the airfield Gera-Leumnitz meant for private aviation.
By bike
Cycling is becoming more popular since the construction of quality cycle tracks began in the 1990s. For tourists, there are the ''Weiße Elster track'' and the ''Thuringian city string track (Radweg Thüringer Städtekette)''. Both connect points of tourist interest, the first along theWhite Elster
The White Elster
Accessed on 16 Jan 2011. (, ) is a long river in central
The Gera tram network was the second in Germany that launched electrical engines in 1892. Today, there are two long lines, one from Bieblach via city centre to Lusan (line 3) and another one – opened in 2006 – from Untermhaus via city centre to Zwötzen (line 1). The third short line is a connection between Lusan and the Zwötzen railway station (line 2). Another line is planned to connect Langenberg and the northern city parts. On line 3 is one course every 5 minutes, on line 1 every 10 minutes and on line 2 every 20 minutes.
The bus network connects districts without trams as well as neighbouring municipalities that do not have a rail connection.
Tertiary institutions are the private college ''SRH Fachhochschule für Gesundheit Gera'' (
The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was
Wahlen in Thüringen
The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Lead candidate ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Wahlen in Thüringen
*
Official website of Gera
{{Authority control Principality of Reuss-Gera Holocaust locations in Germany
Accessed on 16 Jan 2011. (, ) is a long river in central
Elster Mountains
The Elster Mountains (german: Elstergebirge, cs, Halštrovské hory) is a small range of mountains, in Saxony and the Czech Republic, to the west of the Ore Mountains. They lie in a region known as Vogtland, and take their name from the River El ...
at the Czech border to Saale
The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Fränkische Saale, ...
river in Halle and second from Eisenach
Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...
via Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
, Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
, Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
and Gera to Altenburg
Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...
. For inner city every-day traffic, some cycle lanes exist along several main streets.
Trams and buses
The Gera tram network was the second in Germany that launched electrical engines in 1892. Today, there are two long lines, one from Bieblach via city centre to Lusan (line 3) and another one – opened in 2006 – from Untermhaus via city centre to Zwötzen (line 1). The third short line is a connection between Lusan and the Zwötzen railway station (line 2). Another line is planned to connect Langenberg and the northern city parts. On line 3 is one course every 5 minutes, on line 1 every 10 minutes and on line 2 every 20 minutes.
The bus network connects districts without trams as well as neighbouring municipalities that do not have a rail connection.
Education
Tertiary institutions are the private college ''SRH Fachhochschule für Gesundheit Gera'' (university of applied sciences
A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...
for health) with 500 students and the Gera branch of the Duale Hochschule Gera-Eisenach Duale is both a given name and surname of Somali origin. Notable people with the name include:
Surname:
* Ahmed Hassan Ibrahim Duale, Somali entrepreneur
* Aden Duale (born 1969), Kenyan politician, Majority Leader of the National Assembly
* Elm ...
( cooperative state college) with 850 students locally.
Furthermore, there are four Gymnasiums, all of them are state-owned. The Goethe-Gymnasium/Rutheneum seit 1608 (“since 1608”) focuses on music education as an elite boarding school, in addition to the common curriculum.
Politics
The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
Ralf Rauch
Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf").
The most common forms ...
, who served from 1994 to 2006. He was succeeded by Norbert Vornehm
Norbert is a Germanic given name, from ''north, nord'' "north" and ''berht'' "bright". Norbert is also occasionally found as a surname.
People with the given name
Academia
* Norbert Angermann (born 1936), German historian
* Norbert A’Campo (bor ...
of the Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
(SPD), who served from 2006 to 2012. Viola Hahn
; german: Bratsche
, alt=Viola shown from the front and the side
, image=Bratsche.jpg
, caption=
, background=string
, hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow
, range=
, related=
*Violin family ...
was elected in 2012, but was defeated seeking re-election in 2018, failing to progress to the second round. Julian Vonarb
Julian may refer to:
People
* Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363
* Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots
* Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints
* Julian (give ...
was elected, and has since served as mayor. The most recent mayoral election was held on 15 April 2018, with a runoff held on 29 April, and the results were as follows:
! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate
! rowspan=2, Party
! colspan=2, First round
! colspan=2, Second round
, -
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Julian Vonarb
, align=left, Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
, 9,182
, 23.5
, 24,777
, 69.8
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Dieter Lauenbach
, align=left, Alternative for Germany
Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist
*
*
*
*
*
*
* political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...
, 8,305
, 21.3
, 10,741
, 30.2
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Viola Hahn
, align=left, Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
, 8,050
, 20.6
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Norbert Hein
, align=left, Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
, 6,853
, 17.5
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Margit Jung
, align=left, The Left
, 5,201
, 13.3
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Nils Fröhlich
, align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens
Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...
, 1,487
, 3.8
, -
! colspan=3, Valid votes
! 39,078
! 99.2
! 35,518
! 98.2
, -
! colspan=3, Invalid votes
! 299
! 0.8
! 653
! 1.8
, -
! colspan=3, Total
! 39,377
! 100.0
! 36,171
! 100.0
, -
! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout
! 79,724
! 49.4
! 79,671
! 45.4
, -
, colspan=7, SourceWahlen in Thüringen
The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Lead candidate ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Alternative for Germany
Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist
*
*
*
*
*
*
* political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...
(AfD)
, align=left, Harald Frank
, 36,344
, 28.8
, New
, 12
, New
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, The Left (Die Linke)
, align=left, Andreas Schubert
, 23,155
, 18.3
, 13.2
, 8
, 5
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
, align=left, Christian Klein
, 16,280
, 12.9
, 11.7
, 6
, 4
, -
,
, align=left, Citizenry Gera (BSG)
, align=left, Ulrich Porst
, 9,656
, 7.6
, 6.3
, 3
, 3
, -
,
, align=left, For Gera (FG)
, align=left, Sandra Graupner
, 8,588
, 6.8
, New
, 3
, New
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens
Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...
(Grüne)
, align=left, Nils Fröhlich
, 8,483
, 6.7
, 2.2
, 3
, 1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
(SPD)
, align=left, Heiner Fritzsche
, 8,091
, 6.4
, 2.9
, 3
, 1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Free Voters
Free Voters (german: Freie Wähler, FW or FWG) in Germany may belong to an association of people which participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it involves a locally organized group of voters ...
(FW)
, align=left, Norbert Hein
, 4,129
, 3.3
, New
, 1
, New
, -
,
, align=left, Liberal Alliance (LA)
, align=left, Anne Kathrin Hildebrand
, 3,647
, 2.9
, New
, 1
, New
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP)
, align=left, Falk Nerger
, 3,440
, 2.7
, 0.3
, 1
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Die PARTEI
(''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazin ...
(PARTEI)
, align=left, Ingo Kaschta
, 3,418
, 2.7
, New
, 1
, New
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, National Democratic Party (NPD)
, align=left, Gordon Richter
, 1,169
, 0.9
, 2.9
, 0
, 2
, -
! colspan=3, Valid votes
! 42,808
! 96.8
!
!
!
, -
! colspan=3, Invalid votes
! 1,420
! 3.2
!
!
!
, -
! colspan=3, Total
! 44,228
! 100.0
!
! 42
! ±0
, -
! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout
! 78,537
! 56.3
! 12.7
!
!
, -
, colspan=8, SourceWahlen in Thüringen
Twin towns – sister cities
Gera is twinned with: *Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
, Netherlands
* Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...
, United States
* Goražde
Goražde ( cyrl, Горажде, ) is a city and the administrative center of Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of Drina river. As of 2 ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Kuopio
Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cult ...
Finland
* Pskov
Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...
, Russia
* Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...
, Russia
* Saint-Denis, France
* Skierniewice
Skierniewice is a city in central Poland with 47,031 inhabitants (2021), situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), previously capital of Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Skierniewice County. The town is situate ...
, Poland
* Sliven
Sliven ( bg, Сливен ) is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality in Northern Thrace.
Sliven is famous for its heroic Haiduts who fought against the Ottoman Turk ...
, Bulgaria
* Timișoara
), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor)
, image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg
, map_caption = Location in Timiș County
, pushpin_map = Romania#Europe
, pushpin_ ...
, Romania
Notable people
*Heinrich Reinhold
Johann Heinrich Carl Reinhold (18 July 1788–15 January 1825) was a German painter and engraver.
Life
Heinrich Reinhold was born in Gera, Thuringia, the younger half-brother of the landscape painter Friedrich Philipp Reinhold (1779-1840 ...
(1788–1825), painter and engraver
* Heinrich Gustav Beck (1857–1933), Minister-president
A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. It ...
of Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
1914–1918
* Otto Lummer
Otto Richard Lummer (17 July 1860 – 5 July 1925) was a German physicist and researcher. He was born in the city of Gera, Germany. With Leon Arons, Lummer helped to design and build the Arons–Lummer mercury-vapor lamp. Lummer primarily worked ...
(1860–1925), physicist
* Otto Dix
Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix (; 2 December 1891 – 25 July 1969) was a German painter and printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of German society during the Weimar Republic and the brutality of war. Along with Geor ...
(1891–1969), painter and printmaker
* Rudolf Paul
Dr. Rudolf Paul (30 July 1893 in Gera - 28 February 1978) was a German politician.
He studied law in Berlin and Leipzig and practiced as a lawyer in Gera. He was a member of the German Democratic Party until its dissolution in 1933. Under the Nazi ...
(1893–1978), politician, President of Thuringia 1945–1947
* Bernhard Wehner (1909–1995), SS-officer (Hauptsturmführer), criminal inspector and journalist
* Nahum Golan (1915–1991), Israeli Brigadier General, 1948-1950 commander of the Golani Brigade
The 1st "Golani" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גּוֹלָנִי) is an Israeli military infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigade ...
* Dietrich Peltz
Dietrich Peltz (9 June 1914 – 10 August 2001) was a Nazi Germany, German World War II Luftwaffe bomber pilot and youngest general of the Wehrmacht. As a pilot he flew approximately 320 combat missions, including roughly 130 as a bomber pilot o ...
(1914–2001), Luftwaffe general
* Karl Weschke Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austrian ...
(1925–2005), painter
* Georg Buschner
Georg Buschner (26 December 1925 – 12 February 2007) was an East Germany, East German Association football, football player and manager.
Buschner played in the DDR-Oberliga, East German top-flight for BSG Wismut Gera, Motor Gera and FC Carl ...
(1925–2007), football player, head coach East Germany national football team
* Rainer Ortleb
Rainer Ortleb (born Gera 5 June 1944) is a German academic and politician.
From October 1990 he served under Helmut Kohl as a Federal Minister for Special Affairs in Germany's first post-reunification government. In the next government, bet ...
(born 1944), politician (FDP), 1990–1991 Federal Minister for Special Affairs and from 1991 to 1994 Federal Minister of Education and Science
* Max Frankel
Max Frankel (born April 3, 1930) is an American journalist. He was executive editor of ''The New York Times'' from 1986 to 1994.
Life and career
Frankel was born in Gera, Germany. He was an only child, and his family belonged to a Jewish minorit ...
(born 1930), executive editor, New York Times 1986–1994
* Klaus Kropfinger
Klaus Kropfinger (27 May 1930 – 29 June 2016) was a German musicologist and classical pianist.
Life
Born in Gera, Thüringen, Kropfinger studied piano (concert) at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar and continued his studies at the ...
(1930–2016), musicologist
* Helga Königsdorf
Helga Königsdorf (13 July 1938 – 4 May 2014) was an East German author and physicist.
Life
She was born in Gera, a farmer's daughter. She went into academia and was appointed to the East Berlin Academy of Sciences of the GDR from 1961 to 1990. ...
(born 1938), mathematician and author
* Thilo Sarrazin
Thilo Sarrazin (born 12 February 1945) is a German politician and former member of the SPD, writer, senator of finance for the State of Berlin from January 2002 until April 2009, former member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank unt ...
(born 1945), German politician (SPD), author
* Wolfgang Tiefensee
Wolfgang Tiefensee (born 4 January 1955) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He was the Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Urban Development in the grand coalition cabinet led by Angela Merkel between 2005 and ...
(born 1955), politician (SPD)
* Marlies Göhr
Marlies Göhr (née Oelsner, born 21 March 1958 in Gera, Bezirk Gera) is a former East German track and field athlete, the winner of the 100 metres at the inaugural World Championships in 1983. She ranked in the top 10 of the 100 m world r ...
(born 1958), athlete
* Olaf Ludwig
Olaf Ludwig (born 13 April 1960 in Gera, Bezirk Gera) is a former German racing cyclist. His career began at the SG Dynamo Gera / Sportvereinigung (SV) Dynamo. As an East German, he raced as an amateur until reunification of Germany allowed him ...
(born 1960), racing cyclist
* Heike Drechsler
Heike Gabriela Drechsler (; ; born 16 December 1964) is a German former track and field athlete who represented East Germany and later Germany. One of the most successful long jumpers of all-time, she is a former world record holder and ranks ...
(born 1964), Olympic gold medallist long jumper
* Jens Heppner
Jens Heppner (born 23 December 1964) is a German former road bicycle racer. He wore the pink jersey as leader of the general classification during the 2002 Giro d'Italia. Although he rode for Telekom during ten years, he has consistently denied ...
(born 1964), racing cyclist
* John Degenkolb
John Degenkolb (born 7 January 1989) is a German professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His biggest wins to date are the 2015 Milan–San Remo and the 2015 Paris–Roubaix, two of cycling's five monuments. He i ...
(born 1989), racing cyclist
* Marcel Eckardt
Marcel Eckardt (born 27 October 1989 in Gera, Thuringia) is a German snooker and Pool (cue sports), pool referee.
Career
Eckardt is from Töppeln, close to Gera in Germany. At the age of 13 he became interested in snooker while watching Eurospo ...
(born 1989), snooker referee
* Bianca Schmidt (born 1990), footballer
* Wilhelm Ernst Spaethe and Otto Paul Spaeth
Wilhelm may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm"
* Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
Other uses
* Mount ...
, of Spaethe Pianos, founded in 1858 by Wilhelm Spaethe senior, awarded an imperial and royal warrant of appointment, to the court of Austria-Hungary."Handbuch des Allerhöchsten Hofes und des Hofstaates Seiner K. und K. Apostolischen Majestät., Vienna: K.k. Hof-und Staatsdruckerei", 1917, p. 520.
References
;NotesExternal links
*Official website of Gera
{{Authority control Principality of Reuss-Gera Holocaust locations in Germany