[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Travelogues ] [ Features ] [ E-Cards! ] [ Helpful Links ] [ Lists! ] [ About the Site ] [ About Us ]

Home Page > Travelogues > Germany > Thüringen (Thuringia)

Quick Access for this Page -- [ Introduction ] [ Travelogues ] [ Links ]

Click on the colored areas of the map to access a travelogue.  The colors indicate different regions of Thüringen -- scroll down for explanation and introduction for each location. (Original map comes from the CIA World Factbook, inset map comes from www.entry.de)

Introduction.  I love Thüringen -- my favorite former East German state.  It has all the natural beauty (and almost identical flag) as Hessen to the west, while it is as decorative and culturally robust as Bayern (Bavaria) to the south.  I've done three trips to Thüringen thus far, staying or passing through the provincial capital of Erfurt each time.  Erfurt is a treasure trove of wonderful architecture, but it has also modernized significantly since reunification.

Speaking of modernized cities, Jena led one of my trips there -- an Autobahn 4 sweep of Thuringian cities.  Almost entirely rebuilt since Wo rld War II, Jena is now a modern science and technological center.  Weimar and Eisenach are important historic locations that are now attracting large numbers of visitors (especially Weimar, that was the founding city of Germany's first democracy in 1919).

With reunification, Thüringen is easy to get to by train from Frankfurt am Main, and it is quickly being rediscovered by the Germans.  However, it hasn't quite yet been tapped by the rest of the tourist industry (the Sachsen targets of Leipzig and Dresden have drawn more).  That may change over time, as the Thüringer Wald (Thuringian Forest) rivals the famous Black Forest in beauty (and has a larger waterfall), and the rest of the province continues to rebuild to its former glory.

Travelogues.  

Links.  The below links connect you to external sites in a new window.  All links are official sites sanctioned by the national, state, or local governments unless otherwise indicated.  These links will open to the German-language home page, which will offer an icon or link to an English-language section (normally limited content).  Most of these pages use a British or US flag icon as the link to English content, while others will use the word "English".  Otherwise, look for "tourismus" which should link you to English-language content.  Links updated 12 January 2006.