Discover Gera

With the Gera city forest in the west of the city, Gera has the largest contiguous forest area of any city in Thuringia. The former capital and residence of the Principality of Reuss celebrated the 777th anniversary of its town charter in 2014.

Gera has not only made a name for itself as a mecca for fans of the painter and graphic artist Otto Dix (1891-1969), but is also a great place to live. Gera, which is over 1,000 years old, impresses with its youthful charm. It has a good reputation as a city of art and culture, as a green city and a city of sport, as a city of architecture and an environmentally friendly city, as an ideal business location and as a city of the future. After all, Gera - certified by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs - is the "most child-friendly city in Germany".

Gera became known far beyond its borders back in the 16th century for its clothmaking trade. Today, companies in optics and precision mechanics, plastics technology, mechanical engineering, environmental technology and the automotive and supplier industry ensure a sustainable mix of sectors. Investors not only appreciate the high potential of well-trained specialists and engineers. The Otto Dix city is also characterized by its convenient location at the intersection of the A4 and A9 freeways and its connection to the Gera-Leumnitz airfield.

Gera is a city with flair, with many sights worth seeing. You can discover numerous sights on a stroll. On the market square, the town pharmacy with its richly decorated oriel attracts admiring glances, as does the Renaissance town hall with its magnificent main portal. The 57-metre-high, octagonal town hall tower offers a magnificent view over the city. Several church buildings from different centuries can be discovered, including the Salvatorkirche with its Art Nouveau interior, which is unique in Germany. Not forgetting the lovingly restored, over 100 imposing city villas, many of which were built around 1900. These include buildings by such renowned architects as Henry van de Velde (1863-1957) such as Haus Schulenburg and his master student Thilo Schoder (1888-1979) - the former was one of the pioneers of the Weimar Bauhaus, the latter one of the most important exponents of Neues Bauen in Thuringia after 1919.

Gera is a city of art and culture. As the birthplace of Otto Dix - one of the most famous artists of the 20th century - the city is deliberately building on his international reputation. The municipal art collection preserves around 450 works by the master of New Objectivity and Expressionism in the Orangery and the house where Dix was born - one of the largest Dix collections in public hands. The former Landeszentralbank, a building designed by British star architect David Chipperfield, is also located on the historically evolved cultural axis between the Otto Dix House, the baroque orangery, the Art Nouveau theater and the Osterstein art and culture area. Students at the SRH University of Applied Sciences for Health have been studying there since 2014. The other four municipal museums also offer exclusive exhibitions - including the botanical garden and historic caves, a labyrinth built under the old town from the 16th/17th century, which also provides space for the Höhler Biennale. Gera's cultural diversity is also reflected in Thuringia's only five-division theater and the established art scene in various locations, cabaret and cabaret stages, orchestras and international festivals. Gera has also made a name for itself as a media location, including the birth of the "Golden Sparrow" in 1979. The German Children's Media Festival of the same name now takes place in Gera and Erfurt every spring. It is also home to Thuringia's first open channel and "Pixel", Germany's first community television station for children and young people.

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Die „grüne Lunge“ Geras atmet nur wenige Gehminuten vom Stadtzentrum entfernt – etwa im direkt am Ufer der Weißen Elster gelegenen, 300.000 Quadratmeter großen Hofwiesenpark. Er lädt nicht nur zum Bummeln und Picknicken ein. Kinder können dort klettern und schaukeln, auch Jogger und Minigolfer sowie Boule-Spieler haben das Areal für sich entdeckt. Und alljährlich ziehen beispielsweise das Hofwiesenparkfest Ende April und das City. Sommer-Kino tausende Geraer und ihre Gäste an. Nur wenige Schritte entfernt lockt das Hofwiesenbad mit Sport- und Freizeitbad sowie Wellnessbereich. Etwas beschaulicher geht es im Küchengarten zu. Die Anlage erstreckt sich zwischen barocker Orangerie und Jugendstiltheater. Jenseits des Elster-Ufers erstreckt sich der Stadtwald mit seiner geschützten Pflanzen- und Tierwelt. Dort werden Wanderungen oder botanische Exkursionen zur Entdeckungsreise, fühlt sich Gera wie Urlaub an. Im zum Stadtwald gehörenden Martinsgrund hat der Tierpark sein Domizil. Der weitläufige Waldzoo, der 2022 sein 60-jähriges Bestehen feiert, ist zu jeder Jahreszeit einen Besuch wert. Schließlich haben dort nicht nur rund 80 Arten mit insgesamt 500 Tieren ihr Zuhause. Auch die Parkeisenbahn, die 2015 ihr 40-jähriges Gründungsjubiläum feierte, lockt Gäste aus nah und fern an. Ein Höhepunkt dabei ist das Tierpark- und Dahlienfest.

The roots of the sports city of Gera go back to the last century. The workers' and gymnastics association was founded there in 1893. Gera is associated with names such as Olympic athletics champion and world champion Heike Drechsler, cyclists Olaf Ludwig, Lutz Haueisen and Thomas Barth, boxer Ulli Kaden and Jürgen Fanghänel. Gera's speed skaters are now also among the world's top athletes. Even as spectators, the people of Gera and their guests get their money's worth, as the Thuringian city has made a name for itself as a successful host of major national and international sporting events. And last but not least, numerous sports facilities, including the modern Hofwiesenbad swimming pool, offer a wide range of opportunities to take part in sport. Gera has also made a name for itself as a Mecca for cyclists. The municipality itself has a network of around 50 kilometers of developed cycle paths and just as many kilometers of paths and roads that are also suitable for cyclists. The city has a direct connection to the 250 km long Elsterradweg, which leads from As in the Czech Republic to Halle/Saale, and the "Thüringer Städtekette" cycle path from Eisenach to Altenburg runs directly through Gera.

Gera also has a lot to offer as a shopping city. Its magnetic effect extends into the neighboring states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt and beyond. Gera can boast around 1,110 stores and a total of 230,000 m² of retail space throughout the city. Gera residents prefer to store in the city center, where the most serious changes have taken place since 1989. The promenade between Heinrichstrasse and Schloßstrasse, Sorge and Markt offers the opportunity to stroll and store, restaurants and quaint pubs invite you to linger, while bars and discos offer the chance to party and dance to music to suit every taste.

Right in the center of the Otto Dix city is the largest event hall in eastern Thuringia - the Culture and Congress Center, known as KuK for short by the people of Gera. Sandstone, bronze-colored aluminum and glass dominate its external appearance and give the building its unmistakable style. A large hall, spacious, artistically designed foyers and several conference rooms, as well as modern technical equipment and efficient in-house catering offer excellent opportunities for congresses, conferences, seminars and exhibitions, and a parking garage right next door ensures short distances.