Ilmenau – city of Goethe and a university

Ilmenau - Marktplatz  Mining and glass glass industry, literature and science …
  • Ilmenau is situated at the little river Ilm at the northern slope  of the mountain range Thüringer Wald
  • In the 17th and 18th century there was mining and as well smelting and hammering works, and glass industry
  • Goethe in his function as minister at the court of the dukes of Sachsen-Weimarwas responsible for the mining works
  • He has written parts of  his famous works in the surrounding area of  Ilmenau, as well he studied nature here. One of his most well-known poems, „Wanderers Nachtlied“, was written on the localmountainofIlmenau, the Kickelhahn.
  • The technical academy was founded in 1894, which today is the renowned technicaluniversityofIlmenau, having some 6.700 students.
  • About all this you can learn more in the museums of Ilmenau and a show mining park
Ilmenau as well has a summer coasting slide, a big open air bath, a little regional-focussed zoo and other venues for kids and family.  

Thüringen – history and culture

Discover diversity …
  • Name a topic – Thüringen offers the places: From history with an amount of small princedoms remain many charming past residential cities as for exampleWeimar,Gotha, Meiningen, Arnstadt and Hildburghausen.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach was born inEisenachand lived and worked inWeimar and Arnstadt.
  • Martin Luther, the church reformer, hid himself inEisenachin the Wartburg castle from his enemies and, during this time, translated the New Testament of the bible into German.
  • Eisenachis as well one of the traditional places of automotive industry and in Meiningen you can visit a big repair workshop for steam engines.
  • The style-creating Bauhaus (with big influence on architecture and other arts) was founded inWeimar
  • WeimarandJenawere as well the centre of classical German literature and philosophy with people like Goethe, Schiller, Wieland, Nietzsche and Herder.
  • German publishing industry was formed inGotha, this city as well gave birth to the German workers movement and used to be a residential city
  • … apart from the above you might be curious about places likeErfurt, Schleusingen, Schmalkalden, Kloster Veßra …?  – They all can be reached easily from Ilmenau.
Just come and ask us! – We help you make Thüringen an experience.