Gera Totally Explained

Everything about Gera totally explained

Gera is the third largest city in the German state of Thuringia after Erfurt, the Thuringian capital. It is situated in east Thuringia on the river "White Elster" (literally the "White Magpie"), approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometers to the east of Erfurt. In 2006 Gera had a population of approximately 102,000.

History

The name Gera was first mentioned in 995. From 1848 to 1918, Gera was the capital of the Reuss junior line principality. In 1920 the city became part of Thuringia (German: Thüringen). Large portions of the city were destroyed by aerial bombing in 1945. Until German reunification in 1990, the city belonged to the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

Main sights

Sights in Gera include:

Town Hall (1576, Renaissance)
Market Square with Simson-fountain
Castle Osterstein (largely destroyed 1945)
City Pharmacy
Theater (1902)
Villa Schulenburg, designed by Henry van de Velde
St. Johannis church (Neo-Gothic)
St. Salvator church (Baroque with Art Nouveau interior decoration)
St. Marien church (Late Gothic)
St. Trinitatis church (Late Gothic)
Old beer cellars called "Geraer Höhler"
Zoo Gera (since 1973)

Museums in Gera include:

City Museum

Otto Dix House

Art Galley "Orangerie"

Museum of Natural History ("Schreiber House", oldest building in the city)

Museum for Applied Arts ("Ferber House") In 2007 Gera, together with Ronneburg, is venue of the Bundesgartenschau

(the federal horticultural show).

Transportation

In the eastern part of Gera lies the airfield Gera-Leumnitz. The nearest airport is Leipzig-Altenburg (approx. 40 km). The airport Leipzig-Halle with many international destinations is about 90 km north of Gera.

Twin towns

Nuremberg, Germany

Saint-Denis, France

Sliven, Bulgaria

Plzeň, Czech Republic

Kuopio Finland

Timişoara, Romania

Arnhem, Netherlands

Rostov-on-Don, Russia

Fort Wayne, United States

Skierniewice, Poland

Pskov, Russia

Goražde, Bosnia

Notable natives

Johann Heinrich Gottfried Koch, (1705-1775)

Heinrich Gustav Beck, (1857-1933), Ministerpräsident of Saxony 1914-1918

Otto Dix (1891-1969), artist

Rudolf Paul, (1893-1978), President of Thuringia 1945-1947

Karl Weschke, (1925-2005), painter

Georg Buschner, (born 1925), head coach East Germany national football team

Helga Königsdorf, (born 1938), mathematician and author

Marlies Göhr, (born 1958), athlete

Olaf Ludwig, (born 1960), racing cyclist

Wolfgang Tiefensee, (born 1955), politician

Heike Drechsler, (born 1964), athlete

Jens Heppner, (born 1964), racing cyclistFurther Information

Get more info on 'Gera'.

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