Cities

History

Prehistory

We note traces of settlement in the region from 370 000 BC (Homo erectus bilzingslebensis). A skeleton of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis (Neanderthals) dating from 200 000 BC was found Ehringsdorf near Weimar.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/180882/Ehringsdorf-remains http://www.archaeologyinfo.com/homoneaderthalensis.htm

First mention of Thuringia

Thuringia is the name of Thuringia which occupied its territory to the ^second century. Came under Frankish rule in the ^sixth century , it formed from 1130 a landgraviate the Holy Roman Empire.

The Middle Ages

Following the extinction of the counts (landgraves) of Thuringia in 1247 , with the death of Henry the Rasponi , and after the War of Thuringian Succession ( 1247 - 1264 ), the western part became independent under the name of Hesse. The rest of Thuringia returned to Margrave of Meissen , the house of Wettin , and was the nucleus of the third Duchy of Saxony and the Kingdom of Saxony. When the house of Wettin was divided into branches Ernestine and Albertine in 1485 , Thuringia returned to the first, and subsequently subdivided into multiple micro-states because of the Saxon tradition of sharing the inheritance among male heirs: we call these states the Saxon duchies. The most important were the states of Saxony-Weimar , Saxe-Eisenach , Saxe-Jena , Saxe-Meiningen , Saxe-Altenburg , Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha. Thuringia became not just a geographical concept.

The Reformation

During the reform , Thuringia became Protestant. Faith Catholic was abolished from 1520 : the priests were expelled and monasteries destroyed. The Anabaptists recruited in the region Mulhausen was active when Thomas Munzer , the founder of this sect. Only the Catholics remained District Eichsfeld , controlled by the electorate of Mainz , and to a lesser degree, the city and surrounding area of Erfurt.

The ^nineteenth century

Napoleonstein monument commemorating the battle of Napoleon at Jena

Napoleon began to reorganize these territories during the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806. This reorganization was continued in the Congress of Vienna ( one thousand eight hundred fourteen - in 1815 ) with the creation of the Germanic Confederation. The states of Thuringia part of the German Empire were those of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , Saxe-Meiningen , Saxe-Altenburg , Saxe-Coburg-Gotha , Schwarzburg-Sondershausen , Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the two principalities of Reuss ( Reuss elder and younger Reuss ), had previously merged into a fleeting state of popular Reuss.

The ^twentieth century

In 1920 , under the Weimar Republic , these states merged into one, called Thuringia, with its capital in Weimar , with the exception of Saxe-Coburg voted for annexation to Bavaria. At that time, the region was a hotbed of revolutionary agitation. In October 1923 , the KPD entered the state government of Thuringia and tried to establish a Soviet Republic. Ephemeral, it was overthrown by the military intervention of the Reich restores a social-democratic government .

In 1937 , the concentration camp Buchenwald near Weimar was opened.

During the Second World War , Thuringia has suffered extensive damage, particularly the cities of Jena and Nordhausen who were severely bombed. Although the Americans have released the first in Thuringia in April 1945 , Thuringia was assigned to the Soviet occupation zone from July 1945. The Soviets rattachrent him a part of Prussian Saxony ( Erfurt , Mhlhausen and Nordhausen ). Erfurt became the new state capital. The first elections to the parliament of Thuringia took place in 1946.

In 1949 , the German Democratic Republic was created and Thuringia was attached. In 1952 , the German Democratic Republic dissolved the Lnder , which were replaced by district (Bezirke) in Thuringia, the districts of Erfurt , of Gera and Suhl. The border with Bavaria in the south has been so during the Cold War , part of the Iron Curtain , particularly conspicuous in Wall Museum Mdlareuth.

Thuringia was restored in the borders almost identical at the reunification of Germany in 1990. In 1993 , Thuringia was built, a new constitution and took the name Freistaat Thringen (Thuringia State).

Administration

The administrative organization of Thuringia is regulated by the constitution of the Free State of Thuringia in 1993. According to this constitution, the Land of Thuringia is the Federal Republic of Germany. It is a state of law which is democratic, social and must protect the natural foundations of human life (Art. 44). Article 45 of the Constitution states that all powers emanate from the people of the Land and the people to express their will through elections, plebiscites and referenda.

Since reunification, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) has always been the dominant party, participating in all governments, whether coalition of 1990 to 1999 alone or 1999 to 2009. It could lose power, following the regional elections of 30 August 2009. However, the CDU remained in power in alliance with the SPD to form a grand coalition.

The current Minister-President is Christine Lieberknecht , the CDU.

See also: Government of Thuringia

Legislative branch

The legislative power belongs to the parliament of Thuringia (state parliament). In a broad sense of active participation of the population to the legislature through a referendum. The parliament is elected every five years by multi-member proportional representation. Currently 88 members sit in the Landtag, which is chaired by Birgit Diezel.

Economy

Since reunification in 1989, the economy of Thuringia has embarked on a modernization process. If the unemployment rate of Thuringia is declining, it remains very high (from 15.5% of the workforce in 2002 to 14.5% in September 2006 ). Thuringia has a high growth rate, its two main industrial sectors are the automotive and electronics and in addition it has many industrial successes in some leading sectors. However the more traditional sectors continue to play a significant part in the economy of Thuringia. The main economic area is around Erfurt but companies are also focusing in Jena and Eisenach, although there is a good distribution throughout the country.

Companies advanced dynamic

From Carl Zeiss and Otto Schott , Thuringia, and especially the city of Jena, is at the forefront of European and global optical industry. The company Jenoptik , which is headquartered in Jena, now has an international dimension. The Carl Zeiss is also a forerunner in the field of optics.

The persistence of traditional industries

An important primary industry

In 2005, the Thuringia were 5124 farms (+ 1% from 2003) with a total acreage of approximately 800,000 hectares (+0.5%). The average farm size was 156 acres as follows: less than 10 hectares (49% of farms), between 10 and 100 hectares (29% of farms), between 100 and 1 000 hectares (17% of farms), plus 1 000 hectares (5% of farms). For reference in France, the agricultural area average French farms was 75 hectares in 2005.

In 2005, 22,500 people worked on farms and 4,600 persons were employed on a seasonal basis. Many farms also has only one person. The average age of agricultural workers was 45.5 years (this age is steadily increasing in recent years). 89 percent of agricultural land are rents.

The main crops in Thuringia are cereal crops , the crops for the manufacture of vegetable oil, pulses , and fodder crops. Livestock is also present in Thuringia with farms sheep , cattle , pigs and poultry and milk production even though it remains relatively undeveloped.

Organic farms are also taking place increasingly important and their number is growing rapidly (+ 15% in 2 years). The farming is also more developed in the Lnder of the former East Germany than in the former West Germany.

span class = "mw-headline" id = "Principaux_employeurs_de_Thuringe.5B6.5D"> Major Employers Thuringia Education and Research

Higher Education

Thuringia has 9 higher education institutions:

• the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena.
• University of Erfurt.
• Bauhaus University Weimar.
• Technological University of Ilmenau.
• the Fachhochschule Jena, Erfurt, Schmalkalden and Nordhausen.
• School of Music Franz Liszt in Weimar.

Culture

Thuringia is the heart of many areas of German and European culture. The city of Weimar has always a considerable cultural influence, the birthplace of the Weimar Classicism (Weimarer Klassik), it was the center of the Bauhaus and the first German constitution was born there.

People illustrious

Personalities among the most illustrious of European culture have marked Thuringia. Martin Luther found refuge in Wartburg Castle and began to translate the New Testament into German. Goethe , the great German writer, father of the famous Faust , lived there most of Fifty years and met another monument of literature, the poet Friedrich Schiller.

The Board of Luther at Wartburg Castle

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Friedrich Schiller

Thuringia is a land of classical music and big names attached to them. Johann Sebastian Bach , the great Baroque composer, was born in Eisenach and lived most of his life in Thuringia. Johannes Brahms made several visits to Meiningen and created there his fourth symphony. Franz Liszt was Kapellmeister in Weimar. Richard Wagner lived in Eisenach or often in Weimar where he created Lohengrin.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Franz Liszt

Richard Wagner

In science, we can cite the physicist Ernst Abbe , for his contributions to optics, the mathematician Gottlob Frege , founder of modern logic, the physician Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland , or the biologist Ernst Haeckel , considered the One of the fathers of Ecology.

Ernst Haeckel

Symbols

Currencies

• Das grne Herz Deutschlands: The green heart of Germany.
• Willkommen in der Denkfabrik: Welcome to the factory suggests.
• Deutschlands Starke Mitte: the strong center of Germany.

Blazon

Azure, a lion barry gules and silver pieces of eight, armed and crowned with gold, accompanied by eight silver stars and six spokes.

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Gastronomy

Thuringian cuisine is influenced by geography. On the one hand, the abundance of forests of Thuringia has led the development of a cuisine based on game and picked up in the wood products such as mushrooms and berries. But the Central Plains culture favorable to provide many fruits and vegetables.

The two flagship products are naturally the Thuringian cuisine famous Thuringian Rostbratwurst (Thuringian grilled sausage) and the Thringer Kloss, a specialty made with potatoes.

Rostbratwurst

The Rostbratwurst is part of the identity of the region and has a hundred-year history (she was raised for the first time in 1404 in a bill from a convent in the town of Arnstadt and the oldest known recipe dates from 1613 and is preserved in the archives of the city of Weimar ). It is sold at every street corner in a small shop or from street vendors and enjoyed at any hour of the day. Cooked on a charcoal grill, it is mostly sold in a bun (Brtchen) with mustard. This is the ultimate symbol of conviviality as there is not a market, not a village fete, not a grill-party with friends that she is missing. Thuringer Rostbratwurst the benefit of a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since January 2004, leading it must be manufactured in Thuringia to benefit from the name. Its preparation is also strictly regulated: among others it must be a minimum of 15 long and 20 cm, at least 51% of the ingredients must come from the region of Thuringia (Official Journal of the European Communities C114/14-15 from 15/05 / 2002).

Tourism

In 2004 , the Land of Thuringia has a capacity of approximately 68,000 beds and annually receives 2.9 million visitors for a total of 8.1 million nights. The average length of stay was 2.9 days. Most tourists were from Germany but nevertheless there were 190,000 visitors from outside Germany. Among the foreign tourists it was the first Dutch (30% of total), then the Swiss, Austrians, Americans (USA), English and French (about 10 000 visitors for the latter).

The most attractive region of Thuringia was the Thuringian Forest Area (biathlon) followed the valley of the Saale (camping, sightseeing with Weimar and Jena).

Flora and fauna

Approximately 1,500 kinds of plants grow in Thuringia. The Thuringian Forest is an emblem of the region and earned him the nickname grnes Herz Deutschlands. The main species which is composed of spruce , but there are also Douglas fir , the larches and beeches. The Thuringian Forest has suffered and continues to suffer from air pollution in particular because of acid rain.

Chain Hill Hainich presents a particular environmental interest that explains the creation of national park Hainich in 1997. It is the largest deciduous forest in Germany, which has a wide variety of beech but also ash , and maples , and lindens and scarce wild service tree. Wildlife park consists of a common European fauna, there are eg deer , and badgers , the frogs , the toads or even wild boar. But there are also bats or wild cats. Over 180 species of birds live in the Hainich ( warblers , finches , peiche peaks ) but also many species of butterflies and insects.

Sport

See also

Notes

1. The term "Freistaat" is historically synonymous with "republic", but the literal translation of "free state" is more common. See article Freistaat.
2. Peter Geiss, Henry Daniel, Quintrec Guillaume (ed.), History / Geschichte, Europe and the World Congress of Vienna in 1945, Manuel Franco-German History, First L / ES / S, Paris, Nathan / Klett, 2008, page 244. See also History of the Communist Party of Germany
3. According to the website of the Embassy of France in Germany http://www.botschaft-frankreich.de/article.php3?id_article=284
4. LEG | Firmendatenbank
5. The figures from the report in der Landwirtschaft Betriebsstruktur in Thringen Thringer Landesamt fr 2005 Statistik http://www.tls.thueringen.de/analysen/Analyse2.htm # die
6. LEG | Firmendatenbank
7. The figures are extracted from Thringen Tourismus 2004 in the Thringer Landesamt fr Statistik http://www.tls.thueringen.de/analysen/Analyse2.htm # die
8. The data in this paragraph are essentially articles "Hainich" and "Nationalpark Hainich" germanophone of and the official website http://www.nationalpark-hainich.de/

Sources

• Thringen, Kerstin Sucher, Bernd Wurlitzer, 2006, ISBN 3-7701-6396-6. (German)
• Thringer Landesamt fr Statistik (Statistical Institute of Thuringia), site in German: http://www.tls.thueringen.de/seite.asp
• Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft, site in German or English http://www.leg-thueringen.de
• The constitution of the Free State of Thuringia on Wikisource, http://de.wikisource.orgVerfassung_des_Freistaates_Th% C3% BCringen

External Links

• Official site of the Land of Thuringia
• A German website with many pictures of landscapes Thuringen
• Official site of the city of Erfurt
• Device Research Thuringia (with videos)

Districts and boroughs towns of Thuringia
Cities boroughs (Kreisfreie Stdte)	Eisenach | Erfurt | Gera | Jena (Jena) | Suhl | Weimar
Districts (Landkreis)	Altenburg-Country | Eichsfeld | Gotha | Greiz | Hildburghausen | Ilm | Kyffhuser | Nordhausen | Saale-Holzland | Saale-Orla | Saalfeld-Rudolstadt | Schmalkalden-Meiningen | Smmerda | Sonneberg | Unstrut-Hainich | Wartburg | Weimar-Land

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