Gera is a city in Thuringia in Germany. The city is one of the most important tourist destinations in Thuringia. Sights include some retained buildings of the royal residence epoque and many public and private buildings from the economic heyday between 1870 and 1930.

Understand

Gera developed into a city during the 13th century, and has historical significance as being one of the main residences of the Ducal House of Reuss. Over the 19th century, Gera became a centre of the textile industry and experienced a period of rapid growth.

Get in

Marketplace Gera

By train

Gera Hauptbahnhof (main station) is a 5- to 10-min walk from the city centre, but is just served by regional trains. The trains arrive from several directions. Most connections go to Leipzig, Jena/Weimar/Erfurt, Saalfeld or Chemnitz, where you have access to long-distance traffic. Others serve towns like Altenburg or Greiz; there are sporadic connections to Regensburg or Göttingen.

The tram can be reached directly from the platforms.

By car

Gera has a direct connection to the west-east motorway (Autobahn) A4 (Frankfurt-Dresden), the interchange with the north-south motorway A9 (Berlin-Munich) is about 15 km east. To reach the city take the exit Gera-Langenberg, which is about 4 km in the north of the centre. There is also a gas station and a McDonald's, which is the best meeting point for shared rides and hitchhiking.

See

• Town hall (Rathaus), Marktplatz. One of the biggest Renaissance town halls in Germany with a nearly 60-m-high tower, built between 1573 and 1576. The Marktplatz forms a good ensemble of 18th-century patricians' houses in late-Baroque style. 
• Stadttheater, Küchengartenallee. The former royal Reussian theatre, built in 1902 by Heinrich Seeling in neo-Baroque style. 
• Stadtapotheke (city pharmacy), Marktplatz. A Renaissance building with a beautiful bay, established in 1592. 
• Küchengarten. With the Orangerie, it is a park ensemble west of the city centre, established in 1732 by the Reussians. 
• Höhler (a part can be visited via an entrance at Nicolaiberg 3). A cellar system under the city centre with a length of approx. 9 km (6 mi), established in 17th and 18th century for storing beer. 
• Schloss Tinz. It was the royal summer residence of the Reussians, built in 1748 in Baroque style with a surrounding park. 
• Schloss Osterstein. It was the main royal residence of the Reussians, built during the 16th century in Renaissance style. It was hit by bombs in 1945 and partial demolished in 1962. Only the tower remained. 
• City wall. It was demolished in the 19th century, only a small part at Stadtgraben remained. 
• St. Saviour's Church, Nicolaiberg. It is the evangelical main church of Gera, built between 1717 and 1720 by David Schatz in Baroque style. 
• Trinity Church, Heinrichstraße. An evangelical parish church (since 1886), built between 1609 and 1611 as cemetery church. 
• St. John's Church, Clara-Zetkin-Straße. An evangelical parish church, built between 1881 and 1885 in neo-Gothic style. 
• St. Mary's Church (Untermhaus district). It is the evangelical parish church of the former village Untermhaus, built around 1450. 
• St. Elizabeth's Church, Kleiststraße. The Catholic parish church of Gera, built in 2000 in modern style as one of only few bigger new churches in Thuringia after 1990. 
• St. Martin's Church (Zwötzen district). An evangelical parish church, built in 1895 in neo-Gothic style. 
• Fourteen Holy Helpers Church (Langenberg district). It is an evangelical parish church that was rebuilt during the 1750s. 
• Orangerie, Orangerieplatz. It hosts an exhibition of art from the Middle Ages to the contemporary period. 
• Otto-Dix-Haus, Mohrenplatz. It shows paintings of the Gera-born painter Otto Dix and an exhibition about his life. 
• Museum für Angewandte Kunst (Museum for Applied Arts), Greizer Straße. It shows 20th-century art (inside "Ferber House"). It displays collections of Bauhaus ceramics by the artists Otto Lindig und Theodor Bogler; architectural works of Thilo Schoder; and photographs by Aenne Biermann. 
• Museum für Naturkunde (Natural History Museum), Nicolaiberg. It hosts a natural history exhibition (inside the "Schreiber House", the oldest building in the city), with its adjacent botanical garden, the Botanischer Garten Gera. 
• Stadtmuseum (City museum), Museumsplatz. It shows an exhibition of Gera's municipal history. 
• Haus Schulenburg (Schulenburg House), Straße des Friedens. It is a factory owner's mansion, built in 1913/14 by the famous architect Henry van de Velde. It hosts topical furniture and decoration and can be visited. 

Eat

• Anadolu Schnellrestaurant, Altenburger Str. 20, ☏ +49 365 28489. 
• Café Graf Zeppelin, Rudolf-Diener-Straße 17, ☏ +49 365 824260. 
• Gasthaus zum Höhler, Steinweg 18-20, ☏ +49 365 5514080. Thüringer specialities 
• Ambiente, Schlossstraße 1, ☏ +49 365 619283. 

Sleep

Budget

• Pension Gleis 7 im Südbahnhof, ☏ +49 365 77316930. 
• Ferienwohnung Prüfer, Ruckdeschelstr. 26 (near Bahnhof Zwötzen), ☏ +49 365 37173. 
• Gästewohnung Simone Böhme, Colliser Str. 21 (Pforten, in Gessental direction Collis /Kaimberg), ☏ +49 365 7109713. 
• Ferienwohnung Am Zaufensgraben, Meuselwitzer Str. 103 A (Pforten), ☏ +49 365 7120029. 

Mid-range

• Apart Hotel Gera, Hofer Straße 12 d (am Rande des Stadtwaldes), ☏ +49 365 82150, fax: +49 365 8215200. 
• City Partner Servicehotel Gewürzmühle, Clara-Viebig-Str. 4, ☏ +49 365 824330, fax: +49 365 8243344, info@hotel-gewuerzmuehle-gera.de. 
• Hotel Restaurant Zwergschlösschen, Untermhäuser Straße 67/ 69. 
• The Royal Inn Regent Gera, Schülerstraße 22, ☏ +49 365 91810. from €48.90. (updated Jun 2015)

Go next

• Jena
• Zwickau