museum
August Horch Museum
Museum in the birthplace of Audi tracing Saxon automobile history from Horch and DKW through Trabant and modern Volkswagen.
33 km · about 40 min drive
EuropeGermanyThuringia
Gera
Thuringia, Germany · Europe
About Gera
Gera sits on the route: 5 minutes from Zwötzen, 40km from Schleizer Dreieck.
Gera is in Thuringia, Germany, with about 100,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Zwötzen, about 4 km away.
Gera (German pronunciation: [ˈɡeːʁa] ) is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the Thüringer Städtekette, an almost straight string of cities consisting of the six largest ThuringianRead more
cities from Eisenach in the west, via Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar and Jena to Gera in the east. Gera is the largest city in the Vogtland, and one of its historical capitals along with Plauen, Greiz and Weida. The city lies in the East Thuringian Hill Country, in the wide valley of the White Elster, between Greiz (upstream) and Leipzig (downstream). Gera is located in the Central German Metropolitan Region, approximately 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Saxony's largest city of Leipzig, 80 km (50 miles) east of Thuringia's capital Erfurt, 120 km (75 miles) west of Saxony's capital Dresden and 90 km (56 miles) north of Bavaria's city of Hof (Saale).
First mentioned in 995 and developing into a city during the 13th century, Gera has historical significance as being one of the main residences of the Ducal House of Reuss and subsequently the capital of the Principality of Reuss-Gera (1848–1918) and of the People's State of Reuss (1918–1920), one of the many microstates the Thuringian region consisted of, before they were unified to form Thuringia in 1920.
Over the 19th century, Gera became a centre of the textile industry and saw a period of rapid growth. In 1952, the city also became an administrative centre in GDR as one of the capitals of Gera administrative district (Bezirk). In 1990, Gera became part of re-established Thuringia. The loss of its administrative functions as well as its industrial core (caused both by structural change among the European textile industry and the economic system change after the German reunification) precipitated the city's slide into an enduring economic crisis.
Since 1990, many of Gera's buildings have been restored and big urban planning programmes like the Bundesgartenschau 2007 were implemented to stimulate Gera's economy. Sights include some retained buildings of the royal residence epoch and many public and private buildings from the economic heyday between 1870 and 1930. The famous painter Otto Dix was born in Gera in 1891.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Gera?
Within an hour or so of Gera: August Horch Museum (33 km), Schleizer Dreieck (40 km), Sachsenring (44 km), Monument to the Battle of the Nations (53 km).
Are there any good drives near Gera?
The nearest famous roads are Schleizer Dreieck.
Where is Gera?
Gera is in Thuringia, Germany, about 4 km from Zwötzen.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 104,659
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Germany
- Region
- Thuringia
- Timezone
- Europe/Berlin
- Coordinates
- 50.8803, 12.0819
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Germany
ADAC roadside assistance: +49 89 22 22 22. No general speed limit on some autobahn sections but advisory 130 km/h.
Full driving guide for GermanyTags
Worth the detour from Gera
5 notable places within an hour's drive.
historic highway
Schleizer Dreieck
Germany's oldest road racing circuit, in use since 1923, a triangle of Thuringian public roads still raced on today. The public sections make an atmospheric drive with the racing surface underfoot.
40 km · about 45 min drive
racetrack
Sachsenring
A uniquely anti-clockwise circuit in Saxony with dramatic elevation changes, famous as a left-turn-dominant MotoGP venue.
44 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Monument to the Battle of the Nations
A colossal 91m granite monument in Leipzig marking the 1813 battle, climbable for sweeping city views.
53 km · about 60 min drive
restaurant
Auerbachs Keller
Leipzig's 500-year-old cellar restaurant, immortalised when Goethe set Faust's barrel-riding scene here; bronze Mephisto and bewitched students guard the stairs down from the Mädlerpassage.
55 km · about 65 min drive
Driving roads near Gera
- 40 kmSchleizer DreieckGermany's oldest road racing circuit, in use since 1923, a triangle of Thuringian public roads still raced on today. The public sections make an atmospheric drive with the racing surface underfoot.
Driving in Germany
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.78/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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