Gera

Gera, the third-largest city in the German state of Thuringia (after Erfurt, the Thuringian capital, and Jena), lies in east Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster, approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometres to the east of Erfurt. As of 2010 Gera had a population of approximately 99,000.


Main sights


Town Hall (1576, Renaissance)
Market Square with Simson-fountain
Osterstein Castle, Gera (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", the oldest building in the city), with its adjacent botanical garden, the Botanischer Garten Gera
Museum for Applied Arts ("Ferber House"), displays collections of Bauhaus ceramics by the artists Otto Lindig und Theodor Bogler; architectural works of Thilo Schoder; and photographs by Aenne Biermann.
In 2007 Gera, together with Ronneburg, is venue of the Bundesgartenschau (the federal horticultural show).


Transport


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