Thuringia

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Thuringia

The Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen Bundesländer

States of Germany

Germany is a federation consisting of sixteen states, known in German language as L?nder . Since Land is the literal German word for "country", the term Bundesl?nder is commonly used colloquially, as it is more specific, though technically incorrect within the corpus of German law....
(federal states). The capital is Erfurt

Erfurt

Erfurt is a city in central Germany. It is the Capital of the state of Thuringia with a population of 202,929 . Erfurt is located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of N?rnberg and 180 km SE of Hannover....
.

ingia borders on (from the northwest and clockwise) the German states of Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony lies in northern Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen States of Germany of Germany. In rural areas Low German is still spoken, but the number of speakers is declining....
, Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen States of Germany that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million ....
, Saxony

Saxony

The Free State of Saxony is a States of Germany of Germany. Located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area and the sixth largest in population , of Germany's sixteen states....
, Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
and Hesse

Hesse

Hesse is a States of Germany of Germany with an area of 21,110 km? and just over six million inhabitants. The state capital is Wiesbaden. Hesse's largest city is nearby Frankfurt am Main....
.

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Encyclopedia

The Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany

Germany

States of Germany

Erfurt

Geography

Thuringia borders on (from the northwest and clockwise) the German states of Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen States of Germany that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million ....
, Saxony

Saxony

Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
and Hesse

Hesse

Harz

The Harz is a mountain range in central Germany. It is the highest mountain chain in northern Germany occupying parts of the German states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia....
Mountains divide the region from Lower Saxony on the north-west, while the eastern Harz similarly separates Thuringia from the state of Saxony-Anhalt to the north-east. To the south and southwest, the Thuringian Forest

Thuringian Forest

The Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the Germany state of Thuringia....
effectively separates the ancient region of Franconia

Franconia

Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria and a much smaller region in northeastern Baden-W?rttemberg called Heilbronn-Franken....
, now the northern part of Bavaria, from the rolling plains of most of Thuringia. The central Harz range extends southwards along the western side into the northwest corner of the Thuringian Forest region, making Thuringia a lowland basin of rolling plains nearly surrounded by ancient somewhat-difficult mountains. To the west across the mountains and south is the drainage basin of the Rhine

Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
River.

The most conspicuous geographical feature of Thuringia is the Thuringian Forest

Thuringian Forest

Werra

The Werra is a river in central Germany, the right source river of the Weser. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After 293 km the Werra joins the Fulda River in Hann....
River, a tributary of the Weser

Weser River

File:Orthographic projection centred over Bremen and the Weser watershed.pngThe Weser is a river in north-western Germany. Formed at Hann. M?nden by the tributary of the Fulda River and Werra, it flows through Lower Saxony, then reaching the historic port city of Bremen before emptying into the North Sea 50 km further north at Bremerha...
River, separates this mountain chain from the volcanic Rhön Mountains

Rhön Mountains

The Rh?n Mountains are a group of low mountains in central Germany, located in the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia. They are the result of ancient volcano activity and are separated from the Vogelsberg Mountains by the Fulda River and its valley....
, which are partially in Thuringia, Bavaria, and Hesse. In the northwest, Thuringia includes a small part of the Harz. The eastern part of Thuringia is generally a plain. The Saale

Saale

The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Fr?nkische Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine....
River runs through these lowlands from south to north.

The geographic center of the Federal Republic

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
is located in Thuringia, near the municipality of Niederdorla

Niederdorla

Niederdorla is a Municipalities in Germany in the Unstrut-Hainich Districts of Germany of Thuringia, Germany. It is the geographical center of Germany....
.

See also List of places in Thuringia

List of places in Thuringia

This is a list of geographical features in the state of Thuringia, Germany....
.

Thuringia is divided into 17 districts (Landkreise):

Altenburger Land
Altenburger Land

Altenburger Land is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by the district of Greiz , the Burgenlandkreis , and the districts Leipziger Land, Mittweida , Chemnitzer Land, Zwickauer Land in Saxony....
Eichsfeld
Eichsfeld (district)

Eichsfeld is a district in Thuringia, Germany, and part of the historical region of Eichsfeld. It is bounded by the districts of Nordhausen , Kyffh?userkreis and Unstrut-Hainich, and by the states of Hesse and Lower Saxony ....
Gotha
Gotha (district)

Gotha is a Kreis in the middle of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Unstrut-Hainich, S?mmerda , the district-free city Erfurt, Ilm-Kreis, Schmalkalden-Meiningen and the Wartburgkreis....
Greiz
Greiz (district)

Greiz is a Kreis in the east of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Saale-Holzland, Saale-Orla,district-free city Gera, the Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, Altenburger Land, and the two Free State of Saxony districts Zwickauer Land and Vogtlandkreis....
Hildburghausen
Hildburghausen (district)

Hildburghausen is a Districts of Germany in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen, the city of Suhl, the districts of Ilm-Kreis, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt and Sonneberg , and the state of Bavaria ....
Ilm-Kreis
Ilm-Kreis

Ilm-Kreis is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Erfurt, the districts of Weimarer Land, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt and Hildburghausen , the city of Suhl, and the districts of Schmalkalden-Meiningen and Gotha ....

Kyffhäuserkreis
Kyffhäuserkreis

The Kyffh?userkreis is a district in the northern part of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Mansfeld-S?dharz, Saalekreis und Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, and the districts S?mmerda , Unstrut-Hainich and Eichsfeld ....
Nordhausen
Nordhausen (district)

Nordhausen is a Kreis in the north of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Harz and Mansfeld-S?dharz in Saxony-Anhalt, the district Kyffh?userkreis, Eichsfeld in Thuringia and the districts Osterode and Goslar in Lower Saxony....
Saale-Holzland
Saale-Holzland

Saale-Holzland is a Kreis in the east of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the district Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, the district-free city Gera, the districts Greiz , Saale-Orla, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, Weimarer Land and the district-free city Jena....
Saale-Orla
Saalfeld-Rudolstadt
Saalfeld-Rudolstadt

Saalfeld-Rudolstadt is a Kreis in the south of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Weimarer Land, Saale-Holzland, Saale-Orla, the district Kronach in Bavaria, and the districts Sonneberg , Hildburghausen and Ilm-Kreis....
Schmalkalden-Meiningen
Schmalkalden-Meiningen

Schmalkalden-Meiningen is a Kreis in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Wartburgkreis, Gotha , Ilm-Kreis, the district-free city Suhl, the district Hildburghausen , the Bavarian district Rh?n-Grabfeld, and the district Fulda in Hesse....

Sömmerda
Sömmerda (district)

S?mmerda is a Kreis in the north of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Kyffh?userkreis, the Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, the district Weimarer Land and the district-free city Erfurt, and the districts Gotha and Unstrut-Hainich....
Sonneberg
Sonneberg (district)

Sonneberg is a Kreis in the south of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Hildburghausen , Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, and the Bavarian districts Kronach and Coburg ....
Unstrut-Hainich
Unstrut-Hainich

Unstrut-Hainich is a Kreis in the north of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Eichsfeld , Kyffh?userkreis, S?mmerda , Gotha , Wartburgkreis and the district Werra-Mei?ner in Hesse....
Wartburgkreis
Wartburgkreis

Wartburgkreis is a Kreis in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Unstrut-Hainich, Gotha , Schmalkalden-Meiningen, and the districts Fulda , Hersfeld-Rotenburg and Werra-Mei?ner in Hesse....
Weimarer Land
Weimarer Land

Weimarer Land is a Kreis in the east of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the district Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, the district Saale-Holzland and the district-free city Jena, the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, Ilm-Kreis, and the district-free city Erfurt....

Furthermore there are six urban districts:

Erfurt
Erfurt

Erfurt is a city in central Germany. It is the Capital of the state of Thuringia with a population of 202,929 . Erfurt is located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of N?rnberg and 180 km SE of Hannover....
Eisenach
Gera
Gera

Gera is the third largest city in the German state of Thuringia after Erfurt, the Thuringian capital, and Jena. It is situated in east Thuringia on the river Wei?e Elster , approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometers to the east of Erfurt....
Jena
Jena

Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. With a population of 103,000 it is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt....
Suhl
Suhl

Suhl is a town in Thuringia, Germany. Its population in 2003 was 43,610....
Weimar
Weimar

Weimar is a city in Germany. It is located in the States of Germany of Thuringia , north of the Th?ringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle, Saxony-Anhalt and Leipzig....

Towns

Towns in Thuringia
position	town	inhabitants			district
position	town	31 December 1970	31 December 2000	30 June 2005	district
1.	Erfurt Erfurt Erfurt is a city in central Germany. It is the Capital of the state of Thuringia with a population of 202,929 . Erfurt is located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of N?rnberg and 180 km SE of Hannover....	192.679	200.564	202.590	independent city
2.	Gera Gera Gera is the third largest city in the German state of Thuringia after Erfurt, the Thuringian capital, and Jena. It is situated in east Thuringia on the river Wei?e Elster , approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometers to the east of Erfurt....	106.841	112.835	104.737	independent city
3.	Jena Jena Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. With a population of 103,000 it is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt....	85.169	99.893	102.201	independent city
4.	Weimar Weimar Weimar is a city in Germany. It is located in the States of Germany of Thuringia , north of the Th?ringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle, Saxony-Anhalt and Leipzig....	63.985	62.425	64.361	independent city
5.	Gotha Gotha (town) Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the Gotha ....	57.256	48.376	47.045	Gotha
6.	Eisenach Eisenach Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Population was 43,626 in 2006....	50.059	44.442	43.858	independent city
7.	Nordhausen Nordhausen Nordhausen is a city at the southern edge of the Harz mountains, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Nordhausen . It was once known for its tobacco industry, and is still known for its distilled spirit, ....	42.018	45.633	43.781	Nordhausen
8.	Suhl Suhl Suhl is a town in Thuringia, Germany. Its population in 2003 was 43,610....	28.177	48.025	43.202	independent city
9.	Altenburg Altenburg Altenburg is a town in the States of Germany of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district....	47.497	41.290	38.203	Altenburger Land
10.	Mühlhausen Mühlhausen M?hlhausen is a city in the federal state Thuringia, Germany. It is the Capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut....	46.135	38.695	37.480	Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis
11.	Saalfeld	31.048	29.511	28.148	Saalfeld-Rudolstadt
12.	Ilmenau Ilmenau Ilmenau is a town located in the district of Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany.It is the biggest town in Ilm-Kreis district with 7,200 students studying at the Technische Universit?t Ilmenau....	19.634	27.176	26.713	Ilm-Kreis Ilm-Kreis Ilm-Kreis is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Erfurt, the districts of Weimarer Land, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt and Hildburghausen , the city of Suhl, and the districts of Schmalkalden-Meiningen and Gotha ....
13.	Arnstadt Arnstadt Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Th?ringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....	27.368	27.220	25.828	Ilm-Kreis Ilm-Kreis Ilm-Kreis is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Erfurt, the districts of Weimarer Land, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt and Hildburghausen , the city of Suhl, and the districts of Schmalkalden-Meiningen and Gotha ....
14.	Rudolstadt Rudolstadt Rudolstadt is a town in the Germany States of Germany of Thuringia, close to the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north....	30.087	27.528	25.584	Saalfeld-Rudolstadt
15.	Apolda Apolda Apolda is a town in Thuringia, Germany, the capital of the Weimarer Land district. It is situated near the river Ilm , c. 15 km east by north from Weimar, on the main line of railway from Berlin via Halle , to Frankfurt....	29.754	25.899	24.684	Weimarer Land
16.	Greiz Greiz Greiz is a town in Thuringia, the capital of the Greiz . Greiz is situated in eastern Thuringia on the river Wei?e Elster.The prime location of Greiz at the river Wei?e Elster and the stream G?ltzsch made it a fast growing town....	39.424	26.177	24.007	Greiz
17.	Sonneberg Sonneberg Sonneberg is a town in Thuringia, Germany, capital of the Sonneberg .Until the 19th century it was very well known for its toy industry.Sights of Sonneberg are e.g....	29.811	24.837	23.928	Sonneberg
18.	Sondershausen Sondershausen Sondershausen is a town in Thuringia, Germany, capital of the Kyffh?userkreis district, situated about 50 km north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was incorporated by Sondershausen....	22.195	23.088	21.718	Kyffhäuserkreis Kyffhäuserkreis The Kyffh?userkreis is a district in the northern part of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Mansfeld-S?dharz, Saalekreis und Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, and the districts S?mmerda , Unstrut-Hainich and Eichsfeld ....
19.	Meiningen Meiningen Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the Southern part of the state of Thuringia and the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....	24.876	22.240	21.642	Schmalkalden-Meiningen
20.	Sömmerda Sömmerda S?mmerda is a town near Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany, on the Unstrut river. It is the capital of the S?mmerda ....	15.959	21.977	20.885	Sömmerda
21.	Leinefelde-Worbis Leinefelde-Worbis Leinefelde-Worbis is a town in the district of Eichsfeld , in northwestern Thuringia, Germany. The town was formed on March 16, 2004, from the former independent towns Leinefelde and Worbis along with the municipalities of Breitenbach and Wintzingerode.... (formed on 16 March 2004)	4.315 (LF) 3.401 (WO)	15.056 (LF) 5.497 (WO)	20.816	Eichsfeld
22.	Bad Langensalza Bad Langensalza Bad Langensalza is a city in the County of Unstrut-Hainich, Thuringia, Germany, with a population of c. 18,500 ....	16.813	19.917	18.760	Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis
23.	Schmalkalden Schmalkalden Schmalkalden is a town in the Kreis of Schmalkalden-Meiningen in the southwestern portion of Thuringia state in Germany....	14.527	18.551	17.893	Schmalkalden-Meiningen
24.	Zeulenroda-Triebes Zeulenroda-Triebes Zeulenroda-Triebes is a German town in the district of Greiz .Zeulenroda-Triebes is situated in the south of the district in the mountains of the Thuringian Slate Mountains , on the border to Saxonia.... (formed on 1 March 2006)	13.549 (ZR) 4.790 (TR)	14.600 (ZR) 4.230 (TR)	17.702	Greiz
25.	Heiligenstadt Heilbad Heiligenstadt Heilbad Heiligenstadt is a Thuringian town in the Eichsfeld in Germany. It is the capital of the Eichsfeld . Heiligenstadt is near three-state corners of Thuringia, Hesse and Lower Saxony....	12.464	17.291	17.175	Eichsfeld
26.	Bad Salzungen Bad Salzungen Bad Salzungen is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wartburgkreis district. It is situated on the river Werra, 5 km east of Tiefenort and 20 km south of Eisenach....	11.466	17.086	16.551	Wartburgkreis Wartburgkreis Wartburgkreis is a Kreis in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Unstrut-Hainich, Gotha , Schmalkalden-Meiningen, and the districts Fulda , Hersfeld-Rotenburg and Werra-Mei?ner in Hesse....
27.	Pößneck Pößneck P??neck is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 19 km east of Rudolstadt, and 26 km south of Jena.Its chief industries are the making of flannel, porcelain, furniture, machines, musical instruments and chocolate....	19.547	14.341	13.592	Saale-Orla-Kreis Saale-Orla-Kreis Saale-Orla is a Kreis in the east of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Saale-Holzland, Greiz , the Vogtlandkreis in Free State of Saxony, the Bavarian districts Hof and Kronach , and the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt....
28.	Schmölln Schmölln Schm?lln is a town in the Thuringian, Germany, landkreis of Altenburger Land, and which lies on the river Sprotte....	13.968	13.193	12.693	Altenburger Altenburger Land Altenburger Land is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by the district of Greiz , the Burgenlandkreis , and the districts Leipziger Land, Mittweida , Chemnitzer Land, Zwickauer Land in Saxony....
29.	Zella-Mehlis Zella-Mehlis Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen.... (formed on 1 April 1919)	17.136	13.036	12.355	Schmalkalden-Meiningen
30.	Hildburghausen Hildburghausen Sorry, no overview for this topic	10.652	12.466	12.351	Hildburghausen
31.	Eisenberg Eisenberg, Thuringia Eisenberg is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Saale-Holzland.Neighboring municipalities are Jena and Gera . West of Eisenberg runs the motorway Bundesautobahn 9 from Berlin to Munich....	13.859	11.764	11.489	Saale-Holzland-Kreis
32.	Waltershausen Waltershausen Waltershausen is a town in the Gotha , Thuringia, Germany.The town has a population of 11475 ....	14.219	11.725	11.307	Gotha

History

Named after the Thuringii

Thuringii

The Thuringii or Toringi were a Germanic people which appeared late during the V?lkerwanderung in the Harz Mountains of central Germania around 280, in a region which still bears their name to this day — Thuringia....
tribe who occupied it ca. AD 300, Thuringia came under Frankish

Franks

The Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic ethnic group first identified in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River....
domination in the 6th century, forming a part of the subsequent Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
.

Thuringia became a landgraviate in 1130. After the extinction of the reigning Ludowingian line of counts in 1247 and the War of the Thuringian Succession

War of the Thuringian Succession

The War of the Thuringen Succession was a military battle over a successor to the last Landgrave of Thuringia in present-day Germany....
(1247–1264), the western half became independent under the name of Hesse

Hesse

Hesse is a States of Germany of Germany with an area of 21,110 km? and just over six million inhabitants. The state capital is Wiesbaden. Hesse's largest city is nearby Frankfurt am Main....
, never to become a part of Thuringia again. Most of the remaining Thuringia came under the rule of the Wettin dynasty of the nearby Margraviate of Meissen

Margraviate of Meissen

The March or Margraviate of Meissen was a medi?val principality, a Marches, of the Holy Roman Empire in the area of the modern German state of Saxony....
, the nucleus of the later Electorate

Electorate of Saxony

The Electorate of Saxony or Duchy of Upper Saxony was an independent hereditary Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356?1806. It was the successor state of the Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg and was itself replaced in Napoleonic times by the Kingdom of Saxony ....
and Kingdom of Saxony

Kingdom of Saxony

The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through Germany....
. With the division of the house of Wettin in 1485, Thuringia went to the senior Ernestine branch of the family, which subsequently subdivided the area into a number of smaller states, according to the Saxon tradition of dividing inheritance amongst male heirs. These were the "Saxon duchies

Ernestine duchies

The Ernestine duchies, also called the Saxon duchies , were a changing number of small German states in the present Germany state of Thuringia, governed by dukes of the Ernestine line of the House of Wettin....
", consisting, among others, of the states of Saxe-Weimar

Saxe-Weimar

History of Saxony-Weimar was a duchy in Thuringia, Germany. The chief town and capital was Weimar....
, Saxe-Eisenach

Saxe-Eisenach

History of Saxony-Eisenach was the name of three different duchies that existed at different times in the Germany province of Thuringia. The chief town and capital of all three duchies was Eisenach....
, Saxe-Jena

Saxe-Jena

The Duchy of Saxe-Jena was one of the Ernestine duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin Dynasty. Established in 1672 for Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Jena, fourth son of Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Saxe-Jena was reincorporated into Saxe-Weimar on the extinction of Bernhard's line in 1690....
, Saxe-Meiningen

Saxe-Meiningen

The Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen was one of the Ernestine duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin Dynasty....
, Saxe-Altenburg

Saxe-Altenburg

Saxe-Altenburg was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine duchies branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia.History...
, Saxe-Coburg

Saxe-Coburg

Saxe-Coburg was a duchy held by the Ernestine duchies branch of the House of Wettin in today's Bavaria, Germany.File:Veste Coburg West.jpgAfter the Division of Erfurt in 1572, Coburg was part of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach, ruled by the Ernestine duke John Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Coburg jointly with his brother John Ernest, Duke of Sax...
, and Saxe-Gotha

Saxe-Gotha

Saxe-Gotha was a short-lived duchy in today's Thuringia, Germany.File:Schloss Friedenstein Gotha.JPGIt was established in 1640, when Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar created a subdivision for his younger brother Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha....
; Thuringia became merely a geographical concept.

Thuringia generally accepted the Protestant Reformation

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe. It is thought to have begun in 1517 with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses and may be considered to have ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648....
. The Catholic faith

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
was abolished as early as 1520; priests that remained loyal were driven away and churches and monasteries were largely destroyed, especially during the Peasants' War

Peasants' War

The Peasants' War was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe in the years 1524/1525. It consisted, like the preceding Bundschuh movement and the Hussite Wars, of a series of economic as well as religious revolts by peasants, townsfolk and nobility....
of 1525. In Mühlhausen

Mühlhausen

M?hlhausen is a city in the federal state Thuringia, Germany. It is the Capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut....
and elsewhere, the Anabaptists found many adherents. Thomas Munzer, a leader of some non-peaceful groups of this sect, was active in this city. Within the borders of Thuringia the Catholic faith was maintained only in the district called Eichsfeld

Eichsfeld

The Eichsfeld is a historical region in the southeast of Lower Saxony and northwest of Thuringia in the south of the Harz mountains. Until 1803 the Eichsfeld was for centuries part of the Archbishopric of Mainz, which is the cause of its current position as a Catholic enclave in the predominantly Protestant north of Germany....
, which was ruled by the Archbishop of Mainz

Archbishopric of Mainz

The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780?82 and 1802....
, and to a small degree in the city and vicinity of Erfurt

Erfurt