Gera | |
A view of Gera. | |
Coat of arms | Location |
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Administration | |
Country | Germany |
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State | Thuringia |
District | Urban district |
Mayor | Norbert Vornehm (SPD) |
Basic statistics | |
Area | 151.93 km² (58.7 sq mi) |
Elevation | 205 m (673 ft) |
Population | 102,486 (30/12/2006)[1] |
- Density | 675 /km² (1,747 /sq mi) |
Founded | 995 |
Other information | |
Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
Licence plate | G |
Postal codes | 07457-07557 |
Area codes | 0365, 0336695 |
Website | www.gera.de |
Location of Gera within Germany | |
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 "White Elster" (literally the "White Magpie"), approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometers to the east of Erfurt. In 2006 Gera had a population of approximately 102,000.
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The name Gera was first mentioned in 995. From 1848 to 1918 Gera was the capital of the Reuss Junior Line principality. In 1920 the city became part of Thuringia (German: Thüringen). Large portions of the city were destroyed by aerial bombing in 1945. Until German reunification in 1990 the city belonged to the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
Sights in Gera include:
Museums in Gera include:
In 2007 Gera, together with Ronneburg, is venue of the Bundesgartenschau (the federal horticultural show).
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.
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