At the foot of the Thuringian Forest lies the town of Gotha, which we have already visited and explored twice. This cozy, charming town in Thuringia has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages. It is known for its historic architecture, green parks and cultural diversity.
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Interesting facts about the city of Gotha (Thuringia)
Gotha is located in the federal state of Thuringia and is therefore in the heart of Germany. With around 46,000 inhabitants, it is the fifth largest city in the Free State of Thuringia. The city was once an important center of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha and played an important role in the history of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire. Today, it is known for its well-preserved old town with its historic squares and alleyways that are perfect for a stroll. In addition to its historical and cultural significance, Gotha also has a lively music scene. There are regular concerts and festivals where local and international artists perform. The most important and largest festival in the city is the Gothardus Festival, which is celebrated annually on the first weekend in May in honor of the patron saint Saint Gothardus. The festival offers a variety of activities for visitors of all ages, including concerts, parades, carousels, traditional food and drink and a breathtaking fireworks display.
Gotha is also an ideal starting point for exploring the surrounding area. The Thuringian Forest offers numerous opportunities for hiking, cycling and skiing. Nearby is the famous Rennsteig trail, which is the most popular long-distance hiking trail in Germany with around 100,000 hikers a year.
Our accommodation in Gotha
We were visiting Gotha as part of a family weekend and therefore rented an entire vacation home. The 110 m² vacation home by the forest is a 15-minute walk from the old town and impresses with its spacious furnishings. This includes three bedrooms, a living room, three bathrooms and a fully equipped kitchen with dining room or lounge – spread over two levels. Free parking is available in front of the house. We felt very comfortable in the house and lacked nothing, so we can highly recommend it.
Sights & photo spots in Gotha
Gotha’s city centre captivates with its picturesque beauty and is characterized by magnificent buildings in Baroque and Renaissance style, which are grouped around the three markets and the Schlossberg. During a relaxed stroll through the city, we explored and discovered the most important sights in Gotha on foot.
Historic Old Town
The historic old town of Gotha with its charming houses and buildings, cozy cafés and small boutiques invites you to stroll and discover. Regular events and markets take place here, enriching the cultural life of the city.
Main Market
During our first visit to Gotha in 2021, the main market was a complete construction site. Here you could just about see the town hall, everything else around it was torn up and inaccessible. Three years later, things looked a little different: The main market or market square is the heart of the city and one of the highlights of our stroll through the city. It is surrounded by numerous historic and beautifully restored buildings. Here you will also find Gotha’s famous town hall complex, which consists of the Old Town Hall and the New Town Hall.
The main market is a popular meeting place for both locals and visitors and is a place that invites you to linger due to its many seating options. Around the square you will find cozy cafés, restaurants and stores where you can sample regional specialties, enjoy a cup of coffee or browse for souvenirs.
Old Town Hall
The most beautiful building on the Hauptmarkt is the Old Town Hall – a Renaissance building that divides Gotha’s Hauptmarkt into an upper and lower Hauptmarkt. The building shines in red and is therefore often unofficially called the ‘Red Town Hall’. Construction work began in 1567 and lasted around ten years. In the beginning, the complex housed a department store, later it served as the residence of the first Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Ernst I, before it was rebuilt after the town fire (1665) and converted into the town hall. Today, it serves as the seat of the Lord Mayor and houses several city administration offices.
Our tip: The town hall tower is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and can be visited for a fee of EUR 0.50. From here you have a wonderful view over the city.
Friedenstein Castle
From the historic old town, you can reach the north side of the Schlossberg via the stepped waterworks. Here you will find one of the most remarkable sights in Gotha: Friedenstein Castle. The baroque building towers high above the city and is considered a landmark of Gotha. The foundation stone for the castle was laid in 1643 on the site of the former Grimmenstein Castle. After its completion in 1656, it served as the seat of the Duchy of Gotha and was used as a residence for the ducal family and as an administrative center. Today, the palace houses the Ducal Museum as well as other facilities such as a research library, a palace church and the famous Ekhof Theater. This theater is considered to be one of the oldest playable baroque theaters in the world and has a functioning stage machinery from the 17th century, which is still operated manually today.
We found the differently shaped corner towers of the castle very interesting. The reason for this is a fire in the eastern tower of the castle. This was rebuilt 30 years after the castle was completed – in keeping with the times – as a round tower with skylights rather than a pointed roof. The western tower was supposed to be rebuilt to match, but unfortunately the duke had run out of money.
Ducal Museum & Ducal Park
Duke Ernst II did not have defensive fortifications built around Friedenstein Palace, but rather a beautiful English-style palace park – the first of its kind on the European mainland. The Ducal Palace Park not only invites you to take a stroll and relax, but has also been home to the Ducal Museum since the end of the 19th century. The ‘Thuringian Louvre’ presents an impressive collection of works of art, sculptures, historical artifacts and handicraft objects – from modern times to antiquity from Europe and around the world.
The casemates, an impressive baroque fortress complex, are located beneath the palace park. This can be visited on an approx. 300 m long underground tour. The tours last about an hour and are offered by the tourist information office for EUR 8 per person.
Orangery
The Orangery Garden is part of the palace park and is considered one of the largest and most beautiful baroque orangeries in the German-speaking world. Duke Friedrich III of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg commissioned the facility in the 18th century – with the desire to create a place for the collection, cultivation and presentation of exotic plants.
Gotha Zoo
Gotha Zoo is around 30 minutes’ walk from the city center and is located in the wooded ‘Kleiner Seeberg’ nature reserve. There are free parking spaces in front of the site, so it is also easy to get there by car. In the summer months the park is open from 9 am to 6 pm, in the winter months from 9 am to 4 pm. Admission is EUR 8 for adults and EUR 5 for children aged 3 and over.
We were in the park on a Sunday morning and just managed to get a parking space. The zoo itself wasn’t that busy and the visitors were very well spread out over the six hectares. We were able to take a relaxed stroll through the park on a 1.7-kilometer circular trail – which is suitable for baby carriages – and discover all kinds of animals along the way. Over 600 native and exotic animals live in Gotha Zoo, including tigers, kangaroos, leopards, baboons, lynxes, tortoises, llamas, flying foxes, pelicans, brown bears and many more. At the end of the park grounds is the ‘Wolfshügel’ viewpoint. As the name suggests, you have a great view of the wolf enclosure from the small hill and can observe the animals in peace. Various show feedings take place at the enclosures throughout the day. For example, we watched the pelicans being fed and were able to learn lots of interesting facts about the animals from a zoo employee.
A highlight for children (and adults too) is the petting zoo, where you have the opportunity to get up close to various animals. Here you can buy animal-friendly feed from a vending machine and use it to feed goats, sheep, rabbits and other animals. Petting is of course also welcome 🙂
In addition to the animals, there is also a large adventure playground in the zoo where children can play and run around to their heart’s content. The playground is equipped with various climbing frames, slides and swings and offers hours of fun for younger visitors.
Gotha Zoo is a popular excursion destination for families. We took about three hours to visit the park. If you want to stay a little longer, you can also enjoy a snack in the Tierpark Café.
Is a visit to Gotha worthwhile?
We found Gotha a perfect destination for a weekend trip. The accommodation was great, the city can be easily explored on foot and there are also numerous excursion destinations in the surrounding area, such as the Harz vacation region, Erfurt, Weimar, Eisenach and Wartburg Castle. In this respect, we can really recommend a visit to Gotha 🙂