The Gera (German pronunciation: [ˈɡeːʁa] ) is a river in Thuringia, Germany.
The Gera is a right tributary of the Unstrut. It originates in the Thuringian Forest, west of Ilmenau. The Gera is formed in Plaue, by the confluence of the Wilde Gera and the Zahme Gera. It empties into the Unstrut in Straußfurt. The total length of the Gera (including Wilde Gera) is 85 km (53 mi). The largest towns along the Gera are Arnstadt and Erfurt. The city Gera is not situated along the River Gera.
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Erfurt (German pronunciation: [ˈɛʁfʊʁt] ) is the capital and largest city of the Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the River Gera, in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest, and in the middle of a line of the six largest Thuringian cities (Thüringer Städtekette), stretching from Eisenach in the west, via Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar and Jena, to Gera in the east. Together with Kassel and Göttingen, it is one of the cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants lying closest to the geographic centre of Germany. Erfurt is 100 km (62 mi) south-west of Leipzig, 250 km (155 mi) north-east of Frankfurt, 300 km (186 mi) south-west of Berlin and 400 km (249 mi) north of Munich.
Erfurt's old town is one of the best preserved medieval city centres in Germany. The Gera is spanned by the Merchants' Bridge (Krämerbrücke), one of the rare bridges with houses built on it. On the Erfurt Cathedral Hill is the ensemble of Erfurt Cathedral—which houses the world's largest free-swinging medieval bell—and St Severus' Church. Petersberg Citadel is one of the largest and best preserved town fortresses in Central Europe. Erfurt's Old Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Europe, and together with the Erfurt Mikveh, which was only rediscovered in 2007, and the Stone House, forms the UNESCO World Heritage Site Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt.
Arnstadt (German pronunciation: [ˈaʁnˌʃtat] ) is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, on the river Gera about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. Arnstadt is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia, and has a well-preserved historic centre with a partially preserved town wall. The town is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald ("The Gateway to the Thuringian Forest") because of its location on the northern edge of that forest. Arnstadt has a population of approximately 27,000.
The Unstrut (German pronunciation: [ˈʊnʃtʁuːt] or [ˈʊnstʁuːt] ) is a river in Germany and a left tributary of the Saale.
The Unstrut originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelstädt (west of Kefferhausen in the Eichsfeld area) and its catchment area is the whole of the Thuringian Basin. It breaks out of the basin through the Thuringian Gate west of Heldrungen and, in its lower reaches, flows through Saxony-Anhalt before emptying into the Saale near Naumburg. The total length of the Unstrut is 192 kilometres (119 mi). Towns along the Unstrut include Mühlhausen, Sömmerda, Bad Frankenhausen, Artern, Roßleben, and Freyburg.The main tributaries of the Unstrut are the Gera, Wipper, Helme, and Lossa.
Wilde Gera (German pronunciation: [ˈvɪldə ˈɡeːʁa], lit. 'Wild Gera') is a river of Thuringia, Germany. At its confluence with the Zahme Gera in Plaue, the Gera is formed.
Zahme Gera (German pronunciation: [ˈtsaːmə ˈɡeːʁa], lit. 'Tame Gera') is a river of Thuringia, Germany. At its confluence with the Wilde Gera in Plaue, the Gera is formed.
The Breitstrom is a branch of the river Gera in the old part of the city of Erfurt, Thuringia, central Germany.