Ilmenau in the context of "Erfurt"

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on literary, political, and philosophical thought in the Western world from the late 18th century to the present. A poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre-director, and critic, Goethe wrote a wide range of works, including plays, poetry and aesthetic criticism, as well as treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour.

Goethe took up residence in Weimar in 1775 following the success of his first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), and joined a thriving intellectual and cultural environment under the patronage of Duchess Anna Amalia that formed the basis of Weimar Classicism. He was ennobled by Karl August, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, in 1782. Goethe was an early participant in the Sturm und Drang literary movement. During his first ten years in Weimar, Goethe became a member of the Duke's privy council (1776–1785), sat on the war and highway commissions, oversaw the reopening of silver mines in nearby Ilmenau, and implemented a series of administrative reforms at the University of Jena. He also contributed to the planning of Weimar's botanical park and the rebuilding of its Ducal Palace.

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.

The Thuringian Forest (Thüringer Wald in German pronounced [ˈtyːʁɪŋɐ ˈvalt] ) is a mountain range in the southern parts of the German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorge on its north-west side is the Werra valley. On the other side of the Forest is an upper outcrop of the North German Plain, the Thuringian Basin, which includes the city of Erfurt. The south and south-east continuation of the range is the highland often called the Thuringian-Vogtlandian Slate Mountains.

Among scattered foothills at its northern foot are the towns Eisenach, Gotha and Arnstadt. The towns of Ilmenau and Suhl sit in slight dips on the range itself to the north and south respectively.

The Ilm (German pronunciation: [ɪlm] ) is a 128.7 kilometers (80.0 mi) long river in Thuringia, in central Germany. It is a left tributary of the Saale, into which it flows in Großheringen near Bad Kösen.

Towns along the Ilm are Ilmenau, Stadtilm, Kranichfeld, Bad Berka, Weimar, Apolda and Bad Sulza.

The Technische Universität Ilmenau (Ilmenau University of Technology, TU Ilmenau) is a German public research university located in Ilmenau, Thuringia, central Germany. Founded in 1894, it has five academic departments (faculties) with about 4,900 students. Teaching and research are focused on the fields of technology (including computer science), mathematics and natural sciences, business and media.

Königsee (German pronunciation: [ˈkøːnɪçˌzeː] ) is a town and a municipality in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east of Ilmenau, and 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Erfurt. The present municipality was formed on 31 December 2012 by the merger of the former municipalities Königsee and Rottenbach, under the name Königsee-Rottenbach. On 1 January 2019 the former municipalities Dröbischau and Oberhain were absorbed, and the name was changed to Königsee.

Plaue (German pronunciation: [ˈplaʊə] ) is a town in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Gera, 11 km north of Ilmenau, and 8 km southwest of Arnstadt. The former municipality Neusiß was merged into Plaue in January 2019. Plaue station lies on the Neudietendorf–Ritschenhausen railway.