Thuringian Basin in the context of "Thuringian forest"

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 [de], which was only rediscovered in 2007, and the Stone House [de], forms the UNESCO World Heritage Site Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt.

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 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.

The Dün (German pronunciation: [dyːn]) is a hill chain in northwestern Thuringia, Germany. It runs west to east, and forms the northwestern edge of the Thuringian Basin. It separates the Thuringian Basin from the upper valley of the river Leine. Towards the east it continues in the Hainleite ridge. The highest point, 522 m above sea level, is near the village Vollenborn.