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105-656: First mentioned in 995 and developing into a city during the 13th century, Gera has historical significance as being one of the main residences of the Ducal House of Reuss and subsequently the capital of the Principality of Reuss-Gera (1848-1918) and of the People's State of Reuss (1918-1920), one of the many microstates the Thuringian region consisted of , before they were unified to form Thuringia in 1920. Over

210-523: A civil life with a problem-free marriage, which did not change even when he became King of Prussia in 1797. His wife Louise was particularly loved by the people of Prussia , which boosted the popularity of the whole House of Hohenzollern , including the King himself. Frederick William succeeded to the throne on 16 November 1797. He also became, in personal union , the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel (1797–1806 and again 1813–1840). At once,

315-728: A compressor manufacturer (Kompressorenwerk Kaeser), a precision-tool maker (SMK-Präzisionsmechanik), and a subsidiary of the construction company Max Bögl. The e-commerce service-provider D+S Europe has a service centre in Gera with several hundred workers, and Rittal, a manufacturer of information-technology enclosures, recently moved from Bad Köstritz to Gera. Some industrial branches operating before 1990 no longer have major importance. Sectors either no longer existing or sharply reduced include those in toolmaking ( VEB Wema Union), textiles (VEB Modedruck), textile machinery (VEB Textima), electronic equipment (VEB Elektronik Gera). Other industries that had

420-641: A foothold in Reuss. The rulers joined the Schmalkaldic League against the German emperor, and forfeited their possessions, but afterwards recovered them. All the males of the House of Reuss are named Heinrich (Henry) plus a number. In the elder line the numbering covers all male children of the elder House, and the numbers increase until 100 is reached and then start again at 1. In the younger line

525-586: A geographical summary for a region of 3,467 km (comparable roughly to the county of Essex ) which is located in Saxony , Thuringia and, to a lesser extent, in northern Bavaria . The position of vogt soon became hereditary. While the dominions of Heinrich von Gleissberg included the towns Gera and Weida , his grandson Henry II the Rich (d. before 1209) also acquired Plauen . When his three sons divided their inheritance, three independent areas emerged, ruled by

630-414: A microclimate caused through the basin position with sometimes inversion in winter (quite cold nights under −20 °C (−4 °F)) and heat and inadequate air circulation in summer. Annual precipitation is only 591 millimeters (23.3 in) with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Light snowfall mainly occurs from December through February, but snow cover does not usually remain for long. Gera abuts

735-781: A neutrality policy in the Napoleonic Wars . Although they succeeded in keeping out of the Third Coalition in 1805, eventually, Frederick William was swayed by the queen's attitude, who led Prussia's pro-war party and entered into the war in October 1806. On 14 October 1806, at the Battles of Jena-Auerstädt , the French effectively decimated the Prussian Army 's effectiveness and functionality; led by Frederick William,

840-632: A new bypass road was built in the east to improve the connection of southern city parts to the A 4 and to relieve the city centre from transit traffic. The closest regional airports are the Leipzig/Halle Airport , about 70 km (43 mi) north and the Erfurt-Weimar Airport , about 90 km (56 mi) west of Gera. Both serve mainly holiday flights. The nearest major airports are the Frankfurt Airport ,

945-505: A number of landed estates as a paréage within his eldest brother's county, with his main seat at Köstritz Castle. This branch connected through marriages with important ruling houses, did however not govern their own territory, but lived as landowners in the county of the Schleiz Line. Henry XLIII., count Reuss of Köstritz, was elevated to hereditary Fürst (prince) by Emperor Francis II in 1806 (however without governmental power);

1050-476: A presence included VEB Carl Zeiss Jena and a brewery. One important industrial branch had been uranium-ore mining in nearby Ronneburg ( Wismut ), whereby the region became the Soviet Union 's leading uranium supplier. In 2012 Gera had 41 companies with more than 20 workers in the industrial sector, employing 3,400 people and generating an overall turnover of €452 million. Gera is a supra-centre according to

1155-446: A united, albeit republican state, the People's State of Reuss , emerged in 1919, only to merge with the larger state of Thuringia in 1920. The unified state of Reuss had a non-contiguous area of 1,143 square kilometers and 211,324 inhabitants (1919). A (non-governing) side branch of the younger line had emerged in 1692 when Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss of Köstritz , a younger son of the ruling count Heinrich I. Reuss of Schleiz, received

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1260-589: A younger line (at Greiz and Reichenbach ), called Reuss . In 1564 the latter was subdivided into three branches, the Elder (extinct in 1927), the Middle (extinct in 1616), and the Younger (of which the ruling line became extinct in 1945) and a side line, split off in 1692, Reuss- Köstritz , which had been raised to (however non-ruling) princes in 1806, still exists with about 30 male relatives, all named Heinrich , as

1365-455: Is a connection between Lusan and the Zwötzen railway station (line 2). Another line is planned to connect Langenberg and the northern city parts. On line 3 is one course every 5 minutes, on line 1 every 10 minutes and on line 2 every 20 minutes. The bus network connects districts without trams as well as neighbouring municipalities that do not have a rail connection. Tertiary institutions are

1470-535: Is getting a bigger problem because the immigration isn't sufficient to compensate it yet. Despite urban planning activities to tear down unused flats, vacancy is still a problem with rates around 12% (according to 2011 EU census). A positive side effect for the inhabitants is that Gera has one of the lowest rent levels in Germany. The birth deficit was 715 in 2012, this is -7.5 per 1,000 inhabitants (Thuringian average: -4.5; national average: -2.4). The net migration rate

1575-409: Is in agricultural use: growing maize, rapeseed and crops as well as pasturing cattle. The city's economy features industrial machinery (Dagro Gera GmbH), communications (DTKS GmbH, Deutsche Telekom ), security locks (Schloßsicherungen Gera GmbH), optics (POG Präzisionsoptik Gera GmbH), electrical equipment (Electronicon Kondensatoren GmbH), and margarine manufacturing (Othüna). Other companies include

1680-764: Is located in a smooth-hilly landscape in eastern Thuringia at the White Elster river (progression: Saale → Elbe → North Sea ), between the Thuringian Highland approx. 50 km (31 mi) in the south-west, the Ore Mountains approx. 50 km (31 mi) in the south-east and the Leipzig Bay approx. 50 km (31 mi) in the north. The municipal territory is marked by the Elster valley, crossing it in south-northern direction. West of

1785-474: Is no citywide spatial separation between the worker's quarters and the upper-class mansion districts, instead, the mansions and the tenements are situated near to each other, spread over all the districts. The hilly areas and those next to the river and the parks are more upscale, whereas the areas next to the railway and the factories are more working-class styled. Nevertheless, the Gründerzeit architecture

1890-511: Is quite diverse and interesting in Gera. Most buildings were extensively refurbished after 1990. Especially Gera's mansion architecture from the 1900s and 1910s is unique. The 1920s brought some modern-style Bauhaus buildings to the then rich city. During the GDR period, urban growth was handled by establishing big Plattenbau settlements on the city's periphery, like the Lusan district in south and

1995-568: Is thus descended from the vogts of Plauen from whom they inherited the cities and lordships of Gera, Greiz, Schleiz and Lobenstein . However, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the vogts had lost the greater part of their possessions, most of which fell to the Electorate of Saxony , including Weida in 1427 and Plauen in 1482. In 1306 the Plauen branch of the vogts was subdivided into an elder line (at Plauen) that died out around 1380, and

2100-535: The Bundesstraße 2 to Zeitz in the north and Hof in the south, the Bundesstraße 7 to Jena (via Eisenberg ) in the west and to Altenburg in the east and the Bundesstraße 92 to Plauen (via Greiz ) in the south. Important secondary roads run to Altenburg (via Lumpzig ), to Werdau (via Linda ), to Wünschendorf , to Stadtroda and to Hermsdorf . As part of the Bundesgartenschau 2007,

2205-667: The Central Place Theory in German regional planning. This makes the city a regional centre for retailing, with three major shopping centres: Gera-Arcaden , Amthor-Passage and Elster-Forum . Health services are important, with one of the biggest hospitals in Thuringia, the SRH Waldklinikum. Nevertheless, Gera's economy is weak compared to equal-sized neighbouring cities like Jena or Zwickau . While Jena counts 51,000 and Zwickau 50,000 jobs liable to pay into

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2310-467: The Congress of Vienna , Frederick William's ministers succeeded in securing significant territorial increases for Prussia. However, they failed to obtain the annexation of all of Saxony , as they had wished. Following the war, Frederick William turned towards political reaction, abandoning the promises he had made in 1813 to provide Prussia with a constitution. Frederick William was determined to unify

2415-534: The Congress of Vienna , which assembled to settle the political questions arising from the new, post-Napoleonic order in Europe. His primary interests were internal – the reform of Prussia's Protestant churches. He was determined to unify the Protestant churches to homogenize their liturgy, organization, and architecture. The long-term goal was to have fully centralized royal control of all the Protestant churches in

2520-479: The Convention of Tauroggen , Frederick William turned against France and signed an alliance with Russia at Kalisz . However, he had to flee Berlin, still under French occupation. Prussian troops played a crucial part in the victories of the allies in 1813 and 1814, and the king himself traveled with the main army of Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg , along with Alexander of Russia and Francis of Austria . At

2625-667: The Evangelical Church in Central Germany and 2.6% were Catholics, giving Gera one of the lowest shares of religious people in the Western world. There are some museums in Gera: Like its western neighbour-city Jena , Gera is a protracted city along a wide valley in south-northern direction. The historic city centre is quite small and located between Sorge in the north, Nicolaistraße in the east, Stadtgraben in

2730-691: The German Emperor Otto I (936–973). In church matters the region was under the Diocese of Zeitz (founded in 968), which became a suffragan of Magdeburg . On account of the frequent inroads of the Slavs, the residence of the Bishop of Zeitz was removed to Naumburg in 1028, after which the See was called Naumburg-Zeitz . Upon its subjection to German authority, the whole province was allotted to

2835-657: The March of Zeitz . As early as the year 1000, however, Emperor Otto III permitted the entire part lying on the eastern boundary of Thuringia , a wooded area, sparsely populated by the West Slavic people of the Sorbs , to be cleared for farmland and settled by German settlers. Emperor Henry IV appointed Henry the Pious of Gleissberg (c. 1040−1120) imperial vogt , or bailiff ( advocatus imperii ) of this settlement area, under

2940-669: The Munich Airport and the Berlin Brandenburg Airport . In the eastern part of Gera lies the airfield Gera-Leumnitz meant for private aviation. Cycling is becoming more popular since the construction of quality cycle tracks began in the 1990s. For tourists, there are the Weiße Elster track and the Thuringian city string track (Radweg Thüringer Städtekette) . Both connect points of tourist interest,

3045-484: The North German Confederation and the new German Empire in 1871. He alone of all the confederate princes remained until his death in 1902 an implacable enemy of Prince Bismarck and of the conditions created in Germany by the foundation of the empire. Despite his views, his daughter Hermine Reuss of Greiz later became the second wife of the exiled German Emperor Wilhelm II . Other daughters of

3150-485: The People's State of Reuss , which was incorporated into the new state of Thuringia in 1920. On 7 December 2022, German police conducted an operation which resulted in the arrest of 25 alleged members of the far-right group Reichsbürger , including a member of the Köstritz branch of the House of Reuss, identified as Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss . The suspects arrested in the operation were allegedly planning to overturn

3255-695: The Principality of Reuss Younger Line in 1806. The two remaining Reuss principalities joined the German Confederation in 1815. Several subdivisions of the Younger Line merged into a unified state by 1848. Henry XXII of Reuss Elder line is notable among the modern princes of this house for his enmity to Prussia , which he opposed in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, when the Prussian troops occupied his domain. Henry joined

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3360-480: The Principality of Reuss Younger Line with the state capital of Gera . Both states were ruled by the House of Reuss until the German Revolution of 1918–1919 . The head of each branch bore the German title Fürst (Prince, as head of a princely house) while their children and all other members of the house bore the title Prinz/Prinzessin (Prince/Princess, as agnate members of a princely house). Since

3465-515: The Prussian Union of Churches . The king was said to be extremely shy and indecisive. His wife Queen Louise (1776–1810) was his most important political advisor. She led a mighty group that included Baron Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein , Prince Karl August von Hardenberg , Gerhard von Scharnhorst , and Count August Neidhardt von Gneisenau . They set about reforming Prussia's administration, churches, finance, and military. He

3570-622: The Quedlinburg Abbey , thus taking on the title of vogt . In 1564 the sons of Henry XIII of Reuss at Greiz divided the estates into While the Middle Reuss became extinct in 1616, the Older and Younger lines were divided again several times until in 1778 Count Henry XI united the possessions of Upper and Lower Greiz to the Principality of Reuss Elder Line . In return the remaining estates of Gera, considerably larger though, became

3675-596: The United States . The king's unsuccessful counterattack worsened tensions at the highest levels of government. The crown's aggressive efforts to restructure religion were unprecedented in Prussian history. In a series of proclamations over several years, the Church of the Prussian Union was formed, bringing together the majority group of Lutherans and the minority group of Reformed Protestants. The main effect

3780-681: The War of the Fourth Coalition . From here, on October 12, 1806, the French Emperor purposely sent an arrogant and threatening letter to King Frederick William III of Prussia – a letter that enticed Prussia to war and a crushing defeat at the Battle of Jena a few days later. The Gera line of Reussians died out in 1802, so that it had no royal resident until the new one moved there from Schleiz in 1848. From 1848 to 1918 Gera served as

3885-609: The " Old Lutherans " in Silesia refused to abandon their liturgical traditions. The crown responded by attempting to silence protest. The stubborn Lutheran minority was coerced by military force, their churches' confiscation, and their pastors' imprisonment or exile. By 1834 outward union was secured based on common worship but separate symbols—the opponents of the measure being forbidden to form communities of their own. Many left Prussia, settling in South Australia , Canada , and

3990-608: The "province" of Gera to the Quedlinburg Abbey . In turn, the church assigned the protectorship of this area in 1209 to the Vogts of Weida (in German: Vögte von Weida ) who served as its administrators. The Vogts of Weida were the ancestors of the Reussians , who ruled Gera until 1918. Gera was first mentioned as a town in 1237, though it is unclear in which year Gera got the municipal law. The small town got circumvallated in

4095-538: The 13th century on an area of 350 x 350 m and the Vogts' city castle was built in the south-western corner at today's Burgstraße. A municipal seal was first used in 1350, the council was first named in 1360 and the town hall was mentioned in 1426. The abbess of Quedlinburg remained the formal sovereign of Gera until 1358, as the Wettins followed her up. The Vogt's couldn't emancipate themselves from Wettin rule. In 1450, Gera

4200-532: The 19th century, Gera became a centre of the textile industry and saw a period of rapid growth. In 1952, the city also became an administrative centre in GDR as one of the capitals of Gera administrative district (Bezirk) . In 1990, Gera became part of re-established Thuringia. The loss of its administrative functions as well as its industrial core (caused both by structural change among the European textile industry and

4305-596: The Bavarian confirmed the bailiffs a rank equal to Princes of the Holy Roman Empire , albeit without the title itself, they continued to use the designation Vogt . In the 12th and 13th centuries, the bailiffs of Weida gradually became independent of the Quedlinburg Abbey on the lands they administered. Their area included what is generally understood today as Vogtland. Over time the dominions of

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4410-475: The Bieblach district in north. Overall nearly half of Geras buildings date back to World War II. In 2022, 22544 people were employed full-time in Gera with a median salary of EUR 2,595.34. The median wage in Gera is 10% lower compared to eastern Germany. Agriculture has some importance in the rural districts of Gera, especially in the northern and eastern city parts. Approximately 57% of the municipal territory

4515-516: The German judicial system for its failure to recognize his claims to family properties expropriated at the end of World War II. A young Reuss count, sent to the 1815 Congress of Vienna , is the protagonist of the 1899 operetta Wiener Blut and the 1942 film based on it. Much of the hilarity of the film centers around his impossible name of "Reuss-Schleiz-Greiz". Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III ( German : Friedrich Wilhelm III. ; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840)

4620-578: The German social insurance, Gera had only 35,000 of those full-time jobs in 2012. The commuter balance was +14,000 in Jena and +16,000 in Zwickau, but only +2,000 in Gera, which is one of the lowest ratios among German supra-centres, highlighting the lack of ability of Gera to provide jobs for the region. The unemployment rate reached 11.2% in September 2013 - the highest among all Thuringian districts. Since

4725-467: The Gößnitz line, to Greiz , to Hof and to Saalfeld. Local trains provide connections to Weimar via Jena, Leipzig, Weischlitz (near Plauen), Hof and Saalfeld. The most lines run every two hours, so that there is hourly service (express and local trains in alternation) to most directions. The electrification of the west-eastern mainline Weimar – Jena – Gera – Gößnitz is in discussion for closing that gap in

4830-809: The House of Reuss which had previously existed had by the time of the formation of the German Confederation become part of the two remaining lines (the Elder and the Younger lines ). Before then, they had been part first of the Holy Roman Empire , and then the Confederation of the Rhine . The region including what would become the Principality of Reuss was inhabited in early medieval times by Slavic people who were converted to Christianity by

4935-448: The Leipzig line, Zwötzen at the Saalfeld and Hof line as well as Gera Ost and Liebschwitz at the Plauen line. Freight transport by rail is immaterial in Gera since the 1990s. The two Autobahnen crossing each other nearby at Hermsdorf junction are the Bundesautobahn 4 (Frankfurt–Dresden) and the Bundesautobahn 9 (Berlin–Munich), which were both built during the 1930s. Furthermore, there are three Bundesstraßen connecting Gera:

5040-470: The Nazi takeover of Germany, the Jewish community of Gera was destroyed, the synagogue burnt down in the Kristallnacht in 1938 and the city's Jews emigrated or were murdered in concentration camps . A month before the end of World War II, on 6 April 1945, U.S. bombing destroyed parts of the city and killed 514 residents. Some 300 buildings were hit, including the Osterstein castle and several historic buildings in city centre, many of which weren't rebuilt after

5145-418: The Protestant churches to homogenize their liturgy, organization, and architecture. The long-term goal was to have fully centralized royal control of all the Protestant churches in the Prussian Union of Churches . The merging of the Lutheran and Calvinist (Reformed) confessions to form the United Church of Prussia was highly controversial. Angry responses included a large and well-organized opposition. Especially

5250-399: The Prussian army collapsed entirely soon after. Napoleon occupied Berlin in late October. The royal family fled to Memel , East Prussia , where they fell on the mercy of Emperor Alexander I of Russia . Alexander, too, suffered defeat at the hands of the French, and at Tilsit on the Niemen France made peace with Russia and Prussia. Napoleon dealt with Prussia very harshly, despite

5355-434: The Reussians (which arose from the Vogts in the mid-16th century) as indeed rulers were strengthened. During the 16th century, some cloth-makers from the Spanish Netherlands migrated to Gera as religious refugees at Count Henry's invitation and raised the textile business in Gera. In the 18th century, there was a first peak in this industry ( Putting-out system ), which can be seen today at the large agents houses. In 1673,

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5460-410: The Reussians were raised to Imperial Counts which granted them full sovereignty within the Holy Roman Empire ; Gera became their royal residence. In 1686 and 1780, big town fires destroyed most buildings in Gera. The town was rebuilt relatively uniform during the 1780s in late-Baroque style, which marks the inner city until today. In 1806 Napoleon established his Imperial Headquarters at Gera during

5565-404: The Younger Line is therefore the only branch of the entire house that still exists today, but has over 30 male members, all named Heinrich. The family council decided on June 5, 1930, that all members of the remaining family should henceforth omit any line addition (Younger Line or Köstritz) from their names and call themselves Prince or Princess Reuss . This name (as well as the Heinrichs' count)

5670-414: The bailiffs extended beyond the Vogtland into the Western Ore Mountains , with areas extending into what is now the Czech Republic . The Weida branch was extinct in 1535, the branch of Greiz-Reichenbach was soon inherited by the branch of Plauen-Gera which then divided into Plauen (elder and younger line) and Gera-Schleiz-Lobenstein (extinct in 1550). The elder Plauen line of the vogts was extinct in 1380,

5775-443: The branches of the bailiffs of Weida-Ronneburg, Plauen-Gera and Greiz-Reichenbach. The bailiffs, initially unfree nobles ( Ministerialis ) , quickly rose to the rank of lords. After the division, the official title Vogt was carried on by all branches and passed on like a hereditary imperial fiefdom. When the bailiffs negotiated a treaty with Henry III, Margrave of Meissen in 1254, they acted as equal partners. In 1329 Emperor Ludwig

5880-450: The capital of the Principality of Reuss-Gera . With the industrial revolution in the mid-19th century, Gera grew rapidly, due largely to its textile industry, which saw the first Power loom installed in 1836. In 1859, Gera was first connected by railway to Halle via Zeitz and Weißenfels . During the following decades, rail lines in all directions made Gera to a transport hub, and the town kept growing. The second electric tram in Germany

5985-402: The city saw a significant decline in population, despite the large incorporations of 1994. The population shrunk to 113,000 in 2000 and 95,000 in 2012. The average decrease of population between 2009 and 2012 was approximately 0.55% p. a, whereas the population in bordering rural regions is shrinking with accelerating tendency. Suburbanization played only a small role in Gera. It occurred after

6090-422: The common curriculum. The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was independent Ralf Rauch , who served from 1994 to 2006. He was succeeded by Norbert Vornehm of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), who served from 2006 to 2012. Viola Hahn was elected in 2012, but was defeated seeking re-election in 2018, failing to progress to the second round. Julian Vonarb served from 2018 to 2024 when he

6195-459: The dramatist Johann Jakob Engel . As a soldier, he received the usual training of a Prussian prince, obtained his lieutenancy in 1784, became a lieutenant colonel in 1786, a colonel in 1790, and took part in the campaigns against France of 1792–1794. On 24 December 1793, Frederick William married Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , who bore him ten children. In the Kronprinzenpalais (Crown Prince's Palace) in Berlin, Frederick William lived

6300-457: The economic heyday between 1870 and 1930. The famous painter Otto Dix was born in Gera in 1891. The place name Gera originally referred to the area of the Elster river valley where the city stands now. The name most likely originated before the European Migration Period – the people who first settled the area during the 8th century adopted the name. The first known documentary mention of Gera dates from 995. In 999 Emperor Otto III assigned

6405-406: The economic system change after the German reunification) precipitated the city's slide into an enduring economic crisis. Since 1990, many of Gera's buildings have been restored and big urban planning programmes like the Bundesgartenschau 2007 were implemented to stimulate Gera's economy. Sights include some retained buildings of the royal residence epoque and many public and private buildings from

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6510-463: The effectiveness of his reign since he was forced to assume the roles he did not delegate. This is the main factor of his inconsistent rule. Disgusted with his father's court (in both political intrigues and sexual affairs), Frederick William's first and most successful early endeavor was to restore his dynasty's moral legitimacy. The eagerness to restore dignity to his family went so far that it nearly caused sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow to cancel

6615-540: The encouragement of Queen Louise (who died, greatly mourned, in 1810). After bereavement, Frederick William fell under the influence of a 'substitute family' of courtiers, among whom included Friedrich Ancillon , a Huguenot preacher that provided the king with strong ideological support against political reforms that might restrain monarchical power, Sophie Marie von Voß , an older woman with conservative views and Prince Wilhelm zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein . In 1813, following Napoleon's defeat in Russia and pressured by

6720-458: The end of the 12th century, all male members of the House of Reuss are named Heinrich (English: Henry ), in honour of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor (1190–1197), to whom they owed the dominions of Weida and Gera. For the purpose of differentiation, they are given order numbers according to certain systems (see below, section Numbering of the Heinrichs ), and in private life they are distinguished by nicknames. Several different principalities of

6825-401: The end of the empire in 1806, the principality of the elder line, as well as several of the younger, became sovereign member states of the German Confederation , with the younger ones merging into a unified principality by 1848. The two remaining territories became federal principalities of the German Empire in 1871, the Principality of Reuss Elder Line with the state capital of Greiz and

6930-466: The existing German government, and instate Heinrich XIII as the new German de facto leader. His distant cousin Heinrich XIV Prince Reuss, the head and speaker of the House of Reuss and its family association, had previously referred to Heinrich XIII as "a confused old man who had been radicalised through disappointments". On behalf of the family association, which Heinrich XIII had left years ago, Heinrich XIV sharply distanced himself from him again after he

7035-466: The expensive and lavish Prinzessinnengruppe project, which was commissioned by the previous monarch Frederick William II. He was quoted as saying the following, which demonstrated his sense of duty and peculiar manner of speech: Every civil servant has a dual obligation: to the sovereign and the country. It can occur that the two are not compatible; then, the duty to the country is higher. At first, Frederick William and his advisors attempted to pursue

7140-573: The first along the White Elster valley from the Elster Mountains at the Czech border to Saale river in Halle and second from Eisenach via Erfurt , Weimar , Jena and Gera to Altenburg . For inner city every-day traffic, some cycle lanes exist along several main streets. The Gera tram network was the second in Germany that launched electrical engines in 1892. Today, there are two long lines, one from Bieblach via city centre to Lusan (line 3) and another one – opened in 2006 – from Untermhaus via city centre to Zwötzen (line 1). The third short line

7245-438: The following municipalities: The 12 statistical districts are: The main urban quarters are the city centre, Untermhaus (incorporated 1919) in the west, Langenberg (1950), Tinz (1919) and Bieblach (1905) in the north, Leumnitz (1919) in the east, Pforten (1919) and Zwötzen (1919) in the south-east as well as Debschwitz (1912) and Lusan (1919) in the south-west. For centuries, Gera was a small town of about 2,000 inhabitants. As

7350-403: The founder of the younger Plauen line was Henry (d. about 1300), who on account of his stay in Eastern European regions and his marriage with a granddaughter of King Daniel of Galicia received the surname of " der Reusse " ( Ruthenus , a term for the Kievan Rus' ), whence the name later passed to his country. His descendants were styled Lords Reuss of Plauen, Greiz and Gera . The House of Reuss

7455-456: The house also made important marriages: Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf , by marriage the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was the maternal grandmother of Queen Victoria and the paternal grandmother of Albert, Prince Consort . Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz married the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1849 and Eleonore Reuss of Köstritz became queen consort of Bulgaria in 1908. Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz (1878–1927),

7560-713: The last surviving branch of the family, with the senior of this branch, the Prince Reuss-Köstritz, as head of the entire house, hence now The Fürst Reuss , while the others hold the agnatic title of prince. In 1673 the Lords Reuss were raised to Imperial Counts and (depending on the line) from 1778 (1790 or 1802) to Imperial Princes . The dynasty ruled divided areas in various lines and sub-lines; around 1700 there were ten Reussian counties of both main branches. The lords, counts and princes were never styled of Reuss, but rather count or prince Reuss , as Reuss

7665-924: The late 19th century, Gera has been a hub in the railway network. The first railway ran to the Thuringian Railway in Weißenfels (with connection to Halle ) via Zeitz in 1859. Further main lines were opened to Gößnitz (with connection to Chemnitz ) in 1865, to Saalfeld in 1871, to Leipzig (via Zeitz) in 1873, to Plauen in 1875, to Weimar (with connection to Erfurt ) via Jena in 1876 and to Hof in 1883. The secondary railways to Werdau (opened in 1876) and Meuselwitz (opened via Pölzig in 1901 and via Lumpzig in 1887) are abandoned. Nevertheless, none of these lines are electrified or in use for long-distance trains. Today, there are regional express trains to Göttingen via Jena and Erfurt, to Leipzig via Zeitz, to Altenburg , Glauchau and Zwickau via

7770-655: The market place. Small tributaries of the White Elster river within the borders of Gera are the Erlbach on the western side and the Wipsenbach , Gessenbach and Brahme on the eastern side. Gera has a humid continental climate (Dfb) or an oceanic climate ( Cfb ) according to the Köppen climate classification system. Summers are warm and sometimes humid, winters are relatively cold. The city's topography creates

7875-430: The national average, the biggest groups of migrants in Gera are Russians , Vietnamese people and Ukrainians . During recent years, the economic situation of the city improved a bit: the unemployment rate declined from 22% in 2005 to 11% in 2013, which is still the highest one out of all Thuringian districts. Due to the official atheism in former GDR , most of the population is non-religious. In 2011, 9.8% were members of

7980-579: The nearby Ore Mountains ( Erzgebirge ) – demanded higher wages and free elections. The demonstrations were put down by Soviet military forces, including armored units. With governmental reorganization in East Germany, the city became the capital of the newly created District of Gera in 1952. The population rose during the GDR period, and massive Plattenbau prefabricated apartment blocks, built throughout East Germany, were constructed in Gera. After German reunification in 1990, Gera became part of

8085-507: The network and enable Gera's connection to long-distance trains, which can be reached today either via Jena or via Leipzig. The most important stations in Gera are the Gera main station (former Prussian station), where all the trains stop, and the Gera southern station (former Saxonian station), where all the trains, except the local ones to Weimar, stop. More stations in Gera are Langenberg at

8190-526: The new king showed that he was earnest of his good intentions by cutting down the royal establishment's expenses, dismissing his father's ministers, and reforming the most oppressive abuses of the late reign. He had the Hohenzollern determination to retain personal power but not the Hohenzollern genius for using it. Too distrustful to delegate responsibility to his ministers, he greatly reduced

8295-438: The paréage of Köstritz remained within the principality of the younger line. When the elder line died out with Heinrich XXIV in 1927 and the younger one when Heinrich XLV, son of the last ruler, died childless in 1945 as a prisoner of the communists, thus both main branches having become extinct, the dynastic succession (and the theoretical claims to their thrones) passed to the princely House Reuss of Köstritz . This side line of

8400-855: The pregnant queen's interview with the French emperor, which was believed to soften the defeat. Instead, Napoleon took much less mercy on the Prussians than what was expected. Prussia lost many of its Polish territories and all territory west of the Elbe and had to finance a large indemnity and pay French troops to occupy key strong points within the kingdom. Although the ineffectual king himself seemed resigned to Prussia's fate, various reforming ministers, such as Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein , Prince Karl August von Hardenberg , Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst , and Count August von Gneisenau , set about reforming Prussia's administration and military, with

8505-525: The private college SRH Fachhochschule für Gesundheit Gera ( university of applied sciences for health) with 500 students and the Gera branch of the Duale Hochschule Gera-Eisenach ( cooperative state college ) with 850 students locally. Furthermore, there are four Gymnasiums , all of them are state-owned. The Goethe-Gymnasium/Rutheneum seit 1608 (“since 1608”) focuses on music education as an elite boarding school, in addition to

8610-416: The restored state of Thuringia. However, Gera lost most of its administrative functions after reunification, and nearly all the city's factories were closed. This led to a continuing economic crisis with significant unemployment, and the city's population declined from 135,000 in 1990 to less than 100,000 a decade later. The city hosted the Bundesgartenschau (federal horticultural exhibition) in 2007. Gera

8715-414: The reunification for a short time in the 1990s, but most of the suburban areas were situated within the administrative city borders. During the 1990s and the 2000s, many inhabitants left Gera to search a better life in west Germany or other major east German cities like Jena or Leipzig . Since 2010, emigration is no big issue anymore. Now, the birth deficit, caused by the high average age of the population,

8820-468: The rule of the imperial Quedlinburg Abbey . He was a son of Erkenbert I of Weida, the oldest known ancestor of the family, who is mentioned in 1122 in the entourage of Count Adalbert of Everstein at the consecration of St John's church in Plauen. The name of the area Heinrich controlled derives from his office: Vogtland ( Terra advocatorum , Land of the Bailiff). This designation has remained to this day

8925-401: The south and Reichsstraße in the west. It survived World War II, but during the 1960s and 1970s, the GDR government demolished larger inner-city areas to rebuild them with modern concrete architecture, which marks the view of Gera's centre, particularly in the north-west until today. Between 1870 and 1930, the city was largely extended in all directions. As distinct from other German cities, there

9030-505: The system is similar but the numbers increase until the end of the century before starting again at 1. This odd regulation was formulated as a Family Law in 1688, but the tradition of the uniformity of name was in practice as early as 1200. It was seen as a way of honoring the Hohenstaufen Emperor Heinrich/ Henry VI , who raised Heinrich der Reiche/Henry the Rich (+1209) to the office of provost of

9135-422: The textile business saw a first peak, the population rose to 7,000 in 1800 and further to 17,000 after the early stage of industrialisation in 1870. Gera's heyday between 1870 and 1930 led to a demographic boom with a population of 83,000 at the end of this phase in 1930. In 1950, Gera had 98,000 inhabitants and the all-time peak was reached in 1988 with a population of 135,000. After the German reunification in 1990,

9240-501: The valley, the landscape is more hilly and forested (with the Gera Municipal Forest), whereas the eastern parts are more flat and in agricultural use. The elevation is between 180 metres (the level of the White Elster river) and 354 m (1,161.42 ft) (when measured at Gera-Falka at the furthest southeastern point). Usually the height above sea level for the city appears as 205 m (673 ft) when measured at

9345-590: The war, so in present day nearly half of Geras buildings date back to before World War II. U.S. forces occupied Gera on 14 April 1945 but were replaced by the Soviets on 1 July 1945. Gera became part of the GDR in 1949 and was a flash point in the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany as thousands of workers – among them many employees of the Soviet-established Wismut uranium mining entity in

9450-535: Was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved. Frederick William III ruled Prussia during the times of the Napoleonic Wars . The king reluctantly joined the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon in the German campaign of 1813 . Following Napoleon's defeat, he took part in

9555-509: Was +3.6 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 (Thuringian average: -0.8; national average: +4.6). The most important regions of origin of Gera migrants are bordering rural areas of Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony as well as foreign countries like Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. Like other eastern German cities, Gera has only a small foreign population: circa 1.6% are non-Germans by citizenship and overall 5.0% are migrants (according to 2011 EU census ). Differing from

9660-401: Was a tutor and guardian of his brother, Prince Henry . They thus grew up partly with the count's son, who accompanied them on their Grand Tour in the 1780s. Frederick William was happy at Paretz, and for this reason, in 1795, he bought it from his boyhood friend and turned it into an important royal country retreat. He was a melancholy boy, but he grew up pious and honest. His tutors included

9765-667: Was almost totally destroyed during the Saxon Fratricidal War , but it could recuperate quick because the starting textile manufacture brought wealth to the town. The Reformation was introduced in Gera in 1533 against the will of the Vogts by the Wettins. After the Schmalkaldic War in 1546, the Wettins lost Gera to the Bohemian Crown , who however had no influence on the city, so that the Vogts resp.

9870-409: Was also defeated seeking re-election, succeeded by Kurt Dannenberg (CDU). The most recent mayoral election was held on 26 May 2024, with a runoff held on 9 June, and the results were as follows: The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2024, and the results were as follows: Gera is twinned with: House of Reuss Reuss ( German : Reuß [ʁɔɪ̯s] , ROYSS )

9975-508: Was arrested, saying that "30 years ago he was a modern businessman, but nowadays he is fooled by all sorts of conspiracy theories". In the line of succession to the House of Reuss, Heinrich XIII only ranked 17th, and the head of the house called him "a marginal figure". He said his behaviour was a "catastrophe" for the family, whose heritage as tolerant and cosmopolitan rulers was now associated with "terrorists and reactionaries". He believes Reuss' anti-government views derive from his resentment at

10080-475: Was expropriated by communist East Germany in 1945 and demolished in the 1970s. In 1945, the Princes Reuss lost all of their extended possessions and castles in their ancestral homeland through expropriation. Heinrich XIV and some of his relatives regained some properties in the former Reuss states following German Reunification in 1990. After World War I , the Reuss territories were unified in 1919 as

10185-418: Was incapable of ruling and therefore the regency passed to the ruling prince of the younger line of Reuss. Since the childless Heinrich XXIV was the last of his line, it was to be expected that the principality of the elder line would fall to the younger line after his death, and that a united state of Reuss would emerge as a result. However, both lines lost their thrones in the German Revolution of 1918–19 and

10290-442: Was installed in Gera in 1892. After World War I, during the German Revolution of 1918–19 , the prince of Reuss was forced to abdicate and as the resultant " Republic of Reuss " joined the newly founded state of Thuringia in 1920. After the incorporation of some suburbs in the 1910s and 1920s Gera, with some 80,000 inhabitants, was the largest city in Thuringia, although the more centrally located Weimar became its capital. After

10395-408: Was neglected by his father during his childhood and suffered from an inferiority complex his entire life. As a child, Frederick William's father (under the influence of his mistress, Wilhelmine Enke, Countess of Lichtenau ) had him handed over to tutors, as was quite normal for the period. He spent part of the time living at Paretz , the estate of the old soldier, Count Hans von Blumenthal , who

10500-410: Was originally not the name of a town or castle, but rather a personal designation for the founder of the branch that indicated his foreign connection through marriage ( Reussen is in fact an older German term for Russians ), and the family is still referred to today in the plural as die Reussen . On account of the close relations of Reuss with the neighbouring Saxon states, Lutheranism speedily gained

10605-559: Was retained by a court order even in the Weimar republic . The current head of the family, Heinrich XIV, dynastic actually the Fürst (Prince) Reuss of Köstritz (b. 1952), is also styled The Fürst (Prince) Reuss , as Köstritz is no longer a side line but the only branch of the house. His main seat is Ernstbrunn Castle in Austria which his family had inherited in 1822, while Köstritz Castle

10710-463: Was that the government of Prussia had full control over church affairs, with the king himself recognized as the leading bishop. In 1824 Frederick William III married for the second time, to Countess Auguste von Harrach zu Rohrau und Thannhausen . At the time of their marriage, the House of Harrach was still not recognized as equal to other European royal families for dynastic purposes. The marriage

10815-533: Was the dedicatee of Beethoven 's Ninth Symphony in 1824. Frederick William was born in Potsdam on 3 August 1770 as the son of Frederick William II of Prussia and Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt . He was considered to be a shy and reserved boy, which became noticeable in his particularly reticent conversations, distinguished by the lack of personal pronouns. This manner of speech subsequently came to be considered entirely appropriate for military officers. He

10920-405: Was the name of several historical states located in present-day Thuringia , Germany. Several lordships of the Holy Roman Empire which arose after 1300 and became Imperial Counties from 1673 and Imperial Principalities in the late 18th century were ruled by the House of Reuss . A varying number of these counties came into being by partition; they were partially merged and divided again. After

11025-655: Was therefore morganatic and she was created Princess of Liegnitz . They had no children. In 1838 the king distributed large parts of his farmland at Erdmannsdorf Estate to 422 Protestant refugees from the Austrian Zillertal , who built Tyrolean style farmhouses in the Silesian village. Frederick William III died on 7 June 1840 in Berlin, from a fever, survived by his second wife. His eldest son, Frederick William IV , succeeded him. Frederick William III

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