High above the Thuringian Basin the mighty Inselsberg stands. Its peak touches almost 917 meters. This is Landkreis Gotha a land of contrasts.
Landkreis Gotha boasts a rich history. It was once part of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha. This duchy itself was a piece of the Holy Roman Empire. Later it became Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. The ducal line died out in 1825. The area was split again becoming Saxe-Hildburghausen and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. After the November Revolution Gotha joined Thuringia. Coburg went to Bavaria.
The Landkreis Gotha we see today is a result of many changes. It was formed in 1922. This involved parts of Gotha Ohrdruf and Waltershausen. The city of Gotha became the district capital. The district stretched south to Oberhof. Later the Nazi regime ended local government. After the Second World War the borders shifted again. This continued through 1950 and a 1952 reform under East Germany. Finally in 1994 several towns joined from surrounding districts.
The land itself is varied. The north and east are low. The Fahner Heights a muschelkalk ridge reach 413 meters. The Thuringian Forest dominates the southwest. Its highest point the Großer Inselsberg is within the Landkreis Gotha. The Rennsteig hiking trail follows the forest’s ridge. Three dams mark the southern area. These are the Ohra Dam near Luisenthal the Tambach-Dietharz Dam and the Schmalwasser Dam.
Between Ohrdruf and Mühlberg lies the Ohrdrufer Plateau. This muschelkalk plateau is about 450 meters high. Since 1906 much of it has served as a military training ground. The rest of the land is mostly farmland.
The coat of arms is significant. It shows Friedenstein Castle Gotha’s largest Baroque building. The wavy line represents the Leina Canal built from 1366 to 1369. The star symbolizes the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. The coat of arms was granted in 1991.
Landkreis Gotha’s economy is diverse. Metalworking and machine building are important. So too are plastics construction materials food and logistics. The area is a leading industrial region in Thuringia. Many supply companies serve the automobile industry. Tourism thrives especially in the Thuringian Forest. Hotels report high occupancy. Apples and cherries from the Fahner Heights are known far and wide. Gotha has a long commercial history. It’s where fire insurance was invented. It was also the home of major publishers like Justus Perthes.
The Landkreis Gotha. A place of history industry and natural beauty. A region whose story is as varied as its landscape.