Discover Christmas traditions in Thuringia – Part 1

In Advent, Thuringia tourists can discover Christmas traditions on numerous markets and festivals. To give you the perfect guide when and where to go at “the best time of the year”, we would like to present you our new sequence “Christmas travel in Thuringia”.

1. Weimar – reflection on Christian origins

The city of Weimar is well-known for its Classic history, with famous litaries such as Goethe or Schiller. So beeing a traditional destination, this year`s pre-Christmas period will reflect on the origins of Christmas festivities. The local market, the so called “Weimar Christmas”,  will open with a customary choir concert and provide the presence of the pastors of the Protestant, Catholic and Russian Orthodox church on November 24^th.

New pilgrimage in Thuringia dedicated

Pilgrim tourism

The pilgrim tourism is in vogue, and this doesnt apply only for the Way of St. James. Since a couple of years, tourists who visited thuringia kept asking for such an opportunity, which has led in conclusion to the opening of the new Pilgrim Way “On the traces of strong women” in the green state.

The route

This new milestone combines the story of three major women from the Christian history of Thuringia, the Benedictine Walburga (710 – 779), the founder of monastery Christin Paulina (1067 – 1107) and St. Elisabeth of Thuringia (1207 – 1231). The pilgrimage leads from Erfurt on Molsdorf, Ichtershausen, Arnstadt, Niederwillingen and Singen to Paulinzella. It is based on the medieval Way of St. James, 50 kilometres long and marked with a scallop. In the future, it will even be extended to Saalfeld and Coburg.

Perfect for a weekend break

That sounds promising and is especially doable on a – extended – weekend. “We want to let this theme way flourish whole-hearted and look forward to welcome many pilgrims friends,” says Christine Dölle, contact for the pilgrims in the Augustinian monastery.

Beech forests will be UNESCO World Heritage

The National Park Hainich

Thuringia is seeking the nomination of the unique beech forests of the National Park Hainich as a UNESCO World Heritage site. For a corresponding application to support the nomination campaign, also the Thuringian Minister for Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Environment Dr. Volker Sklenar championed this project in his speech to the Thuringian Landtag.

The nomination

By this years autumn, a joint request of selected German beech forest regions in Thuringia, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg and Hesse under the aegis of Thuringia will be developed. This will justify the inclusion of beech forests as a world natural heritage and is supposed to be submitted to the World Heritage Committee in early 2009 for its examination. The nomination will range – according to current planning – until 2010. Finally, the confirmation as a world natural heritage is expected for the year 2011.

Safety

Anual crime report underlines Thuringia`s safety

Germany is one of the world’s safest countries. The evidence was presented yesterday by the 2007 edition of the anual crime report.

Along with Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, it is seized that especially Thuringia is a TOP 3 security state. Nationwide, the trend gets also more positive: With 6 284 661 crimes last year, 0.3 percent fewer criminal offences were registered by the police than in 2006. In Thuringia, the decline was even two percent.

Mountain bike marathon & Festival

Mountain bike marathon & Festival at Tabarz: The last event – The rush into the biking season on the last weekend in April exceeded all expectations by far.

According to the perfect weather, about 135 drivers took the downhill route and looked at the pros JD Swanguen (USA) and Mio Suamesa (JPN) from MS Intense Factory Racing team. But not only the international stars came to Tabarz, also the national prominence represented by Antje Kramer, the German champion in downhill, followed the invitation.

At the press conference on Saturday, Soren Schmidt, the chief organizer for the marathon and the downhill, announced a further improvement of cooperation with the municipality Tabarz, who will be the organizer of both upcoming events.

Mountain bike marathon – New Websites

Both the website of Tabarzer marathon as well as the downhill on the Inselsberg are redesigned and given a modern and striking layout.

The revision of the page to Tabarzer Mountain Bike Marathon, fahrrad-schmidt.de/marathon has been completed a few days ago and is available including the online registration for the marathon.

This is also an appropriate site to purchase professional bikes, as well as Fahrrad Erfurt Shop in the region of Thuringia.

Tabarz, Thuringia: New events and partners

Thuringia is always worth a visit, and during the past years especially for marathon or downhill.

Having perceived this new trend, The Thuringia Tourism Company is the new partner and main sponsor of the Tabarz Mountain Bike Marathon on 31.5./1.6. 2008, with his presence to visit the “green heart of Germany”.

The new event will include a kids mountainbike competition, a short race and last but not least, a family program with a brilliant celebration finish.

Through the further development of biking paths and special mountain bike trails around the Inselsberg region, cyclotourists will even find more attractive destinations to enjoy their passion in Thuringia.

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Event Pictures (c) Mountain bike marathon

media country

Since the late 90s, the Free State established a media site – and since the end of 2003 it marketed itself as a “Children media country.” The 2007 image campaign, issued by the Free State, explains what is at stake: “The home of the Kinderkanal (children’s channel), ARD and ZDF and the Children’s Media Festival “Goldener Spatz” convinces with the nationwide highest concentration of media companies in the field of children’s content”.

Until then, it was a long way: “At the beginning, there was nothing and now we have quite a few productions here,” puts Inge Lore König this development in a nutshell. “The problem was simply that there existed no tradition in Thuringia for media.” With its children’s film company, she operates in Thuringia since 2000 and produces, among other things, the Ki.Ka broadcast Trickboxx. König is a pioneer in the Thuringian film business.

Picture by: chris.gt

And today, things turned out really good for the location of Thuringia. Prime Minister Dieter Althaus (CDU) said on Tuesday on the eve of the anual Thuringian media symposium: “Thuringia was not only a successful children’s media and production site. From here, we developped consistently many ideas and innovations, which influence new media services for children through significant future projects.” “In future”, according to Althaus, “we will increase even more production and research capacities”.