Germany: All about Thuringia Trivia Quiz

Answer: St. Augustine's Monastery

Constructed around the 13th century, the grounds of St. Augustine's Monastery cover an area of around 2.5 acres (1 hectare). It was established by the Catholic religious order, the Augustinian friars. Construction of the monastery began in 1277.

The monastery became the home of Martin Luther (1483-1546) in 1505; he remained until 1511. He joined the monastery aged 17 after becoming converted. There is a reconstruction of his cell in the monastery where historians believe his real cell was. The cell had to be rebuilt after being destroyed by a fire, and has been a pilgrimage site ever since Luther's death.

Erfurt is situated in the southern portion of the Thuringian Basin, a depression located in the centre and northwest of the state.

Answer: Bavaria

Thuringia does border Saxony-Anhalt, but Saxony-Anhalt lies to the northeast. Thuringia also shares borders with Lower Saxony and Hesse, but Lower Saxony lies to the northwest, and Hesse lies west. Thuringia also shares a border with Saxony, which lies to the southeast.

Answer: Grosser Beerberg

Standing at around 3,225 feet (980 m) high, Grosser Beerberg is composed of rhyolite rock (volcanic rock that contains the most silica of volcanic rocks). Part of the Thuringian Forest Mountain Range, Grosser Beerberg features a viewing platform where the Rhön Mountains can be observed in the distance. The mountain consists of rhyolite, a volcanic rock.

Diverting from the main trail on Grosser Beerberg is prohibited by law to avoid damage to the mountain's ecosystem.

Answer: Erfurt Cathedral

Constructed in the 12th century, Erfurt Cathedral is the oldest church in Erfurt.

On 26 July 1184, the Erfurt latrine disaster occurred during an informal assembly of the aristocracy ordered by King Henry VI of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. The meeting was to resolve a dispute between the Archbishop of Mainz, Conrad of Wittelsbach, and a landgrave of Thuringia, Ludwig III. The exact reason for their disagreement is lost to history.

Medieval latrines were much less complex than modern sewage systems, consisting of a cesspit under the building where human waste built up. Unfortunately, the aging, rotting floor of the church could not hold the weight of the nobles above the cathedral's latrine. The floor collapsed, resulting in 50-100 members of the Holy Roman Empire's aristocracy rapidly plunging into the freshly exposed cesspit below.

The fall killed some of the nobles, while some were asphyxiated by the sewage gas released into the air, whereas others drowned. King Henry VI and Archbishop Conrad of Wittelsbach both narrowly escaped a foul death by clinging to windows of the cathedral.

Answer: Gera

Gera is the third-largest city of Thuringia. It was once a town that derived a great deal of its economy from the textiles and cloth industry, becoming one of the richest towns in Germany in the process. It has evolved into a city of arts and culture, and is colloquially known as "Otto Dix City."

Otto Dix (1891-1969) was a German painter renowned for his uncomfortably honest works presenting German life during the times of the Weimar Republic, using his paintings to educate viewers on the horrors of war. He was born in Untermhaus, which is now part of Gera. Otto Dix was exposed to both art and war from a young age, joining an art school in 1910 and being taught by German sculptor, Richard Guhr (1873-1956).

Upon the outbreak of World War I, Dix volunteered to join Germany's army, where he fought against Russia on the Eastern Front, as well as being stationed around other areas such as Flanders. The atrocities and bloodshed from the war severely disturbed him, and he suffered from frequent nightmares about it. He channelled his pain into his artwork, some of which was very upsetting to some viewers.

His 1923 painting, "The Trench," which illustrated decapitated and deceased soldiers following a battle, caused such an outrage that Cologne's Wallraf-Richartz Museum opted to hide the painting on its premises. It is unknown what happened to it. Otto Dix was unpopular with the Nazi Party when it came into power, and it is suspected that "The Trench" was one of his many works that the Nazis confiscated.

Some of Otto Dix's painting were rediscovered in 2012. They were in possession of the son of Hildebrand Gurlitt, the man responsible for looting artwork on the orders of Adolf Hitler.

Answer: Old Synagogue

The Erfurt Treasure is assumed to have been hidden in Erfurt in 1349 by a Jew who died shortly after in the Erfurt Massacre. Jewish merchants would often bury items like this due to relentless persecution and accusations of spreading and/or causing the Black Death. Between 21-22 March 1349, between 100-3,000 Jews were killed in Erfurt as a result of being blamed for the spread of the bubonic plague.

The Erfurt Treasure was discovered in the wall of a house of Erfurt in 1998, and is one of the most vast collections of jewellery from the Gothic period. It also consists of over 3,000 silver coins and 14 silver ingots.

Old Synagogue is located in Erfurt, Thuringia. It functions as a museum in modern times, but was used as a synagogue throughout history. The oldest portions of the synagogue have been dated to 1094. The synagogue was damaged in the Erfurt Massacre; it was confiscated and used as a warehouse and storage vault for the next 500 years. It was opened to the public as a museum in 2009, where the Erfurt Treasure is on display.

Answer: It features inhabited buildings

Constructed in 1325 of sandstone and limestone, the Krämerbrücke is one the few bridges left in the world which features inhabited buildings, and is the oldest of its kind to be continuously inhabited, at around 500 years. It is around 410 feet (125 m) long and runs over the Breitstrom, which is a branch of the River Gera.

In modern times the bridge features 32 houses, all of which have shops on the ground floor and apartments on the second. The houses had to be reconstructed after being bombed by the Allies in 1945 during World War II. The houses were reconstructed fully by 1954.

Since 1975, the bridge has been celebrated with the Krämerbrückenfest, a festival which attracts around 130,000 visitors annually. The festival occurs in June and is a historical celebration of Medieval times, with an actor opening the festival dressed as Till Eulenspiegel, a fictional Medieval character.

Answer: Schmalkalden

Schmalkalden is situated on the south of the Thuringian Forest, on the Schmalkalde River, in the southwest of Thuringia. The town is the birthplace of several notable people, such as Otto H. Schade, whose work with image evaluation of motion picture led to the birth of modern television.

Construction of Wilhelmsburg Castle began in 1584 under the orders of Landgrave Wilhelm IV of Hessen (who wanted a new hunting lodge) and was completed by 1618. The building has retained much of its original style and murals that decorate its interior. The floor plan is almost a perfect square, and the building contains four wings.

Wilhelmsburg Castle features an organ from Renaissance times, one of the few of its kind left that is still functioning and playable. The organ was first played during the inauguration of the castle in 1590.

Answer: Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld

Jena is located in the east of Thuringia. The city is known for its Phyletisches Museum displaying fossils and demonstrations of evolution, as well as the Optical Museum Jena, which showcases optical instruments dating back hundreds of years.

Constructed by 1924 and taking two years to build, Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld is named after Ernst Abbe (1840-1905), a German physicist who invented the apochromatic lens in 1868. The stadium has a capacity of around 15,000 people. In 1996, Czech javelin thrower, Jan Zelezný, set the world record for javelin throwing there, scoring 98.48 m.

Answer: Kyffhäuser Monument

Also known as the Barbarossa Monument, the Kyffhäuser Monument is located in the Kyffhäuser Hills, which is shared by Thuringia and neighbouring German state, Saxony-Anhalt. It was constructed on top of the ruins of the Imperial Castle of Kyffhausen, which was described as a ruin around the 15th century.

Construction of the monument began in 1980 and was completed by 1896. The Kyffhäuser Monument is around 265 feet (80 m) high and is the third-largest monument in Germany. It is surpassed only by the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leizpeg, Saxony, and the Emperor William Monument in Porta Westfalica, North Rhine-Westphalia - both of which were also designed by Bruno Schmitz.

The Kyffhäuser Monument was constructed in order to honour German Emperor William I who died in 1888, and features a neobaroque-style equestrian statue of him, designed by sculptor Emil Hundrieser (1846-1911). The statue features two other statues on each side - a German warrior representing the defence of the nation, and a woman holding a wreath and a pen, representing the history of the country. The monument also features a statue of Frederick Barbarossa (constructed by German sculptor, Nikolaus Geiger (1849-1897) from sandstone), who was Holy Roman Emperor from 1155-1190.

The monument is constructed from sandstone and was renovated between 1994-2014 at the cost of 14 million Euros to combat the weathering the sandstone was afflicted with.

Answer: Weimar

Weimar is located in the valley of the Ilm river, with Erfurt lying west and Jena lying east. Weimar is known for being the birthplace of Bauhaus, a German art and design school which existed between 1919-1933, established by renowned German architect, Walter Gropius (1883-1969).

The Duchess Anna Amalia Library had its main building constructed in the 1560s. In 1691, the building was expanded by Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar. Duchess Anna Amalia of Saxe-Weimar (1739-1807) was the library's biggest patron, hence it is named after her. She had the building converted into a library in 1761. German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) was also a patron of the library, and worked there between 1797-1832.

The library contains over a million volumes, as well as the largest collection of "Faust" in the world.

Answer: Wartburg

Located around 30 miles (50 km) west of Erfurt, Eisenach was once the capital of Thuringia in around the 12-13th centuries. Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia (also known as Elizabeth of Hungary) lived in the Wartburg.

The Wartburg castle was constructed in the 1060s under the orders of Louis the Springer, a count of Thuringia. It is located on a hill that is part of the Thuringian Forest.

Between 1521-1522, Martin Luther stayed at Wartburg for his own safety after being excommunicated by Pope Leo X. In 1777, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stayed at the castle and subsequently made several sketches of it. During World War II, the Soviets occupied the castle and looted it of weapons and armour, the fate of which is still unknown. In 1998, then U.S President Bill Clinton toured Wartburg during his visit to Germany.

Wartburg is the most visited tourist destination in Thuringia outside of Weimar.

Answer: Gotha

Gotha is located around 12 miles (20 km) west of Erfurt.

Constructed on the ruins of Grimmenstein Castle, Friedenstein Palace was originally built for Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha. Saxe-Gotha was established in 1640, with Gotha being the largest town there at the time. Construction of the palace began in 1643.

The palace has a Baroque style and is the shape of a horse shoe. It is the largest early-Baroque palaces in Germany. The palace features one of the oldest Baroque theatres in Europe, the Ekhof Theatre, in the southwest tower, which has been in operation since the 1600s. During the Ekhof Festival which occurs in July and August, the original machinery for the stage is used.

In the 1950s, following World War II, the Soviets were forced to return art work they had taken from the palace museum.

Answer: Neustadt

Providing the drinking water supply to the city of Nordhausen, Thuringia, Neustadt Dam was constructed between 1904-1905, raised between 1923-1924 by 5m, and renovated between 1997-2001. Although hiking around the dam's reservoir is possible, hiking across the dam wall as well as swimming in the reservoir is strictly prohibited. It is located in the south of the Harz Mountains, a low mountain range which lies around the borders of Thuringia and fellow German states Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.

The Neustadt dam is a gravity dam, and is operated by Thüringer Fernwasserversorgung, which has its headquarters located in Erfurt.

Answer: Gotha

The Studnitz Pyramid was erected in the 1700s as a burial place for Hans Adam von Studnitz (1711-1788), a prominent Prussian nobleman of the time. He was part of founding the Ekhof Theatre in Gotha in 1775. He wished to create a unique and striking tomb for his future grave. The pyramid stands in what was once his garden.

The Studnitz Pyramid consists of sandstone and is aesthetically based on the Pyramid of Cestius in Rome. The tomb was cleaned and renovated between 2001-2002 after years of neglect.