Virtual Visit to Gotha, Germany

Thuringia Travelogue Directory:

7/30/2014

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7/30/2014

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Schwarzhausen, Reichenbach, Kälberfeld, and Sättelstädt

7/30/2014

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Johann Christoph Kleinsteuber was the great grandfather of the Actinolite Kleinsteubers who immigrated to Canada. He was born in 1711 in Reichenbach, Germany and died in 1793 in Remstädt. His wife, Elisabeth Beyer, and all his children (including the grandfather of the Actinolite Kleinsteubers, Johann Michael), were all born in Remstädt.

Johann Christoph's father was Johann Andreas Kleinsteuber, and he was born in Kälberfeld in 1784, lived for some time in Sättelstädt, and died in Reichenbach.

Johann Andreas' father was Hans Kleinsteuber, born about 1660 and likely in Schwarzhausen. He married Susanna Mosengeil from Kälberfeld about 1683 (and likely in Kälberfeld), some their 8 children were born in Kälberfeld, some in Schwarzhausen, and some in Seebach.

The parish of Reichenbach no longer exists and it appears the village may have disappeared as well. The parish records are held at the nearby parish of Wangenheim. All these villages are very small.

Click on the photos to enlarge and see captions:

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Remstädt, Germany

7/29/2014

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Remstädt is a municipality in the district of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany.

Current population is shown as being 998, and the village is located less than 7 kilometers from Gotha.

Johann Michael Kleinsteuber was the grandfather of the Actinolite Kleinsteuber immigrants to Canada. He was born in 1762 in Remstädt, but spent much of his life in Gotha, his 8 children were all baptized at the Schlosskirche (castle chapel).

He is shown as being a day labourer and a Ranger, apparently a semi-military role of patrolling and protecting herds and flocks belonging to area farmers, in turn they repaid him with a portion of their livestock.

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Mechterstädt, Germany

7/28/2014

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Mechterstädt is a village and a former municipality in the district of Gotha in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 December 2011, it is part of the municipality Hörsel

Hörsel is a municipality in the district of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany. It was named after the river Hörsel, that flows through the municipality. It was formed on 1 December 2011 by the merger of the former municipalities Aspach, Ebenheim, Fröttstädt, Hörselgau, Laucha, Mechterstädt, Metebach, Teutleben, Trügleben and Weingarten.

The current population of Mechterstadt is about 1,150, very little information about it is available, but the photographs of the area are remarkable.

The father of Carl Friedrich Barnhard Kleinsteuber (patriarch of the Preston Waterloo Kleinsteubers) and represented in this group by Heather Kleinsteuber, was Johannes Kleinsteuber, born in Mechterstädt in 1791. And his father was Johann Christoph Kleinsteuber, born in Schwarzhausen, probably around 1750. Another child of Johann Christoph was Johann Lorenz, leading us to believe a close connection to the Actinolite Kleinsteubers and Johann Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber (my 2nd great grandfather).

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Things to See & Photograph in Gotha - Part I

7/22/2014

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Augustinerkirche - The Augustinerkirche was part of the monastery of the Augustinian hermit order. There is a Gothic cloister dating back to 1366. The interior of the church is Baroque style from 1675-80. Martin Luther held a few services in this church and his friend, the reformer Friedrich Myconius, is buried here.

Boxberg Racing Course - The former race course of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is located right at the heart of Thuringia. With its fantastic view of the Thuringian Forest and the royal town of Gotha with Friedenstein Castle, the natural race course is a popular recreation area. The magnificent Victorian-style grandstand has seen many great horse races and lends the course great charm. Boxberg is one of the longest flat race courses in Germany.

Buttermarket - The Buttermarkt (butter market) owes its name to a historical era when farmers from the surrounding area would sell meat and dairy produce here. All three market squares have buildings with historical signs representing their families or trades, as well as doorways dating back to the Baroque and Renaissance eras.

Cranach House - The Cranach House is from Baroque times. Cranach's wife was born here. By the entrance to the courtyard you two coats of arms. Cranach's is the one with the winged snake and his son-in-law's a bag. Today the building houses the pumping system for the Water art outside in the street.

Ekhof-Theater im Schloss Friedenstein - A special treasure of the castle is the Ekhof Theatre, which was established in the West Tower 1681-1687. It is the only theater in the world with still-functioning stage machinery from the 17th century. In the 18th century it had a significant actors such as Conrad and August Wilhelm Iffland Ekhof.

Ernst Wilhelm Arnoldi - The Gothaer Arnoldi (1778-1841) was a merchant and politician of commerce. He founded the first German fireinsurance bank in 1820 and later the first life insurance. Both his birth house and living house are at the Hauptmarkt. You will encounter his name all over Gotha. There is also a square named after him.

Gothardusbrunnen - At the Hauptmarkt you will find the fountain of the holy Godehard or Gotthard of Hildesheim (960-1038). The man later became bishop of Hildesheim under Kaiser Heinrich II. Gotthard became very famous from Scandinavia down to Croatia. The famous Swiss mountain pass St. Gotthard is also named after him.

Gotha Courthouse:

Gotha Insurance Museum:

Gotha - View from Krahnberg mountain over Gotha:

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Things to See & Photograph in Gotha - Part II

7/22/2014

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Historic Museum:

Hospital Mariae Magdalenae: The hospital with its own church was Gotha's oldest social institution. It was donated in 1223 by the later holy Elisabeth and her husband Landgraf Ludwig IV. of Thuringa. The building was modified from 1716-19 and was used as an old people's home until 1974. In the early 1990s it underwent renovations and has since been used for administration purposes.

Innungshalle (guild hall): E.W. Arnoldi opened in this building the first German commercial school. In 1820 he bought the building for the candler's guild.

Insurance Museum:

Kasematten: The casemates are around 350 years old and used to be 2,5 km long. They are a defensive systems on several underground levels. Today you can see around 300 m. They are thought one of the best preserved casemates system from the late middle ages as they have never actually been needed for defense purposes. If you want to visit the casemates then you need to book the tour at the Schlosskasse for 1 or 2 pm. They take a maximum of 10 people at any one time.

Margarethenkirche: The Margarethenkirche is originally dating back to 1064. In 1494 and 1543 it was changed from a Roman style church to a Gotic one. From 1524 onwards it was a protestant church. Fires destroyed the interior twice in the 17th century but it was rebuilt. In the 18th century it was turned into a Baroque style church. From 1675 on it was used as the burial place for the family of Herzog Ernst I. In the second world war the church was heavily damaged. It was reconstructed between 1952 and 1961.

Natural History Museum: The Natural History Museum in Gotha is the largest of its kind in Thuringia. It is located in a Neo Renaissance building to the south of the Schloss Friedenstein palace complex. It has a number of special exhibitions on the nature and landscape of Thuringia, such as the forest in the area and these change on a regular basis. Informative displays also cover the geological and palaeontology aspects of the area. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday and the entrance fee is 3 euros.

Orangerie: East of the castle Schloss Friedenstein lies the Orangerie. This garden was constructed from 1747 onwards. The concept was made by Gottfried Heinrich Krohne but the Orangerie wasn't finished until after his death.

Rathaus: What is today used as town hall, was originally built in 1567 as a shopping center. On the same spot there used to be a wooden shopping center. Some of the building materials are from castle Grimmenstein and from the previous shopping center. The north side with its Renaissance style portal is one of the most beautiful in Germany. From 1641-46 the Herzog Ernst der Fromme lived in the building. He redesigned a lot. Since when the building was used as the town hall is not so clear but certainly from 1666 if not already from 1632. The building used to have shops on the ground floor and only much later the fronts were closed. The 23 m high tower can be climbed for the view.

Schloss Friedenstein: The castle has been built on top of an earlier fortress by the name of Grimmenstein. The castle has been built from 1643 until 1656 by Herzog Ernst I. der Fromme. The castle is situated above the old town of Gotha. The castle parks are a fair size and have a big pond where you can feed the ducks. In the park there is also a small tea time castle. It is situated above the Orangerie. The castle also contains a theatre and a chapel.

Schloss Friedenstein Park: To the south of the Schloss Friedenstein is the oldest English Landscaped Gardens on the Continent. There is a lake in the centre of the park with a small island where the last Dukes of Saxe-Gotha are buried.

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Things to See & Photograph in Gotha - Part III

7/22/2014

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Schloss Mönchhof: at Siebleben district was a ducal summer residence

Thuringia Bratwurst: Stall in the Hauptmarkt - The original German ‘Bratwurst’ comes from Thuringia where the first mention of it was in 1404. The sausage contains pork, beef and sometimes veal. The sausage is usually eaten with a hot or sweet German mustard or sliced and eaten as Currywurst.

Thuringia Philharmonic Orchestra:

Tierpark Gotha - Zoo at Gotha: The zoological garden Tierpark Gotha measures around 6 hectares and is located in a beautiful nature reserve. It is home to roughly 140 animal species, the majority originates from Europe. Moreover, visitors can look forward to observing endangered domestic animal especies and exotic animals such as bears and tigers.

Tour Guide(s); Town and castle tours in the residence city of Gotha - In ancient travelogues Gotha is often portrayed as the most beautiful and richest Thuringian town. Discover during a city tour the 1225-year-old residence.

Wasserkunst (water feature) at Schlossberg: The Leina canal was built in the 14th century. 500 years later for its jubilee the water arts were created at the Schlossberg. There are several pond-like fountains that carry the water down.

Woad: Isatis tinctoria, with woad (/ˈwoʊd/) or glastum as the common name, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. Woad is also the name of a blue dye produced from the leaves of the plant. Waidhaus visit - "Cultivation and processing of woad in Gotha and environment" of the permanent exhibition in the Waidhaus 1567 with the Waidkrecht Ditus.

Miscellaneous images from around Gotha: Click on photos to enlarge and for captions;

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Gotha - Transportation, Places to Stay, & Places to Dine

7/21/2014

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Transportation;

As reported yesterday, walking is an excellent way of exploring and sightseeing in the old city parts of Gotha.

The main railway station (Bahnhof) is with walking distance of the downtown area. The station was half destroyed by bombing in 1945 and was rebuilt after the war. Gotha is connected by the Thuringian Railway to Erfurt and Leipzig in the east and to Frankfurt/Kassel in the west. The local trains to Eisenach in the west, Halle in the east (via Erfurt and Weimar) and Bad Langensalza in the north depart once an hour.

There is a wide network of trams throughout the city.

Click on pictures to enlarge and see captions:

Gotha, Germany – Where to stay

Trip Advisor shows 11 hotels for Gotha, 5 are rated by travelers as 4 out of 5 or better. Rates at this time of year (for the top 5) seem to range from $125/night Canadian to around $200/night Canadian.

Gotha, Germany – Where to eat

Trip Advisor shows 35 Restaurants for Gotha, 9 are rated by travelers as 4 out of 5 or better.

From the official Gotha City website regarding dining in the city; Whether crispy Thuringian Mutzbraten, Thuringian Rostbrätl or the famous Thuringian dumplings, one always applies: Taste can not argue. Also not in the residence city of Gotha!

Here in Gotha, where even Luther, Bach and Napoleon dined, we invite you to take next to an historic a culinary journey. Whether you have your breakfast at an outdoor café or a Thuringian bratwurst served on the town square for lunch to patronize the Thuringian cuisine, and enjoy the evening with treats - here you will find a wide variety of ideas, tips and suggestions for your own personal gastronomic journey . From home-style kitchen, hearty Thuringian home cooking to sophisticated, clever dishes, you can discover many facets of Thuringia to international gastronomy. Your hosts will expect and look forward to welcoming you with the usual Thuringian hospitality and hosting.

Miscellaneous hotel & dining images: Click on pictures to enlarge and see captions

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Things To Do in Gotha

7/20/2014

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To be followed on Monday by Places to Stay and Places to Dine, and Tuesday by Things to See in Gotha;

Cycling - Gotha is an ideal destination for your cycling and activity holiday. A lovely town with a great history awaits you. Here, there is a direct connection to the Thuringia Town Chain Cycle Trail and you will find plenty of accommodation designated as “bicycle-friendly hotels” or “bed & bike” hosts. Explore the area by bike and enjoy the combination of nature, historical architecture and beautiful surroundings. The royal seat of Gotha, with its historical Old Town, is truly inspiring thanks to its sprawling parks around the landmark of the city, Friedenstein Palace. The palace park with its English-style garden and orangery also offer an especially warm welcome.

Golf; Welcome to the Golf Resort Good Ringhofen! As a golfer or golf beginner you will find weniggolfer.de exactly the right offer for you. Genuine DGV membership for our green fee golfers.

Walking – Excercise;
Overview of the most popular walking and hiking routes near Gotha
DE | Walking route | 1 stars | 8.81 km | Dutch
Rondwandeling Brotterode
DE | Walking route | 1 stars | 9.58 km | German
vanaf hotel bergarten
DE | Walking route | 1 stars | 11.2 km | German
Vanaf hotel berggarten
DE | Walking route | 1 stars | 9.79 km | German
rondom Brotterode

Walking – Sightseeing;
Sonja, Virtual Tourist, lives in Zürich - I strongly recommend that you walk up and down the old town to look at the various old buildings. You can get a folded leaflet at the tourist office at Hauptmarkt 33 with a map and the sights in German. I don't know whether they have the same in English.

Photos are of cycling and playing golf in Gotha. The map identifies places of interest in the old city of Gotha. Click on photos to enlarge