Jena

For other uses, seeJena (disambiguation).

Jena
City
Jena skyline (2008) St. Michael Fox tower on the Hausberg mountain market place
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Jena within Thuringia
Jena Jena
Coordinates:50°55′38″N11°35′10″E
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Urban district
Government
•Lord mayor(2024–30)	Thomas Nitzsche(FDP)
Area
• Total	114.76 km2(44.31 sq mi)
Elevation	143 m (469 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)
• Total	111,191
• Density	970/km2(2,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes	07743–07751
Dialling codes	03641, 036425
Vehicle registration	J
Website	jena.de

Jena(German pronunciation:[ˈjeːna])is acityinGermanyand the second largest city inThuringia.Together with the nearby cities ofErfurtandWeimar,it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a population of about 110,000. Jena is a centre of education and research; theuniversity(nowFriedrich Schiller University) was founded in 1558 and had 18,000 students in 2017and the Ernst-Abbe-Fachhochschule Jena counts another 5,000 students. Furthermore, there are many institutes of the leading German research societies.

Jena was first mentioned in 1182 and stayed a small town until the 19th century, when industry developed. For most of the 20th century, Jena was a world centre of the optical industry around companies such asCarl Zeiss,SchottandJenoptik(since 1990). As one of only a few medium-sized cities in Germany, it has some high-rise buildings in the city centre, such as theJenTower.These also have their origin in the former Carl Zeiss factory.

Between 1790 and 1850, Jena was a focal point of the GermanVormärzas well as of the student liberal andunificationmovement andGerman Romanticism.Notable persons of this period in Jena wereFriedrich Schiller,Alexander von Humboldt,Johann Gottlieb Fichte,Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel,Novalis,andAugust Wilhelm Schlegel.

Jena's economy is largely built upon its high-technology infrastructure and research. The precision optical instruments industry is its leading branch to date, although software engineering, other digital businesses, and biotechnology are of growing importance. Furthermore, Jena is also a service hub for its regional environs.

Jena lies in a hilly landscape in the east of Thuringia, within the wide valley of theSaaleriver. Due to its rocky landscape, varied substrate and mixed forests, Jena is known in Germany for the wide variety of wildorchidswhich can be found within walking distance of the town.Local nature reserves are maintained by volunteers andNABU.

History

Middle Ages

Lobdeburg Castle above Lobeda district

Until theHigh Middle Ages,theSaalewas the border betweenGermanicregions in the west andSlavicregions in the east. Owing to its function as a river crossing, Jena was conveniently located. Nevertheless, there were also some more important Saale crossings such as the nearby cities ofNaumburgto the north andSaalfeldto the south, so that the relevance of Jena was more local during the Middle Ages. The first unequivocal mention of Jena was in an 1182 document. The first local rulers of the region were the Lords ofLobdeburgwith their eponymous castle nearLobeda,roughly 6 km (4 mi) south of the city centre on the eastern hillside of the Saale valley.

In the 13th century, the Lords of Lobdeburg founded two towns in the valley: Jena on the west bank and Lobeda – which is one of Jena's constituent communities today – 4 km (2 mi) to the south on the east bank. Around 1230, Jena received town rights and a regular city grid was established between today's Fürstengraben, Löbdergraben, Teichgraben and Leutragraben. The city got a marketplace, main church, town hall, council and city walls during the late 13th and early 14th centuries making it into a full-fledged town. In this time, the city's economy was based mainly on wine production on the warm and sunny hillsides of the Saale valley. The two monasteries of theDominicans(1286) and theCistercians(1301) rounded out Jena's medieval appearance.

As the political circumstances in Thuringia changed in the middle of the 14th century, the weakened Lords of Lobdeburg sold Jena to the aspiringWettinsin 1331. Jena obtained theGothamunicipal law and the citizens strengthened their rights and wealth during the 14th and 15th centuries. Moreover, the Wettins were more interested in their residence in the nearby city ofWeimar,and so Jena could develop itself relatively autonomously.

Early modern period

Jena in 1650

TheProtestant Reformationwas brought to the city in 1523.Martin Luthervisited the town to reorganize the clerical relations and Jena became an early centre of his doctrine. In the following years, the Dominican and theCarmeliteconvents were attacked by the townsmen and abolished in 1525 (Carmelite) and 1548 (Dominican).

An important step in Jena's history was the foundation of theuniversityin 1558. Ernestine ElectorJohn Frederick the Magnanimousfounded it, because he had lost his old university inWittenbergto theAlbertinesafter theSchmalkaldic War.During theLittle Ice Age,wine-growingdeclined in the 17th century, so that the new university became one of the most important sources of income for the city. The same century brought a boom in printing business caused by the rising importance of books (and the population's ability to read) in the Lutheran doctrine, and Jena was the second-largest printing location in Germany afterLeipzig.

The list of the so-called "Seven Wonders of Jena"was composed by students of the university at this time, supposedly as a test of local knowledge in order to confirm that a person who claimed to have studied in Jena was actually familiar with the city.

Beginning in the 16th century, the Ernestine dynasty saw many territorial partitions. Initially, Jena remained a part ofSaxe-Weimar,but in 1672 it became the capital of its own small duchy (Saxe-Jena). In 1692, after two dukes (Bernhard IIandJohann Wilhelm), the dukes of Saxe-Jena died out and the duchy became part ofSaxe-Eisenachand, in 1741, of theDuchy of Saxe-Weimar,to which it belonged until 1809. From 1809 to 1918, Jena was part of the Duchy (from 1815 Grand Duchy) ofSaxe-Weimar-Eisenach,which from 1871 was also part of theGerman Empire.

18th century

The battle of Jena in 1806

Around 1790, the university became the largest and most famous one among the German states and made Jena the centre of the self-centred, idealist philosophy of ‘Ich' (with professors such asJohann Gottlieb Fichte,Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel,Friedrich Schiller,andFriedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling). It was also home to the earlyRomanticism(with poets such as Novalis, the brothersAugustandFriedrich Schlegel,andLudwig Tieck).

In 1794, the poetsGoetheandSchillermet at the university and established a long lasting friendship, based on their love of Shakespeare. Consequently, the reputation of the University and the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach as liberal and open-minded, but severely self-absorbed, was established and enhanced.

19th century

On 14 October 1806,Napoleonfought and defeated thePrussianarmy here in theBattle of Jena-Auerstedt,near the district of Vierzehnheiligen. Resistance against the French occupation was strong, especially among the students. Many of the students fought in theLützow Free Corpsin 1813. Two years later, theUrburschenschaftfraternity was founded in the city.

During the later 19th century, the famous biologistErnst Haeckelwas professor at the university. The expansion of science and medicine faculties was closely linked to the industrial boom that Jena saw after 1871. The initial spark of industrialization in Jena was the (relatively late) connection to the railway. TheSaal Railway(Saalbahn,opened in 1874) was the connection fromHalleandLeipzigalong the Saale valley toNurembergand theWeimar–Gera railway(opened 1876) connected Jena withFrankfurtandErfurtin the west as well asDresdenandGerain the east. Famous pioneers of the Jenaer industry wereCarl ZeissandErnst Abbe(with theirCarl Zeiss AG) as well asOtto Schott(Schott AG).Since that time, production of optical items, precision machinery and laboratory glassware have been the main branches of Jena's economy;Jena glassis even named after the city. Zeiss, Abbe and Schott worked also as social reformers who wanted to improve the living conditions of their workers and the local wealth in general. When Zeiss died in 1889, his company passed to theCarl-Zeiss-Stiftung,which uses great amounts of the company's profits for social benefits such as research projects at universities etc. This model became an example for other German companies (e.g. theRobert Bosch Stiftung). In 1898 it was agreed on with several personalities from the Jenaer industrial sector that the city was in need of an electricity generatorand in the first years of the 1900s an electrified tramway was founded in Jena.

20th century

Bau 15 of the Carl Zeiss factory, Germany's first high-rise building, established in 1915

Industrialization fundamentally changed the social structure of Jena. The former academic town became a working-class city; the population rose from 8,000 around 1870 up to 71,000 at the beginning ofWorld War II.The city expanded along the Saale valley to the north and the south and its side valleys to the east and the west. In 1901, thetramsystem started its operation and the university got a new main building (established between 1906 and 1908 on the former castle's site). After the foundation ofThuringiain 1920, Jena was one of the three biggest cities (together withWeimarandGera,whileErfurtremained part ofPrussia) and became anindependent cityin 1922. The modern optical and glass industry kept booming and the city grew further duringWeimar times.

1936 poster marking the 700th anniversary of the city of Jena

During theNaziperiod, conflicts deepened in Jena between the influential left-wing milieus (communists and social democrats) and the right-wing Nazi milieus. On the one hand, the university suffered from new restrictions against its independence, but on the other hand, it consolidated the Nazi ideology, for example with a professorship of social anthropology (which sought to scientifically legitimize theracial policy of Nazi Germany).Kristallnachtin 1938 led to more discrimination againstJewsin Jena, many of whom either emigrated or were arrested and murdered by the German government. This weakened the academic milieu, because many academics were Jews (especially in medicine). DuringWorld War II,the Germans operated twosubcampsof theBuchenwald concentration campin the city,and a subcamp of the prison inSieradzinGerman-occupied Poland.

In 1945, toward the end ofWorld War II,Jena was repeatedly targeted byAllied bombing raids.709 people were killed, 2,000 injured, and most of the medieval town centre was destroyed, but in parts restored after the end of the war. No other Thuringian city suffered worse damage, exceptNordhausen,whose destruction was utter. Today most of the city consists of buildings from before World War II.Jena was occupied byAmerican troopson 13 April 1945 and was left to theRed Armyon 1 July 1945.

Jena fell within theSoviet zone of occupationin post-World War II Germany. In 1949, it became part of the newGerman Democratic Republic(GDR). The Soviets dismantled great parts of the Zeiss and Schott factories and took them to theSoviet Union.On the other hand, the GDR government founded a newpharmaceuticalfactory in 1950,Jenapharm,which is part ofBayertoday. In 1953, Jena was a centre of theEast German Uprisingagainst GDR policy. The protests with 30,000 participants drew fire from Soviettanks.

Typical street scenery in Jena: The "Holzmarkt" in the city-centre

The following decades brought some radical shifts in city planning. During the 1960s, another part of the historic city centre was demolished to build theJen Tower.The Eichplatz in front of the tower is still unbuilt and its future is still the subject of ongoing heated discussion. BigPlattenbausettlements were developed in the 1970s and 1980s, because the population was still rising and the housing shortage remained a perpetual problem. New districts established in the north (near Rautal) and in the south (around Winzerla and Lobeda). The opposition against the GDR government was reinforced during the late 1980s in Jena, fed by academic and clerical circles. In autumn 1989, the city saw the largest protests in its history before the GDR government was dissolved.

After 1990, Jena became part of the refounded state ofThuringia.Industry came into a heavy crisis during the 1990s, but finally it managed the transition to themarket economyand today, it is one of the leading economic centres of eastern Germany. Furthermore, the university was enlarged and many new research institutes were founded.

Especially between 1995 and 1997 several far-right crimes were committed in Jena. The city's far-right scene of the 1990s gave rise to theNational Socialist Underground(NSU) terror group. However, the city is no longer considered a far-right hotspot.

Geography and demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1490	3,800	—
1784	4,366	+14.9%
1871	8,260	+89.2%
1900	20,677	+150.3%
1910	38,487	+86.1%
1919	48,847	+26.9%
1925	52,649	+7.8%
1933	58,357	+10.8%
1939	70,632	+21.0%
1950	80,309	+13.7%
1964	84,307	+5.0%
1970	88,130	+4.5%
1981	104,946	+19.1%
1991	100,967	−3.8%
2001	101,157	+0.2%
2011	105,463	+4.3%
2017	111,099	+5.3%
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions. source:

Topography

The medieval bridge across the Saale in Burgau district

Jena is situated in a hilly landscape in eastern Thuringia at theSaaleriver, between theHarzmountains 85 km (53 mi) in the north, theThuringian Forest/Thuringian Highland50 km (31 mi) in the southwest and theOre Mountains,75 km (47 mi) in the southeast. The municipal terrain is hilly with rugged slopes at the valley's edges. The city centre is situated at 160 m of elevation, whereas the mountains on both sides of Saale valley rise up to 400 m. On the eastern side those are (from north to south): theGleisbergnear Kunitz, theJenzignear Wogau, theHausbergnear Wenigenjena, theKernbergenear Wöllnitz, theJohannisbergnear Lobeda and theEinsiedlerbergnear Drackendorf. On the western side, there are theJägersbergnearZwätzen,theWindknollennorth of the city centre, theTatzendwest of the city centre, theLichtenhainer Höhenear Lichtenhain, theHolzbergnear Winzerla, theJagdbergnear Göschwitz and the Spitzenberg near Maua. The mountains belong to the geological formation of Ilm Saale Plate (Muschelkalk) and are relatively flat on their peaks but steep to the valleys in between. Due to its jagged surface, the municipal territory isn't very suitable for agriculture all the more since the most flat areas along the valley were built on during the 20th century. At the mountains is some forest of different leaf trees and pines.

Ecology

32 species of nativeorchidscan be found in the Jena area.One of the best places to see them isLeutratal,to the south of the town. Bee orchid(Ophrys apifera) even grows at a few locations within the town. On theHausbergclose to Ziegenhain a few specimens of the rare true service tree (Cormus domestica) can be found.Fireflycan be seen in the meadows in Paradiespark as well as a variety of native wildflowers. Wildlife on the surrounding mountains includesraven,sand lizardandwood ants.Heron,beaverandmuskrathave been seen on the Saale, within the town.Pine martenssometimes come into the town at night, from the mountains, to raid bins. It is documented that theEuropean wildcatoccurs near Jena.

Climate

Jena has ahumid continental climate(Dfb) or anoceanic climate(Cfb) according to theKöppen climate classificationsystem.Summers are warm and sometimes humid; winters are relatively cold. The city's topography creates a microclimate caused through the basin position with sometimesinversionin winter (quite cold nights under −20 °C (−4 °F)) and heat and inadequate air circulation in summer. Annual precipitation is 585 millimeters (23.0 in) with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Light snowfall mainly occurs from December through February, but snow cover does not usually remain for long. During the Middle Ages, Jena was famous for growing wine on its slopes. Nowadays, the next commercial wine-growing areas are situated 20 km (12 mi) down Saale river. Due to its distance to coastal areas and position in the Saale valley, wind speeds tend to be very low; predominant direction is SW.

Administrative division

Jena abuts the district ofSaale-Holzlandwith the municipalities ofLehesten,Neuengönna,andGolmsdorfin the north,Jenalöbnitz,Großlöbichau,andSchlöbenin the east andLaasdorf,Zöllnitz,Sulza,Rothenstein,Milda,andBuchain the south and the district ofWeimarer Landwith the municipalities ofDöbritschen,Großschwabhausen,andSaaleplattein the west.

The city is divided into 30 districts. The inner-city districts are Zentrum, Nord, West, Süd, Wenigenjena (east of Saale, incorporated in 1909), and Kernberge, other big districts are Lobeda (incorporated in 1946) and Winzerla (incorporated in 1922) in the south with large housing complexes.

The residual districts are from a more rural constitution:

Ammerbach (incorporated 1922) Burgau (1922) Closewitz (1994) Cospeda (1994) Drackendorf (1994) Göschwitz (1969) Ilmnitz (1994)

Isserstedt (1994) Jenaprießnitz/Wogau (1994) Krippendorf (1994) Kunitz/Laasan (1994) Leutra (1994) Lichtenhain (1913) Löbstedt (1922)

Lützeroda (1994) Maua (1994) Münchenroda/Remderoda (1994) Vierzehnheiligen (1994) Wöllnitz (1946) Ziegenhain (1913) Zwätzen (1922)

Demographics

Population development until 2017

Ten largest groups of foreign residents

Nationality	Population (31 December 2017)
Poland	800
Russia	585
India	540
Ukraine	500

Over the centuries, Jena had mostly been a town of 4,000 to 5,000 inhabitants. The population growth began in the 19th century with an amount of 6,000 in 1840 and of 8,000 in 1870. Then, a demographic boom occurred with a population of 20,000 in 1900, 50,000 in 1920, 73,000 in 1940, 81,000 in 1960 and 104,000 in 1980. The peak was reached in 1988 with a population of 108,000. The bad economic situation in eastern Germany after the reunification resulted in a decline in population, which fell to 99,000 in 1998 before rising again to 107,000 in 2012.

The average population growth between 2009 and 2012 was approximately 0.47% p. a, whereas the population in bordering rural regions is shrinking with accelerating tendency. Suburbanization played only a small role in Jena. It occurred after the reunification for a short time in the 1990s, but most of the suburban areas were situated within the administrative city borders.

The birth surplus was 62 in 2012, or +0.6 per 1,000 inhabitants (Thuringian average: -4.5; national average: -2.4). The net migration rate was +4.0 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 (Thuringian average: -0.8; national average: +4.6).The most important regions of origin of Jena migrants are rural areas of Thuringia,Saxony-AnhaltandSaxonyas well as foreign countries such as Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Like many other eastern German cities, Jena has a small foreign-born population: circa 4.0% are non-Germans by citizenship and overall 6.2% are migrants (according to2011 EU census). Differing from the national average, the biggest groups of migrants in Jena areRussians,ChineseandUkrainians.During recent years, the economic situation of the city has improved: the unemployment rate declined from 14% in 2005 to 7% in 2013. Due to the official policy of atheism in the formerGDR,most of the population is non-religious. 15.9% are members of theEvangelical Church in Central Germanyand 6.6% are Catholics (according to 2011 EU census).

Culture, sights and cityscape

The Eichplatz in the city centre

Museums

Jena has a great variety of museums:

• TheOptical Museum Jenaat Carl-Zeiß-Platz shows the history of optical instruments such as glasses, microscopes, cameras, and telescopes.
• ThePhyletisches Museumat Neutor hosts a natural history exhibition with focus on evolution and fossils.
• TheStadtmuseum & Kunstsammlungat Markt square shows the city history of Jena and hosts furthermore an exhibition of modern and contemporary art.
• TheBotanischer Garten(botanic garden) at Fürstengraben is one of the oldest botanic gardens in Germany (established in 1794) and hosts 12,000 plants from all over the world.
• TheRomantikerhausat Unterm Markt street hosts an exhibition about the epoque ofJena romanticsin German literature.
• Schillers Gartenhausat Schillergässchen is the former summer house ofFriedrich Schillerand shows an exhibition of his life and his connection to Jena.
• TheGoethe-Gedenkstätteat Fürstengraben shows an exhibition about the links betweenJohann Wolfgang von Goetheand Jena (only in summer).
• TheErnst-Haeckel-Hausat Berggasse is the former house of biologistErnst Haeckeland hosts an exhibition about his life.
• TheSchott Glasmuseumat Otto-Schott-Straße shows the life ofOtto Schottand the history of his glass factory, theSchott AG.
• TheMuseum 1806at Cospeda district hosts an exhibition about theBattle of Jena–Auerstedtduring the Napoleonic wars.
• The University of Jena hosts some important scientific collections, likethe collection of pre- and protohistoric artifacts.While the collections of antiques and minerals are public, theoriental coinsare only accessed for research.

Image gallery

• 
  Optisches Museum
• 
  Phyletisches Museum
• 
  Stadtmuseum
• 
  Romantikerhaus
• 
  Schillers Gartenhaus
• 
  Botanischer Garten
• 
  Museum 1806 in Cospeda

Cityscape

Most of the city consists of buildings from before World War II. The historic city centre is located inside the former wall (which is the area between Fürstengraben in the north, Löbdergraben in the east, Teichgraben in the south and Leutragraben in the west). There are only a few historic buildings in this area (e.g. at Oberlauengasse), due to the destruction during World War II and modernization projects in the following decades. The Eichplatz, a big sub-used square covering a large amount of the centre, has not been built on since the 1960s and the discussion about its future is still in process. The wall's defortification took place relatively early in the 18th century – and the first suburbs developed in front of the former city gates. In these areas, some historic building structures from the 18th and early 19th century remained in western Bachstraße and Wagnergasse, in northern Zwätzengasse and in southern Neugasse.

The later 19th and early 20th centuries brought a construction boom to Jena, with the city enlarged to the north and south along the Saale valley, to the west alongMühltaland on the Saale's east side in former Wenigenjena. Compared with the city centre, later substantial losses were much slighter in this areas. During the interwar period, the construction of flats stayed on a high level but suitable ground got less, so that new housing complexes were set up relatively far away from the centre – a problem that remained until today with long journeys and high rents as consequences. Today's Jena is not as compact as other cities in the region, and urban planning is still a challenge.

A peculiarity of Jena is the presence of a second old town centre with a market square, town hall, and castle in the former town of Lobeda, which is a district since 1946, located approximately 4 km (2 mi) to the south of Jena's centre.

Sights and architectural heritage

Churches

• The main church, St. Michael's, is one of the biggestGothicmonuments in Thuringia and was built between 1422 and 1557. It has a bronze slab ofMartin Luther's tomb.
• The St. John's Church was the church of the extinct villageLeutrawest of Jena and later used as the city's cemetery chapel. Since 1811, the Gothic building is the catholic church of Jena.
• The Peace Church was built between 1686 and 1693 as new cemetery chapel and is aBaroqueevangelical church today.
• The Schiller Church east of Saale river is the evangelical parish church of the former village and today's quarter Wenigenjena.Friedrich Schillermarried here in 1790.
• The St. Peter's Church is the former city church of Jena's southern district Lobeda. The Gothic church was built around 1480.
• The parish church of Vierzehnheiligen (dedicated to theFourteen Holy Helpers) is a Gothic-style former pilgrimage church established during the 1460s.
• The St. Mary's Church in Ziegenhain is a former pilgrimage church in Gothic style, built in the 15th century.

• 
  Main church St. Michael
• 
  St. John's Church
• 
  Peace Church
• 
  Schiller Church
• 
  Church of Lobeda
• 
  Church of Vierzehnheiligen
• 
  Church of Ziegenhain

Other sights

• The medieval city wall is preserved in parts (AnatomieturmandRoter Turm), the largest one is the complex around Johannistor and Pulverturm near Johannisplatz.
• The town hall at Markt square was built around 1412 and is one of only few Gothic town halls in Germany. It has an astronomical clock featuring the "Snatching Hans" ( "Schnapphans").
• Theplanetariumopened in 1926 and was the first large planetarium in the world, withtechnology developed by Carl Zeiss.
• The University Main Building stands at the former castle's place and was established in 1908 in early-modern style (Theodor Fischer/Bruno Taut).
• TheAbbeanumis a university building byErnst NeufertinBauhausstyle, built in 1930.
• TheJen Toweris the city's highest skyscraper, built between 1969 and 1972, with a viewing platform and a sky restaurant.
• TheHaus Auerbachis the former house of physicistFelix Auerbach,built byWalter GropiusandAdolf MeyerinBauhausstyle in 1924. Near is theHaus Zuckerkandl,another mansion built by Gropius in 1929.
• The former Carl Zeiss Factory in the city centre hosts interesting technical architecture from the period between 1880 and 1965, including Germany's first high-rise building, theBau 15from 1915.
• The monument to John Frederick the Magnanimous (built in 1858) at the Markt square is a landmark of Jena called "Hanfried".
• The monument toErnst Abbeis a building of early-modern architecture byHenry van de Velde(1910).
• The Lobdeburg is a castle ruin above Lobeda district and the former seat of the lords of Lobdeburg, founders of Jena.
• Naturschutzgebiet Leutratal und Cospothis an important nature reserve to the southwest.

• 
  Johannistor, medieval city gate
• 
  Town hall
• 
  Planetarium
• 
  University Main Building
• 
  Ernst Abbe Monument
• 
  Pulverturm at night
• 
  Jen Tower

Theatre and music

Jena has its own theatre and orchestra, theJenaer Philharmonie.

Sports

Jena is home to professional football clubFC Carl Zeiss Jena.The club won theDDR-Oberligathree times, theFDGB Cupfour times, and reached the final of theUEFA Cup Winners' Cuponce. Post-unification the club have been less successful and they currently compete inRegionalliga Nordost.In women's football,FF USV Jenais a member of the2. Frauen-Bundesliga.Both clubs' home stadium is theErnst-Abbe-Sportfeld.Also, the city's basketball team,Science City Jenaplayed inBasketball Bundesligain 2007–2008 season and returned to top level in 2015–16 season. In addition, since 2000, the university of Jena has a rugby team. Since 2012, theUSV Rugby Jenateam has been playing in the2. Rugby-Bundesliga.

Current men'sjavelin throwworld record (98.48) byJan Železnýwas achieved in Jena.

Economy and infrastructure

Agriculture, industry and services

TheJen Toweris a symbol of East Germany's economy

Agriculture plays a small role in Jena, only 40% of the municipal territory are in use for farming (compared to over 60% inErfurtand nearly 50% inWeimar). Furthermore, theMuschelkalksoil is not very fertile and is often used as pasture for cattle. The only large agricultural area is situated around Isserstedt, Cospeda and Vierzehnheiligen district in the northwest. Wine-growing was discontinued during theLittle Ice Agearound 1800, but is now possible again due toglobal warming.Nevertheless, the commercial production of wine hasn't yet resumed.

Industry is a great tradition in Jena, reaching back to the mid-19th century. In 2012, there were 80 companies in industrial production with more than 20 workers employing 8,300 persons and generating a turnover of more than 1,5 billion Euro.The most important branches are precision machinery, pharmaceuticals, optics, biotechnology and software engineering. Notable companies in Jena are the traditionalCarl Zeiss AG,Schott AG,JenoptikandJenapharmas well as new companies such asIntershop Communications,Analytik Jena,andCarl Zeiss Meditec.Jena has the most market-listed companies and is one of the most important economic centres of east Germany.

With companies such as Intershop Communications,Salesforce(after the acquisition ofDemandware) andePagesas well as several web agencies, Jena is a hub forE-commercein Germany. Other IT players with regional offices includeAccentureorESET.Jena-Optronik,a subsidiary of theAirbus Group,develops components for spaceflight or satellites in Jena.

The city is among Germany's 50 fastest growing regions, with many internationally renowned research institutes and companies, a comparatively low unemployment and a young population structure. Jena was awarded the title "Stadt der Wissenschaft" (city of science) by theStifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft,a German science association, in 2008.

Jena is also a hub of public and private services, specially in education, research and business services. Other important institutions are the High Court of Thuringia and Thuringia's solely university hospital. Furthermore, Jena is a regional centre in infrastructure and retail with many shopping centres.

Together with the photonics labLichtwerkstattArchived4 February 2018 at theWayback Machineand the Krautspace there aremakerspacesandhackerspacesenabling start-ups to create their product ideas and realizing their first prototype and business models as well as networking.

Transport

By rail

Paradies station

Jena has no central railway station with connection to all the lines at one point. What is relatively common in many countries is quite unusual for a German city and caused on the one hand by the city's difficult topography and on the other hand by the history, because the two main lines were built by two different private companies. The connection in north–south direction is theSaal RailwaywithICEtrains running fromBerlinin the north toMunichin the south once a day stopping atParadies stationand local trains toNaumburgandSaalfeldstopping atZwätzen,Saalbahnhof,Paradies andGöschwitz.The connection in west–east direction is theWeimar–Gera railwaywith regional express trains toGöttingen(viaErfurtandWeimar) andZwickau,Glauchau,AltenburgorGreiz(viaGera) and local trains between Weimar, Jena and Gera. The express trains stop atWest stationnear the city centre and Göschwitz, the local trains furthermore atNeue Schenke.The junction between both lines is theGöschwitz station,approx. 5 km (3 mi) south of the city centre.

When theNuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railwayopened in 2017, the city lost its connection to the long-distance train network. As compensation, there are new regional express train services toHalleandLeipzigin the north, and toNurembergin the south.

By road

The twoAutobahnencrossing each other nearby atHermsdorf junctionare theBundesautobahn 4(Frankfurt–Dresden) and theBundesautobahn 9(Berlin–Munich), which were both built during the 1930s. The A 4 runs quite next to the Lobeda housing complexes and the Leutra district. Therefore, it was rebuilt in the 2000s and got two tunnels to protect the residents and the environment against noise and air pollution. Furthermore, there are twoBundesstraßencrossing in Jena: theBundesstraße 7is a connection toWeimarin the west andGerain the east and theBundesstraße 88is a connection along Saale valley toNaumburgin the north andRudolstadtin the south. Furthermore, there are some roads toApoldavia Isserstedt,Blankenhainvia Ammerbach andStadtrodavia Lobeda. Most parts of city centre inside the former walls are pedestrian areas.

By aviation

The next local airports to Jena are theErfurt–Weimar Airport,approx. 50 km (31 mi) to the west and theLeipzig/Halle Airport,approx. 80 km (50 mi) to the northeast, which both serve mostly for holiday flights to the Mediterranean and other touristic regions. The next major airports areFrankfurt Airport,Berlin Brandenburg AirportandMunich Airport.

By bike

Despite the hilly terrain in some parts, Jena is a cycling city, due to the many students. Cycling has become more popular in Jena since the 1990s when good quality bike paths began to be built. There are bike lanes along some main streets, though, in comparison to other cities in Germany, there are deficits.

Forbicycle touringthere is the "Saale track" (German:Saale-Radweg) and the "Thuringian city string track" (German:Radweg Thüringer Städtekette). Both of these connect points of tourist interest: the former along theSaalevalley fromFichtel Mountainsin Bavaria to theElberiver nearMagdeburg,while the latter follows the medievalVia Regiaclosely and runs fromEisenachviaErfurt,Weimarand Jena toAltenburgviaGera.

Trams and buses

A tram near Jena Paradies Station

TheJena tramway networkwas established in 1901 and enlarged after the German reunification. It connects the major districts with the city centre; there are 5 ordinary lines served in different intervals between 7,5 and 20 minutes. Nevertheless, there are some old single-track segments interfering the services. Furthermore, there is an extensive network of buses, run (such as the trams) by the "Jenah" organization, a pun on Jena and the GermanNahverkehrlit. 'public transport'. Buses of the JES Verkehrsgesellschaft connect Jena with cities and villages in the region.

Education and research

University of Jena

University Library

After reunification, the educational system was realigned. TheUniversity of Jena,established in 1558, was largely extended. Today there are approximately 21,000 students at this university. Another college is theErnst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena,aUniversity of Applied Sciencesfounded in 1991 which offers a combination of scientific training and its practical applications. There are also nearly 5,000 students.

Further there are sixGymnasiums,five state-owned and one Christian (ecumenical). One of the state-owned is aSportgymnasium,an elite boarding school for young talents in athletics or football. Another state-owned Gymnasium (theCarl-Zeiss-Gymnasium Jena) offers a focus in sciences also as an elite boarding school additionally to the common curriculum.

The various research institutes based in Jena include:

• TheMax Planck Institute for Chemical Ecologyis an important research center and offers a Ph.D. program
• TheMax Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
• TheMax Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
• TheInstitute of Photonic Technology
• TheFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF)
• TheLeibniz Institute for Age Research,a research center with a Ph.D. program
• INNOVENT - a private research center
• The Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology
• Friedrich-Löffler-Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses
• Friedrich-Löffler-Institute of Molecular Pathogenesis
• The Jena Center for Bioinformatics

Quality of life

In 2013, according to a study by Kieler Institut für Weltwirtschaft, Jena was ranked as the fifth-most livable city in Germany.

According to the 2019 study by Forschungsinstitut Prognos, Jena is one of the most dynamic regions in Germany. It ranks at number 29 of all 401 German regions.

Politics

Mayor and city council

The first freely elected mayor after German reunification wasPeter Röhlingerof theFree Democratic Party(FDP), who served from 1990 to 2006. In 2006 he was succeeded byAlbrecht Schröterof theSocial Democratic Party(SPD). Schröter was defeated seeking re-election in 2018 byThomas Nitzscheof the FDP, who has since served as mayor. The most recent mayoral election was held on 15 April 2018, with a runoff held on 29 April, and the results were as follows:

Candidate		Party	First round		Second round
			Votes	%	Votes	%
	Thomas Nitzsche	Free Democratic Party	12,046	26.9	24,982	63.3
	Albrecht Schröter	Social Democratic Party	10,965	24.5	14,499	36.7
	Benjamin Koppe	Christian Democratic Union	6,314	14.1
	Martina Flämmich-Winckler	The Left	4,999	11.2
	Denny Jankowski	Alternative for Germany	3,444	7.7
	Denis Peisker	Alliance 90/The Greens	3,377	7.5
	Heidrun Jänchen	Pirate Party Germany	2,076	4.6
	Sandro Dreßler	Independent	918	2.1
	Arne Petrich	Independent	597	1.3
Valid votes			44,736	99.5	39,481	99.3
Invalid votes			210	0.5	294	0.7
Total			44,946	100.0	39,775	100.0
Electorate/voter turnout			85,401	52.6	85,220	46.7
Source:Wahlen in Thüringen

The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows:

Party		Lead candidate	Votes	%	+/-	Seats	+/-
	The Left(Die Linke)	Lena Saniye Güngör	31,728	20.4	3.6	9	2
	Alliance 90/The Greens(Grüne)	Margret Franz	30,189	19.4	8.1	9	4
	Free Democratic Party(FDP)	Alexis Taeger	20,003	12.8	8.0	6	4
	Social Democratic Party(SPD)	Katja Glybowskaja	19,665	12.6	8.2	6	4
	Christian Democratic Union(CDU)	Guntram Wothly	19,649	12.6	9.6	6	4
	Alternative for Germany(AfD)	Denny Jankowski	15,617	10.0	New	5	New
	Citizens for Jena (BfJ)	Jürgen Häkanson-Hall	11,677	7.5	2.9	3	2
	Free Voters Jena	Ulrich Schubert	5,345	3.4	New	1	New
	Die Guten	Anne Neumann	2,032	1.3	0.6	1	±0
Valid votes			52,540	%
Invalid votes			1,121	%
Total			53,661	100.0		46	±0
Electorate/voter turnout			84,990	63.1	11.6
Source:Wahlen in Thüringen

Notable people

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeldin 1942

• Ernst Abbe(1840–1905), physicist, social reformer, partner ofCarl ZeissandOtto Schott
• Andreas Bauer Kanabas,classical bass
• Johannes R. Becher(1891–1958), poet and politician
• Hans Berger,discoverer of human EEG
• Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
• Johann Friedrich Blumenbach,naturalist, doctor, comparative anatomist, and physiologist
• Walter von Boetticher(1853–1945), historian, and physician, studied medicine at Jena
• Martin Dwars(born 1987), retired footballer (goalkeeper)
• Johann Gottfried Eichhorn(1752–1827), orientalist and Protestant theologian of the Enlightenment
• Robert Enke(1977–2009), footballer (goalkeeper)
• Walter Eucken(1891–1950), founder of neoliberal economic theory
• Rudolf Eucken(1846–1926), philosopher and winner of the 1908Nobel Prize for Literature
• Johann Gottlieb Fichte,philosopher and early German nationalist
• Gottlob Frege(1848–1925), mathematician, logician, and philosopher
• Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel,inventor of the kindergarten

• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(1749–1832), poet and writer
• John B. Goodenough(1922–2023), materials scientist, solid-state physicist, and Nobel laureate in chemistry
• Klara Griefahn(1897–1945), physician
• Otto Günsche(1917–2003), commander in the Waffen-SS during the Second World War
• Ernst Haeckel(1834–1919), evolutionary biologist and zoologist
• G. W. F. Hegel(1770–1831), philosopher
• Friedrich Hölderlin(1770–1843), poet
• Albert Woldemar Hollander(1796–1868), educator and pedagog
• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz(1646–1716), polymath and philosopher
• Martin Luther(1483–1546), professor of theology, priest, author, composer, Augustinian friar, and seminal figure in the Reformation
• August Eduard Martin(1847–1933), obstetrician and gynecologist
• Karl Marx(1818–1883), philosopher and economist
• Tilo Medek(1940–2006), composer
• Philipp Melanchthon,theologian
• Johann Karl August Musäus(1735–1787), author
• Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche(1844–1900), philosopher
• Novalis(1772–1801), poet
• Max Reger,composer, pianist, professor, and conductor
• Friedrich Schelling,philosopher
• Friedrich Schiller,poet and writer
• Caroline Böhmer Schlegel Schelling,Universitätsmamsell and Jena Romanticist intellectual
• Stefan Schuster,professor of bioinformatics at the University of Jena
• Wilhelm Schlegel,philosopher
• Sahra Wagenknecht(born 1969), German politician
• Bernd Schneider(born 1973), footballer
• Otto Schott,inventor of fireproof glass, founder of the Schott glass works
• Reinhard Johannes Sorge,poet, dramatist, andRoman Catholicconvert
• Johann Gustav Stickel,orientalist
• Kurt Tucholsky,writer
• Tim Wuttke,(born 1987), retired footballer
• Carl Zeiss(1816–1888), founder of the Zeiss company

External links

• Official website(in German and English)
• "Jena".Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). 1911.