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| Meiningen | ||
| federal state | Thuringia | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 24.233 (2019) | |
| height | 287 m | |
| Tourist info | 49(0)3693 44650 Tourist Information Meiningen | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Meiningen is lying in Werra Valley on the eastern edge of the Rhön on the border to Bavaria. The southern Thuringian city is a station of the Classic Street, belongs to Travel area Rhön and has a wide range of options for city tourism and cultural tourism alike. Meiningen is generally known as the “theater city”. In terms of cultural history, it belongs to the region Francs. The dialect is Henneberg-Franconian, a subspecies of Mainfränkisch.
background
Meiningen was a foundation of the Franconian Empire and was first mentioned in 982 as a royal estate. In 1008 it came to the diocese Wurzburg. First mentioned as a city (civitas) in 1230, Meiningen received the city's extended rights in 1344 Schweinfurt largely autonomy. In 1542 the city came to the county of Henneberg. The Ernestine Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen was created through the division of inheritance in 1680 and Meiningen became the capital and residence. With a thorough theater reform that is still in force today in 1874 and numerous guest tours by the court theater throughout Europe until 1890, Duke Georg II made the city world famous. From 1880, Hans von Bülow developed the Meiningen court orchestra into an elite European orchestra, later headed by other well-known conductors such as Richard Strauss, Johannes Brahms (guest conductor) and Max Reger. Furthermore, the city was an important financial center in Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1918, Duke Bernhard III. abdicate and Meiningen became the capital of the Free State of Saxony-Meiningen. This went in 1920 in the newly founded country Thuringia on with Meiningen as one of the district towns. At the time of the centrally ruled GDR (from 1949) the city largely lost its importance and was part of the neglected border area to the west. Today the city is the cultural, financial and judicial center of southern and western Thuringia and the district town of the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. Sister cities of Meiningen are New Ulm, Obertshausen, Bussy-Saint-George in France and Meiningen (Vorarlberg) in Austria.
getting there
| Distances | |
| Erfurt | 87 km |
|---|---|
| Eisenach | 53 km |
| Fulda | 66 km |
| Schweinfurt | 81 km |
| Sonneberg | 75 km |
By plane
Meiningen is just under 200 km from the commercial airports airport Frankfurt
(IATA: FRA) , Leipzig Halle Airport(IATA: LEJ) and Nuremberg Airport(IATA: NUE) away. Three and a half hours are scheduled for each train.
By train
1 Meiningen train station, Lindenallee 1, 98617 Meiningen. The train station is located near the city center next to the English Garden and is a hub at the Werra Railway, the second oldest railway line Thuringia and the railway line Meiningen - Schweinfurt. The city is from Eisenach and Sonneberg (both Werrabahn) as well as from Erfurt and Schweinfurt (Main-Rhön-Bahn) can be reached by regional express and regional trains every 1 hour.
By bus
2 Central bus station (ZOB) (only a few minutes' walk away from the station forecourt). The public transport is operated by Meininger Busbetriebs GmbH (MBB). Some bus routes lead to Suhl, the Wartburg district and the Hildburghausen district.
In the street
- Highway: Meiningen is about that Federal motorway
with the connection points 
21 Meiningen-Nord from direction Erfurt (Federal motorway 
) and 22 Meiningen-Süd from direction Schweinfurt (Federal motorway 
) easily accessible. - Bundesstrasse: Of Eisenach lead the B 19 and from Sonneberg the B 89 directly to Meiningen.
- State road: You can get there via the state roads L 3174 and L 1124 Fulda (Hessen) and from the Rhön to the theater city. From direction Bad Neustadt and Mellrichstadt in Bavaria the L 3019 leads to Meiningen.
- Park: The multi-storey car park is easy to park in the city center Center-east on the eastern edge of the old town (easily accessible from both motorway exits and from Mellrichstadt), the multi-storey car park On the middle lawn to the west of the old town, the parking lot Center-west (ibid, both easily accessible from the direction of Mellrichstadt) and the parking lot at the riding arena. All of these parking options are chargeable. The free car park on Volkshausplatz, close to the center, is provided for theater-goers (easily accessible from the Rhön and Eisenach). If the visitor comes from the direction of Sonneberg or the motorway exit Meiningen-Süd, he can park his vehicle free of charge and close to the center on the “Großmutterwiese” car park. Not far from the center direction pipe you can use the parking garage of the "Kaiserpark" shopping center during the day.
By boat
Since the Werra is not navigable, Meiningen is Not accessible by ship. But water hikers can travel to Meiningen by canoe or kayak, in the castle park there is a boat landing stage with a rest area.
By bicycle
You can get there by bike Werra valley cycle path from direction bad Salzungen and Hildburghausen, on the Main-Werra cycle path from direction Wurzburg and via the Meiningen cycle pathHassfurt out Francs to Meiningen. There is a bicycle locking system at Elisabethenburg Palace.
mobility
Most of the sights are in the city center. These can be easily explored on foot. Sights and leisure facilities out of the center are good with the Meiningen bus companies reachable. These operate a dense network with 13 bus routes and a high number of trips. The central bus station ZOB right at the train station, the hub Sachsenstrasse in the city center and numerous stops open up every district. There are also enough taxis available at the train station.
Tourist Attractions
As the former residence and capital of the Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen, the city is rich in interesting castles and palaces, impressive commercial and town houses and extensive parks.
Churches
The laying of the foundation stone of the Evangelical Lutheran 1 City Church “of our dear women, also called St. Marien, took place as early as 1003. After several renovations and extensions, it is now largely in the neo-Gothic style that it received during a renovation between 1884 and 1889. The entire choir, built until 1455, is Gothic. The west facade under the towers was completed by 1278 and is Romanesque. The separate stair tower on the north side of the north tower dates from the Renaissance.
The 2 Catholic Church “Our Lady is a worth seeing new building from 1972. Three sides of the church are taken up by large colored glass walls, which are dedicated to church topics.
In the English Garden is the 3 Ducal crypt chapel. The neo-Gothic building from 1839 housed the coffins of ducal family members for many years. Today there is an exhibition about the English Garden here.
In the Herpf district is the 4 Herpf village church worth a visit with its baroque organ.
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Castles, chateaux and palaces
The most outstanding building in the city is the former baroque residential palace 5 Elisabethenburg, built from 1682 to 1692. The stairwell, the Hessensaal, the marble hall and the castle church (Johannes Brahms concert hall) in the south wing are particularly noteworthy. In the castle are the 6 Meiningen museums, which house the most extensive art collection in Thuringia.
From 1836 to 1840, the then Duke Bernhard II left the neo-Gothic 7 Landsberg Castle erect. The castle is on the city limits Walldorf and is now a romantic four-star hotel with a freely accessible restaurant that is popular with wedding couples from all over Germany. From the highest tower you have a wide view of Meiningen and the Werra valley.
Well worth seeing in the city center 8 Great palace (1823 / remodeling 1863) and that Small palace (1821), which formerly served as homes for the hereditary princes and other ducal family members.
Buildings
That became world famous 1 Meininger State Theater through a far-reaching theater reform in the 19th century carried out by Duke Georg II, his wife Helene von Heldburg and the director and artistic director Ludwig Chronegk. The beautiful and imposing classical house still attracts many guests from near and far and is popular after the National Theater Weimar the most important stage in Thuringia.
They are right next to the theater New chamber plays, a theater venue opened in 2008, housed in a former magnificent Jewish department store (1831). It is also the home of the Meiningen puppet theater and the municipal gallery "ada".
To the north of the old town on Leipziger Strasse there are several large and imposing ones Bank buildingthat emerged in Meiningen's heyday as an important financial center in Germany around 1900. This is where they resided German mortgage bank, the Bank for Thuringia, the Landesbank and the Reichsbank. The buildings are architecturally sophisticated and richly decorated.
The 9 Henneberger House The famous architect Eduard Fritze had it built in Georgstrasse in 1894. It offers richly decorated half-timbered houses in the Hennberg-Franconian architectural style.
in the Schlundhaus According to legend, the first Thuringian dumplings were prepared in Schlundgasse near the market. The goddess Frau Holle was so angry about the sour Meininger wine during her visit to the inn of the same name that she then let all the vines freeze to death. To compensate, she gave the mayor the recipe for the Thuringian dumplings with the note “Watch it!”. During a renovation in 1906, the building received a replica of the splendid, three-story half-timbered bay window from Merkel's house, which was destroyed in the great city fire in 1874.
Other buildings worth seeing:
- 10 Büchnersches Hinterhaus
- Half-timbered building from 1596 in a romantic backyard on Georgstrasse. - 11 Hotel “Sächsischer Hof - Built in 1802 and extended with interesting half-timbered elements in 1900, at the end of Georgstrasse at the English Garden.
- 12 Old post office - Half-timbered house from the 17th century, former post office of Thurn and Taxis, in Ernestinerstraße (western old town).
- 13 Henneberger House - built in 1895, half-timbered house in the Hennebergisch-Franconian style with beautiful details
Monuments
- The monument complex Johannes Brahms is located in the English Garden and is the first monument erected for Brahms in Germany (1899).
- The monument to Jean Paul is a bust on a high base and is also clearly visible in the English Garden on a hill. Jean Paul lived in Meiningen from 1802 to 1803 and created one of his main works here, the titanium.
- The well-known conductor Max Reger led the famous from 1911 to 1914 Meininger Court Chapel. In his honor there is a monument in the eastern part of the English Garden near the train station.
- A bust of the local poet Rudolf Baumbach stands in front of his former home and today's literature museum in Burggasse. Among other things, he wrote the text for the popular folk song "Up on the yellow car".
- The monument of Otto Ludwig is lying in Herrenberg Landscape Park close to the banks of the Werra. Otto Ludwig was a well-known writer dating from the mid-19th century Ice field.
- As a reminder and against forgetting, there is a memorial for the events during the political change in Meiningen in 1989/90 next to the town church in the form of a stele.
Museums
- Meiningen museums - The Meiningen museums consist of six cultural and historical museums. Four of them are housed in Elisabethenburg Palace. There will be Historic interior, Art collections, the Meiningen theater history and the Meininger music history shown. The art collections consist of paintings, sculptures, furniture, ceramics, clocks and other handicrafts from different centuries and are the most extensive in Thuringia.
- 14 Theater museum. The theater museum “Magic World of the Scenery”, which belongs to the Meiningen museums, is located in the former riding arena on Schlossplatz. Here, in changing exhibitions, historically valuable stage sets from the travel time of the Meiningen Court Theater at the end of the 19th century are shown, which caused a sensation in the theater world at that time. In 2008 the stage design of "Das Käthchen von Heilbronn" will be presented.
- Baumbachhaus Literature Museum. The Meiningen museums present the departments in an old half-timbered house, where Rudolf Baumbach lived Meininger literary history and the Meiningen town history. Special attention is paid to the writers Rudolf Baumbach (including “Up on the yellow car”), Friedrich Schiller, Ludwig Bechstein (fairy tales and legends) and Jean Paul who were active in Meiningen.
- 15 Two-wheel museum, Landsberger Str. 144. At the foot of the Landsberg is the Meininger Zweiradmuseum (MZM), which is run by a private association. This exhibits all two-wheelers (except bicycles) produced in the GDR. Most of the vehicles were specially restored by the members of the association.
- 16 Technology Museum Steam Locomotive Works, Am Flutgraben 29, 8617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49 (0)3693 85 16 02, Fax: 49 (0)3693 85 16 03, Email: [email protected].
The plant, which was founded in 1914 as the main workshop of the Erfurt Railway Directorate, was a Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk (RAW) of the Deutsche Reichsbahn from 1920 to 1989, and since 1990 a steam locomotive plant of DB-Fahrzeuginstandhaltung GmbH. Today the steam locomotive works repairs regular and narrow-gauge locomotives for DBAG, private railways, museum railways and railway associations in Germany and abroad, modernizes snow plows and snow blowers and builds boilers for historic steam locomotives from all over Europe. The tours include historical production facilities, the locomotive hall with the locomotives and wagons in the factory, the heating house and the boiler shop. Every year on the first weekend in September, the steam engine days take place at the plant. (Video).Open: Guided tours: Apr-Oct: every Saturday; Nov-Mar: every 1st and 3rd Saturday; Visits only with a guided tour (duration approx. 90 min.).Price: 6, - € / P.
Streets and squares
- market - Already laid out around 1000, the town church, the half-timbered house of the council chamber, the main post office, the Heinrichsbrunnen and classicist town houses dominate the image of the square today.
- Palace Square - on this wide square in front of Elisabethenburg Palace you can still find the Theater museum, the former Bernhardinium high school and the Armory.
- Place at the chapel - A place steeped in history, here was a reconciliation chapel, which was built in the 15th century to commemorate the destruction of the synagogue on this square. Today the chapel fountain symbolizes the chapel, with each water pipe designating the springs that once supplied Meiningen with water.
- Georgstrasse, Main shopping street in neo-classical style between the market and the English garden.
- Bernhardstrasse, representative street with buildings worth seeing in the classical and neo-classical style, including the theater and the great palace.
Anyone who strolls attentively through the city and perhaps looks at the ground will discover stumbling blocks here and there that are set in the sidewalk in front of the last house of a citizen who did not like the Nazi regime to remind of the fate of these persecuted people. More at Wikipedia.
Parks
- English garden - In the middle of the city center is the extensive, listed English Garden. In the landscape park, which was laid out in 1782, the visitor can visit the monuments of Johannes Brahms, Max Reger, Jean Paul and the fairy tale fountain by Ludwig Bechstein. The park is used by many people from Meiningen to stroll and relax.
- Castle Park - The oldest park in Meiningen lies stretched out between Elisabethenburg Castle and the Werra. Once laid out in 1692 as a Renaissance garden, today's landscape park offers contemporary sculptures and tranquility to relax.
- Herrenberg Landscape Park - In the heavily wooded landscape park west of the Werra on a mountain slope you can find the monument to Otto Ludwig. Furthermore, you can enjoy a wide view of the city from the Diezhäuschen.
- Park cemetery - In the cemetery, which is laid out as a landscape park with many winding paths, many well-known artists are buried in addition to Duke Georg II and his wife Helene (reform of the director's theater).
various
- In the west of the city is on a mountainside in a residential area Goetz Cave. It is the largest developed and accessible crevice and cleft cave in Europe. You can see crevasses and crevices up to 50 meters high. The cave was discovered in 1915 by the merchant Reinhold Goetz. It is open all year round. Goetz Cave, Am Dietrich, Tel .: 03693 503484.
activities
- This is located on the eastern outskirts near the Meiningen-Nord motorway junction Leisure center "Rohrer Stirn", Tel: 03693 484-400. Here the visitor will find the following facilities:
- Outdoor pool with lap pool, pool for non-swimmers and toddlers with slide, volleyball court and adventure playground, gastronomy
- Indoor pool with sports pool, adventure pool with slide, toddler pool, sauna areas and restaurants
- Caravan and campsite
- There are several around the city Hiking trails with shelters. This includes the premium hiking trail "The Meininger".
- The Karel equestrian center in the Drei 30sacker area invites you to horse riding a.
- The Werra offers the opportunity to go canoeing. There are several ascents and descents.
Regular events
- On the last weekend before the summer vacation it will Herding festival celebrated. Around 30,000 visitors come to Thuringian dumplings, the so-called Hat to eat.
- In August / September take place with the four-week Meininger Cabaret Days the Thuringian Cabaret Festival with awards ceremony.
- Every year on the first weekend in September, the steam locomotive works and the Meiningen steam locomotive association have been inviting visitors to the Meiningen Steam Engine Days a. Up to 17,000 visitors come.
shop
In the center you can easily shop in around 200 specialty shops and a department store. Recommended for tourists are the bookstores, the second-hand bookshop and various fashion shops. Outside the city center, it is worth traveling to the largest shopping center in the city, the REWE Center with shop-in-shop stores in Leipziger Strasse on B 19. Guests can purchase almost any product here on 12,000 square meters of retail space. The Heinrich-Heine-Park shopping center in the north of the city is also popular. At the end of 2013, another larger shopping center (Kaufland) was opened in the south of the city.
kitchen
- Herbal liqueur Rhöntropfen is a bitter bitters with 35%
Cheap
- The snack stands on the market offer Thuringian bratwurst, pan-fried meats and fish rolls (Mon-Sat).
- Luisen-Eck, Luisenstrasse near the market. Snacks and small Thuringian dishes.
- Bistro Gourmet Lower Bar, in Georgstrasse, pedestrian zone.
- Stiefelsgraben restaurant, in the eastern part of the city. Hearty local cuisine.
- To the bratwurst bell, near the parking garage Zentrum-Ost. Extensive snack with an attached butcher shop.
- Asia bistro, on the market. Cheap dishes from the Far East.
medium
- Schlundhaus restaurant, Schlundgasse. Specialties: Thuringian dumplings, Thuringian cuisine.
- Council Chamber, directly on the market. Upscale cuisine in an old, rustic ambience.
- Delphi, Leipziger Strasse - North district. Very good Greek cuisine in an ancient atmosphere.
- Antika Italia, at the palace square opposite the palace. Italian cuisine and ice cream parlor.
- 1 Asia dragon, Eleonorenstrasse in the center. Far Eastern dishes, including sushi and Mongolian.
- Bombay, Anton-Ulrich-Straße in the south of the old town. Good traditional Indian food.
Upscale
- Skyline restaurant "Monte Cristo", on the roof of the Altes Knasthaus hotel, on the upper wall. International cuisine, with roof terrace, show cooking (on request), bar, with a beautiful view of the old town.
- 2 Castle parlors, Schlossplatz 1. Specialties: Thuringian dumplings, game, fish.
- Alte Posthalterei restaurant, in the hotel "Sächsischen Hof". International gourmet dishes.
- Georg's Inn theater restaurant, next to the Meininger Theater.
- "Henneberger Haus" restaurant, near the Meininger Theater, directly to the city center. With Thuringian cuisine and international dishes, with a large beer garden - surrounded by water.
nightlife
- 2 The Meininger Theater, Bernhardstrasse 5, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49(0)3693 451222. South Thuringian State Theater.Open: Mon 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Tue - Fri 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Sat 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Sun closed.
- 3 Casino light games, Wettiner Str.1b, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49(0)3693 506880. Modern cinema with six halls (all with 3D) in historical walls.
- 4 Kunsthaus Meiningen, Ernestinerstraße 14, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49(0)3693 882583. Performance, pub and cafe in the listed half-timbered house Old post office.Open: Thu - Sun 3 p.m. - 6 p.m., closed Mon - Wed.
- 5 Cabaret Rautenkranz, Ernestinerstraße 40, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49(0)3693 813850. A stage for the Meininger Kleinkunsttage, where a variety of events take place.
- several pubs and cocktail bars with live music in the south of the old town.
accommodation
Cheap
- 1 Restaurant-Cafe-Pension "Schlemmerstube", Otto-Ludwig-Strasse 2, 98617 Meiningen, Germany. Tel.: 49(0)3693 41773, Fax: (0)3693 5487280. Feature: pension.Price: single room from € 26, double room from € 44.
- 2 Caravan and camping site "Rohrer Stirn", Rohrer Strasse, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49(0)3693 484-421, Email: [email protected]. 4 stars, 30 parking spaces. Warning for cyclists: the approach has a gradient of up to 15% over 1 km, the campsite is up in the village on the mountain. Modest tent field, luxurious sanitary facilities. The campsite is right next to the indoor and outdoor pools.
- Guesthouses and small hotels can be obtained from the Meiningen Tourist Information Office, Markt 14, Tel. 036 93 - 446 50
medium
- 3 Pension Henneberger Haus, Georgstrasse 2, 98617 Meiningen, Germany. Tel.: 49(0)3693 508990, Fax: (0)3693 5077, Email: [email protected]. Restaurant and beer garden available.Feature: pension.Price: Single from € 57.50, double from € 75.
- 4 Hotel in the Kaiserpark, Günther-Raphael-Str. 9, 98617 Meiningen, Germany. Tel.: 49(0)3693 815700, Fax: 49(0)3693 815740, Email: [email protected]. Price: Single from € 54, double from € 86.
- 5 Old town hotel, Baumbachstrasse 2, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49(0)3693 87690, Email: [email protected]. Price: single from € 62, double from € 88.
- 6 Hotel Altes Knasthaus - Fronveste, An der Oberen Mauer 1-3, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49(0)3693 478641, Email: [email protected].
- 7 Hotel at the chapel, Anton-Ulrich-Strasse 19, 98617 Meiningen, Germany. Tel.: 49(0)3693 44920, Fax: 49(0)3693 449211. Price: Single from € 38, double from € 66.
- 8 Hotel Eleonore (restaurant), Eleonorenstrasse 4, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: (0)3693 8129-0.
Upscale
- 9 Romantic Hotel Sächsischer Hof, Georgstrasse 1, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49(0)3693 457-0, Fax: 49(0)3693 457-401, Email: [email protected]. Price: Single from € 75, double from € 98.
- 10 Hotel & Restaurant "Schlundhaus", Schlundgasse 4, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49(0)3693 813838, Fax: 49(0)3693 813839, Email: [email protected]. Price: single from € 64, double from € 88.
Learn
- Police College and education center of the Thuringian police
- Community College, Klostergasse 2, in the center
- 2 high schools, several Vocational schools
health
- 1 Helios Clinic Meiningen, Bergstrasse 3. Tel.: 49(0)3693 90-0. With an emergency ambulance.
- Medical centers in the Bergstrasse
- Medical center in the Great Palace, Bernhardstrasse.
Practical advice
- 2 Tourist Information Meiningen, Ernestinerstraße 2, 98617 Meiningen. Tel.: 49(0)3693 44650, Fax: 49 (0)3693 446544, Email: [email protected]. Open: Mo-Fr: 10: 00-18: 00, Sa public holidays: 10: 00-15: 00.
- Internet cafe at Notebooks & Computer, Ernestinerstraße near the market square
- Refueling
- On the B 19 from Eisenach and the Meiningen-Nord motorway exit: two Shell (1x with natural and LPG), one ELF and one free petrol station.
- From the Meiningen-Süd motorway exit: Total station in Werrastraße.
- From the Rhön: Free petrol station in the Dreizelleacker district and Total Station in the Herpf district.
- Banks
- In the city center: Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Sparkasse, Geno-Bank, Schilling-Bank.
- Outside: Sparda-Bank (Leipziger Str.), 3x Sparkasse (Leipziger Str., Kaiserpark, Obertshäuser Platz), Flessa-Bank (Leipziger Str.).
- Main post office, Eleonorenstr. 2, right on the market.
trips
- Wasungen (12 km northwest, B 19) - numerous half-timbered buildings.
- Themar (20 km southeast, B 89 or "Klassikerstraße") - Agricultural History Museum.
- Hildburghausen (28 km southeast, from Themar continue on the B 89) - town houses from the 16th to 19th centuries.
- bad Salzungen (36 km northwest, B 19) - spa and district town.
- Oberhof (36 km east, A71) im Thuringian Forest.
- Rhön with the mountain High Geba (10 km to the west).
literature
- Research in South Thuringia - Contributions to the history of Meiningen (Meiningen State Museums, 1982)
- Downtown monuments (Kulturbund der DDR, 1982)
- Writings on the town history of Meiningen, volume 5, by Wilhelm Pocher (Meiningen City Archives, 2000)
- Meininger views (Meiningen State Museums, 1982)
- Meiningen - as it used to be, by Peter Schmidt-Raßmann (Wartburg-Verlag, 1992), ISBN 3-925277-82-X
- Memories of Meiningen, by Ramona Schäfer (Sutton Verlag, Erfurt 1999), ISBN 3-89702-101-3
- The Meininger Stadtkirche, by Hannelore Schneider (Bielsteinverlag, Meiningen 2004), ISBN 3-9809504-1-7
Web links
- https://www.meiningen.de/ - Official website of Meiningen
