Culture · 🚶 2 min

Theater Gera

Our immediate neighbour: opened in 1902 and designed by Heinrich Seeling, the theatre combines a Neo-Renaissance façade with Art Nouveau influences. Under one roof it unites a theatre auditorium with 552 seats and a concert hall with 812 seats, plus the Bühne am Park. As part of Theater Altenburg Gera, it is Thuringia's only five-division theatre.

Address: Theaterplatz 1, 07548 Gera
Opening hours: Performances as per the programme
Admission: depending on the performance

Directions from the hotel → Website → Learn more →

Park · 🚶 4 min

Küchengarten (Kitchen Garden)

The Küchengarten between the theatre and the Orangerie was first mentioned in 1631 and served as the kitchen garden for Schloss Osterstein. After the great fire of 1780, the eastern part was laid out as an English landscape garden, while the western part kept its Baroque geometry. For the 2007 Federal Garden Show the grounds were redesigned and their Baroque character restored – the perfect morning stroll right outside our door.

Address: between the theatre and the Orangerie, Küchengartenallee / Orangerieplatz, 07548 Gera
Opening hours: usually daily 6:00–22:00
Admission: free

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Museum · 🚶 5 min

Orangerie – Kunstsammlung Gera (Art Collection)

The semicircular Baroque orangery was built in 1729–1732 to plans by Gottfried Heinrich Krohne, followed in 1748/49 by the central pavilion with its banqueting hall. Since 1972 it has housed the Kunstsammlung Gera, with some 15,000 objects from the Middle Ages to the present. Highlights include works by Lucas Cranach and Rembrandt as well as an important Otto Dix collection.

Address: Orangerieplatz 1, 07548 Gera
Opening hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–17:00, closed Mon
Admission: 10 € / reduced 6 €; combined ticket with Otto-Dix-Haus 12 € / reduced 8 €; free for under-18s

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Church · 🚶 8 min

Johanniskirche (St. John's Church)

The Neo-Gothic brick church of St. John was built to plans by the Leipzig architects Constantin Lipsius and August Hartel and consecrated in 1885. Its 70-metre tower is a city landmark. After severe war damage in 1945, it was extensively restored in 1972–1975.

Address: Zabelstraße 2 / corner of Clara-Zetkin-Straße, 07545 Gera
Opening hours: Interior usually open during services and concerts
Admission: free

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Church · 🚶 11 min

Marienkirche Untermhaus (St. Mary's Church)

The Marienkirche on Mohrenplatz is one of Gera's oldest churches: the choir may date from 1193, the nave from around 1440 and the towers from 1882. Its most precious treasure is a late Gothic winged altarpiece. The church stands right next to Otto Dix's birthplace, near the bridge over the Weiße Elster.

Address: Mohrenplatz 2, 07548 Gera
Opening hours: Interior mostly open only during services, events or by arrangement
Admission: free

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Park · 🚶 11 min

Hofwiesenpark

The Hofwiesenpark stretches along the Weiße Elster river between the city centre and Untermhaus. At the 2007 Federal Garden Show it was one of the two main exhibition grounds. Today the park is defined by four oval elements such as the play oval and the Hofwiesenbühne stage, flower shows, a large playground and the Hofwiesenbad pool.

Address: between Puschkinplatz, the Weiße Elster and Untermhaus, 07548 Gera
Opening hours: usually daily 6:00–21:00, in summer until 22:00
Admission: free

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Museum · 🚶 11 min

Otto-Dix-Haus

Otto Dix was born in this house on Mohrenplatz on 2 December 1891. It opened as a museum and gallery in 1991 to mark his 100th birthday. One area recreates the atmosphere of a simple working-class household around 1900 with biographical documents, while the gallery rooms host changing exhibitions of Dix's work. The upper exhibition rooms can only be reached via 18 steps.

Address: Mohrenplatz 4, 07548 Gera
Opening hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–17:00, closed Mon
Admission: 6 € / reduced 4 €; combined ticket with Orangerie 12 € / reduced 8 €; free for under-18s

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Museum · 🚶 12 min

Stadtmuseum Gera (City Museum)

The City Museum is housed in the former penitentiary and orphanage of 1724–1738 and was founded as early as 1878. It tells the city's story from prehistoric times to the 21st century, with a focus on the textile industry and industrialisation. The exhibition „Romantisches Gera“ (Romantic Gera) extends over some 1,000 m² on four floors.

Address: Museumsplatz 1, 07545 Gera
Opening hours: Tue–Sun and public holidays 11:00–17:00, closed Mon
Admission: 6 € / reduced 4 €; free for under-18s

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Square · 🚶 13 min

Markt with Samson Fountain

The Markt is the heart of the old town, lined with Baroque townhouses and the Renaissance town hall. At its centre stands the Samson Fountain with the biblical lion-slayer; the original was created by Caspar Junghans the Elder in 1685. Today's figure is a 1979 copy based on the 1932 reconstruction.

Address: Markt, 07545 Gera
Opening hours: freely accessible
Admission: free

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Landmark · 🚶 15 min

Town Hall with Town Hall Tower

The Renaissance town hall was built in 1573–1575, probably to a design by Nicol Gromann. Its splendid portal features the imperial eagle, the coats of arms of Reuss and Solms, and Justitia. Around 160 steps lead up the 57-metre tower to the platform at 34 metres – with a 360-degree view over the city. The lantern houses a carillon with 37 bells.

Address: Kornmarkt 12, 07545 Gera (entrance/tickets via Gera-Information, Markt 1a)
Opening hours: Tower: Mon–Wed 10:00–14:30 (currently shorter hours on Wednesdays), Thu–Fri 10:00–17:30, Sat 10:00–12:30, closed Sun; last ascent 30 min before the Gera-Information closes
Admission: Adults 1.50 €, reduced 1.00 € (tickets at the Gera-Information, Markt 1a)

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Museum · 🚶 15 min

Museum für Naturkunde (Natural History Museum, Schreibersches Haus)

The Baroque Schreibersches Haus of 1686–1688 was the only significant building within the city walls to survive the great fire of 1780. Its portal features sandstone figures of Mercury and Strenia. Since 1947 it has housed the Natural History Museum, with collections on botany, geology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology. The building is not step-free.

Address: Nicolaiberg 3, 07545 Gera
Opening hours: Tue–Sun and public holidays 11:00–17:00, closed Mon
Admission: 6 € / reduced 4 €; free for under-18s

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Guided tour · 🚶 15 min

Museumshöhler – Geraer Höhler (Gera's historic cellars)

Beneath the old town lie more than 200 Höhler – cellars carved into the rock, mostly from the 16th and 17th centuries, where beer was stored at a constant 12–13 °C. In the Museumshöhler, ten interconnected cellars with a total length of about 250 metres are open to visitors, up to 10 metres underground. Visits are by guided tour only (approx. 1 hour); please bring a jacket and sturdy footwear. Not step-free.

Address: Nicolaiberg 3, 07545 Gera – entrance at the rear of the Museum für Naturkunde
Opening hours: Public tours: Thu & Fri 11:30, Sat & Sun 14:00; booking recommended (Stadtmuseum 0365 838-1470)
Admission: 6 € / reduced 4 €; free for under-18s; group tour up to 15 people 160 €

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Viewpoint · 🚶 16 min

Schloss Osterstein – castle tower and terraces

High above Untermhaus on the Hainberg stood Schloss Osterstein, from 1863 the residence of the Younger Line of the House of Reuss. It was here that Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria married in 1908, and here that Prince Heinrich XXVII abdicated in 1918. After its destruction in 1945, the 12th-century keep, some 21 metres high, remained, along with the terraces and their terrace café and the open-air stage – with sweeping views over the Elster valley.

Address: Schloßberg, 07548 Gera (ascent from Mohrenplatz, among other routes)
Opening hours: Grounds freely accessible; tower climbs only on certain dates
Admission: Grounds free

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Church · 🚶 16 min

Salvatorkirche (St. Salvator's Church)

The Salvatorkirche on Nicolaiberg is the only surviving church in the historic old town. Its foundation stone was laid in 1717, and after the great fire it was rebuilt in 1781–1783. From 1903 its interior was redesigned in Art Nouveau style – a rare example in Europe, with a glass mosaic from 1907 and a Röver organ with 36 stops.

Address: Nicolaiberg 4, 07545 Gera
Opening hours: Interior usually open during services, concerts and guided tours
Admission: free (donations welcome)

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Museum · 🚶 18 min

Museum für Angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Arts, Ferberhaus)

In the Baroque Ferberhaus, the permanent exhibition „Art déco und Funktionalismus“ (Art Deco and Functionalism) presents porcelain, tableware, fashion, furniture, jewellery and graphic art, including Bauhaus ceramics. A particular focus is the New Objectivity photography of Aenne Biermann; the museum awards the Aenne Biermann Prize for contemporary German photography.

Address: Greizer Straße 37–39, 07545 Gera
Opening hours: Tue–Sun and public holidays 11:00–17:00, closed Mon
Admission: please enquire at the museum

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Park · 🚶 20 min

Botanischer Garten Gera (Botanical Garden)

The 0.7-hectare Botanical Garden lies directly behind the Museum für Naturkunde in the heart of the old town. It showcases native habitats and plants and features a late Neoclassical tower building – a peaceful green oasis between the Markt and the Salvatorkirche.

Address: Entrances on Schillerstraße and Nicolaistraße, 07545 Gera
Opening hours: Garden season until 31 Oct 2026: Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00, Sat/Sun/public holidays 9:00–18:00
Admission: please enquire on site

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Park · 🚶 29 min

Dahliengarten (Dahlia Garden)

Opened in 1928, the Dahliengarten is considered Germany's oldest dahlia show garden. Every year more than 2,200 dahlias in up to 100 varieties bloom here; at its centre stands the fountain sculpture „Die Dahlie“ (The Dahlia) by Thilo Schoder. The most beautiful time to visit is late summer.

Address: Entrances on Am Martinsgrund, Straße des Friedens and Rathenaustraße, 07548 Gera
Opening hours: seasonal, roughly May to early October, daily from 8:00 until dusk
Admission: free (donations welcome)

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Nature · 🚶 35 min

Martinsgrund / Stadtwald (City Forest)

The Martinsgrund is a wooded valley in the south of Gera that merges into the city forest. The Tierpark and the Dahliengarten are located here – a lovely natural finale after a visit to the zoo.

Address: Martinsgrund / Felsenkellerweg, 07548 Gera
Opening hours: freely accessible
Admission: free

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Museum · 🚶 36 min

Haus Schulenburg – Henry van de Velde Museum

Henry van de Velde built the villa in 1913–1915 for the textile manufacturer Paul Schulenburg and also designed its interiors and garden. After painstaking restoration, it is now the Henry van de Velde Museum, holding one of the most extensive collections of his book designs. In 2024 the house received the Europa Nostra Award. One of the few museums also open on Mondays; not step-free.

Address: Straße des Friedens 120, 07548 Gera
Opening hours: 1 Apr–31 Oct: Mon & Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat/Sun/public holidays 14:00–17:00; 1 Nov–31 Mar: Mon & Fri 10:00–16:00, Sat/Sun/public holidays 14:00–16:30; closed Tue–Thu
Admission: Adults 8 €, with guided tour (10 people or more, advance booking) 11 €; children up to 14 free

Directions from the hotel → Website →

Zoo · 🚶 44 min

Tierpark Gera (Zoo)

Founded in 1962, the woodland zoo lies in the romantic Martinsgrund valley. Across some 20 hectares live more than 900 animals of 63 species, mainly from the northern hemisphere such as elk and lynx, but also lions – Gera's heraldic animal. Firm favourites are the petting zoo and the park railway, run by children and young people. Open all year round and accessible.

Address: Straße des Friedens 85, 07548 Gera
Opening hours: daily; March–October 9:00–18:00, February/November 9:00–17:00, January/December 9:00–16:00; last admission 45 min before closing
Admission: Adults 9 €, reduced 6 €, children (3–16) 3 €, family 22 €; park railway 1.50 € / 1 €

Directions from the hotel → Website →

City tours and Gera-Information

Your first port of call is the Gera-Information at Markt 1a (phone 0365 838-1111, email tourismus@gera.de), with city maps, tickets and souvenirs. It is open Monday to Wednesday 10:00–15:00 (on Wednesdays only until 12:00 since 16 Sep 2026), Thursday and Friday 10:00–18:00, Saturday 10:00–13:00, closed on Sundays. From April to December, public old-town walks usually start here on the first and third Saturday of the month at 11:00 and 15:00 (1 hour, 7 euros, registration required). Individual guests can explore Gera's Höhler on public tours on Thursdays and Fridays at 11:30 and on Saturdays and Sundays at 14:00; groups of up to 15 people can book their own Höhler tour for 160 euros through the Gera-Information.

Excursions into the region

Weimar

The city of German Classicism, with UNESCO World Heritage sites and the Bauhaus Museum, is reachable by direct train – ideal for a day trip.

🚆 approx. 50 min by train from Gera Hbf

Leipzig

Around 20 direct regional trains a day link Gera with Leipzig – more of a full-day outing than a quick detour.

🚆 approx. 1–1.5 hrs by train from Gera Hbf

Neue Landschaft Ronneburg

Landscape park on a former uranium mining site and 2007 Federal Garden Show venue, with the „Drachenschwanz“ (Dragon's Tail) wooden bridge, the Schmirchauer Höhe hill and the „Grubengeleucht“ observation tower.

🚆 approx. 10 min by train from Gera Hbf

Bad Köstritz

Birthplace of the composer Heinrich Schütz, with a museum in the house where he was born, home of Köstritzer black beer and renowned for its dahlia tradition.

🚆 approx. 10 min by train from Gera Hbf

Gera Tours

All destinations at a glance

Gera in one day – old town, underground and Otto Dix

Promenaden Hotel am Theater

Johanniskirche (St. John's Church) 15 min

Market Square, Samson Fountain and Town Hall Tower 45 min

Salvatorkirche and Nicolaiberg 20 min

Museumshöhler (Museum Cellars) 60 min

Lunch in the old town 60 min

Stadtmuseum Gera (City Museum) 45 min

Hofwiesenpark 15 min

Otto-Dix-Haus and Marienkirche 50 min

Orangerie – Kunstsammlung Gera (Art Collection) 55 min

Küchengarten and theatre 15 min

Back at the hotel

Gera in two days

Day 1 – old town, Höhler and museums

Promenaden Hotel am Theater

Johanniskirche (St. John's Church) 10 min

Market Square, Samson Fountain and Town Hall Tower 50 min

Salvatorkirche 20 min

Museumshöhler (Museum Cellars) 60 min

Lunch at the Markt 60 min

Museum für Naturkunde (Natural History Museum) 45 min

Botanischer Garten (Botanical Garden) 20 min

Museum für Angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Arts, Ferberhaus) 50 min

Stadtmuseum Gera (City Museum) 60 min

Back at the hotel

Day 2 – Untermhaus, parks and nature

Promenaden Hotel am Theater

Küchengarten 15 min

Hofwiesenpark 20 min

Schloss Osterstein – castle tower and terraces 25 min

Otto-Dix-Haus and Marienkirche 60 min

Orangerie – Kunstsammlung Gera (Art Collection) 60 min

Lunch near the hotel and theatre 60 min

Dahliengarten (Dahlia Garden) 20 min

Haus Schulenburg (Henry van de Velde) 60 min

Tierpark Gera (Zoo) and Martinsgrund until 18:00

Back at the hotel

Afternoon alternative: an excursion

Bad Köstritz

Neue Landschaft Ronneburg

Burg Posterstein

Sights in detail

Theater Gera

Küchengarten (Kitchen Garden)

Orangerie – Kunstsammlung Gera (Art Collection)

Johanniskirche (St. John's Church)

Marienkirche Untermhaus (St. Mary's Church)

Hofwiesenpark

Otto-Dix-Haus

Stadtmuseum Gera (City Museum)

Markt with Samson Fountain

Town Hall with Town Hall Tower

Museum für Naturkunde (Natural History Museum, Schreibersches Haus)

Museumshöhler – Geraer Höhler (Gera's historic cellars)

Schloss Osterstein – castle tower and terraces

Salvatorkirche (St. Salvator's Church)

Museum für Angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Arts, Ferberhaus)

Botanischer Garten Gera (Botanical Garden)

Dahliengarten (Dahlia Garden)

Martinsgrund / Stadtwald (City Forest)

Haus Schulenburg – Henry van de Velde Museum

Tierpark Gera (Zoo)

Gera on video

City tours and Gera-Information

Excursions into the region

Weimar

Leipzig

Neue Landschaft Ronneburg

Bad Köstritz

Image credits