10 reasons to love Thuringia

Anyone who goes to Thuringia must visit the city of Erfurt. One special attraction in the Thuringian state capital is the Krämerbrücke, Europe's longest bridge, which is completely covered with dwellings. Don't miss some of Erfurt's other impressive sights, like the medieval town center, St. Mary's Cathedral (Erfurter Dom) and Europe's oldest preserved synagogue, to name but a few.

In this house, one of Germany's most famous writers worked on masterpieces like the novel "Elective Affinities" or the drama "Faust." In the town of Weimar, you can tour the house where Goethe lived for 50 years until his death in 1832. He shared the house with his lover, who later became his wife — Christiane Vulpius — and their son.

You can also tour Friedrich Schiller's house in Weimar. The author and his family lived here for three years. He regularly met with Goethe until Schiller died in 1805, at the early age of 45. Those eager to learn more about these world-famous authors can read many of their personal letters at the Goethe and Schiller archive in Weimar.

1920s Weimar was the birthplace of Bauhaus — a new approach to design and architecture. Founded by Walter Gropius, the Bauhaus art school was one of the most influential in shaping the 20th century. Architecture and design was reinvented by artists from all over the world. The Bauhaus-Museum Weimar offers in insight into their work.

The Thuringian grilled bratwurst is a specialty you can find anywhere in the region. It can be called this only if it was actually made in Thuringia. For a long time, over half the ingredients — pork, salt, pepper, marjoram, caraway seeds and garlic — had to be produced in Thuringia as well for it to be given this title. The sausage is eaten in a bread roll with mustard — Thuringian of course!

The Thuringian Forest is a hiker's delight. Germany's most popular hilltop hiking route, the Rennsteig, leads up along the mountain ridges of the Thuringian Forest to a lofty 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). And the Rennsteig path itself is long — most hikers spread the 170 kilometers (106 miles) over six stages.

Thanks to its ancient beech forest, Hainich National Park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The canopy walkway allows visitors to enjoy the otherwise inaccessible parts of the park. It leads visitors through the treetops at a height of 24 meters (78 feet). Some fortunate visitors get to see bats, woodpeckers or other animal species that live in the primeval forest.

In 1521, Martin Luther translated the New Testament from Greek into German in just 11 weeks while at Wartburg Castle, where he was hiding out. As a seminal figure of what became the Protestant Reformation, he was banished and declared an outlaw.

Enjoy Bach's music on your own or with friends at the small concert performances held hourly at the Bach house in Eisenach. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685 and lived there for 10 years. You can also enjoy the world-famous composer's music at various locations in Thuringia during the annual Bach Weeks, Thuringia's biggest classical music festival.

The Thuringians also invented a popular German card game. The card game Skat was created in Altenburg in 1813, based on both the three-player card game Tarok, also known as Tarot, and the four-player card game, Sheepshead. Altenburg is also where the oldest-preserved playing card was produced in 1509. Cards are still made and sold here — the perfect souvenir to take home from Thuringia.