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{{Infobox German place
 | name              = Gotha
 | type              = Stadt
 | image_photo       = Gotha.JPG
 | image_caption     = Top left: St Margarethen, Top right: Marstall, Middle left: [[Water feature]] in front of Friedenstein Castle, Middle right: Rathaus Gotha in Hauptmarkt, Bottom left: View of Christmas illumination event in Hauptmarkt, Bottom centre: Porch in St Margarethen Church, Bottom right: Bruhl Street
 | image_coa         = DEU Gotha COA.svg
 | coordinates       = {{coord|50|56|57|N|10|42|18|E|display=inline,title}}
 | image_plan        = Gotha in GTH.svg
 | state             = Thuringia
 | district          = Gotha
 | elevation         = 300
 | area              = 69.58
 | postal_code       = 99867
 | area_code         = 03621
 | licence           = GTH
 | Gemeindeschlüssel = 16 0 67 029
 | divisions         = 11
 | website           = [http://www.gotha.de/ www.gotha.de]
 | mayor             = Knut Kreuch<ref>[https://wahlen.thueringen.de/datenbank/wahl1/wahl.asp?wahlart=BM&wJahr=0000&zeigeErg=LAND&auswertung=2 Gewählte Bürgermeister - aktuelle Landesübersicht], Freistaat Thüringen. Retrieved 25 June 2024.</ref>
 | leader_term       = 2024&ndash;30
 | party             = SPD
}}
'''Gotha''' ({{IPA|de|ˈɡoːtaː|-|De-Gotha.ogg}}) is the fifth-largest city in [[Thuringia]], [[Germany]], {{convert|20|km|0|abbr=off}} west of [[Erfurt]] and {{convert|25|km|0|abbr=in}} east of [[Eisenach]] with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the [[Gotha (district)|district of Gotha]] and was also a residence of the Ernestine [[House of Wettin|Wettins]] from 1640 until the end of monarchy in Germany in 1918. The [[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] originating here spawned many European rulers, including the royal houses of the [[United Kingdom]], [[Belgium]], [[Portugal]] (until 1910) and [[Bulgaria]] (until 1946).

In the Middle Ages, Gotha was a rich trading town on the trade route ''[[Via Regia]]'' and between 1650 and 1850, Gotha saw a cultural heyday as a centre of sciences and arts, fostered by the dukes of [[Saxe-Gotha]]. The first duke, [[Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha|Ernest the Pious]], was famous for his wise rule. In the 18th century, the ''[[Almanach de Gotha]]'' was first published in the city. The publisher [[Justus Perthes (publishing company)|Justus Perthes]]<ref>From 1885 till 2004 this was, especially in the 19th century, one of the leading publishers in the world in the fields of [[geography]] and [[cartography]].</ref> and the encyclopedist [[Joseph Meyer (publisher)|Joseph Meyer]] made Gotha a leading centre of German publishing around 1800. In the early 19th century, Gotha was a birthplace of the German insurance business. The [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]] was founded in Gotha in 1875 by merging two predecessors. In that period Gotha became an industrial centre, with companies such as the ''[[Gothaer Waggonfabrik]]'', a producer of trams and later aeroplanes.

The main sights of Gotha are the early-modern Friedenstein Castle, one of the largest Renaissance Baroque castles in Germany, the medieval city centre and the [[Gründerzeit]] buildings of 19th-century commercial boom.

Gotha lies in the southern part of the [[Thuringian Basin]] in a flat and agricultural landscape.

== History ==
[[File:Albrecht der Entartete, Markgraf von Meißen, Brakteat, Münzstätte Gotha, CNG.jpg|thumb|left|A Gotha coin from the 13th century]]

=== Middle Ages ===
Gotha has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by [[Charlemagne]] as ''Villa Gotaha'' ([[Old High German]] ''gotaha'' meaning "good [[Aach (toponymy)|waters]]") in 775. The first settlement was probably located around today's ''Hersdorfplatz'' outside the north-eastern edge of the later city centre. During the 11th century, the nearby [[Ludowingians]] received the village and established the city in the late 12th century, as Gotha became their second most important city after [[Eisenach]]. The city generated wealth because it was conveniently located at the junction of two important long-distance trade routes: the [[Via Regia]] from [[Mainz]] and [[Frankfurt]] to [[Leipzig]] and [[Wrocław|Breslau]] and a north–south route from [[Mühlhausen]] over the [[Thuringian Forest]] to [[Franconia]]. One of the oldest pieces of evidence of busy trade in the city is the "Gotha cache of coins" with nearly 800 [[Bracteate]]s, buried in 1185 in the central city. In 1180, Gotha was first mentioned as a city, when the area between ''Brühl'' and ''Jüdenstraße'' became the core of urban development, highlighting the early presence of Jews in this old trading town.

The parish church of this first urban settlement was St. Mary's Church (demolished in 1530) at ''Schlossberg''. The castle (at the site occupied today by Friedenstein Castle) was first mentioned in 1217. As the Ludowingians died out in 1247, Gotha became part of the [[House of Wettin|Wettins']] territories, where it remained until 1918. The ''new town'' east of ''Querstraße'' was established in the early 15th century (with the ''Neumarkt'', first mentioned in 1428).

The monastery (first [[Cistercians]], since 1258 [[Augustinians]]) was founded before 1251 and abandoned in 1525. Until 1665, the bourse of Gotha was located in the centre of ''Hauptmarkt'' square inside the [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]] building, which hosts the town hall today. The medieval town hall was located on the north-eastern edge of Hauptmarkt, at the site of today's ''Innungshalle''.

Water supply was a big problem, because Gotha is not located on a river. In 1369, [[Balthasar, Landgrave of Thuringia|Landgrave Balthasar]] had the [[Leinakanal]] built. This channel, over 25 kilometres long, brought fresh water from the Thuringian Forest ([[Hörsel]] and [[Apfelstädt (river)|Apfelstädt]] rivers) to the city. The main businesses of medieval Gotha were cloth-making and the [[Isatis tinctoria|woad]] trade.

=== Early modern period ===
[[File:Gotha1572.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Gotha in 1572]]
[[File:Ernstderfromme.jpg|thumb|180px|Memorial to Ernest the Pious in front of Friedenstein Castle]]
[[File:HA Koenig Die hochfürstliche Residentz Friedenstein und Hauptstadt Gotha ubs G 0951 III.jpg|thumb|180px|Gotha and the new Friedenstein Castle in 1730]]
[[File:Cup and saucer MET SF06 337ab.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Neoclassicism|Neoclassical]] cup with saucer from Gotha, late 18th century, hard-paste porcelain]]

The [[German Reformation|Reformation]] was introduced in Gotha in 1524 and the castle was rebuilt as a larger fortress between 1530 and 1541. Gotha was already part of the Ernestine Wettins territory after the 1485 [[Treaty of Leipzig]]. However, the Ernestines' loss of power after the [[Schmalkaldic War]] in 1547, the [[Treaty of Erfurt]] in 1572, when the city became part of [[Saxe-Coburg]], and the [[Thirty Years' War]] resulted in Gotha's decline. The local castle, ''Grimmenstein'', was razed by Imperial troops in 1572.<ref name="Klauss"/>{{rp|74}}

The turnaround was brought about by the selection of Gotha as a ducal residence in the 1640 territorial partition, when [[Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha|Ernest the Pious]] founded the duchy of [[Saxe-Gotha]]. The strongly Protestant and absolutist sovereign quickly began to reorganize his small state (even before the war had ended) and in particular fostered the school system, for example by introducing [[compulsory education]] up to the age of 12 in 1642.<ref name="Klauss">{{cite book|last=Klauß|first=Jochen|title=Thüringen - Literarische Streifzüge (German)|publisher=Artemis & Winkler (Patmos)|year=2009|isbn=978-3-538-07280-0}}</ref>{{rp|72–73}} This was the origin of the often noted liberal education of the Gotha citizenry and the following cultural heyday.

[[Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff]] was one of numerous experienced and loyal civil servants employed by the duke. Seckendorff was considered one of the most able and influential thinkers on administration and public law of his time. His book ''Der teutsche Fürstenstaat'' (1656), written by order of Ernest, served for decades as a standard work in teaching political science at Protestant universities in Germany.<ref name="Klauss"/>{{rp|73–74}}

[[Friedenstein Castle]] was built between 1643 and 1654 and is one of the first large Baroque residence castles in Germany.<ref name="Klauss"/>{{rp|74}} Between 1657 and 1676, the city received a stronger fortification, which was demolished between 1772 and 1811. In their place, a park around Friedenstein and a boulevard around the city were established. Some important scientific institutions were the ducal library (today's ''[[Forschungsbibliothek Gotha]]'' as part of the [[University of Erfurt]]), founded in 1650, the "coin cabinet" (1712), the "art and natural collection", basis of today's museums, and the [[Gotha Observatory]] at Seeberg mountain, established 1788. The Gotha porcelain manufactory (established in 1767) was famous around 1800 for their [[faience]]s.

In 1774, the actor group led by Conrad (or Konrad) [[Konrad Ekhof|Ekhof]], called "the father of German acting", came from [[Weimar]] to Gotha. He began working at the ''Schlosstheater'' and became ''Direktor'' of the first ever German court theatre (founded in 1683), while acting in many plays himself. Having turned it into one of the leading theatres in Germany, after his death in 1778 the fame of the theatre declined rapidly.<ref name="Klauss"/>{{rp|82–84}}

The ''[[Almanach de Gotha]]'', a directory of European royalty and nobility, was first published in 1763 and [[Justus Perthes]] founded his science publishing company in 1785. [[Joseph Meyer (publisher)|Joseph Meyer]] followed in 1826 by founding the ''[[Bibliographisches Institut]]'', one of the two leading encyclopedia publishers in the German language besides the [[Brockhaus Enzyklopädie|Brockhaus]] and [[Adolf Stieler]] first published his ''[[Stielers Handatlas|Handatlas]]'' in Gotha in 1816. [[Adam Weishaupt|Johann Adam Weishaupt]], the founder of the order of the Illuminati, died in Gotha in 1830. It was also during this time, that the city developed a sizeable Jewish population.

=== Since 1815 ===
[[File:Meyer's Universum, 1835 – BEIC 6195662 Gotha.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Gotha in ''[[Joseph Meyer (publisher)|Meyer]]'s Universum'', 1835]]

From 1826 to 1918, Gotha along with Coburg was one of the two capitals of the Duchy of [[Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]. Under the rule of [[Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Duke Ernest II]], Gotha was a centre of Germany's [[classical liberalism|liberal movement]], where the [[Gothaer Nachparlament]], an aftermath of [[Revolutions of 1848 in the German states|1848 German Revolution]] took place. After 1851, [[Gustav Freytag]], novelist, advocate of German unity and often a harsh critic of [[Otto von Bismarck]] made Siebleben (today part of Gotha) his summer home. Ernest II made Freytag ''Hofrat'' (privy councillor) in 1854, when the Prussian government had issued a warrant for his arrest.<ref name="Klauss"/>{{rp|84–87}}

In 1875, the German [[socialism|socialist]] party ([[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]) was founded in Gotha through the merger of two organizations: the Social Democratic Workers' Party, led by [[August Bebel]] and [[Wilhelm Liebknecht]], and the [[General German Workers' Association]], founded by [[Ferdinand Lassalle]]. A compromise known as the [[Gotha Program]] was forged, although it was strongly criticized by [[Karl Marx]] for its reformist bias in his ''[[Critique of the Gotha Program]]''.

From 1876 to 1908, the novelist [[Kurd Lasswitz]], sometimes referred to as "the father of German science fiction" worked as a teacher at Gotha's Ernestinum, the oldest ''[[Gymnasium (school)|Gymnasium]]'' in Thuringia.<ref name="Klauss"/>{{rp|87–88}}

Industrialization started in Gotha around 1850, as the city was connected to the [[Thuringian Railway]] in 1847. The city became a centre of engineering with companies like the ''[[Gothaer Waggonfabrik]]'', a tram and airplane manufacturer, founded in 1883. During the 19th century, Gotha also became a centre of banking and the insurance business in Germany. Ernst-Wilhelm Arnoldi founded the first fire insurance in 1820, followed by the first life insurance in 1827. The {{Interlanguage link|Gothaer Versicherungsbank|de|3=Gothaer Versicherungsbank|lt=Gothaer}} [[mutual insurance]] remains one of the largest insurance companies in Germany (it moved to [[Cologne]] after [[World War II]]). Gotha's tram network was established in 1894. The first [[crematory]] in Germany was built in Gotha in 1878.

The [[Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany]] (USPD), a left-wing breakaway of the SPD, was founded in Gotha in 1917 in opposition to the SPD's support of Germany's role in [[World War I]]. In November 1918, during the post-war [[German Revolution of 1918–19|German revolution]], Duke [[Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Charles Edward]] abdicated under pressure from local [[German workers' and soldiers' councils 1918–1919|workers' and soldier's councils]]. The USPD-dominated government elected in 1919 shepherded the Gotha region through its separation from Coburg and to the founding of the [[Free State of Saxe-Gotha]] under a parliamentary-democratic constitution. The far-left orientation of the workers' movement in Gotha nevertheless led the government of the young [[Weimar Republic]] to send troops into the city twice, once in February 1919 to protect the [[Weimar National Assembly|National Assembly]] meeting in Weimar, and a second time during the March 1920 right-wing [[Kapp Putsch|Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch]] in Berlin. On the latter occasion, 127 people lost their lives in Gotha. The Free State of Saxe-Gotha joined the [[State of Thuringia (1920–1952)|State of Thuringia]] when it was formed on 1 May 1920.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Weimarer Republik: Der rechte Kapp-Lüttwitz-Putsch im März 1920 |trans-title=Weimar Republic: The Right-wing Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch in March 1920 |url=https://demokratie-tivoli-gotha.de/weimarer-republik/#kapp-putsch |access-date=26 August 2025 |website=Gothaer Tivoli |language=de}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Der Freistaat Gotha. Ereignisse 1918–1920 |trans-title=The Free State of Gotha. Events 1918–1920 |url=https://www.gonschior.de/weimar/Thueringen/Gotha/Uebersicht_Jahre.html |access-date=25 August 2025 |website=gonschior.de |language=de}}</ref>

Under [[Nazi]] rule, Gotha became a centre of the arms industry with nearly 7,000 [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labourers]] working in the city's factories, where more than 200 died.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} 
The Gotha barracks in the southern periphery were enlarged and during the ''[[Kristallnacht]]'' in October 1938 the synagogue was destroyed. Allied air raids in 1944/5 damaged some buildings in the city, in particular the state theatre (demolished by East German authorities in 1958), the main station (which remained only "half-a-building") and the main church (rebuilt after the war). Nevertheless, some 95% of the city's buildings survived the war unscathed. 

Joseph Ritter von Gadolla was the city commander of Gotha. On 3 April 1945, the [[4th Armored Division (United States)|4th Armoured Division]] of the 3rd US Army was stationed at Krahnberg and near Goldbach, ready to attack Gotha. Gadolla had white flags hoisted in Gotha and went to meet the Americans as a parliamentarian. He was captured, imprisoned in [[Weimar]] and shot by a firing squad. By then, Gotha was already free. Gadolla's last message is said to have been: ‘For Gotha to live, I must die.’ While the Americans had already taken half of Thuringia, Thuringia's [[Gauleiter]] [[Fritz Sauckel]] continued to order: ‘Anyone who raises the white flag before the enemy will be treated as a traitor and a deserter.’
<br/>Jewish slave laborers working in quarries at Gotha were all murdered by their Nazi overseers on 4 April 1945, just before the city was captured by American forces.<ref name=HC-1945>{{cite book|editor1-first=Marilyn|editor1-last=Harran|date=2000|title=The Holocaust Chronicle|publisher=Publications International|chapter=1945: Liberation and Rebuilding|pages=[https://archive.org/details/holocaustchronic00harr/page/602 602-603]|isbn=978-0785329633|edition=1st|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/holocaustchronic00harr/page/602|chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref>

The American Army reached Gotha in April 1945 but was replaced by the Soviets in July 1945<!--- Yalta Conference ,  and in 1949 Gotha became part of the [[GDR]]. During this period, some historic inner-city quarters were replaced by ''[[Plattenbau]]'' buildings, especially west of the Hauptmarkt and at Gartenstraße north of the city centre. Many other buildings fell derelict during the later GDR period and the city's time of shrinking in the 1990s, whereas others were refurbished after [[German reunification]] in 1990. Gotha's economy was hit by the transition from state to market economy after 1990. Nevertheless, some companies survived or were newly founded and have made Gotha economically a relatively successful city.<!--- when? citation needed -->

== Geography and demographics ==

=== Topography ===
[[File:Gotha Blick vom Bürgerturm.jpg|thumb|View from Krahnberg mountain over the city]]
Gotha is situated in a flat landscape within the fertile [[Thuringian Basin]]. A tectonic dislocation traverses the city from north-west to south-east. Thereby, it forms three prominent hills: the 431 m high ''Krahnberg'' with the ''Ratsholz'' forest in the north-west, the hill of Friedenstein Castle in the city centre and the 409 m high ''Seeberg'' in the south-east. The city itself lies at an elevation of 300 m and the municipal territory is nearly free of forest (with the two named mountains as exceptions) and is in intensive agricultural use. As one out of only very few ancient cities in Germany, Gotha is not situated on a river, so that water supply was already a problem in the Middle Ages. For that reason, the ''Leinakanal'' was built in the 14th century over a distance of more than 25 kilometres, which was at the time an enormous task. The Leinakanal brings water from [[Hörsel]] and [[Apfelstädt (river)|Apfelstädt]] river to Gotha, overcoming the watershed between [[Elbe]] (Apfelstädt) and [[Weser]] (Gotha). The drain of Leinakanal is the ''Flutgraben'', a tributary of [[Nesse (Hörsel)|Nesse]]. The [[Thuringian Forest]] is located {{convert|15|km|0|abbr=on}} south-west of Gotha.

=== Administrative division ===
Gotha borders the following municipalities, which are all part of Gotha district: [[Goldbach, Thuringia|Goldbach]], [[Remstädt]], [[Bufleben]], [[Friemar]], [[Tüttleben]], [[Drei Gleichen]], [[Günthersleben-Wechmar]], [[Schwabhausen, Thuringia|Schwabhausen]], [[Emleben]], [[Leinatal]] and [[Hörsel, Thuringia|Hörsel]].

Gotha is divided in 11 districts. The urban districts are Mitte, Weststadt, West, Nord, Süd, Oststadt and Ost and the rural districts are Boilstädt (incorporated in 1994), Siebleben (1922), Sundhausen (1974) and Uelleben (1994).

=== Demographics ===
[[File:Saxonia Museum für saechsische Vaterlandskunde I 69.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|In 1835, Gotha was a mid-size town of 13,000 inhabitants]]
Gotha has long been one of the largest towns in Thuringia. During the Middle Ages, it was a town of 5,000 to 6,000 inhabitants and its selection as a ducal residence brought another impetus during the 17th and 18th century, so that Gotha had already more than 10,000 inhabitants by 1800. The number rose to 15,000 around 1850, as industrialisation started and the city was [[Gotha station|connected to the railway]]. The population saw a steady growth to 23,000 in 1875, 35,000 in 1900, 46,000 in 1925 and 58,000 in 1950, when the peak was reached. Until 1990, the population was roughly constant at around 57,000. After German reunification in 1990, the city saw a significant decline in population, it shrank to 48,000 by 2000 and to 44,000 by 2012. Between 2013 and 2016, the population rose in each consecutive year. In 2016 it reached 45,640.<ref name="Aktuelle Zahlen">{{Cite web|url=http://www.gotha.de/leben-in-gotha/stadtportraet/gotha-in-zahlen/aktuelle-zahlen.html|title=Aktuelle Zahlen|website=www.gotha.de|language=de|access-date=2017-11-16}}</ref>

The average decrease of population between 2009 and 2012 was -0.05% p.a, whereas the population in bordering rural regions has been shrinking with accelerating tendency. Suburbanization played only a small role in Gotha. It occurred after reunification for a short time in the 1990s, but most of the suburban areas are situated within the administrative city borders. During the 1990s and the early 2000s, many inhabitants left Gotha to search for a better life in west Germany or other major east German cities like [[Jena]] or [[Erfurt]]. Since 2005, emigration is not a big issue anymore.<ref name="Aktuelle Zahlen"/> Today, the birth deficit, also caused by the high average age of the population, is becoming a bigger problem because immigration is not sufficient to compensate for it in recent years.

Despite urban planning activities to tear down unused flats, vacancy was a problem with rates around 9% in 2011 but declined to 4% in 2017. A side effect of the high vacancy rate is Gotha's low rent level.

The birth deficit was 175 in 2012, this is -3.9 per 1,000 inhabitants (Thuringian average: -4.5; national average: -2.4). The net migration rate was +6.2 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 (Thuringian average: -0.8; national average: +4.6).<ref>[http://www.tls.thueringen.de/startseite_hinweis.asp Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik]</ref> The most important regions of origin of Gotha migrants are bordering rural areas of Thuringia as well as foreign countries like Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Like other eastern German cities, foreigners account for only a small share of Gotha's population: circa 2.5% are non-Germans by citizenship and overall 7.1% are classified as migrants (according to the [[2011 EU census]]). In contrast to the national average, the largest groups of migrants in Gotha were [[Russians in Germany|Russians]], [[Vietnamese people in Germany|Vietnamese]] and [[Ukrainians in Germany|Ukrainians]].

Due to the official [[atheism]] of the former [[East Germany|GDR]], most of the population is non-religious. 
According to the 2011 EU census, 18.2% then were members of the [[Evangelical Church in Central Germany]] and 4.8% were Catholics.

== Culture, sights and cityscape ==

=== Museums ===
Gotha hosts various museums, which are – together with the ducal buildings – promoted as the ''Gothaer Barock-Universum'' ("Baroque universe of Gotha").
* Friedenstein Castle hosts the following museums:
** The ''Ekhof Theatre'' is a Baroque court theatre and the world's only 17th century theatre with original stage machinery still working.
** The ''Historic Museum'' hosts an exhibition about municipal and regional history and culture of Gotha. 
** The ''[[Museum of Nature Gotha|Museum of Nature]]'' shows a natural history exhibition with animals, minerals and fossils. 
** The ''Castle Museum'' contains the former ducal living rooms and several items of cultural history. 
* The ''[[Ducal Museum Gotha|Ducal Museum]]'' opposite to the castle hosts the ducal collection of art, containing Egyptian antiques, Renaissance [[Old Master]]s paintings, Chinese and [[Meissen porcelain|Meissen]] porcelaine and more. 
* The ''Insurance Museum'' at Bahnhofstraße is Germany's only museum on the history of the insurance business, which has been important in Gotha since 1820.
* The ''Tivoli'' at Cosmarstraße is the place where the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] was founded and hosts a small exhibition on the party's history.

==== Image gallery ====
<gallery>

File:Bühne des Ekhof-Theaters.JPG|Ekhof Theatre
File:Westturm Friedenstein Gotha.JPG|The Historic Museum and the Museum of Nature are located in Friedenstein's western tower
File:Gotha-exponate-010.jpg|One of the rooms at Castle Museum
File:Thuringia Gotha asv2020-07 img28 Herzogliches Museum.jpg|Ducal Museum – Gotha's art historical and antiquities museum
File:Thuringia Gotha asv2020-07 img07 Versicherungsmuseum.jpg|Insurance Museum
File:Thuringia Gotha asv2020-07 img29 Gothaer Tivoli.jpg|Tivoli
</gallery>

=== Cityscape ===
[[File:Villa Gotha2.JPG|thumb|A typical ruined late-19th century mansion near the city centre]]
The city centre of Gotha has two medieval parts: the old town around ''Hauptmarkt'' and the new town around ''Neumarkt''. Both were walled until 1810, when the city walls were broken down and a boulevard was laid out in their place. Early-modern suburbiums were established to the south-west (around ''Dreikronengasse''), to the west (around ''Große Fahnenstraße'') and to the east (around ''Mohrenberg''). The later 19th century brought larger growth in all directions. Especially the axis between the main station and the city centre received a representative development in capital-city style. Due to Gotha's function as a ducal residence, most buildings built between 1870 and 1914 were generous in size and many mansions were built. Only some outer districts show the typical German working-class tenements (e.g. around ''Oststraße'' and ''Seebergstraße''). The largest ''[[Plattenbau]]'' settlement of Gotha was established at the western periphery during the late [[GDR]] period. In the 1980s, large areas of the western old town were demolished and replaced by small-scale ''Plattenbau'' houses. After 1990, many buildings were thoroughly refurbished after having fallen into dereliction during GDR times. Nevertheless, a relatively large share of ruined historic buildings remains characteristic for Gotha (in comparison to neighbouring cities like Eisenach, Erfurt or Weimar), especially within the historic new town and the 19th century belt around the city centre. The government sometimes failed to conserve historic buildings, for example the ''{{Interlanguage link|Volkshaus zum Mohren|de}}'' was demolished in 2007, as was the ''{{Interlanguage link|Winterpalais|de|3=Winterpalais (Gotha)}}'' in 2011 (although the latter has now being reconstructed externally). The ''{{Interlanguage link|Orangerie (Gotha)|de|3=Orangerie Gotha}}'' was saved in 2006, and the ''Prinzenpalais'' was restored in 2017 although the adjacent ''Kavaliershaus'' was demolished.

=== Sights and architectural heritage ===

==== Churches ====
* The main Protestant church ''St. Margarethen'' at Neumarkt was built between 1494 and 1543 in late-[[Gothic architecture|Gothic style]]. 
* The Protestant church ''St. Salvator'' at Klosterplatz is a former monastery of the [[Augustinians]], built around 1300 in Gothic style and dissolved in 1525.
* The ducal chapel inside Friedenstein Castle is located at the north-eastern corner and was designed in 1697. 
* The Protestant ''Friedrichskirche'' at Erfurter Landstraße was built between 1712 and 1715 in [[Baroque architecture|Baroque style]].
* The Protestant church ''St. Helena'' at Siebleben district was built between 1818 and 1827 in [[Neoclassical architecture|Neo-Classical style]]. 
* The Catholic parish church ''St. Bonifatius'' at Moßlerstraße was built in 1855 in [[Romanesque revival|Neo-Romanesque style]].

<gallery>

File:Thuringia Gotha asv2020-07 img22 Margarethenkirche.jpg|St. Margarethen
File:Augustinian church in Gotha (4).jpg|St. Salvator
File:Gotha, Schlosskirche im Schloss Friedenstein.JPG|Ducal chapel inside Friedenstein Castle
File:Gotha Friedrichkirche1.jpg|Friedrichskirche
File:Siebleben-Dorfkirche.JPG|St. Helena
File:Gotha Bonifatiuskirche2.jpg|St. Bonifatius
</gallery>

==== Castles and palaces ====
* The former residence of the [[Saxe-Gotha]] dukes is [[Friedenstein Castle]], one of the largest late-Renaissance/early-Baroque styled castles in Germany. It consists of three wings in U-form with two towers at their ends and was built between 1643 1654. 
* The ''Schloss Friedrichsthal'' at Friedrichstraße is the former ducal summer residence, built between 1707 and 1711 in [[French Baroque architecture|French Baroque style]]. 
* The ''Winterpalais'' at Friedrichstraße is the former ducal winter residence, built in 1822 in neo-classical style. 
* The ''Orangerie'' at Friedrichstraße consists of two symmetric orangery houses and a Baroque park in between, built between 1747 and 1774. 
* The ''Prinzenpalais'' at Mozartstraße was the ducal guesthouse, built in 1776. 
* The ''Marstall'' at Parkallee was the ducal stables, built in 1847. 
* The ''Schloss Mönchhof'' at Siebleben district was a ducal summer residence, built in the late 18th century.

<gallery>

File:Schloss-Friedenstein01.JPG|Patio of Friedenstein Castle
File:Schloss Friedenstein Gotha.JPG|Towers of Friedenstein Castle
File:Friedrichsthalgotha.jpg|Schloss Friedrichsthal
File:Winterpalais Gotha 2006.jpg|Winterpalais
File:Thuringia Gotha asv2020-07 img13 Orangerie.jpg|Orangerie (northern building)
File:Thuringia Gotha asv2020-07 img11 Marstall.jpg|Marstall
File:Gotha-Siebleben-Schloss-Mönchhof-1.JPG|Schloss Mönchhof
</gallery>

==== Other sights ====
* The ''town hall'' at Hauptmarkt was built as a bourse between 1566 and 1574 in [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance style]]. It has been in use as town hall since 1665. 
* There are some Renaissance patricians' houses around Hauptmarkt and Brühl, showing the city's wealth through the 15th and 16th centuries. 
* The ''Hospital St. Mary'' is the former city hospital and was built between 1716 and 1719 in Baroque style. 
* The ''Crematorium'' at the main cemetery is the oldest one in Germany, established in 1878. 
* The ''Wasserkunst'' ([[water feature]]) at Schlossberg were established in 1895 with three cascades traversed by water from the Leinakanal. 
* The ''Courthouse'' at Justus-Perthes-Straße was built in 1895/96 in historicistic forms. 
* The 19th and early-20th century school buildings in Gotha are of impressive size and design, for example the Ernestinum (1837/38) at Bergallee, the Myconiusschule (1865) at Bürgeraue, the Herzog-Ernst-Schule at Reinhardsbrunner Straße, the Andreas-Reyher-Schule (1898–1900) at Mozartstraße, the Arnoldischule (1909–1911) at Eisenacher Straße and the former Baugewerbeschule (1910/11) at Trützschlerplatz. 
* Many of the banks' and insurances' buildings of Gotha are also architecturally interesting. They were built during Gotha's time as a centre of the finance industry around 1900. The ''Deutsche Grundkreditbank'' at Bahnhofstraße (1872–1877) was built by [[Ludwig Bohnstedt]], as was the ''Gothaer Feuerversicherung'' (1872–1874) at Bahnhofstraße and the ''Gothaer Privatbank'' (1873–1877) at Ekhofplatz. The ''Gothaer Lebensversicherung'' (1893/94) was built by Bruno Eelbo at Bahnhofstraße and the ''Ducal Cashier's Office'' (1908) at Justus-Perthes-Straße was built by Alfred Cramer. 
* The [[Garden city movement|garden city]] ''Am Schmalen Rain'' was built in 1928 in garden-city style like [[Hellerau]] near Dresden.
* The [[Stadtbad Gotha]] is an [[Art Nouveau]]-style public bathhouse built in 1909 and restored in 2014.
* Perthesforum, opened in 2014, and containing the [https://www.uni-erfurt.de/en/forschungscampus-gotha/campus-gotha/akteure/wissen-global Perthes archives] (185,000 maps, 120,000 geographical publications and approximately 800 metres business archives) of [[Justus Perthes (publishing company)]].

<gallery>

File:Rathaus Gotha.JPG|Town hall
File:Hospital Gotha.JPG|St. Mary's Hospital
File:Gotha Wasserkunst Hauptmarkt.jpg|''Wasserkunst''
File:Gotha-Amtsgericht1-Bubo.JPG|Courthouse
File:Ernestinum Gotha.JPG|Ernestium school
File:Privatbank Gotha.JPG|''Gothaer Privatbank''
File:Am Schmalen Rain Gotha1.JPG|Garden city ''Am Schmalen Rain''
File:Gotha-Stadtbad-2-CTH.JPG|Stadtbad Gotha
File:Gotha-Perthesforum-1-CTH.JPG|Perthesforum
</gallery>

== Economy and infrastructure ==
During recent years, the economic situation of the city improved: the unemployment rate in the district declined from 17% in 2005 to 7% in 2013 with rates a bit higher in the city itself than in the other municipalities of the Gotha district.

=== Agriculture, industry and services ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-66380-0003, Gotha, Werk des VEB Waggonbau Gotha.jpg|thumb|The ''Gothaer Waggonfabrik'' in 1959]]
Agriculture is still important in the region around Gotha with its fertile soil. More than 60% of the municipal territory is in agricultural use for growing maize, crops, vegetables and sugar beets.

Vehicle construction is still the most important industry in Gotha. The well-known ''[[Gothaer Waggonfabrik]]'' had two successors after 1990: the ''Gothaer Fahrzeugwerke'', a [[Schmitz Cargobull]] factory with 800 workers and the ''Gothaer Fahrzeugtechnik'', a crane manufacturer with 400 employees. The brewery belongs to the [[Paulaner Brewery]] and has 300 employees. In 2012, there were 28 companies with more than 20 workers in the industrial sector, employing 3,300 people and generating a turnover of more than €850&nbsp;million.<ref>[http://www.tls.thueringen.de/datenbank/TabAnzeige.asp?GGglied=1&GGTabelle=lk&GGTabelle=gem&GGTabelle=erf&GGTabelle=vg&tabelle=gg000602%7C%7CJahresdaten+nach+Gemeinden%2C+erf%FCllenden+Gemeinden+und+Verwaltungsgemeinschaften+%28WZ+2008%29+im+Bergbau+und+Verarbeitenden+Gewerbe+%2820+und+mehr+Besch%E4ftigte%29+ab+2009&startpage=67&csv=&richtung=&sortiere=&vorspalte=0&tit2=&TIS=&SZDT=&anzahlH=-1&fontgr=12&mkro=&AnzeigeAuswahl=&XLS=&auswahlNr=&felder=0&felder=1&felder=2&felder=3&zeit=2012%7C%7C99 Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik]</ref> The old industrial district is situated in the east of Gotha, a new one developed after 1990 in the south. Further, the neighbouring small towns of [[Waltershausen]] and [[Ohrdruf, Thuringia|Ohrdruf]] have strong industrial cores, where many commuters from Gotha have found work.

As a former state capital (until 1920) and then district capital, Gotha is also a hub of public and private services. The city centre hosts some retailing and at the south-western periphery the largest hospital of the region was built after reunification. The Friedenstein barracks are one of the largest [[Bundeswehr]] bases in Thuringia. In addition, the ''{{Interlanguage link|Thüringisches Staatsarchiv Gotha|de}}'', a state historical archive, and the Land's Financial Court have their seat in Gotha. Despite the various sights and the colourful history, tourism plays no important role in Gotha yet. In 2012, there were only 68,000 overnight guests staying for 154,000 nights in Gotha (compared to 310,000 in [[Eisenach]], 650,000 in [[Weimar]] and 750,000 in [[Erfurt]]). Within the last decade there was no significant growth in tourism.<ref>[http://www.tls.thueringen.de/datenbank/TabAnzeige.asp?tabelle=ge000802%7C%7CAnk%FCnfte%2C+%DCbernachtungen+und+Aufenthaltsdauer+der+G%E4ste+in+Beherbergungsst%E4tten+nach+ausgew%E4hlten+Gemeinden+%28ohne+Camping%29&startpage=1&csv=&richtung=&sortiere=&vorspalte=0&tit2=&TIS=&SZDT=&anzahlH=-2&fontgr=12&mkro=&AnzeigeAuswahl=&XLS=&auswahlNr=&felder=0&felder=1&felder=2&felder=3&felder=4&felder=5&zeit=2012%7C%7C99 Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik]</ref>

=== Transport ===
[[File:Thuringia Gotha asv2020-07 img01 Gotha Bahnhof.jpg|thumb|[[Gotha station]] (half rebuilt after 1945 bombings)]]
[[File:Historische Straßenbahn Gotha TWB.JPG|thumb|The historic tram of ''Thüringerwaldbahn'']]
[[File:2025Feb03Gotha.png|thumb|[[File:BUS-Logo-BVG.svg|20px]] [[File:Tram-Logo.svg|20px]] [[File:Paris transit icons - Train.svg|20px]] (2025) [[File:Verkehrsverbund Mittelthüringen logo.svg|50px]]]]

Gotha is connected by the [[Thuringian Railway]] to [[Erfurt]] and [[Leipzig]] in the east and to [[Frankfurt]]/[[Kassel]] in the west. Furthermore, there are some regional railways from Gotha to [[Leinefelde]] (via [[Mühlhausen]]) and to [[Gräfenroda]] (the latter out of service since 2011). Besides the main [[Gotha station]], there is another one on the [[Gotha–Leinefelde railway]]: [[Gotha Ost station|Gotha Ost]] in the north-eastern part of the city. Long-distance trains (ICE or IC) connect Gotha with Frankfurt in the west and Leipzig/[[Dresden]] in the east every two hours, as does a regional express train to [[Göttingen]] in the north-west and [[Zwickau]]/[[Glauchau]] in the east via Erfurt and [[Jena]]. The local trains to [[Eisenach]] in the west, [[Halle (Saale)|Halle]] in the east (via Erfurt and Weimar) and [[Bad Langensalza]] in the north depart once an hour.

The two ''[[Autobahn]]en'' crossing nearby at ''Erfurter Kreuz'' are the [[Bundesautobahn 4]] ([[Frankfurt]]–[[Dresden]]) and the [[Bundesautobahn 71]] ([[Schweinfurt]]–[[Sangerhausen]]). Furthermore, there are two ''[[Bundesstraße]]n'' connecting Gotha: the [[Bundesstraße 7]] from Eisenach in the west to Erfurt in the east and the [[Bundesstraße 247]] from [[Ohrdruf, Thuringia|Ohrdruf]] in the south to [[Mühlhausen]] in the north. Important secondary roads lead from Gotha to [[Bad Tennstedt]] in the north-east, to [[Arnstadt]] in the south-east, to [[Waltershausen]] in the south-west and to [[Goldbach, Thuringia|Goldbach]] in the north-west. An eastern bypass road to relieve the city centre of transit traffic along B 247 is in the planning process.

The [[Erfurt-Weimar Airport]] is situated 20 kilometres east of Gotha and in use for holiday flights to southern European tourist destinations. The next major airport is [[Frankfurt Airport]], approximately {{convert|250|km|0|abbr=on}} to the south-west.

Biking is becoming more and more popular since the construction of quality cycle tracks began in the 1990s. For tourists there is the long-distance ''Radweg Thüringer Städtekette'' (Thuringian city string trail). It connects points of touristic interest along the medieval ''[[Via Regia]]'' from Eisenach via Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar and Jena to [[Altenburg]].

The public transport system consists of a [[Trams in Gotha|tram network]] with three lines, connecting the city centre with the main station in the south-east, the east station in the north-east and the hospital in Sundhausen district in the south-west. A peculiarity is the {{convert|22|km|0|abbr=on}} long ''{{Interlanguage link|Thüringerwaldbahn|de}}'' (established in 1929), one of Germany's last traditional interurban tramway lines, to [[Bad Tabarz]], [[Waltershausen]] and [[Friedrichroda]]. It is used both for everyday traffic and by tourists. Buses serve urban quarters and nearby villages lacking a tram or rail connection.

=== Education and research ===
[[File:Arnoldischule Gotha.JPG|thumb|The Arnoldi school, one of the three ''Gymnasiums'']]
There are three state-run ''Gymnasiums'' in Gotha, including the famous [[Ernestine Gymnasium, Gotha|Ernestine Gymnasium]]. In addition, the ''Thüringer Fachhochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung'' (school of public administration) with 500 students has its seat in Gotha, as has the school of Thuringia's ministry of finance and the school of Thuringia's geodesy authority.

Research with focus on early modern history is carried out by the ''Forschungsbibliothek Gotha'', the state archive and the "Friedenstein Foundation", which also runs the museums at Friedenstein Castle.

== Politics ==

=== Mayor and city council ===
The most recent mayoral election was held on 26 May 2024, with a runoff held on 9 June, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}
! rowspan=2 colspan=2| Candidate
! rowspan=2| Party
! colspan=2| First round
! colspan=2| Second round
|-
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| Knut Kreuch
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]
| 9,456
| 49.5
| 11,481
| 62.9
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| Robert Luhn
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]
| 4,023
| 21.0
| 6,769
| 37.1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| Jens Fiedler
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]]
| 3,900
| 20.4
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left}}| 
| align=left| Klaus Schmitz-Gielsdorf
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]]
| 1,004
| 5.3
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Nicole Schmidt
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 729
| 3.8
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 19,112
! 99.1
! 18,250
! 96.7
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid votes
! 170
! 0.9
! 628
! 3.3
|-
! colspan=3| Total
! 19,282
! 100.0
! 18,878
! 100.0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 36,236
! 53.2
! 36,166
! 52.2
|-
| colspan=7| Source: [https://wahlen.thueringen.de/datenbank/wahl1/wahl.asp?wahlart=BM&wJahr=2024&zeigeErg=GEM&wknr=067&gemnr=67029 1st round], [https://wahlen.thueringen.de/datenbank/wahl1/wahl.asp?wahlart=BM&wJahr=2024&zeigeErg=GEM&wknr=067&gemnr=67029 2nd round]
|}

The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2024, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}
! colspan=2| Party
! Lead candidate
! Votes
! %
! +/-
! Seats
! +/-
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD)
| align=left| Matthias Hey
| 18,683
| 33.9
| {{increase}} 3.4
| 12
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD)
| align=left| Jens Fiedler
| 13,456
| 24.4
| {{increase}} 6.5
| 9
| {{increase}} 3
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU)
| align=left| Maximilian Fliedner
| 9,678
| 17.6
| {{increase}} 0.6
| 6
| {{steady}} 0
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance}}| 
| align=left| [[Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance]] (BSW)
| align=left| Margot Vera Fitzke
| 4,682
| 8.5
| New
| 3
| New
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Free Voters}}| 
| align=left| Free Voters/[[Pirate Party Germany|Pirate Party]] (FWG–Piraten)
| align=left| Juliane Pürstinger
| 3,785
| 6.9
| {{decrease}} 4.4
| 3
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]] (Grüne)
| align=left| Felix Kalbe
| 1,947
| 3.5
| {{decrease}} 3.4
| 1
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] (Die Linke)
| align=left| Sebastian Vogt
| 1,866
| 3.4
| {{decrease}} 9.5
| 1
| {{decrease}} 4
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP)
| align=left| Steffi Ziegenbalg
| 949
| 1.7
| {{decrease}} 1.8
| 1
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 55,046
! 100.0
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid ballots
! 598
! 3.1
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=3| Total ballots
! 19,229
! 96.9
! 
! 36
! ±0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 36,236
! 53.1
! {{increase}} 5.0
! 
! 
|-
| colspan=8| Source: [https://wahlen.thueringen.de/datenbank/wahl1/wahl.asp?wahlart=GW&wJahr=2024&zeigeErg=GEM&wknr=067&gemnr=67029 Wahlen in Thüringen]
|}

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Gotha is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.gotha.de/rathaus/staedtepartnerschaften/|website=gotha.de|publisher=Gotha|language=de|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|ETH}} [[Adwa]], Ethiopia
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Gastonia, North Carolina|Gastonia]], United States
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Kielce]], Poland
*{{flagicon|SVK}} [[Martin, Slovakia|Martin]], Slovakia
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Romilly-sur-Seine]], France
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Salzgitter]], Germany
{{div col end}}

== Notable people ==
* ''See the [[:de:Liste von Persönlichkeiten der Stadt Gotha|List of people associated with the town (German Wikipedia)]]''

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{wikivoyage|Gotha}}
{{Commons}}
{{EB1911 poster|Gotha}}
*[http://www.gotha.de/ Official website] {{in lang|de}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060424044039/http://english.gotha.de/ Official website] {{in lang|en}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110522141837/http://www.beel-online.com/Gotha.html Gotha in pictures]
*[http://public-transport.net/bim/Gotha.htm Tram in Gotha]
*{{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Gotha |short=x}}

{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Gotha
|North     = [[Nordhausen (district)|Nordhausen]]
|Northeast = 
|East      = [[Erfurt]] — [[Weimar]] — [[Jena]]
|Southeast = [[Arnstadt]] <br />[[Ilmenau]]
|South     = [[Suhl]]
|Southwest = [[Schmalkalden]]
|West      = [[Eisenach]]
|Northwest = [[Mühlhausen]]
}}

{{Cities and towns in Gotha (district)}}
{{Cities in Thuringia}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gotha (Town)}}
[[Category:Gotha| ]]
[[Category:Gotha (district)]]