Discover Gotha: theatre, Old Town and art

Gotha combines historic cityscapes with a rich history of theatre and art. When looking for a hotel in Gotha, your interests can help you decide: Would you mainly like to explore the Old Town, discover theatre and art, or take in the city’s history on foot? Market squares, narrow lanes and numerous lovingly renovated townhouses shape the historic Old Town. The cityscape itself is therefore an important part of planning your trip, not just a backdrop for individual cultural attractions.

Theatre history and the Ekhof Festival

Friedenstein Palace is home to the Ekhof Theatre, with its original, working stage machinery from the 17th century. This brings the historic stage technology into focus alongside the performances. The Ekhof Festival features plays, concerts and theatre tours. If you plan to attend the festival, check the current dates before your trip.

Public city tours take you through Gotha’s history and its different periods. A guided tour and a self-guided walk offer different perspectives: the guided tour focuses on the city’s history, while three signposted circular routes invite you to explore Gotha on foot. Which option better suits your trip depends on whether you would like to include a themed tour or circular routes in your plans.

Art and history in Gotha

The Ducal Museum Gotha houses the world’s largest collection of works by the French Neoclassical sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon outside France. The museum also features art treasures from across Europe and beyond, spanning the modern era through to antiquity. These two perspectives make the museum relevant to a range of interests in art history: the Houdon collection provides a clearly defined focus, while the wider collection covers a broad temporal and geographic scope.

Gotha’s Augustinian Monastery and its associated Augustinian Church also bring together a specific place and a long history. More than 700 years old, it was the first such foundation in Thuringia, predating the daughter foundation in Erfurt. Gotha’s Orangery also includes a garden. Together with the Old Town and Friedenstein Palace, it expands the range of themes you can consider when planning your trip.

The wider Gotha travel destination

At district level, the wider Gotha travel destination extends beyond the city: Gotha District stretches south to the Rennsteig and west to the 916.5-metre-high Großer Inselsberg. The Marienglashöhle cave in Friedrichroda offers another regional perspective. Its 110-metre-long tunnel passes geological windows that reveal rock strata millions of years old. In the Crystal Grotto, gypsum crystals up to 90 centimetres long sparkle.

The Old Gotha Dam near Tambach-Dietharz is another regional landscape feature; today, its recreational function takes centre stage. The Thuringian Forest Railway runs from Gotha via Waltershausen and Friedrichroda to Tabarz. If you plan to use this connection, check the timetable before setting off. When choosing your destinations, it helps to distinguish between Gotha’s urban history and the broader themes at district level: this lets you decide whether to focus on theatre, art and the Old Town or also include regional landscapes and geology.

Discover more destinations: Seebergen, Dachwig, Laucha, Hörselgau, Gierstädt, Waltershausen, Ballstädt, Döllstädt

Go to the wider travel overview: Gotha.