Thuringia Facts

Place
Thuringia is known as the "green heart of Germany". It located in the central part of Germany.
border on  Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Bavaria and Hesse.

How many people live there?
2,290,000 people
rank: fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states.

How does its size relate to Minnesota, or any other US State?
16,171 square kilometers. It is a little bigger than Connecticut.
In population, Thuringia equals to the population of New Mexico.

What's special about that State?
As known as the "green heart of Germany", Thuringia has a high density of trees.
Thuringia was named after the Thuringii tribe who occupied it AD 300.
The capital city is Erfurt. It has the oldest evidence of human settlement dates from the prehistoric era.
After WW2, Thuringia was controled under Soviet. It was restored in 1990 during Germany's reunification.

What was the State historically? A kingdom, a duchy, a free city?
Forming a part of Holy Roman Empire, it came under Frankish domination in the 6th century.
After the war of the War of Thurigian succession, the western half part became independent as Hesse. The remaining Thuringia came under the rule of Wettin Dynasty, the center of the later Kingdom of Saxony.


http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/tour_germany/thuringia.htm
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g187415-Thuringia-Vacations.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuringia
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/594417/Thuringia