Thuringia , [ a ] officially the Free State of Thuringia , [ b ] is one of Germany's 16 states. With 2. Erfurt is the capital and largest city. Other cities include Jena , Gera and Weimar.
Thuringia is home to the Rennsteig , Germany's best-known hiking trail. Its winter resort of Oberhof makes it a well-equipped winter sports destination — half of Germany's Winter Olympic gold medals had been won by Thuringian athletes as of The modern state was established in by the Weimar Republic through a merger of the Ernestine duchies , save for Saxe-Coburg.
Thuringia became part of the German Democratic Republic in , but was dissolved in during administrative reforms , and divided into the Districts of Erfurt , Suhl and Gera. Thuringia was re-established in following German reunification , slightly re-drawn, and became one of the new states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Their origin is largely unknown.
An older theory claims that they were successors of the Hermunduri , but later research rejected the idea. Other historians argue that the Thuringians were allies of the Huns , came to central Europe together with them, and lived before in what is Galicia today.
Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus first mentioned the Thuringii around ; during that period, the Thuringii were famous for their excellent horses. The Thuringian Realm existed until after The Landgraviate of Thuringia was the largest state in the region, persisting between and Afterwards the state known as Thuringia ceased to exist; nevertheless the term commonly described the region between the Harz mountains in the north, the White Elster river in the east, the Franconian Forest in the south and the Werra river in the west.
