WEIMAR is a city which is full of history--the homeplace of Goethe, Liszt, Schiller, and Bach at one time. Martin Luther used to buy his medicines in a pharmacy which still stands in the town square. Weimar has about 2 million visitors per year. The Weimar Republic was signed in this historic city after WW I. Hitler had a favorite hotel in Weimar. A very sad part of its history is the presence of Buchenwald above the town. It served as a Nazi death camp during World War II, where 50,000 Jews and dissidents were killed.

The city of JENA, set in a valley surrounded by hills, boasts a population of 100,000. It is famous for its glassworks and the production of scientific optical lenses. These cities became part of the former East Germany, and were therefore not easily accessible from the West until the Wall fell in 1989. The Friedrich Schiller University in Jena has 17,000 students offering such degrees as education, business, law and medicine. The roots of humanism are strong here-- Hegel used to teach philosophy and Karl Marx got a degree at FSU. A technical college, with 5,000 students, offers practical 3-year programs such as specialized engineering and social work.

Jena Skyline