Friedrichroda

Friedrichroda is a town in the district of Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the north foot of the Thuringian Forest, 21 km by rail southwest of the town of Gotha. It is surrounded by fir-clad hills and possesses numerous handsome villa residences, a Kurhaus and a sanatorium. In the immediate neighborhood is the beautiful ducal hunting seat of Reinhardsbrunn, built out of the ruins of the famous Benedictine monastery founded in 1085. On 1 December 2007, the former municipalities Ernstroda and Finsterbergen were incorporated by Friedrichroda.

History

Within the German Empire, Friedrichroda was part of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

During the late years of World War II, Friedrichroda was the site of manufacture of the mock-up production of the double-seat, all-weather fighter version of the Horten Ho 229 V4 and V5 flying wing jet aircraft. The only surviving example of the Horten jet is the Horten Ho 229 V3. In December 2011, the Horten V3 was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution's Paul E. Garber Restoration Facility in Suitland, MD.

Karsten Albert, luger
Marko Baacke, Nordic combiner
Ilona Brand, luger
Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann, musical instrument maker
Käte Duncker, politician, women's lawyer, visited the Higher School of Daughters
Johann Georg Eccarius, worker activist and trade unionist
Katrin Göring-Eckardt, politician and Vice Bundestag president 2005–2013
Ralph Gebstedt, ski jumper
Tatjana Hüfner, luger, Olympic champion in the single-seater
Sandra Hüller, actress, grew up in Friedrichroda
Philipp Klewin, footballer
Helene Lange, teacher and pioneer of women's education
Anna-Maria Müller, luger
Caspar Schmalkalden, traveler
Auguste Schmidt, teacher and writer
Melitta Sollmann, luger
Marion Thees, skeleton pilot