Thuringia
Thüringen
After this guide, you will know that Thuringia is a federal state of Germany, that its capital is Erfurt, what its flag and coat of arms look like, how the state is governed and how local elections work.
Thuringia is a federal state
Germany has 16 federal states (Bundesland). Thuringia is one of them. Thuringia lies in the middle of Germany and has no coast.
Thuringia is a Freistaat. This is the official name of the state. Thuringia is still a federal state of Germany, with its own laws, government and parliament.
A map question asks you to find Thuringia on the map of Germany. Look for the state in the middle of the country. Thuringia has one state capital (Landeshauptstadt), the city of Erfurt, where the state government has its seat.
Flag and coat of arms
Thuringia has its own state flag (Landesflagge) and its own coat of arms (Wappen). The flag and the coat of arms are two different symbols of the same state.
The colours of the Thuringian flag are white and red (weiß-rot). Remember these two colours when you look at a flag.
The coat of arms question gives four pictures. You must recognise the picture that shows the coat of arms of Thuringia, not that of another state.
State parliament and state government
Each state has a state parliament (Landtag). The people of Thuringia elect the Landtag. The Landtag makes state laws and elects the head of the state government.
The Landtag in Thuringia is elected for five years. After five years, the people vote again.
The head of the state government is the Minister-President (Ministerpräsident). This is a state office, not the office of a mayor.
Thuringia has state ministries, but it has no foreign minister (Außenminister). Relations with other countries are the job of the federal government (Bundesregierung), not of a state.
Districts, local elections and political information
Thuringia is divided into rural districts (Landkreis) and cities. A Landkreis is an area that includes several municipalities. The Wartburgkreis is a Landkreis in Thuringia.
Local elections in municipalities and districts are called municipal elections (Kommunalwahl). In Thuringia, you may vote in municipal elections from the age of 16.
To learn about politics in Thuringia, you can turn to the State Agency for Civic Education (Landeszentrale für politische Bildung). This is a state agency that gives information on politics and civic education.