People were smirking when I told them that I intend to spend a weekend in Jena, Germany. The city has quite a bad reputation and I must admit that I only went there because one of my favorite bands playing at the F-Haus in the city center of Jena. After visiting the town I can confirm that it has some ugly areas – but to me it is a row diamond that simply needs some treatment.
Jena is located in wonderful basin, surrounded by mountains and the river Saale floating throughout. But Jena doesn’t make use of these special geographic conditions. A bar at the river? A bus connection to a viewpoint in the mountains? Not to find. There seems to be almost no marketing material, not even a magnet fridge. And the local tourist bonus card isn’t much a help – it doesn’t seem to be sold that often.
Actually, Jena is a real city of science – once being the birthplace of modern optics. There’s the Optisches Museum from 1922 with a vast collection of old devices, the second-oldest botanical garden in Germany, worlds oldest planetarium. A lot to show-off with.
But alike other cities in east Germany the development after the re-unification mostly created hugh shopping centers like vast foreign matter in the city center. And then there is still Neulobeda, a commuter town shaped by GDR-style “Plattenbauten“, visible from train and motorway. Not in invitation to visit the city.
Come on city of Friedrich Schiller, Carl Zeiss, Otto Schott and Ernst Abbe – get your public image straight! Jena is not as bad as it’s reputation and definitely worth a weekend.
Jena
Germany
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