Event overview Open Monument Day

The Johannisfriedhof cemetery is an extension of the burial ground at the church of St. Johannis Baptist, which was first mentioned in 1307. The park-like grounds, which still cover around 1.8 hectares today, contain a large number of graves of important personalities, including those of Friedrich and Johann Wilhelm Kreußler and Carl Zeiss. Their restoration was partly funded by the German Foundation for Monument Protection.

The oldest contemporary witness is the double station plaque from 1484, which was moved to its current location when the road was built, and the oldest grave plaque is that of the Herwagen couple (1556 and 1559). St. John's Cemetery is one of the 30 historically significant cemeteries recognized by the German government. Since 2014, a support association has been committed to preserving and maintaining the valuable site. Due to its importance as an inner-city green oasis, it was also included in the urban development program "Future Urban Green".

Monument preservation, nature conservation, urban redevelopment and the association are working together on the sensitive restoration of the romantic ensemble. For several years now, participants of the International Summer Seminar for Young Academics have also been restoring tombstones in the Johannisfriedhof cemetery. However, special challenges such as the restoration of the two tomb houses can only be tackled with a broad range of donations. Awareness of this will also be raised on Monument Day.

• Location: Philosophenweg 1
• Open: 11:00 - 17:00 Johannismarkt
  • 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00: Guided tours by members of the Friends' Association

When Jena became the capital of the Duchy of Saxony-Jena in 1672, the church was built on the site of the old St. John's Cemetery from 1686 at the behest of Johann-Georg II of Saxony-Eisenach. However, the Duchy of Jena no longer existed at the time of the consecration. It had fallen to the Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach line in 1690. In 1743, the church was assigned to the Jena garrison community and renamed the Garrison Church. During the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, it served as a military hospital.

In the course of the extensive renovations and alterations from 1835 onwards, the galleries and pulpit altar that had already been planned in the original design were also installed. In 1947, the Jena glass artist Fritz Körner created new stained glass windows for the chancel windows, which had been destroyed in 1945. In 1946, the congregation renamed the church "Friedenskirche". After a thorough renovation until 2010, dry rot was discovered in the interior in 2013, which was repaired by 2016 thanks to donations and funding. The church contains 13 epitaphs from the 17th and 18th centuries as well as eight portraits of former superintendents.

• Location: Philosophenweg 1
• Open: 11:00 - 17:00
  • Parishioners are on site as competent contact persons

The Johannistor is the only one of Jena's three former city gates that has survived to this day. Until well into the early modern period, it was the only west-facing entrance to the city of Jena. The five-storey tower was already an architectural symbol of Jena's economic power and defensive capability in the Middle Ages. Today, the striking structure is part of the last visible section of the medieval city fortifications.

The tour focuses on the traces of the building that are only visible at second glance. They allow conclusions to be drawn about the structural development and use of the medieval gate tower. In addition, new findings on the age of the tower will be presented and the traces of battle visible on the masonry will also be examined.

• Location: Johannistor
  • 10:00 a.m.: Guided tour with Dr. M. Rupp, city archaeologist / Lower Monument Protection Authority

The medieval town fortifications protected the citizens from external attacks and at the same time demarcated the legal district of the town from the surrounding fields. Today, its dimensions can only be approximated on the western side of the old town district.

From the Powder Tower, the north-western corner tower of the city fortifications with a gun turret in front of it, as well as from the neighboring Johannistor, the last remaining city gate, there is a beautiful view over Jena's old town - and also into the Fürstengraben. The Fürstengraben is the last moat area of the city fortifications, which shows the changes in the city's history from its medieval use as a fortification to the promenade, avenue and via triumphalis. During the brief period of the Duchy of Saxony-Jena, an avenue of lime trees was laid out along the moat, which was already in use at an early stage.

Even though it is unfortunately no longer possible to speak of an avenue of lime trees today, the green area along the moat and the row of trees and lime trees along the road are elements that characterize both the listed ensemble and the city fortifications as a whole. And also good for the urban climate!

• Location: Johannisstraße / Am Pulvertur
• Open: 10:00 - 18:00

With the historic detention cell and its paintings, the University of Jena owns an extraordinary cultural monument and the last remaining detention cell for students in Thuringia. The detention cell, located in the Collegium Jenense building complex, was set up in 1738 and painted in 1822 by the then student and fraternity member Martin Disteli (1802 - 1844). The type of painting is unique among the surviving university dungeons, as it was created by an artist. The depictions are considered to be an early work by the Swiss painter, who later became famous as a caricaturist, and it is also the only one of his works in the mural format.

Numerous other paintings, drawings, incisions and carvings by former incarcerated students have also been preserved on the wooden door, ceiling and walls. The murals were extensively conserved and restored in 2022.

• Location and meeting point: Entrance via Teichgraben 7
• Start: 13:00, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:00
  • Half-hour guided tours with H. Hollweck and S. Sarac, students of art history/custody of the FSU (max. 10 people - pre-registration required!)

Registrations on 09.09.2025 and 11.09.2025 from 08:30 - 11:30 and 13:00 - 15:30 under the telephone number 0049 3641 49-5141 or by e-mail at denkmalamt@jena.de until 12.09.2025.

The actual center of early Romanticism in Jena and the "historical Romantics' house" was located at Leutragasse 5, where August W. Schlegel, Caroline Schlegel, Dorothea Veit and Friedrich Schlegel lived from 1796 onwards. In November 1799, the famous "Romantikertreffen" took place there, which was also attended by Friedrich von Hardenberg (Novalis), Friedrich W. J. Schelling and Ludwig Tieck. This building was destroyed in 1945. Leutragasse was lost with the construction of the Zeiss/University Tower.

What is now known as the "Romantikerhaus" was the home of the philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte. It was built around 1670 (1667 - 1668 d) on older foundations. The building was originally located on a small square (Sitzenplan / Fichte-Platz) at the intersection of Unterm Markt and Unterlauengasse. At the beginning of the 20th century, the surrounding area was extensively restructured through urban development measures. With the construction of the building complex Unterm Markt 8 - 12, the public square was transformed into a courtyard area, which is still the main access route. The building itself is the last remaining pre-modern house within the area. Today, its façade faces the Löbdergraben. With the increasing awareness of the importance of Jena's early Romanticism, it was decided to commemorate early Romanticism in a museum in Jena. To this end, the "Memorial to Early German Romanticism" was opened in 1981 on the first floor of the building, which had previously been used as a residential building. The design of the open spaces, which are also protected today, was completed by 1985. The building was extensively renovated in 2021 - 2022 following an accident.

• Location: Unterm Markt 12a
• Open: 10:00 - 17:00 (admission free)

The last gabled house on the market square with its two-storey, solid stone plinth, curtain arch windows and an ogee arch portal, the "Alte Göhre", owes its name to the wine merchant Paul Göhre, who acquired the house in 1893. The oldest parts in the cellar of the house date back to the 13th century. The predecessor of the present building was erected around 1370. In 1554 - 1557 (d), the house was rebuilt to its present appearance by adding a second upper floor in half-timbered construction. A wooden parlor was added on the second floor. The "Neue Göhre" was built in 1908 after the demolition of the old market mill, commissioned by Göhre and designed by Johannes Schreiter. Its neo-Gothic façade faces Saalstraße.

It has been home to the Jena City Museums since 1986.

• Location: Market 7
• Open: 10:00 - 17:00 (free admission)

The history of the Jena Carmelite branch is characterized by numerous upheavals. A first monastery building erected in 1414 was replaced at the end of the 15th century by a new building with an adjoining hall church. After the dissolution of the monastery in 1529, a print shop was set up in the rooms from 1553 onwards on behalf of Duke Johann Friedrich of Saxony. From the outset, this was used to publish a new complete edition of Luther's works. In November 1553, the Duke granted the printer Johann Rödinger the privilege of sole printing and distribution of Luther's writings. The monastery is therefore one of the most outstanding historical sites and testimonies to the history of the Reformation.

Following the decline of the printing works during the Thirty Years' War, the monastery buildings were converted into the "Zum gelben Engel" inn in 1669. The area around the only authentic site of monastic life and the Reformation of the 16th century in Jena was extensively renovated in 2017 in line with its listed status and underwent a new transformation with the construction of the new library. On Open Monument Day, this gem, which is still missing its upper floor, will once again take center stage.

• Location: Engelplatz 1
• Open: 11:00 - 15:00 (free admission), short guided tours on request

Friedrich Schiller lived and worked in Jena for ten years. Of the five houses in which he lived during these years, only the garden house has survived. Schiller acquired the garden house on the edge of what was then the southern suburb of Jena in March 1797. He moved into the house with his family just two months later. The following year, he had a small tower, his "Belvedere", built on the south-west corner of the property, the upper floor of which served as a retreat for his poetry. Goethe called it the "garden pinnacle". The rear part of the garden was densely planted with various fruit trees, while there was a vegetable garden next to the house. There were also many flowering shrubs. Parts of "Wallenstein", "Maria Stuart" and the famous ballads for the Musenalmanach were written in this little paradise on the Leutra. In 1811 - six years after Schiller's death - the first Jena observatory was built here at the request of Duke Carl August.

• Location: Schillergäßchen 2
• Open: 10:00 - 17:00 (free admission)

  • 10:30, 11:30, 13:00 and 14:00: Guided tours of the house and garden with Dr. S. Schlotter, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (max. 15 people, duration approx. 30 min.)

  • 15:00 - 15:30: "So now I am in Jena". The letters of the student Immanuel Carl Diez from 1792. Lecture by Dr. S. Schlotter, Friedrich Schiller University Jena

Activities for children: "Eternally young is only the imagination - create individual bookmarks with cool Schiller quotes and motifs" and "Precious - a treasure hunt through Schiller's garden and house."

Prof. Eduard Rosenthal, twice rector of the university and a highly committed lawyer in terms of social and cultural policy, co-authored the statutes of the Carl Zeiss Foundation and is considered the creator of the "Thuringian State Constitution". The residence for him and his wife Clara, built between 1890 and 1991 according to plans by the Berlin architects Kayser and von Großheim, became one of the cultural centers of civic and intellectual life in and around Jena shortly after the family moved in. In 1924, Clara and Eduard Rosenthal stipulated in their will that the villa and the associated estate be transferred to the city of Jena. This included a lifelong right of residence for Clara Rosenthal. Clara Rosenthal transferred the property to the city of Jena as early as 1928. In 1939, the Lord Mayor ordered

"to make the house free of Jews. "

Thanks to the intervention of the city's legal department, Clara Rosenthal was able to keep her apartment on the first floor of the house. Obviously worn down and seriously ill, she took her own life here on November 11, 1941. Her body was taken to Jena's North Cemetery; a burial place is still unknown today.

In 2009, the Villa Rosenthal was reopened by jenawohnen GmbH after a thorough renovation in keeping with its listed status. Since then, under the direction of JenaKultur, a varied usage program has once again reminded visitors of the Rosenthal family's political, social and cultural commitment. It is also part of the decentralized memorial to Eduard Rosenthal "Exploratory Drillings".

The villa impresses with its extremely representative design, which stylistically aligned each room with an era. Fragments of a monumental mural painting, rococo applications, wall paneling and various Art Nouveau elements have been preserved to this day. The villa is embedded in a park-like garden of around 4000 m² with historic trees and a memorial pavilion.

• Location: Mälzerstraße 11
• Open: 10:00 - 16:00
  • All day: "Permanent exhibition on the Rosenthal family"
  • 14:00: musical lecture on the life and work of Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel with the trio Christine Theml, Helga Assing and Annette Böhmer

The "Glashaus im Paradies" association was founded in 2005 with the aim of preserving this architectural gem. The association is using Monument Day and this year's motto to invite people to a small celebration to mark 20 years of the glass pavilion on Rasenmühleninsel being a listed building.

The Volkspark Oberaue - consisting of Paradies, Rasenmühleninsel and Oberaue - is largely based on designs by Jena garden architect G. Weichelt, who primarily reflected and integrated existing features. His plans, realized in 1957, incorporated existing structures such as the old avenues, pond and riverside path, as well as small-scale architecture from the 1930s such as the Paradiescafé.

The glass pavilion was added to the ensemble as a multi-purpose building by Friedhelm Schubring in the course of a necessary redesign of the park in 1974 - 1978. Its architecture reflects both the special space of the Saale floodplain and the tradition of classical modernism, in particular the ideas and design elements of Mies van der Rohe and above all Richard Neutra. It impresses with its generosity, openness and clearly structured compactness. Currently, it is precisely these characteristics that characterize listed buildings that pose new challenges for heritage conservation. The ever-increasing reduction of habitats for animals and plants is unfortunately leading to painful collisions - in the truest sense of the word - in the few remaining natural areas. But nature conservation and monument protection have been working together in a spirit of trust for years. A solution will therefore be found that is compatible with the monument and protects the species.

• Location: In front of the Neutor 5a
• Open: 12:00 - 17:00, members of the association are on site as competent contact persons

  • DJ Smoking Joe will provide background music from 12:00 and airtramp from 16:00.

A small buffet and drinks will be available.

When you stand in front of the front door of the house, built in 1902/03 according to plans by Johannes Schreiter for master carpenter Karl Bürger, you get a small taste of the craftsmanship that awaits you inside. The amazement begins as soon as you enter. Over the course of several years, the owner - a master carpenter, mind you - furnished the house with a wide variety of artistic woodwork: Inlays, carvings and turnery, elaborate parquet floors, wall paneling. And the wood of the works of art was given a special tribute with sayings. The current owners of the house have now secured and maintained this treasure chest themselves for several years, bringing many a hidden treasure to light. The house has been protected as a cultural monument since 2011 for historical, artistic and urban planning reasons, as it is valuable, priceless and irreplaceable.

• Location: Berghoffsweg 4
• Open: 14:00 and 14:45: Guided tour with Dr. S. Steinle and Prof. Dr. Chr. Ohler (max. 12 people - pre-registration required!)

Registrations on 09.09. and 11.09. from 08:30 to 11:30 and 13:00 to 15:30 under the telephone number 0049 3641 49-5141 or by e-mail at denkmalamt@jena.de until 12.09.2025

In 1926, after a construction period of just 7 months, the 50 kV hall of the Jena Nord substation, built according to plans by Bruno Röhr, was connected to the grid. Combined with the 50 kV switchgear Burgau (ZEISS), a stable 10 kV grid was established in Jena. In the 1930s, the substation developed into the hub of the regional power supply. In 1942, it was supplemented by the construction of a 110 kV hall and finally converted to 110 kV feed-in. Today, Imaginata e.V. uses the technical monument as a cultural and educational facility.

With the 100th anniversary of the substation coming up next year, the members of the association are also looking forward to many exciting stories from its history. So if you would like to help fill up the "information store"...

• Location: Löbstedter Str. 67
• Open: 10:00 - 18:00
  • 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00: Guided tours by association members
  • Station park is open: 10:00 - 18:00 (7,50 / 9,50 € entrance fee)

Designed between 1901 and 1903 on the initiative of Ernst Abbe according to plans by Arwed Roßbach, the angular ensemble of buildings was intended to provide "instruction and intellectual stimulation for the workers". The building complex with its functional internal structure, representative façade and interior design as well as the acoustically and creatively high-quality hall still fulfills a variety of functions today. However, the striking kitchen wing had to make way for the new "Deutsches Optisches Museum" building project, and the reading hall lost its historically intended and decades-long use due to the new library building.

In addition to repairing damage, the refurbishment, which ran from 2017 to 2022 and is in keeping with the preservation order, also included making historical surface designs visible and adapting the building to modern and new usage requirements. As the building complex is unfortunately no longer so easily accessible to the majority of the population due to its new use, the aim is to create "...a house open to all", at least with an annual "Open Day" on the Monument Day weekend. And what better way to combine this than with the season opening of the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra.

• Location: Carl-Zeiß-Platz 15
• Open: 10:00 - 15:00 (tower & hall building)
  • from 15:00: Season opening concert of the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of General Music Director Simon Gaudenz in the Ernst Abbe Hall

Between 1872 and 1874 or 1889, terraced residential buildings for craftsmen were built on the west side of today's Carl-Zeiß-Straße on plots of almost the same size. The buildings are characterized by a uniform building structure consisting of a residential house and L-shaped adjoining outbuilding with a similar room structure and uniform façade design. They originally had front gardens. Similar houses can also be found on the north-western edge of today's Carl-Zeiß-Platz. The development on a small-town scale represents an intermediate form between the multi-storey closed perimeter block development, e.g. in the Damenviertel and in Lutherstraße, and the expansion areas in open construction. It also creates a harmonious transition to the area of the state sanatoriums, which it encloses with its block structure.

Inside, the buildings at Carl-Zeiß-Str. 6 - 10 still had a large amount of wall-bound furnishings from the period of construction when they were listed in 2016. After they became vacant, the buildings were squatted - unfortunately not in the sense of "maintaining" or "keeping". Rather, incomprehensibly, some things were willfully and senselessly damaged and irretrievably destroyed. As a result, various parties repeatedly called for the houses to be demolished. One local daily newspaper even described them as the "ugliest terraced houses" and the street as the "ugliest street". The demolition ideas were repeatedly contradicted and reference was made to the cultural and urban historical value of the properties, as well as their urban planning value. And finally, preparatory planning investigations revealed very special "inner values". On Monument Day, the Ernst Abbe Foundation will open No. 10 and is sure to provide many a surprise. At the same time, information will be provided about the renovation measures for the entire group of buildings.

• Location: Carl-Zeiß-Straße 10
• Open: 10:00 - 14:00
  • Th. Schmidt and H. Hauschopp / Ernst Abbe Foundation will be on site as competent contact persons. In addition, display boards provide information on the history of the building and the plans.

The monumental memorial pavilion, designed by Henri van de Velde, was erected between 1909 and 1911 in honor of Ernst Abbe. Inside, the temple-like structure houses bronze casts of the four reliefs by Constantin Emile Meunier, which were originally intended for execution in stone. He created them for the unfinished "Monument to Labor". The reliefs show important areas of work for Belgium: "Industry", "The Mine", "The Harvest", "The Port". The relief "L'Industrie" depicts a dramatic scene in a glassworks and was therefore perfectly suited to Jena. The use of the other reliefs was made possible by their content-related and local detachment from the original context. In the center of the pavilion, on a red marble pedestal, stands the herm created by Max Klinger in white marble with the portrait bust of Ernst Abbe and allegorical depictions.

The pavilion, embedded in a green area, forms the center of Carl-Zeiß-Platz. The octagonal central building is considered a Gesamtkunstwerk of European standing, whose impact and expressiveness is directly related to its surroundings. Its location in the urban space is not only due to its proximity to Abbe's former place of work, but also symbolically. Together with the main Zeiss factory, the Volkshaus and Abbe's former home, it forms a place of contemplation in the triangle of work, life and culture.

• Location: Carl-Zeiß-Platz
• Open: 10:00 - 18:00

The university clinics / former state hospitals in Jena form an ensemble of different buildings that have grown over 200 years. The design, form and the partially preserved structure and furnishings reflect the demands of medical technology and ethics at the time of their construction. Formerly built as a large area in front of the city gates, today it forms an important part of Jena's city center. Despite its successive construction, the complex is subject to an overall design concept, which is particularly evident in the pathways, the design of the square and green spaces and the dedicated, function-related building decoration. The healing idea of convalescence in green surroundings played a prominent role in the design. All 19th century hospital buildings were connected to the central green space, which was designed in the style of contemporary landscape parks, via elaborately designed green areas. The Bachstrasse area forms the nucleus of Jena University Medicine and is of outstanding significance in terms of urban, cultural and medical history. It is protected as an ensemble of monuments. The surgery and women's clinic bunkers and the old pathology building are also protected as individual cultural monuments. The area is facing a major transformation. An urban development concept is currently being drawn up. The guided tour is dedicated to the development of the area, the structures and architectural histories that characterize the listed buildings. Individual monuments will be visited during the walk.

• Location: Bachstraße 18
• Open: 11:00 a.m.
  • Guided tour with I. Claus, Thüring. Landesamt für Denkmalpflege, E. Zimmermann, Untere Denkmalschutzbehörde and Dr. B. Schiffers, FD Stadtplanung Jena (duration: 2 h)
• Meeting point: Bachstraße gate

For 150 years now, the memorial to the fallen of the Jena battalion in the Franco-Prussian War, which was erected between 1871 and 1874 and renovated in 2009, has towered above the treetops in the forest. In good weather, the Forstturm offers fantastic views over Jena and the surrounding valleys. This also applies to the Bismarck Tower, built in 1909 as a monumental vantage point according to plans by W. H. Kreis to pay tribute to the former Chancellor of the Reich, where an exhibition designed to mark the 200th anniversary of the Chancellor's birth is open to the public.

The Bismarck Tower is in urgent need of repair. The Jena Municipal Real Estate Company has started planning the renovation this year. Donations are welcome.

• Location: Auf dem Forst
• Forstturm and Bismarck Tower open: 11:00 - 16:00

The small observatory was built in 1903 - 1904 as the first factory observatory of the Carl Zeiss company. The dome itself has a diameter of 6 m, but was supplemented by a small workshop building. The porch was built in 1913 and a further extension was added in 1936 - 1937. Today, the observatory is equipped with a Cassegrain 500/10 000 reflector telescope from the 1970s. Maintenance work on the telescope's bearings and drive began in 2024 and is due to be completed in 2025. Due to the construction and location of the observatory, the work was somewhat more complex. The members of the Volkssternwarte Urania Jena e. V., who have been looking after the small observatory on a voluntary basis for decades, will be happy to report on this and other upcoming challenges. The city of Jena was able to support the work on the telescope with a small grant in 2024 and 2025.

• Location: Auf dem Forst
• Open: 13:00 - 16:00 hrs

Depending on visitor interest, dome tours by members of the Volkssternwarte Urania Jena e. V. are conducted on an ongoing basis.

The church "Unserer lieben Frau" was built in place of a previous building from the 13th century in honor of the Virgin Mary. It formed the center of the villages of Wenigenjena and Camsdorf. The new building began around 1400 with the construction of the large choir polygon with the participation of the master craftsman Peter Heuerliß, the leading stonemason at the Jena town church. After partial completion of the Beautiful Gate as an entrance portal on the south façade of the nave, the plans for a large new church building had to be abandoned due to the Reformation. In 1516, a wooden temporary roof was installed. The tower construction also remained unfinished due to the Reformation.

It was not until the post-Reformation period (1557) that the church was completed in a shortened form and simple design. In 1790, Friedrich Schiller and Charlotte v. Lengefeld were married in the village church "Unserer Lieben Frau". During the restoration of the church in 1897 - 1902, the choir was vaulted. In the second half of the 20th century, parts of the church had to be closed off due to sponge infestation and the collapsed nave roof. Renovation of the church began in 1990, partly with donations from Marbach, the town where Schiller was born.

Location: Schlippenstraße

Open: 12:00 - 16:00, parishioners are on site and happy to provide information

Last year, St. Mary's Church in Ziegenhain celebrated its 600th birthday. From 1424, the current church building was erected as a "new chapel" for a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary. The completion of the late Gothic choir room marks the beginning of a lively pilgrimage tradition in Ziegenhain. The choir was structurally separated in 1636 and the three-aisled nave is now in ruins. On the north wall of the choir, preserved wall paintings of the Epiphany from 1430 probably show views of the castle complex on the Hausberg. The Gothic winged altar contains 353 student "entries" from the period 1591 - 1635. One of the few surviving Baroque pyramid altars in Germany (1694) has been back in the chancel since 2016 following restoration work.

In recent years, the roof trusses and roofs (church roof and tower) have been renovated with various monument subsidies and the support of the church building association. In January 2022, the tower knob, weather vane and cross were installed. In 2024, the outdoor facilities were designed. This year, the casting of two new bronze bells was commissioned. There are also plans to rehang the largest of the three bells in its original position.

• Location: Edelhofgasse 9
• Open: 10:00 - 18:00
  • 10:00 - 11:00 and 13:00 - 14:00: Explanations of the building and furnishings with W. Illner and C. Deinhardt if required,
  • 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.: Guided tours on the history and furnishings with Dr. K. Schmitz,
  • 14:00: Guided tour on the early history of the building with Prof. Dr. M. Jahreis
  • 15:00 - 17:00: Guided tours with Prof. Dr. M. Jahreis on the history of the church and structural developments
  • 17:00: "From Buxtehude to Bach" organ concert with Ekkehard Schütz, admission free, donations welcome

The current main building of the "Zum Bären" inn was built between 1913 and 1914 according to plans by Paul Engelhardt in the tradition of the Werkbund. It stands on the fragments of a previously demolished inn with a 17th century outhouse. In 1919, a hall was added to the building based on designs by Ernst Härdrich. In 1925, this hall received its high-quality furnishings in the Art Deco style, which have been retained to this day in most of the wall decorations.

Since 2005, the "Bären-Lobeda" e.V. association has been working to gradually restore the building ensemble in line with its listed status using urban redevelopment funds as well as municipal and state funding for the preservation of cultural monuments. Much of the work has been and continues to be carried out by the association's own craftsmen. In this way, the association saved an outstanding example of reform architecture from decay and returned it to public use. Some additional challenges have had to be overcome in recent years. The fundamental renovation of the hall began in 2016. In the fall of 2017, the wonderful hall was finally reopened - a little gem of Art Deco. The association has owned the "Bären" since the end of 2016 - member loans made the purchase possible.

• Location: Altlobeda, Marktstraße 26
• Open: 10:00 - 16:00
  • 11:00 and 14:00 Guided tours with Dipl.-Ing. K. Hennig, architect and association chairman

Today's late Gothic church was built on the site of an older church mentioned in 976 and 1228, which was destroyed in 1446 during the Saxon fratricidal war. Reconstruction of the church began at the end of the 15th century, with the nave being based on the remains of the walls of the previous building. The Gothic choir, which today dominates Lobeda's skyline, was added between 1477 and 1483. Further alterations are not documented until 1622 by a building inscription. The interior contains valuable large-scale late Gothic wall and ceiling paintings, including monumental depictions of St. Christopher and the Madonna in a halo on the northern choir wall. Unfortunately, the master or masters of the secco paintings are not known. Master builder Nikolaus Theiner from Lobeda (NTL) is often named as the creator of the wonderful Renaissance stone pulpit, but the stonemason's mark does not match and it would be a very mature early work. Some things remain a mystery.

• Location: Lobeda, Susanne-Bohl-Straße
• Open: 15:00 - 18:00, information material is available

The courtyard of the cultural monument "Pfarrhaus Lobeda" in Ernst-Thälmann-Straße can also be visited.

Drackendorf, first mentioned in documents at the end of the 13th century, is closely linked to the name of the von Ziegesar family. In 1746, Carl Siegmund von Ziegesar acquired the Drackendorf manor after the death of the von Griesheims by marrying Christiane S. von Griesheim. Under August Friedrich Carl von Ziegesar (1746 - 1813) and his son Anton (1783 - 1843), the Drackendorf estate developed into a meeting place and residence for humanists and classicists such as Goethe, Schopenhauer, Herder, Wieland, Kügelgen and Caspar David Friedrich in the 18th and 19th centuries. The basic design of the Drackendorf park as an English landscape garden can also be traced back to Ziegesar's suggestion, whereby an existing older park was partially reshaped and extended.

The construction of the tea house in 1854 by Clara von Helldorff - her husband had acquired the estate in 1836 - probably led to a reshaping/redesign of the entire park as a classical landscape garden, although this can only be documented for the narrow area directly in front of the tea pavilion. However, the basic structure of the park that still exists today in terms of the formation of space, lines of sight and network of paths probably dates back to this time. The oldest tree population today, with a total of six trees, also dates back to this time. By 2021, a development concept developed on behalf of the city of Jena was gradually implemented in large parts thanks to the use of municipal and European funding and the original design idea was brought back to life in coordination with nature conservation concerns.

• Location: Drackendorf, Alte Dorfstraße
• Pavilion open: 10:00 - 16:00, members of the local history association are on site to provide information
  • Drackendorf fair in front of the pavilion with a morning pint and music
  • Heimatstube (Alte Dorfstraße 20) open: 11:00 - 15:00

The "Resurrection of Christ" church, located on the edge of Drackendorf Park, dates back to a Romanesque predecessor building. Parts of the church building probably date back to the 13th century. Between 1653 and 1656, the church was rebuilt and partially reconstructed, incorporating the choir and lower part of the tower from a previous Gothic building, thanks to a donation from the patron Christian Beer. The surrounding walls and windows of the Gothic choir have been preserved, but neither the tracery nor the vaulting. According to the building inscriptions above the doors, both the nave and the south extension for the lord's chair and the closed octagonal tower structure were built at this time.

The galleries built in 1786 were demolished during the renovation in 1867 by Baurat Spittel. Today, the church interior is entered through the arched portal on the south side of the tower. The patronage of the Church of the Resurrection was in the hands of the local noble families, including Puster, von Ziegesar and von Helldorf.

• Location: Am Goethepark 3
• Open: 9:00 - 18:00, information material is available

The so-called Binderburg, which is now visible from afar on the cliff overlooking the Saale valley, was built between 1906 and 1910 according to designs by Prof. Adolf Binder as a residence for his family as an extension to an existing country house. Based on the cultural-historical location of the former castle complex, the villa in neo-Romanesque castle style echoes the medieval palace building. At the center is the massive square crenellated tower, which is adjoined by an octagonal half-timbered tower with a pointed tent roof. The villa even features a Romanesque semi-circular apse with a dwarf gallery.

The interplay of quarry stone masonry and half-timbering, round-arched friezes and multi-part domed round-arched windows underline the reference to Romanesque castle construction. The specific design of the villa is highly symbolic as it conveys "the impression of the continued existence of the historical complex". This effect is reinforced by the character of the location and the surrounding area, which is characteristic of the area. Since 2003, the owners have devoted a great deal of love and commitment to the extensive renovation of the villa and castle complex. The city and state have provided as much support as possible in the form of subsidies for the preservation of historical monuments. In the meantime, the "Binderburg" has developed into a nationally renowned meeting place for craftswomen, artists and cultural workers.

• Location: Am Lindenberg 2
• Outdoor facilities open: 13:00 - 17:00
  • Photo exhibition "Binderburg around 1900"
  • Coffee, cake, grilled food, mead, draught beer and homemade lemonade.
  • Live production of hemp clay and hemp lime by Henning Machein
  • Live wood construction hands-on activity for children by Marcel Ruch
  • Medieval archery with costumes
  • 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 Cave tours

The country house itself is not accessible on Monument Day.

The church of St. Nicholas, built in the 12th century as a square choir church, was a branch of St. Laurentius zu Maua. Both churches belonged to the Cistercian monastery of Grünhain in the Ore Mountains, whose monks had brought viticulture with them. Around 1250, the rectangular chancel (choir) was extended as a four-storey rectangular fortified tower. St. Nicholas served as a fortified church. Remains of the defensive wall and a round bastion have been preserved and were renovated in 2015 - 2017. The roof was renovated in 2019 - 2021. A special gem is the "Rosette of Leutra" - an eleven-panel window on the east side, whose symbolism refers to the eleven disciples of Jesus on Easter morning. The entrance is on the south side of the short nave - a Romanesque arched door with a door leaf and Gothic ornamental fittings, with symbols of fortitude carved into the door jambs: Crossbow, sword and bullet. Above the door, just below the eaves, there is a head with a water stone, the interpretations of which are very varied and range from a demon to St. Nicholas.

Inside there is a baptismal font, possibly from the 12th century. In 2022, two historic gravestones were moved from the southern outer wall to the interior.

• Location: Leutra 16
• Open: 11:00 and 13:00 Guided tours with K. Junghans

The Obermühle Leutra was probably built in the middle of the 18th century on the outskirts of Leutra in a bend of the Leutra. Predecessor buildings are probable. In the 19th century, the watermill was extended with residential and outbuildings. In 1900, mill owner Hugo Grimm had the mill technology renewed. The mill ceased operation in 1960. After that, the facility was mainly used for agricultural purposes. The condition of the mill itself deteriorated noticeably after the land was divided up. After massive moisture ingress occurred due to a lack of maintenance and safety measures, tipping points were reached which led to massive losses of substance. The revocation of the listed status was discussed several times.

Since 2019, conversion and renovation measures have been underway to convert the complex for residential use. The first apartments are already occupied. Unfortunately, further massive losses of substance had to be accepted during the construction work. The parts of the building that are now visible are therefore largely reconstructions in the former half-timbered storeys and in the brickwork upper storeys, whereby the reconstruction was carried out on the basis of deformation-compliant measurements and rectified measurement images. Nevertheless, it is clear that we are in a border zone of monument preservation here.

• Location: Leutra 2
• Meeting point: at the end of the street in front of the west gable of the main house (NOT in the courtyard)
  • 3:00 pm: Guided tour with Mr. N. Spehr, SPEHR.Ingenieure planning office (max. 30 people - pre-registration required!)
• Registration: Registrations on 09.09.2025 and 11.09.2025 from 08:30 to 11:30 and 13:00 to 15:30 on the telephone number 0049 3641 49-5141 or by e-mail at denkmalamt@jena.de by 12.09.2025

At 794 m, the longest bridge of the German freeway program in Thuringia at the time of construction from 1937 to 1941 was built of tamped concrete, reinforced concrete, clinker and natural stone. The forms are borrowed from those of Roman aqueducts. Monumentality characterizes the design language in detail and the building as a whole.

"As a creation of the new epoch, the streets [...] and their buildings should stand out beyond all times and borders as witnesses of the political and artistic will of their creators and still exist as memorials of this epoch, as monuments of a past great time, even when their practical significance would have long since become obsolete",

is how the architect Friedrich Tamms described the not only infrastructural, but also political/ideological task in 1941.

The freeway program was also intensively accompanied by landscape planning. As early as 1933, Fritz Todt brought Alwin Seifert onto his staff, whom he appointed in 1934 as an advisor for questions of landscape integration in the construction of the autobahn. Seifert, who professed a "metaphysically" based racial doctrine that was to add a natural-religious dimension to National Socialism, gathered landscape architects, plant sociologists and homeland conservationists around him, who accompanied the highway construction as freelancers. The plans have often survived, but the designed landscape - not only in Jena - has since been massively reshaped.

• Location: Between Maua and Göschwitz
• Open: 10:00 - 14:00

(Access from the B88 from Maua in the direction of Jena, coming from the BAB A4: AS Jena - Göschwitz - B 88 in the direction of Jena, directly behind the Saaletal bridge on the right (limited parking spaces available)

Hourly presentations on the history and repair of the Old Saale Valley Bridge and the highway construction via beamer.