Ilmenau

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Ilmenau
Town
Ilmenau in winter
Coat of arms
Location of Ilmenau within Ilm-Kreis district
Ilmenau Show map of Germany Ilmenau Show map of Thuringia
Coordinates: 50°41′02″N 10°55′10″E / 50.68389°N 10.91944°E / 50.68389; 10.91944
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Ilm-Kreis
Subdivisions	core town and 16 quarters
Government
• Lord mayor (2018–24)	Daniel Schultheiß[1] (Ind.)
Area
• Total	198.69 km2 (76.71 sq mi)
Elevation	500 m (1,600 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[2]
• Total	39,127
• Density	200/km2 (510/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	98693, 98694
Dialling codes	03677
Vehicle registration	IK, ARN, IL
Website	www.ilmenau.de

Ilmenau (German pronunciation: [ˈɪlmənaʊ̯] ^ⓘ) is a town in Thuringia, central Germany. It is the largest town within the Ilm district with a population of 38,600, while the district capital is Arnstadt. Ilmenau is located approximately 33 km (21 miles) south of Erfurt and 135 km (84 miles) north of Nuremberg within the Ilm valley at the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest at an elevation of 500 metres (1,640 feet).

The most important institution in Ilmenau is the Technische Universität Ilmenau, a public research university and Thuringia's only "Technical University" with about 4,900 students^[3] and an emphasis on engineering disciplines, computer science, mathematics, natural sciences, economics, and media studies. Its precursor was founded in 1894 and developed into a university in 1992.^[4] Since 1990, many research institutes have been established in the vicinity making Ilmenau an important hub of technological research.

Ilmenau was historically a small mining town, primarily silver, copper and manganese, until the deposits were depleted. After 1800, it was one of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's favourite resorts because of its beautiful surroundings. In 1838, the establishment of the town as a spa led to the advent of tourism, which is still an important industry. Industrialisation started after the railway arrived in 1879, but increased rapidly during the following century primarily in glass and porcelain manufacturing. The porcelain factories closed (as in many other places in western Europe) during the 1990s. The glass industry, however, remained and produces laboratory equipment and measurement devices and is leading source of economic activity together with mechanical, electrical, and software engineering. Ilmenau and the surrounding region have produced many winter Olympic champions in disciplines such as luge, bobsleigh, and biathlon.