A week that creates connections: Kenyan delegation is thrilled by Thuringia.
Good reasons for the business location Thuringia
Whether market entry, expansion or innovation: Thuringia offers the best conditions for sustainable business success. On this page, investors can find out everything about location advantages, key industries, skilled workers, funding opportunities and the comprehensive service for a fast and uncomplicated settlement.
Perfect location and infrastructure
Central location and state-of-the-art transport infrastructure make Thuringia a business location with short distances. More than 280 million consumers live within a radius of 800 kilometers, generating a gross domestic product of 8.7 trillion euros. Trucks from Thuringia can reach any German metropolis within a maximum delivery time of five hours.
Thanks to the ICE junction in Erfurt, travelers can reach Berlin, Munich or Frankfurt in around 2 hours. In freight transport, the KV terminal in Vieselbach connects the state with the major German seaports in Hamburg and Bremerhaven.
The Erfurt-Weimar Airport offers state-of-the-art equipment for air freight handling and provides sufficient cargo halls and forwarding buildings.
Thuringia in the heart of Europe.
Within a radius of 800 km
Source: Thuringian State Office for Statistics, destatis, EUROSTAT/OECD; Statista, 2026
Thuringian skilled workers are highly motivated and well qualified: 61 percent are skilled workers, 15 percent have successfully attended a university or university of applied sciences, and 17 percent have obtained a technical school, master craftsman, or technician qualification. A very high female employment rate shows that work and family can be more easily reconciled in Thuringia than elsewhere.
With one of the highest densities of universities and research institutions per capita, Thuringia offers a steady stream of highly qualified graduates, especially in STEM subjects. The dual education system ensures a supply of skilled workers for industry and trade.
Thuringia is one of the leading locations for science and innovation in Germany. 14 universities and (technical) colleges, 19 non-university research institutions from organizations such as Max Planck, Fraunhofer, Leibniz and Helmholtz, as well as eight business-oriented institutes and development service providers, shape a high-performance research landscape.
Around 10,000 scientists and researchers work here on future fields such as optics/photonics, automotive, mechanical engineering, microsystems and nanotechnology, sensor technology, ICT and life sciences. In close collaboration between science and industry, innovations with high practical relevance are created – fully in line with the Thuringian Innovation Strategy (RIS Thuringia).
Innovation with Tradition
Thüringen has always been a land of ideas. With pioneering achievements by Carl Zeiss and Schott in Jena and the globally influential impulses of the Bauhaus, founded in 1919 in Weimar, the Free State has produced innovations that continue to shape science, technology, and design to this day.
1872
Carl Zeiss and Ernst Abbe produce the first mathematically calculated microscope
1919
State Bauhaus founded in Weimar (school for art, design and architecture)
1928
BMW produces first car in Eisenach
1976
Zeiss develops the MKF 6 multispectral camera for photos of the Earth's surface from space
2004
Prof. Karlheinz Brandenburg, developer of the mp3 standard, heads the Fraunhofer Institute IDMT in Ilmenau
2008
Founding of the Center for Innovation Competence SEPTOMICS (Sepsis Research)
2008
Sensors from Jena-Optronik ensure successful docking maneuvers at the ISS
2013
UV sensors and photodiodes from Jena can be found in the NASA Mars Rover “Curiosity”
2017
DLR Institute for Data Science establishes a research institute for "Smart and Big Data“ in Jena
Automotive
Automotive
Thuringia is a location with many strengths: industrially shaped, technologically specialized, and open to new markets. The industry landscape combines high-growth technology and future fields such as optics, electrical engineering, ICT, life sciences, energy and environmental technologies, as well as Space & Defense with established industrial core competencies in automotive, mechanical engineering, plastics, and timber construction. Complemented by high-performance sectors such as logistics, tourism, and food, the Free State offers diverse industry expertise, short distances, and a strong environment of companies, research, and skilled workers.
Why Thuringia? The videos show companies answering this question from their own experience. They talk about location decisions, growth, and working on site.
Hidden Champions
Thuringia is proud of the companies in the state. Their success reflects the economic attractiveness of the Free State. "Hidden Champions - Thuringian World Market and Technology Leaders" presents a selection of high-performing companies: market and technology leaders that impress with their products and services in Germany, Europe, or worldwide.
Space for new projects: In Thuringia, companies find areas that match their plans. The site search shows available commercial and industrial areas in the Free State and offers an initial orientation by region, area size, transport connections or rail siding. For a concrete review, further information and the next steps, please feel free to contact us!
Are you looking for a suitable industrial or commercial area in Thuringia? Search now!
Thuringia's economy is diverse – and here it becomes discoverable. The business directory showcases companies and technological competencies in the Free State and provides an initial orientation by industry, location, and fields of activity. Anyone looking for partners, suppliers, or points of contact for new projects will get a quick overview here. We are happy to help you establish suitable Contacte.
Search online in our Company and Technology Database!
Find out why Thuringia is a strong location for investments. Current project developments in the region and noteworthy dates at a glance.
