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Thuringian State Development Corporation (LEG Thüringen)

Mainzerhofstrasse 12 | 99084 Erfurt
Telephone: 0361 5603-0
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Good reasons for Thuringia as a business location

Whether market entry, expansion, or innovation: Thuringia offers ideal conditions for sustainable business success. On this page, investors can find everything they need to know about location advantages, key industries, skilled workers, funding opportunities, and comprehensive services for a quick and straightforward business establishment.

Perfect location & infrastructure 

Fast routes thanks to a central location and modern transport infrastructure.

Competent professionals

Highly qualified professionals and a wide range of educational opportunities.

Research and Innovation

Excellent innovation environment with more than 40 institutes and universities.

Strong industries

Industrial tradition and modern technological expertise.

Successful in Thuringia

Why Thuringia? Companies provide answers!

Hidden Champions

Thuringian technology and world market leader with innovative products and services.

Industrial and commercial areas

Research suitable industrial and commercial properties.

Companies & Technologies

Research companies and institutions by industry and technology field.

Perfect location and infrastructure

Thuringia's central location and state-of-the-art transport infrastructure make it a business location characterized by rapid transit. More than 280 million consumers live within an 800-kilometer radius, generating a gross domestic product of 8.7 trillion euros. Trucks can reach any major German city from Thuringia with a maximum delivery time of five hours.

Thanks to the ICE hub in Erfurt, travelers can reach Berlin, Munich, or Frankfurt in about two hours. In freight transport, the intermodal terminal in Vieselbach connects the Free State of Thuringia 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.

280 million consumers within a radius of 800 km (daily distance traveled by truck)

All major German cities reachable within a maximum of 5 hours

Your business location with perfect transport connections

Within a radius of 800 km

280 Millions of potential customers
70 % of EU purchasing power
80 % of European R&D

Source: Thuringian State Office for Statistics, Destatis, EUROSTAT/OECD; Statista, 2026

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Competent professionals

Thuringian skilled workers are highly motivated and well-qualified: 61 percent are skilled tradespeople, 15 percent have successfully completed university or university of applied sciences studies, and 17 percent have obtained a vocational school diploma, master craftsman qualification, or technician certification. A very high female employment rate demonstrates that combining career and family life is easier 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 fields. The dual vocational training system ensures a steady supply of skilled workers for industry and trade.

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Research and Innovation

Thuringia is one of the leading locations for science and innovation in Germany. Fourteen universities and universities of applied sciences, nineteen non-university research institutions belonging to organizations such as Max Planck, Fraunhofer, Leibniz and Helmholtz, as well as eight industry-oriented institutes and development service providers, shape a high-performing research landscape.

Around 10,000 scientists work here in future-oriented fields such as optics/photonics, automotive, mechanical engineering, microsystems and nanotechnology, sensor technology, ICT, and life sciences. Close collaboration between science and industry results in innovations with high practical relevance – fully in line with the Thuringian Innovation Strategy (RIS Thuringia).

Automotive

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Benefit from strong industries

Automotive

Thuringia is a location with many strengths: industrially driven, technologically specialized, and open to new markets. Its industry landscape combines high-growth technology and future-oriented fields such as optics, electrical engineering, ICT, life sciences, energy and environmental technologies, and space & defense with established core industrial competencies in automotive, mechanical engineering, plastics, and timber construction. Complemented by high-performing sectors like logistics, tourism, and food, the Free State offers diverse industry expertise, short distances, and a strong environment of businesses, research institutions, and skilled workers.

Automotive

Automotive

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Automotive

Global giants like Daimler, Opel/Stellantis, Magna, Bosch, BMW, and BorgWarner manufacture in Thuringia. The tradition of automobile production here dates back to the early 20th century.

Industry profile

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Electrical Engineering & Electronics

Nanolithography, LTCC multilayer technology and silicon technology as well as quantum sensor technology and ultrashort pulse laser technologies – these innovations are just a few examples of sophisticated electrical engineering “Made in Thuringia”.

Industry profile

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Energy and environmental technologies

Energy and environmental technology in Thuringia is characterized by innovative companies and research in areas such as energy efficiency, environmental technology, and storage and hydrogen solutions.

Industry profile

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Nutrition

In Thuringia, customer proximity, tradition and cost-efficient production can be combined very well.

Industry profile

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Timber industry and timber construction

Short distances, high quality, long tradition! Wood grows abundantly in Thuringia and is becoming increasingly important as an economic factor.

Industry profile

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ICT

The ICT sector in Thuringia is a high-performing cross-sector industry that drives digitalization and Industry 4.0 and is characterized by a strong interplay between companies, research and qualified professionals.

Industry profile

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plastic

The plastics industry in Thuringia looks back on over 100 years of success. Known for their technical expertise and innovative strength, the companies in this sector are among the highest-grossing in the Free State today.

Industry profile

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Life Science

Thuringia is the birthplace of inventions such as the patented mercury-free thermometer, the X-ray tube, and the microscope. Scientists from Jena were involved in deciphering the human chromosomes 8, 21, and X.

Industry profile

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logistics

Thuringia's central location, combined with its efficient infrastructure, makes it Germany's top location for logistics companies. All major European economic centers can be reached from Thuringia in a very short time.

Industry profile

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Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering in Thuringia is characterized by modern production, automation and mechatronics, as well as a closely networked environment of companies, research institutions and qualified specialists.

Industry profile

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optics

World-renowned companies such as Carl Zeiss, Schott or Jenoptik originated in Thuringia and today set international standards in the field of optical technologies.

Industry profile

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Space & Defense

The security and defense industry in Thuringia is opening up new opportunities through growing investments in innovative technologies.

Industry profile

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tourism

Wartburg Castle and Weimar Classicism, Hainich and Thuringian Forest - in Thuringia, World Cultural Heritage meets World Natural Heritage.

Industry profile

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Successful in Thuringia

Why Thuringia? The videos show companies that answer this question from their own experience. They talk about location decisions, growth, and working on-site.

    Hidden Champions

    Thuringia is proud of its companies. 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, and worldwide.

    Discover Hidden Champions

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    Industrial and commercial areas

    Space for new projects: In Thuringia, companies can find sites that suit their plans. Our site search displays available commercial and industrial properties in the state and provides initial guidance based on region, site size, transport connections, and rail access. For a detailed assessment, further information, and next steps, please contact us!

    Are you looking for suitable industrial or commercial space in Thuringia? Start your research now!

    Commercial space

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    Companies and technologies

    Thuringia's economy is diverse – and you can find it here. This business directory showcases companies and technological expertise in the Free State and provides an initial overview by industry, location, and field of activity. Anyone looking for partners, suppliers, or starting points for new projects will find a quick overview here. We are happy to assist you in establishing suitable Contact .

    Search our company and technology database online!

    Companies and technologies

    Discover why Thuringia is a strong location for investment. An overview of current project developments in the region and important dates to know.

    Subscribe to the "Thuringia.Business" newsletter

    News Blog posts, news & events

    Events

    InnoTrans 2026

    1st Thuringian Aerospace Day

    Fakuma 2026

    our range

    Investor advice

    We support you in all phases of the site selection process and the implementation of your investment project.

    Funding advice

    We provide project-specific advice on investment grants, loans, equity investments and guarantees.

    Economic Development Service Center

    Support and advice for municipal economic development agencies.

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