GOTHA, a town of Central Germany, on the Leine, an affluent of the Nesse, and on the Thuringian railway, by which it is 13 miles W. of Erfurt, and about the same distance E. of Eisenach. This was the residence of the dukes of Saxe-Gotha previous to 1825, when the direct line became extinct, and the duchy passed to the Duke of Saxe-Coburg. It is now the usual winter residence of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Gotha is well and regularly built, and is surrounded by beautiful pleasure grounds and public walks, and altogether is one of the finest towns of Germany. The ducal palace of Friedenstein was founded by Ernest the Pious in 1643. It is a large and imposing building, occupying the summit of a high hill, and surrounded by a terrace, gardens, and pleasure grounds. It contains a valuable library of about 150,000 volumes and 5000 MSS., a famous collection of coins, with a numismatic library of 6000 volumes, a picture gallery, and collections of antiquities, engravings, objects of natural history, &c. Among the educational institutions are the gymnasium, founded in 1524, and considered one of the best in Germany, a training school for teachers, a trade school, midwifery institute, and an anatomical theatre. South-east of the town is the well known observatory of Seeberg. The manufactures and trade of
Gotha are considerable, the former comprising cotton and woollen goods, porcelain, paper, leather, musical and scientific instruments, sausages, &c., for the manufacture of which last article it is celebrated. The Almanach de Gotha is published here; and the large geographical establishment of Justus Perthes employs several hundred printers, engravers, map-colourers, &c. Pop. 14,280.