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Main Protestant parish church of the city. There probably was a church at this location as early as in the 12th century. The present building was started around 1380 and is a late-Gothic hall church. The 75-metre-high octagonal tower is topped by a Renaissance-style crest. An architectural anomaly is the underpass below the church's sanctuary and altar that served as the only passage to the (long disbanded) Cistercian convent behind the church during medieval and early modern times and was considered one of the "Seven Wonders" of Jena.
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Stadtmuseum—Museum of local history
Located in a historical building whose foundations date from the 13th century but was completely rebuilt in a Gothic revival style around 1900, then serving as a wine shop and wine bar. The museum illustrates the history of Jena from pre-history to the 19th century on four levels. The exhibits include a seven-headed "dragon" modelled from animal bones and papier-mâché by students in early 17th century that was considered one of the "Seven Wonders" of Jena.
market square
Centre of the old town, surrounded by historical buildings. The townhall dates from the 14th century. Its astronomical art clock was added in the 15th century, with Schnapphans, a mechanically moved figure opening and closing his mouth every full hour, in the attempt to catch a Thuringian dumpling on a stick. Jena is said to be doomed if Schnapphans ever caught the dumpling.
Botanischer Garten
Second-oldest and one of the most famous and most beautiful botanical gardens in Germany.
formerly known as Intershop Tower
144.5-m-high office tower built in the early 1970s for the university and intended by the communist rulers to be a dominant part of the "socialist city". It was designed by Hermann Henselmann (architect of the Berlin television tower) to remind of an upright telescope (alluding to Jena's optical industries). It was renovated and modernised around 2000, receiving its characteristic glass façade. Main tenant of offices is the e-commerce developer Intershop. There is a restaurant on the highest floor and an observation platform on the top.
John's Tower
Gothic gate tower, another—much better preserved—part of the medieval fortifactions. It is linked with the nearby magazine (Pulverturm) by a reconstructed wall walk.
Founded in 1926 using Carl Zeiss technology, it is one of the oldest projection planetariums in the world. There are educational programmes, entertaining programmes for families, music shows and film screenings.