ILMENAU

ilmenau, a town and summer resort of germany, in the grand-duchy of saxe-weimar, at the north foot of the thuringian forest, on the river ilm, 30 m. by rail south of erfurt. pop. (1905) 11,222. the town, which stands picturesquely among wooded hills, is much frequented by visitors in the summer. it was a favourite resort of goethe, who wrote here his _iphigenie_, and often stayed at gabelbach in the neighbourhood. it has a grand-ducal palace, a roman catholic and two evangelical churches, a sanatorium for nervous disorders, and several educational establishments. its chief manufactures are glass and porcelain, toys, gloves and chemicals, and the town has tanneries and saw-mills. formerly a part of the county of henneberg, ilmenau came in 1631 into the possession of electoral saxony, afterwards passing to saxe-weimar. see r. springer, _die klassischen statten von jena und ilmenau_ (berlin, 1869); pasig, _goethe und ilmenau_ (2nd ed., weimar, 1902); and fils, _bad ilmenau und seine umgebung_ (hildburghausen, 1886).