Leisure & culture

Quality of life and work-life balance go hand in hand in Jena: Bouldering or hip hop dancing, learning capoeira or Wing Chun, fencing or playing Jugger – Jena is the perfect place to try out new things. A wide range of leisure and sports activities in the midst of wonderful natural settings awaits you. In terms of cultural offerings, Jena has a full and diverse programme with many highlights for young and old – whether it’s the six-week long ‘KulturArena’ summer festival with open-air theatre, concerts, open-air cinema, partying with the famous Jena electro label ‘Freude am Tanzen’, the children’s theatre days at the Jena Theaterhaus, or the children’s concerts with the Jena Philharmonic. Hiking and walking fans can switch off on the many kilometres of well-maintained hiking trails. For those who prefer watching sport to taking part, there’s the excitement of the Science City Jena basketball games (2nd Bundesliga) or the FC Carl Zeiss Jena football matches (Regionalliga). In women’s football, Jena currently has a first-class team in the Frauenfußballbundesliga with the FC Carl Zeiss Jena women’s team, as well as a women’s badminton team in the first Badminton Bundesliga, with the Verein SV Jena GutsMuths team.