Technische Universitaet Ilmenau is the reason Ilmenau feels more animated than many small Thuringian towns. The campus lies east of the centre and specialises in engineering, media technology and related fields, continuing a technical tradition that reaches back into the 19th century.
Travellers do not need to tour the campus formally. Its value is atmospheric: student life fills cafes, buses and cheap places to eat, and it keeps Ilmenau from becoming only a heritage stop on the edge of the forest.