events, in particular the procession through the old town on Palm Sunday with life-size figures from the Passion of Christ, which attracts numerous believers from the region and the rest of Germany. Ibergrennen The Ibergrennen is an annual road race held since 1994 on the last weekend in June on Landesstraße 2022 (Holzweg) in the western foothills of the Iberg. Sponsored by the German Mountain Cup and German Mountain Championship, it has included sports and touring cars since 1998, when the road surface was renewed and the barriers reinforced. In 2000, the course was extended from 1.96 km to 2.05 km. The climb remains 200 m. It is thus one of the shortest mountain race routes in Germany, but not without challenges. The drivers' encampment is traditionally set up near the centre of Heiligenstadt, next to a filling station and a supermarket which is open on Sundays. The first race was held in 1925, but only for motorcycles. People associated with Heilbad Heiligenstadt Honorary citizens Johann Vinzenz Wolf (1743–1826), Jesuit historian 1991: Hugo Dornhofer, Christian labour union official and CDU politician Natives Tilman Riemenschneider (c. 1460–1531), sculptor Johann Melchior Birkenstock (1738–1809), Austrian politician and school reformer Josepha von Siebold (1771–1849), gynaecologist, the first credentialled midwife in Germany. Eduard Strecker (1822–1894), politician Ludwig Loewe (1837–1886), politician Helene Keßler (1870–1957), writer, under the pseudonym Hans von Kahlenberg Siegfried Loewenthal (1874–1951), chief justice in West Berlin 1945–1951, honorary citizen of Heiligenstadt 1948–1951 Horst Sannemüller (1918–2001), violinist and leader of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra Wilhelm Friese (1924–2008), professor of Scandinavian studies Karl-Hermann Steinberg (1941-2021), chemist and politician Wolfgang Thüne (born 1949), Olympic medallist in gymnastics Joachim Knape (born 1950), professor of rhetoric Bernhard Germeshausen (born 1951), Olympic medallist in bobsleigh Dietrich Klinge (born 1954), sculptor and graphic designer Angelika Weiz (born 1954), singer Dieter Althaus (born 1958), politician (CDU) Ministerpresident of Thuringia 2003–09 Peter Pysall (born 1960), handball player and coach Sebastian Haupt (born 1985), skeleton racer Others Saint Aureus of Mainz (5th century), Bishop of Mainz: some of his remains were reinterred in Heiligenstadt and he is the patron saint of the town. Burchard of Worms (c. 965–20 August 1025), consecrated Bishop of Worms in Heiligenstadt in 1000. Adolf I of Nassau (1353–1390), Archbishop of Mainz, died in Heiligenstadt. Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), Jesuit scholar, taught in Heiligenstadt. Hadrian Daude (1704–1755), Jesuit theologian, taught in Heiligenstadt. Friedrich Christian Adolf von Motz (1775–1830), Prussian statesman,