Großengottern is located in the northern Thuringian basin on the B 247 federal highway between the towns of Mühlhausen and Bad Langensalza. The village has around 2400 inhabitants and can look back on more than 1200 years of history. The municipality was first mentioned in a document in 811, making it one of the oldest in the district. The first settlements can be traced back to the 5th millennium BC.

Economically, the municipality is characterized as one of the largest locations for roof tile production. In the agricultural sector, the town is valued as a traditional location for growing and processing vegetables.

No matter from which direction visitors come to Großengottern - by bike, bus, train, car or on foot - the church towers of St. Martini and St. Walpurgis greet you from afar. The respective side towers of the church spires symbolize a town with market rights. In 1666, Großengottern received the fairground privilege from Duke Johann Georg of Saxony. Since then, the Gotter fair with its historical agricultural machinery exhibition has taken place every year in September and has become a magnet for visitors and a major folk festival in the region.

Visitors and guests can learn a lot about the history of the village during a visit to the "Hornhardtschen Rittergut". The buildings that have been preserved include the residential building, the inn and the stone archway as well as the Gaden, a cellar house. It now houses the agricultural machinery and village museum.

There is plenty to discover on foot or by bike in the area around Großengottern. To the west of the village is a 30-hectare reservoir, which is easy to walk around. Anglers appreciate the abundance of fish. In the direction of Heroldishausen, around 3 kilometers west of Großengottern, there is a memorial plaque for an airman who died in the crash of a US "raisin bomber" in March 1949. Continuing west, you reach the UNESCO Hainich National Park after around eight kilometers.