Bretleben is a village and a former municipality in the

Kyffhäuserkreis The Kyffhäuserkreis is a district in the northern part of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Mansfeld-Südharz, Saalekreis und Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, and the districts Sömmerda, Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis and Eich ...

district in

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town

An der Schmücke An der Schmücke is a town in the district Kyffhäuserkreis, in Thuringia, Germany. It was created with effect from 1 January 2019 by the merger of the former municipalities of Bretleben, Gorsleben, Hauteroda, Heldrungen, Hemleben and Oldisleb ...

. It is located at the right side of the river

Unstrut The Unstrut () is a river in Germany and a left tributary of the Saale. The Unstrut originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelstädt (west of Kefferhausen in the Eichsfeld area) and its catchment area is the whole of the Thuringian Basin. It ...

, between the towns of

Heldrungen Heldrungen is a town and a former municipality in the Kyffhäuserkreis district, Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town An der Schmücke. Nearby rivers are the Unstrut and the Wipper. It is known for its fortification ...

and

Artern Artern is a town in the Kyffhäuserkreis district, Thuringia, Germany. The former municipalities Heygendorf and Voigtstedt were merged into Artern in January 2019. Geography Artern is situated at the confluence of the rivers Unstrut and Helme, ...

. It has a station on the

Sangerhausen–Erfurt railway The Sangerhausen–Erfurt railway is a two-track, electrified railway, which is located mainly in the north of the German state of Thuringia; a small section is in southwestern Saxony-Anhalt. It represents the southern section of the Erfurt–Magde ...

line, where a now-decommissioned line once branched off to

Bad Frankenhausen Bad Frankenhausen (officially: Bad Frankenhausen/Kyffhäuser) is a spa town in the German state of Thuringia. It is located at the southern slope of the Kyffhäuser mountain range, on an artificial arm of the Wipper river, a tributary of the Unstr ...

and

Sondershausen Sondershausen is a town in Thuringia, central Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was incorporated by Sondershausen. Until 1918 it ...

History

The earliest known documented mention of Bretleben is as ''Bretalaho'' in an early 9th century document.

Historical Population

Number of inhabitants ''(as of 31 December )'': : Source: Thuringian state statistical bureau

Transport

Bretleben is on the Sangerhause-Erfurt railway line. The so-called Kyffhäuserbahn to

branched from Bretleben, but the train doesn't run anymore. The line was decommissioned in September 2008. The Bundesstraße 86 passes nearby and the

Bundesautobahn 71 is an Autobahn in Germany. It connects the A 38 and Erfurt to the A 70 near Schweinfurt. A further northern extension to the A 14 near Plötzkau has been proposed by the state government of Sachsen-Anhalt.Sömmerda Sömmerda is a town near Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany, on the Unstrut river. It is the capital of the Sömmerda (district), district of Sömmerda. History Archeological digs in the area that is now Sömmerda, formerly Leubingen, have uncovered ...

and

Sangerhausen Sangerhausen () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany, capital of the district of Mansfeld-Südharz. It is situated southeast of the Harz, approx. east of Nordhausen, and west of Halle (Saale). About 26,000 people live in Sangerhausen (2 ...

crosses the river Unstrut between Bretleben and Artern. The nearest exits to Bretleben are Exit 2 Artern, and Exit 3 Heldrungen.

References

Former municipalities in Thuringia Kyffhäuserkreis {{Kyffhäuserkreis-geo-stub