Sondershausen is a town 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 ...

, central Germany, capital of 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 Ei ...

district, situated about 50 km north of

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality

Schernberg Schernberg is a former municipality in the district Kyffhäuserkreis, in Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after ...

was incorporated by Sondershausen. Until 1918 it was part of the principality of

Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with its capital at Sondershausen. History Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a county until 1697. In that year, it became a principality, which ...

Geography

Sondershausen is situated in North Thuringia and lies in low mountain range between Hainleite (in the north) and Windleite (in the south). The highest mountain is the Frauenberg to the west of the town. A little river called Wipper flows through Sondershausen. Around the town there are mixed forests (especially with beech trees).

Subdivisions

The city districts are:

Culture and main sights

Museums

In the

Sondershausen Palace From an architectural and art historical point of view Sondershausen Palace can be considered one of the most important palace complexes in Thuringia. It is an irregular four-wing complex. With its imposing silhouette the former Schwarzburg residenc ...

there is a large museum with three different exhibit areas. Special exhibits are the Golden Coach, the only of its kind in Germany, and the legendary Püstrich. There are possible special guided tours of demonstrationdepot, cellar, tower and park of the castle, too. Under the city there is a mine to visit. To visit is a Jewish bath from the 14th Century since 1999 under the gallery on the Schlossberg.

Buildings

* Sondershausen Palace, with natural history and antiquarian collections. Adapted as Palace in Renaissance times, it was later expanded in

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

forms (1764–1771). Especially noteworthy are the "Blue Hall" and the gardens. * The Old Princes' Palace (1721–1725), a residence of the princes from 1835 to 1851. It currently houses the district administration office of the Kyffhäuserkreis. * The Octagonal House * "Alte Wache" * "Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium Sondershausen" building I. (a grammar school) * mikveh * theatre "Haus der Kunst" (translated: "house of art") * Rathaus (city hall) * Gottschalcksches Haus (House of Gottschalck)

Churches

* The Baroque ''Trinitatiskirche'', a Lutheran church, with the mausoleum (1892) of the reigning princes. * Crucis Church, the oldest building of Sondershausen. * St. Matthias Church, the historicist construction is considered one of the most beautiful churches in the region * St. Petri Church in Jechaburg * St. Georg Church in Bebra * St. Viti Church in Berka * St. Bonifatius Church in Großfurra * St. Johannis Church in Oberspier * Church of Großberndten * Church St. Mauritii in Himmelsberg * Church Gloria Deo in Hohenebra * Church of Immenrode * Church St. Johannes in Kleinberndten * St. Crucis Church in Schernberg * Church of Thalebra * St. Elisabeth Church (catholic)

Notable people

* Rudolf Arzinger (1922–1970),

public international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

* Felix Becker (1864–1928), art historian *

Regina Miriam Bloch Regina Miriam Bloch (November 1888 – 1 March 1938) was a Jewish writer and poet. Biography She was born in Sondershausen, in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (present-day Thuringia), and educated in Berlin and London. She was t ...

(1888–1938), writer and poet * Johann Günther Friedrich Cannabich (1777–1859), geographer * Edmund Döring (1860–1938), Heimatforscher *

Ernst Christoph Dressler Ernst Christoph Dressler (23 September 1734 – 6 April 1779) was a German composer, operatic tenor, violinist and music theorist. A self-taught singer and violinist, he became a musician at several courts before he moved to the Court Opera in Vi ...

(1734–1779), composer, operatic tenor, violinist and music theorist *

Ernst Ludwig Gerber Ernst Ludwig Gerber (29 September 1746 in Sondershausen, Germany – 30 June 1819 in Sondershausen) was a German composer, organist, cellist, and author of a famous dictionary of musicians. His father, Heinrich Nikolaus Gerber (1702–1775), ...

(1746–1819), composer, music writer, musician * Jörg Hoffmann (born 1963), Rennrodler, Olympiasieger von 1988 in Calgary *

Thilo Irmisch Johann Friedrich Thilo Irmisch (14 January 1816 in Sondershausen – 28 April 1879 in Sondershausen) was a 19th-century German botanist. Irmisch studied theology, philosophy and natural history at the University of Halle-Wittenberg. He receive ...

(1816–1878),

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

* Günther Jahn (born 1933), Painter * Michael Kohl (1929–1981),

Jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

, stellv. Außenminister der DDR * Olaf Koch (born 1932), Rector of the High School for Music in Berlin * Karl Krieghoff (1905–1984), local poet *

Vera Lengsfeld Vera Lengsfeld (born 4 May 1952) is a German politician. She was a prominent civil rights activist in East Germany and after the German reunification she first represented the Alliance 90/The Greens and then the German Christian Democratic U ...

(born 1952), politician * Georg Lewin (1820–1896),

Dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

, Faculty (university) *

Georg Richard Lewin Georg Richard Lewin (19 April 1820 – 1 November 1896) was a German dermatologist, known for his research into syphilis and various skin diseases. Biography Lewin was born in Sondershausen in the principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (modern ...

* Kurt Lindner (1906–1987), Science of Hunting * Valentin Ernst Löscher (1674–1749), theologian, writer * Günther Lutze (1840–1930), botanist, Heimatforscher, chronicler * Joachim Manard (Manhard, Manardt) (1564–1637), chronicler of the town * Ludwig Günther Martini (1647–1719), jurist * Curt Mücke (1885–1940), Painter * Carl Moeller (1867–1920), pastor and Heimatforscher * Hermann Müller (1891–1984), Heimatforscher *

Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (née Kleemann, born 7 September 1966) is a German former speed skater. She is a three-time Olympic gold medallist, winning the 3000 metres in 1992 and 1998 and the 5000 metres in 1992. She won a total of eight Olympic m ...

(born 1966), Speed skating *

Ronald Paris Ronald Paris (12 August 1933 – 17 September 2021) was a German painter and graphic artist. Life Provenance and education Ronald Paris was born in Sondershausen, a small town in central Germany with a long tradition as an army town. His fat ...

(1933–2021), Painter * Werner Schubert (1921–1991), Painter * Heinz Scharr (born 1924),

Visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

* Ferdinand Schlufter (1871–1948), Major * Volker Strübing (born 1971), book author, cabaret artist and songwriter * Johann Friedrich Suckow (1769–1842), musician * Johann Karl Wezel (1747–1819), poet

Sister cities

Sondershausen is twinned with three cities: *

Rolla, Missouri Rolla () is a city in, and the county seat of, Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population in the 2020 United States Census was 19,943. Rolla is located approximately midway between St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. The Rolla, ...

, United States * Pecquencourt, France *

Kazlų Rūda Kazlų Rūda () is a city in Lithuania. It is located north from Marijampolė. The city is surrounded by forests, but a railway line crosses the city and divides it into almost equal parts. Former Soviet Army Kazlų Rūda airbase is northeast ...

, Lithuania

References

External links

* {{Authority control Kyffhäuserkreis Schwarzburg-Sondershausen