Sonnefeld is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
of
Coburg
Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...
in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
in
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 ...
.
Geographical Location
Sonnefeld lies on
Bundesstraße 303
The Bundesstraße 303 (abbreviation: B 303) is a German federal highway that runs from west to east, beginning at the A 7 autobahn west of Schweinfurt and ending at the border with the Czech Republic east of Schirnding. It runs through the east ...
between
Coburg
Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...
and
Kronach
Kronach (East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach.
Kronach is the birthplace of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well as ...
and also between the
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German), is a mountain range in the southern parts of the German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorge on its north-west side i ...
and the
Lichtenfels Forest
The Lichtenfels Forest (german: Lichtenfelser Forst) is a forest northwest of the town of Lichtenfels in Upper Franconia in northern Bavaria, Germany.
The vegetation consists mostly of the coniferous trees, with small areas mixed with forests of ...
.
Municipal Division
The municipality of Sonnefeld is divided in eleven districts:
History
The first documented mention of Sonnefeld was in the year 1252. In 1260, a
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
nunnery
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican C ...
was founded in
Ebersdorf bei Coburg
Ebersdorf bei Coburg is a municipality in the district of Coburg in Bavaria in Germany.
Geography Location
Ebersdorf lies on the upper course of the river Füllbach, a tributary of the Itz, and at the northern edge of the Lichtenfels Forest ...
by
Henry II von Sonneberg Henry II of Sonneberg (before 1249 – 1288) was the descendant of the von Sonneberg family and the founder of the Sonnefeld Monastery.
The death of Duke Otto II of Merania on 19 June 1248 at Niesten Castle brought the end to the Imperial Duchy ...
with the help from the nuns from
Maidbronn
Maidbronn is a village in Bavaria, Germany, located about northeast of Würzburg. It is part of the municipality Rimpar
Rimpar is a market town in the district of Würzburg in the German state of Bavaria. It is located about 10 km (6&nbs ...
. Three years later, in 1263, the nearby hamlet of Hofstädten became the property of the nunnery. When it burned to the ground in 1287, a new abbey was built and consecrated in Hofstädten for the nuns. In 1299, the villages of
Weidhausen
Weidhausen bei Coburg (officially: Weidhausen b. Coburg) is a municipality in the southeastern portion of the Coburg district of Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. ...
and
Trübenbach were given to
Sonnefeld Abbey
Sonnefeld Abbey (german: Kloster Sonnefeld; la, Campus Solis) is a former Cistercian nunnery in Sonnefeld in Bavaria, Germany. The former abbey church, or ''Klosterkirche'', is now an Evangelical Lutheran parish church.
History
Foundation
T ...
in an exchange of properties with
Bamberg
Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...
. A church was added between 1330 and 1349 in the
High Gothic
High Gothic is a particularly refined and imposing style of Gothic architecture that appeared in northern France from about 1195 until 1250. Notable examples include Chartres Cathedral, Reims Cathedral, Amiens Cathedral, Beauvais Cathedral, and ...
style and became the ''Klosterkirche'' (monastery church).
In 1526, the abbey was dissolved as a result of the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
. Since then, Sonnefeld has been an
Evangelical Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
parish. The
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
destroyed most of the houses and buildings in Sonnefeld and Hofstädten so the reconstruction was slow but steady. It got a big boost from the grant of market privileges by Duke
Albert V, Duke of Saxe-Coburg
Albert V (24 May 1648 – 6 August 1699) was a duke of Saxe-Coburg.
He was the fifth but second surviving son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg (1601-1675), and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg (1619-1680). He was born in Gotha. W ...
. In 1705, the district of Sonnefeld came to the
Duchy
A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a Middle Ages, medieval country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition.
There once exis ...
of
Saxe-Hildburghausen
Saxe-Hildburghausen () was an Ernestine duchy in the southern side of the present State of Thuringia in Germany. It existed from 1680 to 1826 but its name and borders are currently used by the District of Hildburghausen.
History
After the Duk ...
. In 1769, the parish church was rebuilt. In 1826, the district of Sonnefeld was given to the Duchy of
Saxe Coburg and Gotha in the redistribution of lands between the surviving Saxon duchies.
On 1 May 1851 the
cantor
A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds.
In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...
Karl Herold founded a children's festival. On 23 June 1889 Sonnefeld and Hofstädten were merged as a single town under the name of Sonnefeld. In the same year, a war memorial was unveiled in the town square (''Marktplatz''), and the first railway line opened at Sonnefeld in 1901. During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Sonnefeld had to surrender three church bells and the pipes of the church's organ to the war effort but they were replaced and dedicated in 1919 and 1924 respectively. On 1 June 1920, the dissolution of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha sent the district of Coburg, including Sonnefeld, to Bavaria. Before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, 1400 people were counted in Sonnefeld but in 1966 the population was down to 980 residents in 556 households. However, the subsequent additions, a total of 10 villages, to the municipality increased the population to 5,300.
Coat of arms
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...
: Per fess azure and argent (divided horizontally in blue and white, with the top in blue), in chief a church argent roofed gules (with a profile of a white church with red roofs) and in base an
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
tree erased proper. (The church is the former abbey church of Sonnefeld and the oak is the traditional symbol of Hofstädten).
Politics
The Town Council has 20 members. The municipal elections of 2008 led to the following distribution of the seats in the council: 8 seats for
CSU
CSU may refer to:
* Channel service unit, a Wide area network equivalent of a network interface card
* Chari Aviation Services, Chad, by ICAO airline code
* Christian Social Union (UK), an Anglican social gospel organisation
* Christian Social Un ...
, 7 seats for
SPD
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany.
Saskia Esken has been the ...
, and 5 seats for Independents.
Economy
Until the 19th Century, Sonnefeld was primarily an agricultural village. Then
basketmaking
Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...
became the main business of the village, with products exported all over the world. After the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, workshops were created to make willow chairs, wicker furniture, baby carriages, and upholstered furniture. They were the ones that eventually replaced basketmaking. They were joined by industrial jobs in nearby towns and villages in the post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
boom. The prosperity made it possible for Sonnefeld to add a water supply system, a fully biological sewage treatment plant, an elementary school with a gym, and a heated swimming pool.
Other Facts
In Sonnefeld,
Itzgründisch, an
East Franconian German
East Franconian (german: Ostfränkisch) or Mainfränkisch, usually referred to as Franconian (') in German, is a dialect which is spoken in Franconia, the northern part of the federal state of Bavaria and other areas in Germany around Nuremberg, ...
dialect of
High German
The High German dialects (german: hochdeutsche Mundarten), or simply High German (); not to be confused with Standard High German which is commonly also called ''High German'', comprise the varieties of German spoken south of the Benrath and ...
, is spoken.
Notable residents
*
Friedrich Geißhardt
Friedrich GeißhardtHis name, in German, is spelled with a "sharp S"; see ß. (22 January 1919 – 6 April 1943) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II ...
(1919 – 1943), a German former
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
fighter ace
*
Georg Hansen
Colonel Georg Alexander Hansen (5 July 1904, Sonnefeld, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – 8 September 1944, Plötzensee, Germany) was an ''Oberst'' (Colonel) in the '' Generalstab'' (General Staff of the German Army) and one of the participants in the G ...
(1904 - 1944), a German Army officer and a
German Resistance German resistance can refer to:
* Freikorps, German nationalist paramilitary groups resisting German communist uprisings and the Weimar Republic government
* German resistance to Nazism
* Landsturm, German resistance groups fighting against France d ...
fighter
References
Literature
* (de) Wilhelm Volkert (ed.): ''Handbuch der bayerischen Ämter, Gemeinden und Gerichte 1799–1980'' (Handbook of the Bavarian Administrations, Municipalities and Courts, 1799-1980). C.H.Beck’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Münich, 1983. , pp. 441 and 442.
* (de) ''Statistisches Bundesamt'' (Federal Bureau of Statistics) (ed.), ''Historisches Gemeindeverzeichnis für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Namens-, Grenz- und Schlüsselnummernänderungen bei Gemeinden, Kreisen und Regierungsbezirken vom 27. 5. 1970 bis 31. 12. 1982'' (Historical Directory of the Municipalities of the Federal Republic of Germany. Name, Boundary and Key Number Changes for Communities, Districts and Administrations between 27 May 1970 and 31 December 1982).
W. Kohlhammer
W. Kohlhammer Verlag GmbH, or Kohlhammer Verlag, is a German publishing house headquartered in Stuttgart.
History
Kohlhammer Verlag was founded in Stuttgart on 30 April 1866 by . Kohlhammer had taken over the businesses of his late father-in-law ...
, Stuttgart and Mainz, 1983. , p. 679.
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Coburg (district)