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Suhl () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located SW 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 in ...
, NE of Würzburg and N of Nuremberg. With its 37,000 inhabitants, it is the smallest of the six urban districts within Thuringia. Together with its northern neighbour-town
Zella-Mehlis Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town of Zella-Mehlis is the site of the original Walthe ...
, Suhl forms the largest urban area in the Thuringian Forest with a population of 46,000. The region around Suhl is marked by up to 1,000-meter-high mountains, including Thuringia's highest peak, the Großer Beerberg (983 m), approximately NE of the city centre. Suhl was first mentioned in 1318 and stayed a small mining and metalworking town, until industrialization broke through in late 19th century and Suhl became a centre of Germany's arms production, specialized on rifles and guns with companies such as Sauer & Sohn. Furthermore, the engineering industry was based in Suhl with Simson, a famous car and moped producer. In 1952, Suhl became one of East Germany's 14 district capitals, which led to a government-directed period of urban growth and conversion. Its results – a typical 1960s concrete architecture-marked city centre – are defining to the present. With the loss of its administrative and industrial functions, Suhl saw a lasting period of urban decline starting in 1990. Suhl is known for its sportsmen, especially in shooting, winter sports, and volleyball.


History


Middle Ages

Though first appearing in a 1318 deed, several entries in the annals of
Fulda Abbey The Abbey of Fulda (German ''Kloster Fulda'', Latin ''Abbatia Fuldensis''), from 1221 the Princely Abbey of Fulda (''Fürstabtei Fulda'') and from 1752 the Prince-Bishopric of Fulda (''Fürstbistum Fulda''), was a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedicti ...
already mentioned a place named ''Sulaha'' between 900 and 1155 AD. The coat of arms from 1365 shows two hammers, indicating the city's most important livelihood: metal processing. The region belonged to the territories held by the Franconian counts of Henneberg since the 11th century. Suhl was located on an important trade route from Gotha,
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 in ...
and
Arnstadt Arnstadt () is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, on the river Gera about south of Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. Arnstadt is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia, and has a well-preserved historic centre with a partially preserved town ...
passing the Thuringian Forest mountain range at Oberhof and continuing to the Henneberg's residence, Schleusingen.


Early modern period

From 1500 onwards, the Henneberg lands belonged to the Franconian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. Suhl has been a ''Flecken'' (small market town) since 1445 and the full municipal rights were granted in 1527, making Suhl one of the youngest cities in present-day Thuringia. Iron ore mining created the basis for the development of Suhl as a centre of
gunsmith A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very h ...
trade. The Reformation was introduced in 1544. Several
witch-hunts A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern per ...
took place in the area from 1553 until the late 17th century. When the Henneberg counts became extinct in 1583, Suhl passed to the Wettin electors of Saxony, where it remained until 1815. Unlike most of present Thuringia, it didn't belong to the
Ernestine Ernestine is a feminine given name. Ernest is the male counterpart of this name. Notable people with the name include: * Ernestine Anderson (1928–2016), American jazz and blues singer * Ernestine Bayer (1909–2006), American athlete * Ernestine ...
line of the Wettins, but to the Albertine cadet branch of Saxe-Zeitz from 1660, so that it had been a Saxonian and later Prussian exclave within Thuringia for nearly 300 years. During the 16th century, iron mining and metalworking saw a boom, finished by the Thirty Years' War, when marauding Croat mercenaries under Imperial general Johann Ludwig Hektor von Isolani burnt down the city in 1634. From about 1690, Duke Moritz Wilhelm of Saxe-Zeitz supported the reconstruction of Suhl as a mining town.


Since 1815

The Congress of Vienna in 1815 led to the Saxonian loss of Suhl, which became part of Prussia. Staying an exclave within Ernestine territories, Suhl was part of the Schleusingen district until the dissolution of Prussia in 1945. The later 19th century brought the connection to the railway in 1882 and the industrialisation of the metalworking business. About 1920, Suhl has been a centre of left-wing revolutionary groups, so that the Reichswehr occupied the city (and the neighbour-town
Zella-Mehlis Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town of Zella-Mehlis is the site of the original Walthe ...
) during the Kapp Putsch and ended the workers uprising. After 1935, the military industry saw another boom, caused by the Nazi armament. About 10,000 forced labourers had to work in the city's arms industry after 1940. The US Army reached Suhl on 3 April 1945 and was replaced by Soviet troops on 1 July 1945. At the same year, Suhl became part of Thuringia, which was replaced by three Bezirks in 1952. Suhl became the capital of the south-western Bezirk, reaching from
Bad Salzungen Bad Salzungen () is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wartburgkreis district. Geography Location Bad Salzungen is situated on the river Werra, east of Tiefenort and south of Eisenach. Divisions In July 2018 the former m ...
in the north-west to Sonneberg in the south-east with a population of 550,000. During the GDR period, the upgraded city saw a period of rapid urban growth, which is defining until today. After the German reunification in 1990, Suhl lost its administrative functions when Thuringia was refounded and replaced the Bezirks. Furthermore, the industry collapsed. Both led to a structural crises, which isn't overcome yet. The population of Suhl declined about 35% since 1988.


History of arms production

The metal processing of Suhl naturally led, during the Renaissance, to other major local industries, including gunsmithing and armoring. Suhl was a major producer of cannons throughout the seventeenth and subsequent centuries, and Suhl cannons were used by many European powers. A major arms company that was located in Suhl for almost 200 years was J.P. Sauer und Sohn GmbH, producer of hunting rifles, shotguns, and pistols, such as the Sauer 38H, until moving operations to
Eckernförde Eckernförde ( da, Egernførde, sometimes also , nds, Eckernför, sometimes also ) () is a German town in Schleswig-Holstein, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, on the coast of the Baltic Sea approximately 30 km north-west of Kiel. The population is ...
at the end of World War II. Other prominent firearms manufacturers in Suhl included: * Simson (also known as BSW and then Gustloff Werke under Nazi rule and Ernst Thälmann Suhl under Communist rule) * Waffenfabrik August Menz, noted for having produced in the 1920s the
Liliput pistol Designed and popularized by the Austrian watchmaker Franz Pfannl. The 4.25 mm Liliput pistol is one of the smallest semiautomatic handguns ever made (the Kolibri is generally considered the smallest). Hence its name, derived from the fiction ...
, one of the smallest semiautomatic handguns ever made. *
C.G. Haenel C.G. Haenel is a German weapon manufacturer located in Suhl, Germany. History The Prussian commissioner for firearms manufacturing, Carl Gottlieb Haenel, began producing bicycles and weapons in 1840 — a combination which was not uncommon at t ...
* The largest manufacturer producing firearms currently in Suhl is Merkel GmbH, which make both rifles and shotguns. During the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, the East German national shooting arena was located at Suhl, and hosted many top-level competitions, including the 1986 ISSF World Championships. Although surpassed in this respect in the unified Germany by the
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
shooting centre at Munich, Suhl remains an important place to the sport. It hosts Germany's only school for armorers, and a well equipped museum of weapons.


Geography


Topography and geology

Suhl is located on the south-western edge of the Thuringian Forest. To the south-west, the
Small Thuringian Forest Small may refer to: Science and technology * SMALL, an ALGOL-like programming language * Small (anatomy), the lumbar region of the back * ''Small'' (journal), a nano-science publication * <small>, an HTML element that defines smaller text ...
(some foothills of the Thuringian forest) is situated. The terrain is mountainous to all directions, some important mountains are: the Großer Beerberg (983 m, highest one in Thuringia) in the north-east, the Ringberg (745 m), the Döllberg (760 m), the Friedberg (649 m) and the Adlersberg (859 m) in the east, the Steinsburg (641 m) in the south, the Heiliger Berg (513 m), the Domberg (675 m) and the Berg Bock (709 m) in the north-west as well as the Bocksberg (609 m) and the Hoheloh (526 m) within the city. The centre itself is located in an elevation of 450 m and nearly the complete non-build on part of the municipal territory is forested. There are a few small rivers running through Suhl: The Hasel rises at Friedberg in the south-east and runs westward through Suhl, Heinrichs, Mäbendorf, Dietzhausen and Wichtshausen. The
Lauter Lauter may refer to: People * Lauter (surname) Places *Lauter, Saxony, town in the district of Aue-Schwarzenberg, Saxony, Germany * Lauter, Bavaria, village in the district of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany Rivers * Lauter (Baunach), tributary to th ...
rises on the southern slope of Großer Beerberg mountain and runs through Goldlauter, Lauter and the city centre, before it joins the Hasel behind the station. The
Mühlwasser Mühlwasser is a river of Thuringia, Germany. It flows into the Lauter near Suhl. See also *List of rivers of Thuringia A list of rivers of Thuringia, Germany: A *Alster * Apfelstädt * Ascherbach * Auma B * Biber * Bibra * Blambach ...
rises on the western slope of Großer Beerberg and runs southward through the northern city parts before it joins the Lauter at the northern city centre. Suhl sits on the southern edge of the ''Suhler Scholle,'' an upthrust granite complex that is streaked by numerous
dikes Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...
. This is part of the Ruhla-Schleusingen Horst that defines the southwest side of the Thuringian Forest. The southwest side of the ''Suhler Scholle'' abuts horizontal sedimentary layers, Buntsandstein ( sandstone from the Triassic period) over
Zechstein The Zechstein (German either from ''mine stone'' or ''tough stone'') is a unit of sedimentary rock layers of Middle to Late Permian (Guadalupian to Lopingian) age located in the European Permian Basin which stretches from the east coast of Englan ...
( evaporite deposits from the Permian period). The granite of the ''Suhler Scholle'' is capped with Permian sediments and igneous deposits. The higher hills to the northeast are part of the '' Beerberg Scholle'', an irregularly cracked mass of
quartz porphyry Quartz-porphyry, in layman's terms, is a type of volcanic (igneous) rock containing large porphyritic crystals of quartz. These rocks are classified as ''hemi-crystalline acid rocks''. Structure The quartz crystals exist in a fine-grained matrix ...
from the later Permian period. A band of
iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
s follows the fault dividing the ''Suhler Scholle'' from the sedimentary rocks to the southwest, while the copper and silver deposits are to the northeast in the Permian deposits above the ''Suhler Scholle.'' Southeast of town, there is a significant uranium deposit in the ''Buntsandstein''.


Administrative division

Suhl abuts the following municipalities:
Geratal Geratal is a municipality in the district Ilm-Kreis, in Thuringia, Germany. It was created with effect from 1 January 2019 by the merger of the former municipalities of Frankenhain, Geraberg, Geschwenda, Gossel, Gräfenroda and Liebenstein. The na ...
,
Elgersburg Elgersburg is a municipality situated in the district of Ilm-Kreis, 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 Rus ...
and
Ilmenau Ilmenau () is a town in Thuringia, central Germany. It is the largest town within the Ilm district with a population of 38,600, while the district capital is Arnstadt. Ilmenau is located approximately south of Erfurt and north of Nuremberg w ...
within Ilm-Kreis district in the north-east,
Nahetal-Waldau Nahetal-Waldau is a former Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Hildburghausen (district), district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. Since July 2018, it is part of the town of Schleusingen.Sankt Kilian Sankt Kilian is a village and a former municipality in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. Since July 2018, it is part of the town of Schleusingen Schleusingen is a town in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germ ...
, Eichenberg,
Grub Grub can refer to Grub (larva), of the beetle superfamily Scarabaeoidea, or as a slang term for food. It can also refer to: Places * Grub, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland * Grub, St. Gallen, Switzerland * Grub (Amerang), a hamlet in Bavaria, ...
,
Oberstadt Oberstadt is a municipality in the district of Hildburghausen, 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 Russ ...
and
Schmeheim Schmeheim is a municipality in the district of Hildburghausen, 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 Russ ...
within Hildburghausen district in the south, Dillstädt and Schwarza in the west as well as
Benshausen Benshausen is a village and a former municipality in the district Schmalkalden-Meiningen, in Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous cou ...
and
Zella-Mehlis Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town of Zella-Mehlis is the site of the original Walthe ...
in the north within Schmalkalden-Meiningen district. Some villages were incorporated during the 20th and 21st century to form the present-day districts of Suhl: * Albrechts (incorporated in 1994) * Dietzhausen (1994) * Gehlberg (2019) * Goldlauter (1979) * Heidersbach (1979) * Heinrichs (1936) * Mäbendorf (1979) * Neundorf (also: ''Suhler Neundorf'', 1936) *
Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig is a village and a former municipality in Thuringia, Germany. Formerly in the district Ilm-Kreis, it is part of the town Suhl since January 2019. Gallery File:Winter in Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig.jpg, Schmiedefeld am Ren ...
(2019) * Vesser (1994) * Wichtshausen (1994)


Cityscape

Suhl's cityscape is marked by the lack of flat ground to build on, which is why the city's morphology appears picked and incoherent. The city centre developed during the Middle Ages around the Marktplatz and the Steinweg (as main street) next to the confluence of ''Lauter'' and ''Rimbach'' river. Later, the city grew to the east and south to the bordering hills and valleys. After World War II, Suhl became the capital of one of the 14 Bezirks in the
GDR East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
in 1952. During the following decades, the city doubled its population, many Plattenbau settlements developed at the periphery and the centre got largely converted. The old town around Friedrich-König-Straße was demolished during the 1960s, as were the quarters east of Topfmarkt later. They were rebuilt with contemporary concrete architecture and Plattenbau buildings. The new city centre with all the important public buildings was developed around Friedrich-König-Straße, even with large-scale high-rise buildings. After the reunification, the population shrunk heavily, leading to high vacancy rates. The government reacted to this by demolishing some of the Plattenbau settlements at the periphery; some buildings stood only for 20 years. Compared with other East German cities, the fight against vacancy was simpler in Suhl, because vacancy was concentrated at the periphery and not in the city centre (as in the most older cities in East Germany), which made it easy to demolish and renature the areas. A larger problem is vacancy in shops in the city centre, because the retail sector in Suhl has also been in a crisis for many years.


Demographics

¹ Census The area around Suhl was settled during the later Middle Ages, nevertheless, Suhl stayed a village resp. small town of 1,000 to 2,000 inhabitants during this period. The growth of proto-industrial manufacturing businesses in 17th and 18th century led to a first increase of population up to 6,000 around 1800. During the following decades, the industrial revolution in other German regions led to an economic crisis in Suhl, because of the bad traffic conditions for exporting products. Nevertheless, the population grew further to 10,000 in the 1880s, as the city got finally connected to the railway. Compared to other upcoming cities in Germany, the growth of population stayed slight until 1935, as Suhl counted 15,000 inhabitants. Then, the arm production for World War II brought an economic boom to Suhl and a growth of population up to 26,000 in 1940, which stayed the same until the early 1960s. Between 1960 and 1988, the population grew up to 56,000, forced by the government's expansion of Suhl as a capital of one of the 14 Bezirks in
GDR East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
. After the reunification in 1990, the city lost its administrative and economic functions, which led to an extreme decline in population. It shrunk to 48,000 in 2000 and 36,000 in 2012. With a decline of more than 35% since 1988, Suhl is among the heaviest shrinking cities in Germany. The average decrease of population between 2009 and 2012 was approximately 1.68% p. a, which is faster than in bordering rural regions. Suburbanization played only a small role in Suhl. It occurred after the reunification for a short time in the 1990s, but most of the suburban areas were situated within the administrative city borders. During the 1990s and the 2000s, many inhabitants left Suhl to search a better life in west Germany or other major east German cities like
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 in ...
, Jena or Leipzig. The birth deficit, caused by the high average age of the population, is getting a bigger problem because there is no immigration to compensate it yet. Urban planning activities to tear down unused flats led to a relatively low vacancy rate of 8% (according to 2011 EU census), compared with a loss in population of more than 35% since 1988. The birth deficit was 207 in 2012, this is −5.8 per 1,000 inhabitants (Thuringian average: −4.5; national average: −2.4). The net migration rate was −11.5 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 (Thuringian average: −0.8; national average: +4.6). The most important target regions of Suhl migrants are other Thuringian regions like Erfurt, Jena and Eisenach same as the western German conurbations. Like other eastern German cities, Suhl has only a small amount of foreign population: around 1.5% are non-Germans by citizenship and overall 3.9% are migrants (according to
2011 EU census 2011 EU census, or EU population and housing census 2011 was an EU-wide census in 2011 in all EU member states. 2011 EU member state censuses {, class="wikitable sortable" ! Country ! Dedicated article ! Related articles , - , Austria , , , , ...
). Differing from the national average, the biggest groups of migrants in Suhl are Russians and Vietnamese people. During recent years, the economic situation of the city improved: the unemployment rate declined from 16% in 2006 to 7% in 2013, which is one of the lowest rates among Thuringia's major cities. Due to the official atheism in former
GDR East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, most of the population is non-religious. 12.6% are members of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany and 2.5% are Catholics (according to 2011 EU census).


Politics

The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was
Martin Kummer Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...
of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who served from 1990 to 2006. He was succeeded by independent
Jens Triebel Jens may refer to: * Jens (given name), a list of people with the name * Jens (surname), a list of people * Jens, Switzerland, a municipality * 1719 Jens, an asteroid See also * Jensen (disambiguation) * Jenssi Joensuu (; krl, Jovensuu; ) i ...
from 2006 to 2018. André Knapp of the CDU was elected in 2018, and has since served as mayor. The most recent mayoral election was held on 15 April 2018, with a runoff held on 29 April, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jens Triebel , align=left, Independent , 6,129 , 42.5 , 6,597 , 47.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, André Knapp , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 5,470 , 37.9 , 7,267 , 52.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Philipp Weltzien , align=left, The Left , 2,010 , 13.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Stephan Nagel , align=left,
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...
, 827 , 5.7 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 14,436 ! 98.7 ! 13,864 ! 99.2 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 195 ! 1.3 ! 117 ! 0.8 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 14,631 ! 100.0 ! 13,981 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 30,537 ! 47.9 ! 30,506 ! 45.8 , - , colspan=7, Source
Wahlen in Thüringen
The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Lead candidate ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , align=left, André Knapp , 14,974 , 29.5 , 3.4 , 11 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Voters (FW) , align=left, Jens Triebel , 9,811 , 19.3 , 2.9 , 7 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , align=left, Philipp Weltzien , 9,291 , 18.3 , 14.3 , 7 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...
(AfD) , align=left, Bernhard Meinunger , 6,133 , 12.1 , New , 4 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...
(SPD) , align=left, Uwe Theisinger , 6,023 , 11.9 , 3.2 , 4 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...
(Grüne) , align=left, Bernhard Hofmeier , 2,890 , 5.7 , 5.5 , 2 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party is the name of several political parties around the world. It usually designates a party ideologically based on liberalism. Current parties with that name include: *Free Democratic Party (Germany), a liberal political party in ...
(FDP) , align=left, Andreas Schmidt , 1,660 , 3.3 , 0.0 , 1 , ±0 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 17,085 ! 97.9 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 361 ! 2.1 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 17,446 ! 100.0 ! ! 36 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 31,916 ! 54.7 ! 9.7 ! ! , - , colspan=8, Source
Wahlen in Thüringen


Economy and infrastructure


Agriculture, industry and services

Agriculture plays no role in Suhl, only 17% of the municipal territory are in agricultural use. The soil isn't very fertile and the climate is harsh, the most cultivated strains are maize and rapeseed, furthermore there is cattle farming on some areas. On the other hand, 63% of the territory are forest, so that wood production plays a role in Suhl. Suhl's industry has always been based on metalworking. In the past, the city was a leading arms producer in Germany and the vehicle production was another pillar of the local industry. After the reunification in 1990, the industry collapsed and the most factories got closed. Important companies of today are ''CDA'', a producer of data replication media, ''Zimbo'', a meat producer, ''Gramss'', an industrial bakery, ''Paragon'', a car parts supplier, and ''Merkel'', the last remained arms producer in Suhl. In 2012, there were 27 companies in industrial production with more than 20 workers employing 2,000 persons and generating a turnover of €295 million. Services in Suhl are including the typical regional supply (like retail, hospital, cinema etc.) and some preserved administrative functions over the surrounding districts like the Industrie- und Handelskammer and the regional centres of Arbeitsagentur and Rentenversicherung. Furthermore, tourism plays a role because of the beautiful landscape around. In 2012, there were 93,000 hotel guests having 245,000 overnight stays in Suhl.


Transport

Suhl connected to the railway quite late, because of its hilly terrain. The Neudietendorf–Ritschenhausen railway through the city was opened in 1882 (southern direction to Würzburg) and in 1884 (northern direction to
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 in ...
). It was one of only few main mountain railways in Prussia with the large, long Brandleite Tunnel north of the city. Later, this railway became an important link between Berlin and south-western Germany, until the inner-German border cut it off in 1949. Since that time, there is only regional traffic on the line (except a short time in 1990s with long-distance trains). The express train runs every two hours to Erfurt in the north and Würzburg in the south, where connections to long-distance trains are given. Furthermore, there are local trains to Erfurt and
Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 25,000 (2021).
, running also every two hours, so that there is overall a connection once an hour in both directions. Another railway to Schleusingen was opened in 1911 and closed in 1997. With a gradient of nearly 7%, it was one of the steepest regular railways in Germany. Stations in Suhl besides the main station are located in Heinrichs and Dietzhausen, whereas the Stations Suhler Neundorf and Friedberg at the Schleusingen line are abandoned. Suhl is situated at the junction of
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.Bundesautobahn 73 is a motorway in Germany. It connects Suhl to Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, an ...
(Suhl–Nuremberg). Both got opened during the 2000s and host some impressive bridges and tunnels around Suhl, like the
Rennsteig Tunnel Rennsteig Tunnel (German: Rennsteigtunnel) is the longest road tunnel in Germany with a length of 7,878 meters (4.919 mi). The Rennsteig Tunnel is part of the motorway Bundesautobahn 71, Autobahn A 71 between Gräfenroda and Oberhof, Germany, ...
in the north and the 82 m high ''Haseltalbrücke'' at Heinrichs district. A Bundesstraße through Suhl was the Bundesstraße 247 from Gotha in the north to Schleusingen in the south. It was annulled after the opening of both Autobahns and is now a secondary road. Other important secondary roads run to
Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 25,000 (2021).
in the west and
Ilmenau Ilmenau () is a town in Thuringia, central Germany. It is the largest town within the Ilm district with a population of 38,600, while the district capital is Arnstadt. Ilmenau is located approximately south of Erfurt and north of Nuremberg w ...
in the east. Biking is getting more and more popular since the construction of quality cycle tracks began in the 1990s. For tourism serve the ''Hasel track'' from Suhl to the Werra valley near Meiningen. Furthermore, there are some mountainbiking tracks within the Thuringian Forest. Public transport is carried out by a bus line network connecting the city centre with the outskirts,
Zella-Mehlis Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town of Zella-Mehlis is the site of the original Walthe ...
and neighbouring villages. A trolleybus system was planned during the late 1980s, but not realized after the reunification.


Education

There is only one
Gymnasium school ''Gymnasium'' (and variations of the word) is a term in various European languages for a secondary school that prepares students for higher education at a university. It is comparable to the US English term '' preparatory high school''. Bef ...
left in Suhl, after others were closed due to the decline of the number of children after 1990.


Culture

There are some museums and other cultural institutions in Suhl: * The ''Waffenmuseum'' at Friedrich-König-Straße shows an exhibition about the history of arm production in Suhl. * The ''Fahrzeugmuseum'' at Kongresszentrum hosts an exhibition of vehicles produced by Simson. * The ''Galerie im Atrium'' at Kongresszentrum shows temporary exhibitions of art. * The ''Sternwarte Suhl'' is the city's
observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
at Hoheloh hill, south-west of the city centre. * The ''Tierpark Suhl'' is the zoological garden of the city at Carl-Fiedler-Straße on the eastern city border. * The municipal orchestra, founded in 1953 and based in the ''Kulturhaus'' at Friedrich-König-Straße was closed in 2009.


Sights

The most significant sights in Suhl are: * St. Mary's Church is the evangelical main parish church of Suhl, built between 1753 and 1756 in late-Baroque style * The Holy Cross Church is the second evangelical parish church at Steinweg, built between 1731 and 1739 in Baroque style. * The Holy Cross Chapel behind the eponymous church is one of the oldest buildings in Suhl, established in 1618 Gothic style. * The town hall at Marktplatz was built between 1812 and 1817 and modified in 1913 to Neo-Baroque style. * The ''Malzhaus'' at Friedrich-König-Straße was built around 1650 and hosts the ''Waffenmusuem'' today. * The ''Kulturhaus'' at Friedrich-König-Straße was built in 1957 in Neo-Classicist style and demolished in 2013. Only the façade and the lobby remained. * Some buildings of the former Simson factory between the Heinrichs and Mäbendorf districts in Bauhaus-modern architecture of 1920s and 1930s remained. * The new municipal library at Bahnhofstraße was built in 2004 in form of a glass cube. * Some older buildings remained in the district of ''Heinrichs'' (including the church, town hall and some picturesque timber-framed houses) west of the city centre.


Image gallery

Marienkirche Suhl Pano-3.jpg, St. Mary's Church Thuringia Suhl asv2020-07 img19 Cross Church.jpg, Holy Cross Church Suhl-Kreuzkapelle.jpg, Holy Cross Chapel Thuringia Suhl asv2020-07 img08 Town hall.jpg, Town hall Thuringia Suhl asv2020-07 img20 PlDerDtEinheit.jpg, Malzhaus hosting the arms museum Thuringia Suhl asv2020-07 img22 PlDerDtEinheit.jpg, Kulturhaus Heinrichs-Rathaus1.jpg, Town hall of Heinrichs district


Twin towns – sister cities

Suhl is twinned with: * České Budějovice, Czech Republic * Bègles, France *
Kaluga Kaluga ( rus, Калу́га, p=kɐˈɫuɡə), a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast in Russia, stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: Kaluga's most famous resident, the space travel pioneer Konstantin Tsiol ...
, Russia * Lahti, Finland * Leszno, Poland *
Smolyan Smolyan ( bg, Смолян) List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, is a town and ski resort in the south of Bulgaria near the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Smolyan Province. The town is built ...
, Bulgaria * Würzburg, Germany


Notable people

* Friedrich Wilhelm Adami (1816–1889), journalist * Christoph Bach (1613–1661), composer *
Georg Christoph Bach Georg Christoph Bach (6 September 1642 – 27 April 1697) was a German composer. He was the son of Christoph Bach and the elder brother of Johann Sebastian Bach's father Johann Ambrosius Bach. Life Georg Christoph Bach was born in Erfurt, Ger ...
(1642–1697), composer, progenitor of the Frankish Bach-line, from 1661 to 1668 cantor and schoolmaster in Heinrichs in Suhl * Wilhelm Cuno (1876–1933), politician and businessman, German chancellor 1922–1923 * Claus Peter Flor (born 1953), conductor * Corinna Harfouch (born 1954), actress *
Johann Peter Kellner Johann Peter Kellner (variants: Keller, Kelner) (28 September 1705 – 19 April 1772) was a German organist and composer. He was the father of Johann Christoph Kellner. Biography He was born in Gräfenroda, Thuringia, and was intended by his par ...
(1705–1772), composer and organ builder * Friedrich Koenig (1774–1833), contributed as an inventor of the flatbed press a decisive contribution to the development of the printing industry and worked for some time in Suhl *
André Lange André Lange (; born 28 June 1973) is a retired German bobsledder and the most successful bob pilot of all time. Competing at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, he has won four gold and one silver medals. Lange originally started his sledd ...
(born 1973), bobsledder, multiple Olympic and world champion * Hugo Schmeisser (1884–1953), developer of infantry weapons * Louis Schmeisser (1848–1917), weapon technical designer *
Moses Simson Simson was a German company which produced firearms, automobiles, bicycles and motorcycles, and mopeds. Under the Third Reich, the factory was taken from the Jewish Simson family, and was renamed several times under Nazi and later Communist contro ...
(1808–1868) and Lob Simson (1806–1862), founders of the Simson works


References


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Suhl Towns in Thuringia