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Sömmerda
Sömmerda is a town near Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany, on the Unstrut river. It is the capital of the district of Sömmerda. History Archeological digs in the area that is now Sömmerda, formerly Leubingen, have uncovered prominently buried human remains dating to around 2000 BCE. One such burial of an individual, dubbed the "king of Leubingen" is the Leubingen tumulus. Sömmerda was first mentioned in official documents in 876 CE. It probably became a town in about 1350 but there are no existing records of the event. One town gate, dating from 1395, and six towers from the old town walls are still standing. During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) Sömmerda was at the heart of military activity, and soldiers from both sides ransacked the town, halving the population. In 1840, Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse invented the needle gun and a firearms factory was founded in the town. In 1919 the Rheinmetall company took over the factory, later called Rheinmetall-Borsig, at first ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sömmerda Station
Sömmerda station is the station of Sömmerda in the German state of Thuringia. It is the public transport hub of the Sömmerda district and the only ''Turmbahnhof'' ("tower station"—two-level interchange station) in Thuringia. History The first railway reached Sömmerda on 14 August 1874. It was the Straußfurt–Großheringen railway (known as the ''Pfefferminzbahn''—"Peppermint Railway"), which connects Straußfurt in the west via Sömmerda to Großheringen in the east. This line was built by the Nordhausen-Erfurt Railway Company (''Nordhausen-Erfurter Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'') and owned by the Prussian state railways (''Preußische Staatsbahn'') from 1887. On 24 October 1881, the second and more important line, the Sangerhausen–Erfurt railway was opened through Sömmerda. In preparation for it, the station had to be developed into a two-level interchange station in order to link both lines. Since then, the higher Sangerhausen–Erfurt railway has run above the Pepperm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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–Magdeburg(–Berlin) connection, the shortest regional connection between these major Thuringian and Saxony-Anhalt cities. The timetable number of 335 applies to the whole route from Erfurt to Magdeburg, including the Sangerhausen–Erfurt section. Route The railway starts in Sangerhausen on the southern edge of the Harz in Saxony-Anhalt. After having crossed the Thuringian border a few kilometres to the south, it reaches Artern on the Unstrut. The line crosses the Unstrut and follows the river through the ''Diamantene Aue'' lowlands to the ''Thüringer Pforte'' (Thuringian Gate) at Heldrungen. Beyond this gorge of the Unstrut, between the ridges of Hainleite to the west and Schmücke to the east, the line enters the Thuringian Basin. It pass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sömmerda (district)
Sömmerda (German: ''Landkreis Sömmerda'') is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Kyffhäuserkreis, the Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, the district Weimarer Land and the district-free city Erfurt, and the districts Gotha and Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis. History The district Sömmerda was created in 1952. In 1994, the districts of Thuringia were reorganized, and the district Sömmerda was enlarged significantly by adding municipalities from the dissolved districts Artern and Erfurt-Land. Geography The main river in the district is the Unstrut. The nearby town of Kölleda is known locally as the Peppermint City because of its long history of growing aromatic and medicinal herbs. Coat of arms The coat of arms shows the three historic states which Sömmerda belonged to in the past. In the left is the Saxon symbol, to the right is the lion as symbol of Thuringia, and in the bottom is the Wheel of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johann Nikolaus Von Dreyse
Johann Nicolaus von Dreyse (20 November 1787 – 9 December 1867) was a German firearms inventor and manufacturer. He is most famous for submitting the Dreyse needle gun in 1836 to the Prussian army, which was adopted for service in December 1840 as the ''Leichte Perkussions-Gewehr M 1841'' – a name deliberately chosen to mislead about the rifle's mechanism – later renamed Zündnadelgewehr M 1841 in 1855. Biography Dreyse was born in Sömmerda (then ruled by the Archbishopric of Mainz), the son of a locksmith. Dreyse worked from 1809 to 1814 in the Parisian gun factory of Jean-Samuel Pauly, a Swiss who designed several experimental breech-loading military rifles. After returning to Sömmerda in 1824, he founded a company to manufacture percussion caps. It was there that he designed the needle rifle. While the gun is thought of by some to be the first bolt-action rifle, in reality it bears little resemblance to modern bolt-action rifles, except for the bolt principl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schillingstedt
Schillingstedt is a village and a former municipality in the Sömmerda district of Thuringia, Germany. Since July 2018, it is part of the town Sömmerda Sömmerda is a town near Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany, on the Unstrut river. It is the capital of the district of Sömmerda. History Archeological digs in the area that is now Sömmerda, formerly Leubingen, have uncovered prominently buried h .... References Former municipalities in Thuringia Sömmerda (district) {{Sömmerda-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Louis Schmeisser
Louis Schmeisser (5 February 1848, Zöllnitz – 23 March 1917) was one of the best-known weapon technical designers of Europe. He is associated with the development and production of the Bergmann machine guns used during the First World War. He designed the Dreyse 1907 Pistol which was used in both World Wars. Schmeisser was born in Zöllnitz, Saxe-Altenburg. He was the father of Hugo Schmeisser (1884–1953), who was also a famous designer of infantry weapons, including the StG 44 The StG 44 (abbreviation of Sturmgewehr 44, "assault rifle 44") is a German assault rifle developed during World War II by Hugo Schmeisser. It is also known by its early designations as the MP 43 and MP 44 (''Maschinenpistole 43'' and ''44''). .... His other son, Hans Schmeisser, was also a well-known weaponry designer. References * Norbert Moczarski, Zwischen Jena, Gaggenau, Suhl und Sömmerda - Leben und Wirken des Waffenkonstrukteurs Louis Schmeisser (1848–1917) In: Sömmerda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 largest city. Other cities are Jena, Gera and Weimar. Thuringia is bordered by Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It has been known as "the green heart of Germany" () from the late 19th century due to its broad, dense forest. Most of Thuringia is in the Saale drainage basin, a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. Thuringia is home to the Rennsteig, Germany's best-known hiking trail. Its winter resort of Oberhof makes it a well-equipped winter sports destination – half of Germany's 136 Winter Olympic gold medals had been won by Thuringian athletes as of 2014. Thuringia was favoured by or was the birthplace of three key intellectuals and leaders in the arts: Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 the middle of an almost straight line of cities consisting of the six largest Thuringian cities forming the central metropolitan corridor of the state, the "Thuringian City Chain" ('' Thüringer Städtekette'') with more than 500,000 inhabitants, stretching from Eisenach in the west, via Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar and Jena, to Gera in the east. Erfurt and the city of Göttingen in southern Lower Saxony are the two cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants closest to the geographic center of Germany. Erfurt is located south-west of Leipzig, north-east of Frankfurt, south-west of Berlin and north of Munich. Erfurt's old town is one of the best preserved medieval city centres in Germany. Tourist attractions include the Merchants' Bridge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leubingen
The Leubingen tumulus (German: ''Fürstengrab von Leubingen'') is an early bronze age "princely" grave of the Leubingen culture, (which, after further finds at Auntjetitz became known as Auntjetitz or Unetice culture), dating to about 1940 BC. It is located near the hills of Kyffhäuser in Leubingen, an ''Ortsteil'' of Sömmerda in the eastern German state of Thuringia. Excavations The site was first unearthed in 1877 by Jena art professor and archaeologist (1831–1898). He was working at the behest of the ''Historische Kommission der Provinz Sachsen''. Klopfleisch kept a diary during his work and latter submitted an official report on the findings. Unfortunately, there are important differences between his original notes and the final report. Both the location of the burial chamber and of the grave goods within the chamber vary. During the excavations no second body is mentioned (see Description below), only a few bone remains. Today, the diary is deemed the more reliable sou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 breaks out of the basin through the Thuringian Gate west of Heldrungen and, in its lower reaches, flows through Saxony-Anhalt before emptying into the Saale near Naumburg. The total length of the Unstrut is . Towns along the Unstrut include Mühlhausen, Sömmerda, Bad Frankenhausen, Artern, Roßleben, and Freyburg. The main tributaries of the Unstrut are the Gera, Wipper, Helme, and Lossa. The countryside around the Saale and Unstrut rivers forms the wine-growing region of Saale-Unstrut. The well-known brand of sparkling wine, ''Rotkäppchen'' ("Little Red Riding Hood") is produced in the cellars of Freyburg. Name Old High German ''Strödu'' means 'boggy thicket' and ''un-'' is a prefix to intensify the meaning, and so the Unstrut re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MG30
The ''Maschinengewehr'' 30, or MG 30 was a German-designed machine gun that saw some service with various armed forces in the 1930s. It was also modified to become the standard German aircraft gun as the MG 15 and MG 17. It is most notable as the design pattern that led to the MG 34 and MG 42, and thus is one of the major ancestors of many of the weapons in service which would later find widespread use into the 21st century. History Development of the MG 30 took place under the direction of Louis Stange at Rheinmetall's Sömmerda office. However actual production of machine guns was prohibited in Germany under the Versailles Treaty. Rheinmetall circumvented the provisions by acquiring the majority shareholding of the Swiss manufacturer Waffenfabrik Solothurn AG and relocating production there. The goal was to acquire orders for the rearmament of the Reichswehr, which was modernizing its arsenal. The design was rejected by the German Reichswehr which adopted the MG 13. Rheinmetal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buchenwald
Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or suspected communists were among the first internees. Prisoners came from all over Europe and the Soviet Union— Jews, Poles and other Slavs, the mentally ill and physically disabled, political prisoners, Romani people, Freemasons, and prisoners of war. There were also ordinary criminals and sexual "deviants". All prisoners worked primarily as forced labor in local armaments factories. The insufficient food and poor conditions, as well as deliberate executions, led to 56,545 deaths at Buchenwald of the 280,000 prisoners who passed through the camp and its 139 subcamps. The camp gained notoriety when it was liberated by the United States Army in April 1945; Allied commander Dwight D. Eisenhower visited one of its subcamps. From August 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
