Zwickau

Zwickau
Town hall
Zwickau
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
Admin. region	Chemnitz
District	Zwickau
Town subdivisions	5 Stadtbezirke mit 35 Stadtteilen
Lord Mayor	Dr. Pia Findeiss (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area	102.54 km2 (39.59 sq mi)
Elevation	241-444 m
Population	95,089  (30 September 2008)
- Density	927 /km2 (2,402 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	Z
Postal codes	08001–08066
Area code	0375
Website	www.zwickau.de Coordinates: 50°43′08″N 12°29′46″E / 50.71889°N 12.49611°E / 50.71889; 12.49611

Zwickau (German pronunciation: [ˈtsvɪkaʊ̯]) in Germany is the capital of the Zwickau County and core city in southwest Saxony within the Free State of Saxony (Bundesland), situated in a valley at the foot of the Erzgebirge. Next to Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz it is the fourth largest city in Saxony and it belongs to the industrial core of the Chemnitz-Zwickau economic region.

Leipzig-Halle, Dresden and Chemnitz-Zwickau are called the Saxony Metropolitan Triangle. Zwickau-City has slightly below 100,000 inhabitants and is accessed by nearby autobahns, the A72 and A4, along with a train main station (Zwickau-Hbf). The 166 km long river Zwickauer Mulde has the famous Colditz Castle as its endpoint of a line. The Silver Road, Saxonys longest scenic road, connects Dresden with Zwickau. Next cities are Chemnitz (33km), Dresden (110km East), Gera (33km Northwest) and Leipzig (70km North).

Prolog

In the 15th/16th century, Zwickau rises to supreme economic and cultural center of Germany due to its Silver resources. After Wittenberg, it became the second city in Europe to adopt reformation. In the 19th century Zwickau's economy was supported by coal mining. After an administrative reform in 1835 it became administration district. From 1907 until 2008 Zwickau was enjoying independent county status. After the district reforms of 1875 and 1900 the administrative status lasted until the end of WWII.

The old mountain city of Zwickau is surrounded by gentle heights with extensive forests and a fine municipal park, and in its further surroundings offers many possibilities for excursions to the Hartenstein area with its castle "Stein" (a former miners' rest home from 1936, today a wellness hotel), to the Prinzenhöhle and to its castle "Wolfsbrunn" (a luxury 5 stars Hotel today) to the Auersberg (1019 meters) with the popular winter sport region of Johanngeorgenstadt and to the Vogtland.

Zwickau looks back on a nearly 900 years old history. The carefully preserved treasures of art, handwritings (incunabels from middle age), documents, letters and books are kept in the Town Archives (Hans Sachs (*1494 - 1576) Meister Singer volumes) and in the School Library founded by scholars and the city clerk Stephan Roth during the Reformation.

In the Old Town the Cathedral and the Gewandhaus recall the active churchly, trade and artistic life of the flourishing 16th century, called to life by the Schneeberg silver. Zwickau was the main site of the Saxon coal miners, and at the same time one of the most important industrial towns of the country. It's the cradle of the Saxon Automobile Industry. In 1904 the Horch automobile plant was founded, followed by Audi factory in 1909. In 1932 both were being converted into independent brands within the Auto Union.

The Zwickau mining lamps (Friemann & Wolf) and the racing cars of the Auto Union, developed by Ferdinand Porsche and Robert Eberan von Eberhorst, driven by Bernd Rosemeyer, Hans Stuck, Tazio Nouvolari, Ernst von Delius, have been known all over the world.

When the noise of the shops subsides, one hears the music of Robert Schumann, which is an especial artist event of art and history for all the visitors to the city.

On April 17th, 1945 WWII was over in Zwickau by means of US-Army occupation. Two courageous church clerks waved a white flag on top of St. Marys Cathedral. That's the reason why the city was not heavily damaged like the other Saxon cities Dresden, Chemnitz or Plauen at the end of WWII. After withdrawal of US-Army in 1945, June, 30th, Zwickau has been occupied by Red Army. After that in 1948 the East German Socialist Party (SED) expropriated all large companies' property, and Zwickau was stripped of its role as administrative district. The city was annexed to Karl-Marx-Stadt district. After the German Reunification and reestablishment of the federal states, Zwickau became part of Chemnitz district. In 2008, after a district reform in 2008 which had been led by Saxonys Prime Minister Milbrandt (CDU), Zwickau was no longer an independent city. Since 1944, Zwickau had a population of over 100,000 inhabitants and until 2003 it was the fourth-largest city in Saxony, next to Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz.

Today, the most important employer in the region is VW (Volkswagen-Saxony) which assembles its models Golf, Passat and Phaeton in the Zwickau-Mosel vehicle plant.

Boundaries

Zwickau is bounded by Mülsen, Reinsdorf, Wilkau-Haßlau, Hirschfeld (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Kirchberg), Lichtentanne, Werdau, Neukirchen, Crimmitschau, Dennheritz (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Crimmitschau) and the city of Glauchau.

History

The Ampelfrau

The region around Zwickau was settled by Slavs as early as the 7th century. In the 10th century, German settlers began arriving and the native Slavs were Christianized. A trading place known as Zcwickaw was mentioned in 1118. The settlement received a town charter in 1212 and hosted Franciscans and Cistercians during the 13th century. Zwickau was a free imperial city from 1290-1323, but was granted to the margraves of Meissen afterward. Although regional mining began in 1316, extensive mining increased with the discovery of silver in the Schneeberg in 1470.

In 1520 Martin Luther dedicated the scripture "On the Freedom of a Christian" to his friend Hermann Muehlpfort , the Lord Mayor of Zwickau. Anabaptist movement of 1525 began at Zwickau under the inspiration of the "Zwickau prophets". Confessional warfare plundered the city during the Thirty Years' War.

The composer Robert Schumann was born in Zwickau in 1810 in a house which still stands in the marketplace.

During WWII, the government operated a satellite camp of the Flossenbuerg-Nazi concentration camp in Zwickau, which was placed near the Auto Union plant HORCH. The NAZI administration installed at the Osterstein Castle a hard labor penal camp. Both camps were liberated by US-Army in 1945.

From 1949-1990 Zwickau was a part of East Germany and was a center for the mining of coal and the manufacture of Trabant automobiles.

As of November 2004, Ampelmännchen traffic signals have achieved gender equality; in Zwickau the first traffic light lady, or Ampelfrau, was created.

Economy

Hard coal mine Brückenberg I (later Karl-Marx) in 1948

Production of the last Trabants in 1990

Hard coal mining mining is mentioned as early as 1348. However, industrial scale mining started first in the early 19^th. The hard coal mines of Zwickau and the neighbouring Oelsnitz-Lugau coalfield contributed heavily to the industrialisation of the region and the town. Following the hard coal mining, many industrie branches developed in the town: mining equipment, automobile (Audi, Horch, Auto Union, steel and iron works, textile, machinery and further chemical, porcelain, paper, glass, dyestuffs, wire goods, tinware, stockings, and curtains. There are also steam saw-mills, diamond and glass polishing works, iron-foundries, and breweries. After WWII, Zwickau became the heart of East German automobile industry with the "Sachsenring-Werke" building the Trabant. Coal mining was abandoned for economical reasons in 1978 after about 230 millions tonnes were mined from the Carboniferous deposit to depths of over 1,000m. However, Zwickau remained a mining related town: A coke oven plant operated in the town until 1992. The closure of the plant marked the histroical end of 700 years of hard coal industry in Saxony. Further, two major facilities of the SDAG Wismut were situated in the city: the uranium mill in Crossen, producing uranium concentrate from ores of mines in the Erzgebirge and Thuringia, and the machine building plant in Cainsdorf producing various equipment for the uranium mines and mills of East Germany. Uranium milling ended in 1989 and after the reunification the Wismut machine building plant was sold to a private investor. The production of the Trabant at Sachsenring stopped as well but Volkswagen built a new factory and Sachsenring is now a supplier for the automobile industry.

Education

Zwickau is home of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences with about 4700 students and two campuses in the area of Zwickau.

Transport

Zwickau is connected to the Autobahn A72 (Chemnitz-Hof) south of the town and to the A4 (Dresden-Erfurt) 15 km north of the town. The city is located on the Sachsenmagistrale-railway line with connections to Nürnberg and Dresden. There are further railway connections to Leipzig as well as Karlovy Vary and Cheb in the Czech Republic. The closest airport is *Leipzig-Altenburg with a very limited number of flights by the low cost carrier Ryan Air. The next major airports are Leipzig-Halle and Dresden offering a large number of national and international flights.

Highlights

Church spire in Zwickau, at dusk.

St. Catharine church

Among the nine churches, the fine Gothic church of St Mary (1451-1536 and restored 1885–1891), with a spire 285 ft. high and a bell weighing 51 tons, is remarkable. The church contains an altar with wood-carving and eight pictures by Michael Wohlgemuth and a remarkable pietà in carved and painted wood, by Peter Breuer Marienkirche:[1]. The late Gothic church of St. Catharine Kathrinenkirche:[2],[3] (restored 1893–94) has an altarpiece ascribed to Lucas Cranach the elder, and is memorable for the pastorate (1520–22) of Thomas Müntzer. Of the secular buildings the most noteworthy are the town-hall of 1581, with the municipal archives, including documents dating back to the 13th century and an autograph MS. of the works of Hans Sachs, and the late Gothic Gewandhaus (cloth merchants' hall), built 1522-24 and now in part converted into a theatre.

The history of the Horch automobile factory is presented at the August Horch Museum, an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage. The town museum offers different collections dedicated to the history of the town, as well as art and a mineralogical, palaeontological and geological collection with many specimen from the town and the nearby Erzgebirge Mts.. Zwickau is also the birthplace of Robert Schumann and there is a museum dedicated to him.

Sport

One time GDR-Oberliga champion FSV Zwickau today plays in the fourth German football league (Oberliga) in the Southeast division.

Districts

• Mitte (Center)
  • Innenstadt
  • 12 Mitte-Nord
  • 13 Mitte-West
  • 14 Mitte-Süd
  • 15 Nordvorstadt
• Ost (East)
  • 21 Gebiet Äußere Dresdner Straße/Pöhlauer Straße
  • 22 Eckersbach Siedlung
  • 23 Pöhlau
  • 24 Auerbach
  • 25 Eckersbacher Höhe (E5/1)
  • 26 Eckersbacher Höhe (E5/2-3)
  • 27 Eckersbacher Höhe (E1-E4)
  • 28 Gebiet Talstraße/Trillerberg

The main market of Zwickau

• Nord (North)
  • 31 Pölbitz
  • 32 Weißenborn
  • 33 Niederhohndorf
  • 34 Hartmannsdorf
  • 35 Oberrothenbach¹
  • 36 Mosel ¹
  • 37 Crossen¹
  • 38 Schneppendorf
  • 39 Schlunzig ¹

Zwickau town hall and Theater at night

• West (West)
  • 41 Gebiet Reichenbacher Straße und Freiheitssiedlung
  • 42 Marienthal-Ost
  • 43 Marienthal-West
  • 44 Brand

The river Zwickauer Mulde in Zwickau

• Süd (South)
  • 51 Bockwa
  • 52 Oberhohndorf
  • 53 Schedewitz/Geinitzsiedlung
  • 54 Niederplanitz
  • 55 Neuplanitz
  • 56 Hüttelsgrün
  • 57 Oberplanitz
  • 58 Rottmannsdorf ¹
  • 59 Cainsdorf ¹

Incorporations

• 1895: Pölbitz
• 1902: Marienthal
• 1905: Eckersbach
• 1922: Weißenborn
• January 1, 1923: Schedewitz
• 1939: Brand and Bockwa
• January 1, 1944: Oberhohndorf and Planitz (with Oberplanitz, Neuplanitz und Niederplanitz)
• February 1, 1953: Auerbach, Pöhlau and Niederhohndorf
• July 1, 1993: Hartmannsdorf
• April 1, 1996: Rottmannsdorfs
• October 1, 1996: Crossen (with 4 municipalities on Janutary 1, 1994 Schneppendorf)
• January 1, 1999: Cainsdorf, Mosel, Oberrothenbach and Schlunzig along with Hüttelsgrün (Lichtentanne) and Freiheitssiedlung

Historical population

¹ Census data

Historical mayors of Zwickau

• 1501 - 1518: Erasmus Stella
• 1518 - 1530: Hermann Mühlpfort
• Carl Wilhelm Ferber: 1800, 1802, 1804, 1806, 1808, 1810, 1812, 1814
• Tobias Hempel: 1801, 1803, 1805, 1807, 1809, 1811, 1813, 1815, 1817, 1819
• Christian Gottlieb Haugk: 1816, 1818, 1820, 1822
• Carl Heinrich Rappius: 1821, 1823, 1825, 1826
• 1824: Christian Heinrich Pinther
• 1827 - 1830: Christian Heinrich Mühlmann, Stadtvogt
• 1830 - 1832: Franz Adolf Marbach
• 1832 - 1860: Friedrich Wilhelm Meyer
• 1860 - 1898: Lothar Streit, from 1874 Lord Mayor
• 1898 - 1919: Karl Keil
• 1919 - 1934: Richard Holz
• 1934–1945: Ewald Dost
• 1945: Fritz Weber, (acting Lord Mayor)
• 1945: Georg Ulrich Handke, (acting Lord Mayor)
• 1945 - 1949: Paul Müller
• 1949 - 1954: Otto Aßmann
• 1954 - 1958: Otto Schneider
• 1958 - 1969: Gustav Seifried
• 1969 - 1973: Liesbeth Windisch
• 1973 - 1977: Helmut Repmann
• 1977 - 1990: Heiner Fischer
• 1990 - 2001: Rainer Eichhorn
• 2001 - 2008: Dietmar Vettermann
• 2008  : Dr. Pia Findeiß

Twinnings

• Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic, since 1971
• Zaanstad, Netherlands, since 1987
• Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, since 1988

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

External links

• official Website of Zwickau
• e-Catalogue of the area
• Zwickau up-to-date
• Free Press - Zwickau newspaper
• TV Zwickau - Local Television Station
• August-Horch Museum at Audi Works

v • d • e Towns and municipalities in Zwickau (district) Bernsdorf | Callenberg | Crimmitschau | Crinitzberg | Dennheritz | Fraureuth | Gersdorf | Glauchau | Hartenstein | Hartmannsdorf bei Kirchberg | Hirschfeld | Hohenstein-Ernstthal | Kirchberg | Langenbernsdorf | Langenweißbach | Lichtenstein | Lichtentanne | Limbach-Oberfrohna | Meerane | Mülsen | Neukirchen | Niederfrohna | Oberlungwitz | Oberwiera | Reinsdorf | Remse | Sankt Egidien | Schönberg | Waldenburg | Werdau | Wildenfels | Wilkau-Haßlau | Zwickau