Apolda

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Town in Thuringia, Germany
Coat of arms of Apolda
Coat of arms
Location of Apolda within Weimarer Land district
Am EttersbergNauendorfVollersrodaHetschburgFrankendorfIlmtal-WeinstraßeIlmtal-WeinstraßeEttersburgObertrebraBallstedtHammerstedtOetternEberstedtKleinschwabhausenWiegendorfKiliansrodaBad SulzaMechelrodaKapellendorfGrammetalGroßheringenLehnstedtUmpferstedtBuchfartDöbritschenRittersdorfHohenfeldenNeumarkNiedertrebraTonndorfSchmiedehausenGroßschwabhausenMellingenKlettbachMagdalaKranichfeldApoldaBad BerkaBlankenhain
(2018–24) Rüdiger Eisenbrand[1]Area
 • Total46.15 km2 (17.82 sq mi)Elevation
205 m (673 ft)Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total23,072 • Density500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Postal codes
99501-99510
Dialling codes03644, 036462, 036465Vehicle registrationAP, APDWebsitewww.apolda.de

Apolda (German: [aˈpɔlda] ⓘ) is a town in central Thuringia, Germany, the capital of the Weimarer Land district. It is situated in the center of the triangle Weimar–Jena–Naumburg near the river Ilm, c. 15 kilometres (9 miles) east by north from Weimar. Apolda station lies on the Halle–Bebra railway, which is part of the main line from Berlin to Frankfurt.

History

Apolda was first mentioned in 1119. Until 1633 it was seat of a family of nobles, the Vitzthums, which acted relatively independent. Between 1633 and World War I Apolda was property of the University of Jena. Nevertheless, from 1691 to 1809 Apolda was part of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar and from 1809 to 1918 of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (after 1815 Grand Duchy). Around 1700, the knitting industry began to grow, so that finally, at the end of the 19th century, Apolda was the wealthiest town of the whole region. On July 12–17, 1945, Apolda issued a set of three of its own postage stamps. They depicted a new sprig growing up out of a tree stump. After World War II, Thuringia became part of the German Democratic Republic. Up to German reunification, Apolda still was famous for its textile industries. Since then, a notable economic decay has taken place.

Mayors

Ernst Stegmann was the long-time mayor of Apolda with 33 years in office (1901-1934).

Period of office Name
1869–1871 Dr. jur. Hugo Mentz
1871–1877 Gustav Francke
1878–1888 Julius Schrön
1888–1890 Friedrich August Eupel
1890–1896 Oskar Stechow
1896–1900 Georg von Fewson
1901–1934 Ernst Stegmann
1934–1945 Julius Dietz
Period of office Name
from 23.4.1945 Friedrich Maul
from 3.6.1945 Walther Lührs
from 8.10.1945 Johannes Berger
1947–1948 Kurt Meyn
1948–1950 Kurt Sparschuh
1950–1953 Wilhelm Tischer
1953–1955 Anton Lifka
1955–1959 Kurt Koch
Period of office Name
1959–1963 Rudi Doye
1963–1983 Hans Reichert
1983–1985 Elke Brauer
1985–1989 Gerhard Brauer
1989–1990 Jürgen Goller
1990–2006 Michael Müller
since 1.6.2006 Rüdiger Eisenbrand

Main sights

It possesses several churches and monuments to the Dobermann Pinscher dog breed, which was created in Apolda, and to Christian Zimmermann (1759–1842), who, by introducing the hosiery and cloth manufacture, made Apolda one of the most important places in Germany in these branches of industry. By 1900 it also had had extensive dyeworks, bell foundries, and manufactures of steam engines, boilers,[3] cars and bicycles. After German reunification the majority of these had to be closed down for economical reasons.

The most important sights are:

  • St. Martin's Church (1119), details in Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque style
  • Town Hall (1558/9), in Renaissance style
  • Castle (16th/17th century)
  • Railway viaduct (1845/46)
  • Zimmermann factory building (1880–1882)
  • Lutherkirche (1894)
  • St. Boniface's Church (1894)
  • Glocken museum (Bell museum)

The largest free hanging bell in the world, the Decke Pitter of Cologne Cathedral, was made in Apolda. Apolda also has mineral springs.

Twin towns – sister cities

Apolda is twinned with:[4]

Notable people

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Apolda.
  1. ^ Gewählte Bürgermeister - aktuelle Landesübersicht, Freistaat Thüringen, accessed 14 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2022" (in German). Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik. June 2023.
  3. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Apolda". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 183.
  4. ^ "Die Partnerstädte von Apolda". apolda.de (in German). Apolda. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
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