Town in Thuringia, Germany
| Sondershausen | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Sondershausen within Kyffhäuserkreis district
 | |
  Sondershausen Show map of Germany Sondershausen Show map of Thuringia | |
| Coordinates: 51°22′N 10°52′E / 51.367°N 10.867°E / 51.367; 10.867 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Thuringia |
| District | Kyffhäuserkreis |
| Subdivisions | 12 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2024–30) | Steffen Grimm (Ind.) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 114.36 km (44.15 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 208 m (682 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 21,317 |
| • Density | 190/km (480/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 99701–99706 |
| Dialling codes | 03632 |
| Vehicle registration | KYF, ART, SDH |
| Website | www.sondershausen.de |
Sondershausen is a town in Thuringia, central Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km (30 mi) north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was merged with Sondershausen.
Until 1918 it was part of the principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.
.JPG)
Geography
Sondershausen is situated in North Thuringia and lies in a low mountain range between Hainleite (in the north) and Windleite (in the south). The highest mountain is the Frauenberg to the west of the town. A little river called Wipper flows through Sondershausen. The town is surrounded by mixed forests, dominated by beech.
Subdivisions
The city districts are:
|
|
|
Culture and main sights
Museums
Sondershausen Palace houses a large museum with three different exhibit areas. Special exhibits are the "Golden Coach" [de], the only one of its kind in Germany, and the legendary bronze figurine "Püstrich" [de]. There are special guided tours of the palace's storage depot, cellar, tower, and park.
Other places of interest include a former mine under the city, and a Jewish bath from the 14th century.
Buildings
- Sondershausen Palace, with natural history and antiquarian collections. Built as a palace during the Renaissance, expanding from an earlier fort, it was later expanded further in a Baroque style (1764–1771). Especially noteworthy are the "Blue Hall" and the gardens.
- The previous Princes' Palace (1721–1725), a residence of the princes from 1835 to 1851. It currently houses the district administration office of the Kyffhäuserkreis.
- The "Octagonal House"
- "Alte Wache"
- Main building of the "Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium Sondershausen" (a grammar school)
- A mikveh
- "Haus der Kunst" ("House of the Arts") theatre
- Rathaus (city hall)
- Gottschalcksches Haus (House of Gottschalck)
Churches
- The Baroque Trinitatiskirche, a Lutheran church with a mausoleum containing the graves of the last members of the princely family
- Crucis Church, the oldest building in Sondershausen
- St. Matthias Church, a historical structure considered one of the most beautiful churches in the region
- St. Petri Church in Jechaburg
- St. Georg Church in Bebra
- St. Viti Church in Berka
- St. Bonifatius Church in Großfurra
- St. Johannis Church in Oberspier
- Church of Großberndten
- Church St. Mauritii in Himmelsberg
- Church Gloria Deo in Hohenebra
- Church of Immenrode
- Church St. Johannes in Kleinberndten
- St. Crucis Church in Schernberg
- Church of Thalebra
- St. Elisabeth Church (catholic)
Notable people
- Rudolf Arzinger (1922–1970), expert of public international law
- Felix Becker (1864–1928), art historian
- Regina Miriam Bloch (1888–1938), writer and poet
- Johann Günther Friedrich Cannabich (1777–1859), geographer
- Edmund Döring (1860–1938), German homeland culture ("Heimat") historian
- Ernst Christoph Dressler (1734–1779), composer, operatic tenor, violinist and music theorist
- Ernst Ludwig Gerber (1746–1819), composer, music writer, musician
- Jörg Hoffmann (born 1963), luger, Olympic champion in Calgary 1988
- Thilo Irmisch (1816–1878), botanist
- Günther Jahn (painter) (born 1933), painter
- Michael Kohl (1929–1981), lawyer, East German deputy foreign minister
- Olaf Koch (conductor) (born 1932), director of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin
- Karl Krieghoff (1905–1984), local poet
- Vera Lengsfeld (born 1952), politician
- Georg Richard Lewin (1820–1896), dermatologist, university professor
- Kurt Lindner (1906–1987), hunting historian
- Valentin Ernst Löscher (1674–1749), theologian, writer
- Günther Lutze (1840–1930), botanist, German homeland culture ("Heimat") historian, chronicler
- Joachim Manard (Manhard, Manardt) (1564–1637), chronicler of the town
- Ludwig Günther Martini (1647–1719), jurist
- Curt Mücke (1885–1940), painter
- Carl Moeller (German pastor) (1867–1920), pastor and German homeland culture ("Heimat") historian
- Hermann Müller (1891–1984), German homeland culture ("Heimat") historian
- Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (born 1966), speed skater
- Ronald Paris (1933–2021), painter
- Werner Schubert (1921–1991), painter
- Heinz Scharr (born 1924), visual artist
- Ferdinand Schlufter (1871–1948), major
- Volker Strübing (born 1971), book author, cabaret artist and songwriter
- Johann Friedrich Suckow (1769–1842), musician
- Johann Karl Wezel (1747–1819), poet
Sister cities
Sondershausen is twinned with three cities:
Rolla, Missouri, United States
Pecquencourt, France
Kazlų Rūda, Lithuania
References
- Gewählte Bürgermeister - aktuelle Landesübersicht, Freistaat Thüringen. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2022" (in German). Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik. June 2023.
- "Partnerstädte". Sondershausen. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
External links
- "Sondershausen" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
| Cities in Thuringia by population | |
|---|---|
| 100,000+ | |
| 50,000+ | |
| 20,000+ | |
| 10,000+ | |