Apolda

Apolda

Apolda

Town in Thuringia, Germany

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.

Quick Facts Country, State ...

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).

More information Period of office, Name ...

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

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Apolda is twinned with:[4]

Notable people

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Apolda.
  1. [1]
    Gewählte Bürgermeister - aktuelle Landesübersicht, Freistaat Thüringen, accessed 14 July 2021.
  2. [2]
    "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2022" (in German). Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik. June 2023.
  3. [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. [4]
    "Die Partnerstädte von Apolda". apolda.de (in German). Apolda. Retrieved 2021-02-28.


Stub icon

This Weimarer Land location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Apolda, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.