Stadtilm

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coat of arms Germany map
Coat of arms of the city of Stadtilm
Stadtilm
Map of Germany, position of the city Stadtilm highlighted

Coordinates: 50 ° 47 '  N , 11 ° 5'  E

Basic data
State : Thuringia
County : Ilm district
Height : 360 m above sea level NHN
Area : 120.26 km 2
Residents: 8406 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density : 70 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code : 99326
Area code : 03629
License plate : IK, ARN, IL
Community key : 16 0 70 048
City structure: 22 districts

City administration address :
Street of the unit 1
99326 Stadtilm
Website : www.stadtilm.de
Mayor : Lars Petermann (independent)
Location of the city of Stadtilm in the Ilm district
Alkersleben Amt Wachsenburg Arnstadt Bösleben-Wüllersleben Dornheim Elgersburg Elleben Elxleben Geratal Großbreitenbach Ilmenau Martinroda Gehren Osthausen-Wülfershausen Plaue Stadtilm Witzleben Thüringen Landkreis Schmalkalden-Meiningen Suhl Landkreis Hildburghausen Landkreis Sonneberg Landkreis Saalfeld-Rudolstadt Landkreis Weimarer Land Erfurt Landkreis Gothamap
About this picture
Stadtilm seen from the northeast

Stadtilm is a small town in the Ilm district in the middle of Thuringia , around 30 kilometers south of Erfurt . It is located in the wide Ilm valley in the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and has a historic town center with numerous old buildings as well as over 20 village-like districts in the area, which were incorporated in 2018.

geography

Stadtilm is an elongated place on the banks of the Ilm, roughly where the river begins to break through the limestone layers of the Ilm-Saale-Platte . On closer examination of the limestone lumps, which are easy to find, one quickly comes across fossilized shells and snails. Some protected plants such as the silver thistle or the rare lady's slipper grow in the surrounding areas . To the left of the Ilm, Sperlingsberg and Weinberg surround the city, while Buchberg and Haunberg are on the right. The municipal area of ​​the city consists mainly of fields and a smaller part of forest areas. The subsoil is karstified and therefore dry and not very fertile. In addition to the Ilm, the Wipfra flows through some of the western districts, and the Deube , the Rottenbach and the Remdaer Rinne arise in the area. Striking mountains in the area are the Singener Berg (583 m), the Große Kalmberg (548 m) and the Willinger Berg (502 m).

The core city of Stadtilm is in the middle of the district, above (southwest) Oberilm is directly connected . Below (northeast) of Stadtilm are the districts of Großhettstedt , Kleinhettstedt and Dienstedt in the Ilm Valley and, a little further away, Oesteröda . In the Deube region in the south-east there are large , small , close winds , Döllstedt and Ehrenstein . In the south-west, around the Singer Berg, are the districts of Geilsdorf , Hammersfeld , Griesheim , Traßdorf , Cottendorf , Dörnfeld an der Ilm , Singen and Gösselborn . After all, the towns of Behringen , Oberwillingen and Niederwillingen are located west of the city center in the Wipfra valley . Natural sights include the Oberwillinger Spring and the Dienstedter Karst Cave .

Neighboring communities

Clockwise, starting in the north: Bösleben-Wüllersleben - Witzleben - Kranichfeld - Rudolstadt - Königsee - Ilmenau - Arnstadt

Community structure

Districts of Stadtilm

The 22 districts of the city are (in alphabetical order):

history

prehistory

Stadtilmer town church from the south
The church from the north
The two church towers

The first evidence of human settlements near Stadtilm is from around 1200 to 700 BC. Dated: On the Haunberg north of Stadtilm, shards of vessels from the Late Bronze Age were found. In 2014/15 parts of a Germanic settlement from the 2nd to 5th centuries were discovered, which extended around a small spring lake that has now fallen dry. In this former lake there was a lot of waste from a nearby workshop, mainly hardware; These were pieces of wagons or carts such as wheel tires, fittings, nails and eyelets, but also components of bridles such as bridle rings, bridles and leather trimmings. Accordingly, the Kupferstrasse , which crossed the Ilm here, was already in use during the Hermundur and Thuringian times . It is fitting that there were numerous coins, ceramics and bronze of Roman provenance there. Local products are, however, pliers brooches and a strap button fibula .

First mentions

A mention of Stadtilm can be found in a forged document from Heinrich V for the Reinhardsbrunn monastery , which is dated September 14, 1114. This document, which was probably made in the second half of the 12th century, at the latest in the 1220s, proves that a town of Stadtilm must have already existed at the time of the forgery. The first mention of the citizenship and thus the city of Stadtilm is based on a document dated May 13, 1268. It is a deed of ownership in which a "civis ylmene" (citizen of Ylmene) is mentioned. The document serves as proof of the status as a city, since the term "citizen" was only used for residents of places with city rights at this time. The village existed for a long time, as the church was consecrated in 1235.

Division between Schwarzburg and Kevernburg (until 1388)

In the 13th century (city) Ilm belonged to two mansions at the same time: One half (the upper manor ) belonged to the Schwarzburg house , the other (the lower manor ) to the Käfernburger house . The border between the two states ran exactly through the area of ​​the town. Since there was often disagreement between the two houses, the heads of the two counties at that time, Count Günther VIII von Käfernburg and Günther XI., Count and Herr zu Schwarzburg, assured in 1293 that the citizens of the city should not be affected if the differences were to be resolved . This promise was repeated in 1302 and citizens were even allowed to move from one part of the city to the other without any problems. In addition (city) Ilm should never become a place for “a castle or a bulwark” . The division of the city ended in 1388 when the Schwarzburg -habenburg family bought the Kaeferburg part from the widowed Countess Sophie von Käfernburg.

Schwarzburger, time until 1918

During the Schwarzburg House War (1447–1451), Stadtilm was besieged for three weeks by 18,000 (1,800 according to other sources) men of Elector Friedrich von Sachsen (the Meek) . This siege is said to have ended when the townspeople slaughtered the last pig in town in order to celebrate a final festival at which sausages were also fried. The besiegers, who had also reached the end of their supplies, saw the clouds of smoke, smelled the sausages and saw Stadtilm well cared for for a long time, so they gave up the siege.

During the German Peasant War there was no fighting in Stadtilm, although 5,000 to 8,000 insurgents camped outside the city. After the gates had been opened, the verköstigte Cistercian - Kloster Ilm the rebellious peasants. Some of Stadtilm's citizens joined the farmers, four of whom were beheaded on the market square in Arnstadt after the uprising was put down.

In 1571, after Günther's death, XL split up . the Schwarzburg house initially in four parts. In 1599, however, two of Günther's sons were XL. Died childless, so that with the "Stadtilm Treaty" the division of the Schwarzburg house into the two lines Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (which belonged to Stadtilm) and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was completed.

During the Thirty Years' War from 1618 to 1648 Stadtilm was sacked several times by mercenaries and once captured by Swedish troops.

Large fires destroyed parts of the city several times. In the fire of 1675, which probably started in the “Roter Hirsch” inn, 23 houses and 26 barns and stables were burned. On August 1, 1780, 172 out of 322 residential buildings fell victim to another major city fire in addition to all public buildings (173 out of 312 houses according to other sources). The cause is said to have been boiled over and burnt fat in a day laborer's hut. Since the church was no longer usable because of the fire, a new location had to be found in which the church ceremonies could take place. In the former Ilm Monastery, which was now used as a castle, there was a chapel - probably unharmed by the fire - which served this purpose during the nine-year reconstruction of the church.

In 1917, the two large church bells from 1783, as well as the bells of the Oberilmer church, cast in 1775 and 1805, were dismantled because the metal was urgently needed in the armaments industry. 138 residents of Stadtilm and 15 residents of today's Oberilm district did not return from the First World War .

1918 to 1933

Until the end of the First World War in 1918, Stadtilm belonged to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt ( suzerainty ). After the end of World War I thanked two weeks late on November 23, 1918 Prince Günther Victor , who in personal union also represented the principality Schwarzburg-Sondershausen reigned as the last German monarch from. Since 1919 Stadtilm has belonged to the Free State of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, which in 1920 became part of the new state of Thuringia . By dividing Thuringia into districts, Stadtilm has belonged to the Arnstadt district since then . In 1922 the previously independent town of Oberilm was incorporated as a district of Stadtilms.

In December 1918 - shortly after the end of the war - Stadtilmer emergency money was put into circulation for the first time , initially only 5 and 10 pfennig notes, later also 50 pfennig notes. In 1923, at the height of inflation , 10 billion marks in emergency money corresponded to 1 pfennig in gold marks .

1933 to 1945

As early as May 5, 1933, shortly after Hitler was appointed Chancellor , he and Gauleiter Fritz Sauckel were granted honorary citizenship of the city. At the same time, some streets and squares were renamed, for example the market square was given the name Adolf-Hitler-Platz . However, there was also resistance by individuals who were punished with treason charges and imprisonment. In 1933 , a Reich Labor Service Camp (RAD) was built on Buchberg, below the former restaurant Zur Wilhelmshöhe .

On August 26, 1939, the reservists of the Wehrmacht were called up again and billeted in the RAD on Buchberg to set up a supply company. Already on August 31, 1939 - one day before the start of the Second World War - the company was set in motion and the transport took place by train in the direction of Arnstadt . In 1940, the air alarm was triggered for the first time in Stadtilm, but the Allied forces only dropped their bombs in neighboring towns. The 1924 replacement for the newly cast bells of the Stadtilm city church dismantled during the First World War were dismantled again in 1942. They too served the armaments industry as raw material, only the smallest bell was spared this fate.

During the Second World War , more than 380 " Eastern workers " as well as prisoners of war and military internees had to do forced labor : in the Paul Hoffmann & Co. shoe factory and in Rheinmetall-Borsig AG . 15 unknown prisoners are buried in the cemetery, including two victims of a death march . Four dead are buried in the Oberilm cemetery.

In April 1945 Thuringia was conquered bit by bit by the US armed forces. By April 4, the troops were already shortly before Gotha . Prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp , who were previously workers in camp S III ( Jonastal ), were led in groups through the city on a death march from April 6, 1945. Today a memorial on Maxim-Gorki-Strasse commemorates the victims of this march.

Samuel Goudsmit (right) and Marinus Toepel in a jeep during the ALSOS III mission in Stadtilm in April 1945

In August 1943, Kurt Diebner's research group set up a nuclear research laboratory in the vaulted cellar of what was then the middle school. Experiments on the fission of uranium nuclei and burning tests with uranium and deuterium oxides were carried out there. This laboratory existed until the beginning of April 1945, when Diebner fled to Bavaria with his research results in view of the approaching allies.

In order to stop the advance of the Americans, attempts were made to make strategic traffic routes impassable. After the Mühlgraben Bridge had already been completely destroyed and the Oberilmer Bridge partially destroyed by members of the Wehrmacht, they tried to destroy the viaduct of the railway line to Arnstadt on April 10th . The first attempt at blasting with two two-hundredweight bombs caused hardly any damage to the structure, a second attempt at blasting through a mine lying on the viaduct was prevented by citizens of Stadtilm.

On April 11, 1945, when an aerial bomb detonated in the Kirchgarten park, the Methfessel School was destroyed, and the town church was also badly damaged. The school was previously accommodation for the message unit 500 of the SS .

On the morning of April 12, 1945, the first US troops marched into the city and there met resistance from the Volkssturm , which did not last long, so that the city was handed over to the Americans on the same day.

1945 to 1989

Naw stadtilm 1959 page 1.jpg Naw stadtilm 1959 page 2.jpg Naw stadtilm 1959 page 3 and 4.jpg
Construction map of the NAW 1959 of the city of Stadtilm

According to the zone protocols from 1944, the city became part of the Soviet occupation zone on July 4, 1945 . The first changes in the new social order were soon noticeable: In September 1945, as part of the land reform, the expropriation of several properties took place, the land was divided up between agricultural workers and refugees from the eastern German territories . The companies were also expropriated and transferred to state- owned companies . The first operation in the entire Arnstadt district was the saline in Oberilm, followed by the leather factory and the gelatine factory. In 1949 the Soviet occupation zone passed into the newly founded German Democratic Republic . Already in the first years of its existence the cityscape was changed decisively. Until the mid-1960s, prefabricated housing estates, a school and several kindergartens, industrial companies, a swimming pool, a rural outpatient clinic, a cinema and other things were built as part of the national development work . Until the 1980s, the prefabricated building areas in Oberilm and between the street of friendship (today Weimar street) and the tree avenue were expanded. In 1975 a second school building was inaugurated.

On July 1, 1950, the previously independent municipality of Oberilm was incorporated.

The demonstrations that took place throughout the GDR on October 7 and 8, 1989 did not yet affect Stadtilm, only in the district town of Arnstadt. The first silent demonstration took place on December 10, 1989, leading from the market square through several streets in the city center.

1990 until today

After the fall of the Wall , the first free local elections took place on May 6, 1990 , in which the CDU with twelve seats and the SPD with eleven seats achieved the highest results. In 1994, the Arnstadt district , to which Stadtilm belonged until then, were merged with the Ilmenau district to form the Ilm district . The Hohe Kreuz , a small settlement near Stadtilm, decided in the same year with 12:10 votes not to join Stadtilm, but to join the community of Niederwillingen . In 1996 this merged with other communities to form the community of Ilmtal .

In the course of the regional reform of Thuringia in 2018 and 2019 , negotiations were carried out with the same about a merger, which resulted in the incorporation of Ilm Valley on July 6, 2018.

On December 20, 2017, a new junction of the A 71 was opened near Traßdorf , which bears the name of the city and connects to the federal highway 90 , which runs south of the city. In the course of this, the so-called dog , the road to Nahzüge, is to be dismantled.

Population development

Development of the population:

  • 1843: 2.167
  • 1939: 4,556
  • 1989: 5.543
  • 2005: 5,092
  • 2010: 4,920
  • 2015: 4,777

Data source: from 1994 Thuringian State Office for Statistics - values ​​from December 31st

politics

Local elections 2019
Turnout: 62.9% (2014: 46.9%)
 %
50
40
30th
20th
10
0
43.2%
23.2%
12.0%
8.7%
8.4%
4.5%
Gains and losses
compared to 2014
 % p
 45
 40
 35
 30th
 25th
 20th
 15th
 10
   5
   0
  -5
-10
-15
-20
+ 43.2  % p
-17.5  % p
-2.4  % p
-8.0  % p
-14.0  % p
-1.2  % p
Template: election chart / maintenance / notes
Remarks:
a citizen alliance

City council

Allocation of seats in the city council

Election year CDU SPD FDP 1 Left 2 FWG VSB NF DFD BA 3 total
1990 12 seats 11 seats 2 seats 1 seat 2 seats 1 seat 1 seat 30 seats
1994 8 seats 9 seats 1 seat 2 seats 20 seats
1999 11 seats 6 seats 1 seat 2 seats 20 seats
2004 7 seats 6 seats 1 seat 3 seats 3 seats 20 seats
2009 5 seats 5 seats 1 seat 3 seats 2 seats 16 seats
2014 6 seats 4 seats 1 seat 3 seats 2 seats 16 seats
2019 5 seats 2 seats 1 seat 2 seats 2 seats 8 seats 20 seats

1 In 1990 as a Union of Free Democrats , later merged with the FDP     2 until 2007: PDS
3 BA: Citizens' Alliance Ilmtal-Stadtilm

Committees

According to §§ 18–19 of the city's rules of procedure, the city council forms the following committees:

  • Main and finance committee, consisting of the mayor and six city council members,
  • Construction, planning, regulatory and environmental committee, consisting of the mayor, seven city council members and up to seven knowledgeable citizens,
  • Culture, sport, youth, social, senior and equality committee, consisting of the mayor, seven city council members and up to seven knowledgeable citizens.

mayor

Taking office Surname Political party
07/01/2000 Joachim Günsel SPD
07/01/2012 Lars Petermann independent

coat of arms

Blazon : “In blue, a two-towered silver building with an open portal and a bridge between the towers; a silver comb hovering above it, raised by a silver spangenhelm. "

The coat of arms represents the double-towered west facade of the church “St. Marien ”with the former“ Highest Bridge in Thuringia ”(one of the seven wonders of the city), which was removed in 1899 for reasons of architectural style. The helmet and crest are symbols of the former principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt . The underground is supposed to be reminiscent of a stretched leather skin, because the leatherworking and processing craft used to play an important role in Stadtilm. The previous coat of arms was changed with this shield shape.

flag

The city flag consists of two equally wide stripes in blue and white; the city coat of arms described above is placed in the middle. In general, these flags are also used without a coat of arms. The blue of the flag goes back to the cloth makers' guild and thus became the city color.

Town twinning

economy

Development of the economy

With the small town character, handicrafts, from which some factories also emerged, always held an important position. There were various, today "extinct" handicraft businesses (tanners, bookbinders, rope makers, hat makers, brush makers, saddlers, basket makers, cooperators, soap makers, etc.). Furthermore, agriculture, trade (a large number of small shops) and a number of inns were operated, with today's terminology one would often speak of sideline. Sheep breeding was of particular importance for centuries, the description of the performance of a shepherd's dance has been handed down.

Draper

The cloth makers' guild was founded as early as 1542 as the city's oldest guild and, together with the leather tanners who were added later, is one of the city's traditional employers, which, as described above, is also reflected in the city's coat of arms. The carnival tradition developed from the guild's festivals and parades.

Salt mining

When the search for coal deposits increased at the end of the 19th century, an approx. 80 meter thick rock salt deposit was found near what is now the Oberilm district . In 1903 the Oberilm saltworks was built here, so that production could start from 1905. As VEB Saline Oberilm, this belonged to the Kali combine . Production stopped in 1998. Along with the Luisenhall saltworks in Göttingen , it was one of the last pan saltworks in Germany and Central Europe. Conservation as a technical monument is sought.

chemistry

domal wittol washing and cleaning agents GmbH

In 1889 the production of white lead began in the area of ​​the Morgenleite upstream on the Ilm , which today belongs to Stadtilm . In 1921 a large paint factory was built in the area. In 1943 the production of electrical insulation material began, from 1951 production was changed again and the company became a gelatine factory. From 1968 cleaning agents were also produced, so that in 1973 the company was renamed VEB domal Stadtilm , which was one of the largest manufacturers of cleaning agents in the GDR. From 1993 to 2012 domal wittol Wasch und Reinigungsmittel GmbH belonged to Kruse KG in Balve in the Sauerland . The company has been self-employed and independent with around 110 employees since 2012. In July 2014, the company filed for bankruptcy, ultimately the result of wrong strategic decisions.

On October 21, 2014 the Polish company "Global Cosmed AG" took over the company and continued to produce liquid detergents and cleaning agents for the German market and for export (including England, Russia and China) under the name "Global Cosmed domal GmbH"

Shoes

In the city the shoe production was important, there were large factories and several smaller manufacturers:

  • Paul Hoffmann - Ilmia : The largest manufacturer was Paul Hoffmann & Co KG, which also ran the Ilmia brand . Shoes have been made here since 1898. In 1930 the brand's first sports shoe was launched. Heatable aviator boots were also manufactured for the military until 1945. After the Second World War, they specialized in sneakers and soccer shoes. These were u in the 1950s. a. also produced for football clubs in the GDR league. The family business was nationalized in 1972, and later the business was incorporated into the Germina combine . After the end of the GDR, the Germina combine was dissolved. After the transfer back, the company was continued by the community of heirs and until the bankruptcy in 1998 mainly produced sports shoes. Deliveries were also made to the Bundeswehr. In 2003 the brand was rediscovered.
  • FC Ebert KG : This shoe factory was founded in 1848, the year of foundation was taken over by Ilmia after the merger. The range mainly consisted of work shoes. The monument, a typical combination of a residential building and a factory building (opposite the former post office), was demolished in 2011.
  • Albert Machedanz & Co KG : The Machedanz company was expropriated by the GDR state in 1972. With the incorporation in Ilmia in 1977 the independence had to be given up. Until then, men's, children's and ski boots were made.
  • Louis Höring KG : founded in 1849 and, like all other private Stadtilmer shoe factories, expropriated in 1972. Street hiking shoes were still manufactured independently until 1977, when the company merged to form Ilmia, the entire machine park was scrapped and the buildings were transferred to VEB Wohnraumuchten Stadtilm.
  • Otto Krähmer : After the expropriation and the merger with the Machedanz company, the production site was given up.
  • Hilmar Eberhardt
  • Adolf Knauf
  • Voigt : The building of the founding location (corner of Weimarien Straße and Erfurter Straße) was demolished in December 2010 and the subsequent larger factory in Weimarien Straße (monument next to Netto-Markt) in 2012.

leather

A.Th. Meissner

The company was founded in 1858 and converted into a public limited company in 1922, which remained almost entirely family-owned. The focus of production was originally on horse tanning. In 1945 the board of directors, Mr. Meißner, was taken to special camp No. 2 in Buchenwald by the Soviet occupying power for no reason and the company was one of the first to be expropriated. The leather factory was then continued as a state-owned company ( VEB Lederfabrik Stadtilm ) specializing in calf leather.

Hugo Toursel KG

Mainly lining leather and pig split leather were produced.

Metal processing

In 1942, Rheinmetall Borsig AG relocated the production of cardan shafts to Stadtilm. With the exception of a short time after the Second World War, cardan shafts have been produced in Stadtilm almost continuously since then. Until 1989, VEB joint shaft factory Stadtilm was the largest employer in the city with around 2000 employees. Today the company still exists as GEWES - joint shaft factory Stadtilm GmbH , but had to reduce the number of employees to approx. 260.

Toy production

Models of the nominal size S produced in Stadtilm in the museum

In Stadtilm, dolls were made, often at home (completion / painting).

At the end of the Second World War the Carl Liebmann Metallwerke were founded, which concentrated on the production of toy trains. The company produced models in the rare S gauge after it had given up the production of 0-gauge models . In 1951 the company was nationalized and renamed VEB Metallwarenfabrik Stadtilm . The production of toy trains was given up in 1964.

The scope of production also included mechanical wind-up toys, such as B. birds, frogs and steam rollers.

Organ building

Organ building also has a long tradition in Stadtilm . The oldest evidence of organ building in Stadtilm goes back to 1625. An organ from this year came from that was still in the Cruciskirche in Sondershausen in 1885 . Today there is still a small family business that specializes primarily in the restoration and construction of new organs (see Schönefeld (organ building) ).

Others

  • Stadtilmer Porzellanfabrik KG
  • Seeger & Co KG, lamp factory Seeger lights
  • Small stamped parts
  • Wood industry (garden furniture, white lacquer furniture, bird cages)
  • OKOLI-Gesellschaft Rudolf Römer & Co (photo reproduction apparatus)
  • Brick factory
  • Otto Sohn winery
  • Brömel Brewery

Company today

As in the whole of the former GDR, a major economic change took place in Stadtilm from 1990 onwards. Most of the state-owned companies were privatized, but had to accept major job cuts. Not all companies succeeded in adapting to the new market requirements, especially this applies to the shoe and leather production that was once part of the local area. Today mainly small and medium-sized companies are based in the city. Metal processing is one of the most strongly represented industries. Due to its geographical location, Stadtilm is also a commuter city for residents who work in Erfurt , Weimar or Ilmenau .

schools

Memorial plaque on Froebel's house

Evidence of the existence of schools in Stadtilm goes back to 1286. There is evidence of a boys' school in town from this time. Schooling for girls was probably not introduced until the 16th century. The location of the schools at that time is not known. After the two schools that existed at the time fell victim to the flames during the city fire in 1780, the so-called New School was built and inaugurated in 1783. There was also another classroom on Annastraße (today Fröbelstraße). In 1835 this building was rebuilt so that the scope of the lessons held there could be expanded. In 1876 another school building was opened in Schloßgasse (today “Straße der Einheit”). Due to its striking brick construction, it was quickly given the name Red School . At the same time, there were several private schools in Stadtilm from 1887 that only taught a few students. However, they were banned around 1922/23 and incorporated into state schools.

Friedrich Fröbel , who also attended school in Stadtilm from 1792 to 1796, founded the first general German educational institution in neighboring Griesheim on November 13, 1816 , but it was relocated to Keilhau a year later . Here he found the basis for his writings on education, which later led to the establishment of the first kindergarten in Bad Blankenburg .

In 1929 the new school was named Albert Methfessel . This year 491 pupils were taught in 12 classes by 10 teachers in schools in Stadtilm. In 1938 and 1939, a former malt house behind the town hall was converted into a school and was given the name Middle School . From 1944 Kurt Diebner's laboratory was located in the basement of this building, where he carried out work for the uranium project and thus for a possible German atomic bomb. In the last days of the war - on April 11, 1945 - an aerial bomb hit the Methfessel School and destroyed the entire building.

After the Second World War, teaching was initially continued in the remaining school buildings, but there was an urgent need to replace the destroyed Methfessel School. In 1948 construction began on the new school building, which was opened in 1950 under the name Wilhelm Pieck School. A second school building near the Wilhelm Pieck School was built at the end of the 1960s and inaugurated in 1970; the school located there was known as the Otto Grotewohl School until 1990 . The school complex around the two schools was expanded to include a school feeding center in 1972 and a sports hall in 1976.

In 2005 and 2006, the two school buildings were completely renovated and expanded, and in 2006, as a result of the merger of several regional schools, they were expanded to form the Stadtilm state regular school. A refurbishment of the sports hall is planned from 2012.

traffic

The federal highway 87 leads through Stadtilm to Bad Berka in the northeast and to the federal highway 90 southwest of the city. This in turn connects Stadtilm with the federal highway 71 near Traßdorf and with Rudolstadt in the east. State roads lead from Stadtilm to Arnstadt , Erfurt , Ilmenau and Rottenbach and from Dienstedt to Rudolstadt. The state road from Arnstadt to Gehren continues through Traßdorf . The other parts of the city are connected by various district roads.

Stadtilm has had a rail connection to Arnstadt since 1894 . In 1895 the Arnstadt – Stadtilm line was extended to Saalfeld . The Arnstadt – Saalfeld railway bridges the Ilm valley in Stadtilm with a large viaduct. Regional trains of the Erfurt Railway run every hour via Arnstadt to Erfurt and Saalfeld with further stops in the Niederwillingen and Singen districts. The high-speed line Nuremberg – Erfurt with the Humbachtal bridge , the Sandberg tunnel and the Behringen tunnel also runs along the western city limits .

Attractions

town hall

town hall

Today's town hall has a long and varied history behind it. The first buildings, only parts of which are still there today, came about when Count Günther VII of Käfernburg moved the Cistercian monastery in Saalfeld to Stadtilm in 1275 . In 1287 the monastery was consecrated to St. Mary , Nicholas and Benedict , the first abbess was Irmengard, a daughter of Günther VII.

The monastery existed for around 250 years. As a result of the Reformation , Stadtilm became Protestant in 1533, the monastery was dissolved and passed to the Counts of Schwarzburg, but was initially only a chamber property due to property disputes, so that large parts of it fell into disrepair. The disputes over the former monastery were only resolved with the Stadtilm Treaty of 1599. It was not until 1628, however, that the sons of Count Albrecht VII had the already uninhabitable building converted into a castle.

The castle was also damaged in the great fire of 1780, but was soon rebuilt. In 1865 the city's voluntary fire department was founded; it was used for the first time in another fire in the castle, which this time only extended to the stables. On October 13th (according to other sources on October 16th) 1897, however, a major fire destroyed a large part of Stadtilm Castle. The ruin was acquired by the Müller brothers from Vieselbach and converted into a "Schloßgasthof". This was bought by the city administration in 1918 and converted into the town hall by 1920. A council cellar was set up and the savings bank also moved into the premises of the former inn. Since then, the former monastery has been the seat of the city administration. The location of the town hall directly on a street is unusual and unique in Thuringia - every other comparable large or larger town in Thuringia has a town hall on a market square or town hall square.

The town hall is now also home to the town's local history museum, which has a large number of exhibits on the history of Stadtilms and the surrounding area. Also worth seeing is the so-called crypt , probably the oldest part of the building, a room under the nuns' gallery of the monastery church. There is a medieval stone oven air heater under the local history museum.

viaduct

Stadtilm viaduct, view from the train station (around 1960)
The viaduct in 2006

At the end of the 19th century, the railway established itself as an important means of transport in Germany. With the Arnstadt - Saalfeld railway line , Stadtilm should also be connected to the railway network and have its own station. To do this, it was necessary to bridge the Ilm valley. It was decided to build the Ilm Valley Viaduct east of the city in the direction of Oberilm, which was not yet incorporated at that time . Construction of the 202 meter long and almost seven meter wide structure began with the laying of the foundation stone on December 3, 1891 and lasted about a year and a half until June 28, 1893. Before that, a wooden bridge had been built that was used to transport earth during construction. The first scheduled train did not cross the new bridge until almost a year later on June 18, 1894. However, the upswing in the city that was hoped for through the railway line did not materialize. This was due, among other things, to the fact that the city's train station was not in the city area, but was moved to Oberilm.

Today the railway line is mainly used for passenger traffic, the only line that crosses the viaduct is the regional connection between the ICE train stations in Erfurt and Saalfeld / Saale .

City Church "St. Marien "

The construction of the town church St. Marien began in the middle of the 12th century with the erection of the two towers. The frescoes in the tower vault from 1235 are noteworthy. During the great fire in 1780, the church was also badly damaged. The repair lasted until 1789. The interior was designed in baroque style. Part of the baroque shape was dismantled during a renovation in 1900, as was the bridge between the two towers that had existed until then, but which can still be seen stylized in the city coat of arms. Bells and some of the organ pipes had to be given up for armament purposes during the two world wars. The organ has not been complete since then.

The seven wonders of Stadtilms

Door in the interest floor
Interest floor
City wall near the interest floor
Residential building

As a (not necessarily serious) reference to the Seven Wonders of the World , Stadtilm has often referred to itself as the “City of the Seven Wonders” since the Middle Ages. These seven wonders of Stadtilms are:

  • The highest bridge in Thuringia : Between the towers of the city church, there was a wooden crossing between the towers of the city church between 1899 and 1903, which is 398 m above sea level. NN found. In the image of the church on the city coat of arms, the transition can still be seen today.
  • The so-called crypt in today's town hall is not an actual crypt , but probably the former refectory (dining room) from the time when the building was used as a monastery. It is the last remaining room from this era of today's town hall. Finally, the Ratskeller restaurant was located in the premises of the crypt .
  • Another “wonder” is located right behind the town hall: the largest rental floor in Thuringia , which was built as a storage building for the Cistercian monastery. Around 1350 the building was rebuilt as a store for the goods in kind. The name “Thuringia's largest pigsty” probably originated from this time, as the interest pigs to be delivered were often briefly housed in the building. From 1890 until shortly after the Second World War, parts of the Zinsboden served as a city prison. After that, until 1989, grain was stored here, after which it was structurally secured, which continues to this day (2010).
  • The city ​​wall , of which large parts are still preserved, is also counted among the wonders of the city. As an irregular pentagon, it spanned an area of ​​around 350 × 500 meters at a height of at least four to six meters with a length of around 1560 meters. Around 35 half towers, several towers and four gates were part of the fortifications. On the average 1.70 m wide wall there was an 80 cm wide battlement for the guards, which was closed by a defensive wall about 70 cm high. Between 1991 and 1993 part of the city wall that was found when a house was demolished was reconstructed and is now an eye-catcher not only for motorists who drive through the town on the B87.
Obelisk in the market
  • With an area of ​​10,170 m², Stadtilmer Marktplatz is the largest marketplace in Thuringia . The longest stretch is 204 meters. The market square was not paved until 1834, before the square was unpaved, so that when it rained, large puddles often formed. The obelisk on the market square is a monument that the citizens of the city erected in 1885 in memory of the songwriter and son of the city, Albert Methfessel .
  • A historical high water mark in the form of a duck ( "Höchstschwimmende Ente Stadtilms" ), which indicated the highest water level of the Thuringian Flood on May 29, 1613, is another of the Stadtilm miracles. As the building on which the duck was located was demolished, the duck was given a new place at the bear inn opposite from 1908 (other sources 1909) . There it still showed the original height. When this building was also demolished in 1968, the duck could only be viewed in the Stadtilmer Heimatmuseum.
  • The monastery linden tree also no longer exists : In the former cloister courtyard there was a linden tree that was over 500 years old and had a trunk circumference of eight meters. It was valued much older by some optimists, and in 1914 it celebrated its 800th anniversary. This would have meant that it would have been planted in 1114, together with the (then presumed) first documentary mention. In 1913 the old linden tree was entwined with wire ropes, cemented and tarred to protect it from decay, but in 1938 it had to be felled for reasons of age.

tourism

Stadtilm is located on the 124 km long Ilm Valley Cycle Path and on the Thuringian Porcelain Road .

Personalities

literature

  • City administration Stadtilm (ed.): 725 years Stadtilm - program of the festival week , Stadtilm 1993
  • Ralf Heunemann: Stadtilm in old views , European Library, Zaltbommel / Netherlands 1992. ISBN 90-288-5451-7
  • Stadtilm City Council, Internal Affairs Division and Stadtilm Volunteer Fire Brigade (ed.): Festschrift 125 Years of Stadtilm Volunteer Fire Brigade , Stadtilm 1990
  • Stadtilm City Administration (Ed.): 700 Years of Stadtilm - Festschrift on the occasion of the 700th anniversary , Stadtilm 1968
  • Stadtilm City Council (ed.): Stadtilm in Thuringia , Stadtilm 1958
  • Festschrift for the Stadtilmer Heimatfest from July 1st to 3rd, 1911 , Stadtilm 1911

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Population of the municipalities from the Thuringian State Office for Statistics  ( help on this ).
  2. Th. Grasselt: About the river since the migration period , in: Archeology in Germany 01 | 2019, p. 65.
  3. Hendrik Baumbach: Stadtilm is a lot older. August 11, 2018, accessed February 15, 2020 .
  4. Thuringian Association of the Persecuted of the Nazi Regime - Association of Antifascists and Study Group of German Resistance 1933–1945 (ed.): Heimatgeschichtlicher Wegweiser to places of resistance and persecution 1933–1945, series: Heimatgeschichtliche Wegweiser Volume 8 Thüringen, Erfurt 2003, p. 148f ., ISBN 3-88864-343-0
  5. ^ Stadtilms mayor urges implementation of the incorporation . ( thueringer-allgemeine.de [accessed December 18, 2017]).
  6. 46 Thuringian communities are to merge in the summer . ( thueringer-allgemeine.de [accessed December 18, 2017]).
  7. Thuringian Law and Ordinance Gazette No. 7 2018 of July 5, 2018 , accessed on July 6, 2018
  8. Road construction: Newly built B90 officially opened with local winds ( memento from December 23, 2017 in the Internet Archive ), mdr.de
  9. No vote in favor of maintaining the street on the dog . ( thueringer-allgemeine.de [accessed December 18, 2017]).
  10. ^ Source for Schwarzburgische and Saxon places: Johann Friedrich Kratzsch : Lexicon of all localities of the German federal states . Naumburg, 1843. Available online from Google Books . Source for Prussian places: Handbook of the Province of Saxony. Magdeburg, 1843. Available online at Google Books
  11. ^ Michael Rademacher: German administrative history from the unification of the empire in 1871 to the reunification in 1990. Population figures. (Online material for the dissertation, Osnabrück 2006).
  12. Population development in the Ilm_Kreis. (PDF; 112 Kb) In: TLUG . Thuringian State Office for the Environment, Mining and Nature Conservation (TLUBN), December 31, 2016, accessed on August 22, 2019 .
  13. Thuringian State Office for Statistics: City council election 2019 in Thuringia - final result Stadtilm
  14. ^ New Thuringian Wappenbuch Volume 2, page 17; Publisher: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Thüringen eV 1998 ISBN 3-9804487-2-X
  15. ^ Dieter Petermann: Festschrift 750 years of Stadtilm . Ed .: Stadt Stadtilm. Stadtilm 2018.
  16. ilmia® sneaker. Retrieved May 30, 2020 (UK English).
  17. ^ Manuel spoon wood (editor): Churches in the center of Thuringia. The North. Rhino Verlag, Ilmenau 2011, ISBN 978-3-939399-31-5 , p. 106.
  18. ^ Bernhard Anemüller:  Deubener, Hieronymus . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 5, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, p. 88.
  19. ^ Richard Hoche:  Nicolai, Johann . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 23, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1886, p. 593.

Web links

Commons : Stadtilm  - collection of images, videos and audio files