Sondershausen

Sondershausen is a town in Thuringia, Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was incorporated by Sondershausen.

Sondershausen
Coat of arms
Location of Sondershausen within Kyffhäuserkreis district
Sondershausen
Sondershausen
Coordinates: 51°22′N 10°52′E
CountryGermany
StateThuringia
DistrictKyffhäuserkreis
Subdivisions12
Government
 • MayorJoachim Kreyer (CDU)
Area
 • Total114.36 km2 (44.15 sq mi)
Elevation
208 m (682 ft)
Population
 (2019-12-31)[1]
 • Total21,290
 • Density190/km2 (480/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
99701–99706
Dialling codes03632
Vehicle registrationKYF, ART, SDH
Websitewww.sondershausen.de

Until 1918 it was part of the principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

Sondershausen Palace
Marketplace with "Alte Wache" and castle
View over the marketplace
Look over the town, Stockhausen
Palace
St. Matthias Church in Stockhausen

Geography

Sondershausen is situated in North Thuringia and lies in 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. Around the town there are mixed forests (especially with beech trees).

Subdivisions

The city districts are:

  • City centre
  • Borntal
  • Hasenholz
  • Östertal
  • Großberndten
  • Himmelsberg
  • Hohenebra
  • Immenrode
  • Kleinberndten
  • Schernberg
  • Straußberg
  • Thalebra

Culture and main sights

Museums

In the Sondershausen Palace there is a large museum with three different exhibit areas. Special exhibits are the Golden Coach, the only of its kind in Germany, and the legendary Püstrich. There are possible special guided tours of demonstrationdepot, cellar, tower and park of the castle, too.

Under the city there is a mine to visit.

To visit is a Jewish bath from the 14th Century since 1999 under the gallery on the Schlossberg.

Buildings
  • Sondershausen Palace, with natural history and antiquarian collections. Adapted as Palace in Renaissance times, it was later expanded in Baroque forms (1764–1771). Especially noteworthy are the "Blue Hall" and the gardens.
  • The Old 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"
  • "Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium Sondershausen" building I. (a grammar school)
  • mikveh
  • theatre "Haus der Kunst" (translated: "house of art")
  • Rathaus (city hall)
  • Gottschalcksches Haus (House of Gottschalck)

Churches
  • The Baroque Trinitatiskirche, a Lutheran church, with the mausoleum (1892) of the reigning princes.
  • Crucis Church, the oldest building of Sondershausen.
  • St. Matthias Church, the historicist construction is considered as 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. JohannisChurch 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)

Sons and daughters of the city
  • Joachim Manard (Manhard, Manardt) (1564–1637), chronicler of the town
  • Ludwig Günther Martini (1647–1719), jurist
  • Valentin Ernst Löscher (1674–1749), theologian, writer
  • Ernst Christoph Dressler (1734–1779), composer, operatic tenor, violinist and music theorist
  • Ernst Ludwig Gerber (1746–1819), composer, music writer, musician
  • Johann Karl Wezel (1747–1819), poet
  • Johann Friedrich Suckow (1769–1842), musician
  • Johann Günther Friedrich Cannabich (1777–1859), geographer
  • Rudolf Arzinger, (1922–1970), public international law
  • Felix Becker (1864–1928), art historian
  • Thilo Irmisch (1816–1878), botanist
  • Georg Lewin (1820–1896), Dermatology, Faculty (university)
  • Günther Lutze (1840–1930), botanist, Heimatforscher, chronicler
  • Edmund Döring (1860–1938), Heimatforscher
  • Carl Moeller (1867–1920), pastor and Heimatforscher
  • Ferdinand Schlufter (1871–1948), Major
  • Curt Mücke (1885–1940), Painter
  • Regina Miriam Bloch (1888–1938), writer and poet
  • Hermann Müller (1891–1984), Heimatforscher
  • Karl Krieghoff (1905–1984), local poet
  • Kurt Lindner (1906–1987), Science of Hunting
  • Werner Schubert (1921–1991), Painter
  • Michael Kohl (1929–1981), Jurist, stellv. Außenminister der DDR
  • Olaf Koch (born 1932), Rector of the High School for Music in Berlin
  • Heinz Scharr (born 1924), Visual arts
  • Günther Jahn (born 1933), Painter
  • Ronald Paris (born 1933), Painter
  • Georg Richard Lewin
  • Vera Lengsfeld (born 1952), politician
  • Jörg Hoffmann (born 1963), Rennrodler, Olympiasieger von 1988 in Calgary
  • Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (born 1966), Speed skating
  • Volker Strübing (born 1971), book author, cabaret artist and songwriter

Sister cities

Sondershausen is twinned with three cities:[2]

References
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2019". Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik (in German). August 2020.
  2. "Partnerstädte". Sondershausen. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
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