Sonneberg

Sonneberg is a town in Thuringia, Germany, which is the seat of the Sonneberg district.

This article is about the town in Thuringia. For the hill of the same name, see Sonneberg (hill). For district, see Sonneberg (district). For village in the Czech Republic, see Slunečná.
Sonneberg
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Sonneberg within Sonneberg district
Sonneberg
Sonneberg
Coordinates: 50°21′N 11°10′E
CountryGermany
StateThuringia
DistrictSonneberg
Government
 • MayorDr. Heiko Voigt (Ind.)
Area
 • Total84.69 km2 (32.70 sq mi)
Elevation
400 m (1,300 ft)
Population
 (2019-12-31)[1]
 • Total23,516
 • Density280/km2 (720/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
96515
Dialling codes03675, 036762, 036703
Vehicle registrationSON, NH
Websitewww.sonneberg.de

It is renowned as a center of toy production and was dubbed the "toy capital of the world" in the 1920ies; during this time, US trade giants Kresge and Woolworth built large warehouses here for exportation. It is the home of the German Toy Museum and PIKO, a model railway manufacturer which became one of the few such enterprises in the Warsaw Pact countries and as such supplied model trains depicting railway stock of all the Soviet bloc countries.

In divided post-war Germany, Sonneberg found itself cut off from its large neighbouring town of Coburg and could only face north economically. It was served by an unnaturally winding railway route and thus became somewhat isolated from the rest of East Germany. Sonneberg Hauptbahnhof is served by the Coburg–Sonneberg line.

Subdivisions

The town Sonneberg consists of the following subdivisions:

  • Bettelhecken
  • Hönbach
  • Hüttensteinach
  • Köppelsdorf
  • Malmerz
  • Mürschnitz
  • Neufang
  • Oberlind
  • Obere Stadt
  • Steinbach
  • Untere Stadt
  • Unterlind
  • Wehd
  • Wolkenrasen

Since 31 December 2013, when the former municipality Oberland am Rennsteig was merged into Sonneberg, the following villages also form part of Sonneberg: Haselbach, Eschenthal, Hasenthal, Hüttengrund and Spechtsbrunn.

Sonneberg

Number of inhabitants

1829-1981

  • 1829: 3,028
  • 1895: 12,167
  • 1905: 15,003
  • 1946: 21,534
  • 1950: 30,182
  • 1960: 28,936
  • 1981: 28,733

1984-1999

  • 1984: 28,440
  • 1994: 25,880
  • 1995: 25,481
  • 1996: 25,297
  • 1997: 25,151
  • 1998: 24,951
  • 1999: 24,892

2000-2006

  • 2000: 24,837
  • 2001: 24,690
  • 2002: 24,582
  • 2003: 24,246
  • 2004: 24,026
  • 2005: 23,805
  • 2006: 23,681

2007-2013

  • 2007: 23,252
  • 2008: 22,807
  • 2009: 22,529
  • 2010: 22,356
  • 2011: 22,222
  • 2012: 21,737
  • 2013: 23,796

from 2014

  • 2014: 23,620
  • 2015: 23,736
Data source since 1994: Thuringia statistical office

Noted residents
August Schleicher
Cuno Hoffmeister

References
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2019". Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik (in German). August 2020.
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