Suhl, Germany

Suhl is an independent middle town in the Franconian south of the Free State of Thuringia. It is located on the southern slope of the Thuringian Forest in the valley of Lauter and Hasel. Suhl is set by the state planning as a middle center with partial functions of a regional center.

Due to its history as the location of armaments factories, the elected representatives of the city council declared Suhl a city of peace on February 14, 1991. Nevertheless, due to the long tradition of manufacturing hunting weapons, the city calls itself the arms city of Suhl in accordance with a city council resolution from 2005.

Over the centuries, Suhl was a town shaped by mining. In 1952 it became the district town of the Suhl district. The decision to redesign and enlarge the city followed. During the renovation process, extensive old buildings in the city center were torn down and replaced with modern, prefabricated architecture. So within a few years Suhl grew from around 25,000 inhabitants to over 56,000. Since 1990, however, the urban district has recorded by far the largest population decline of all districts and urban districts in Germany, at almost 40 percent.

In the past, Suhl was known both for its centuries-old arms manufacture and for the automobile and two-wheeler manufacturer Simson. Many people associate Suhl with the work of the composer and interpreter of folk music Herbert Roth. Today there are also well-known winter sports enthusiasts and sports clubs such as VfB 91 Suhl or the SWV Goldlauter-Heidersbach ski club.

 

Sights

Music

Suhler Boys' Choir conducted by Robert Grunert
Suhler Singakademie conducted by Robert Grunert
Male choir "Ars Musica" conducted by Maik Gruchenberg
Young high school choir conducted by Nina Hanf
High school choir conducted by Ralf Jarkusch
1st Youth Wind Music Association Suhl e.V. under the direction of Uwe Gutberlet
Suhler Kantorei under the direction of Philipp Christ
AWASO (Alfred Wagner Symphony Orchestra of the Suhl Music School) conducted by Jörg Matthes

 

Museums

The weapons museum in the city center is located in the historic Malzhaus, a half-timbered building from the 17th century. It has exhibits from the 600-year history of Suhl's weapons manufacture on 3 floors.
The vehicle museum in the Congress Centrum Suhl presents around 220 exhibits from all areas of vehicle construction, in particular Simson motorcycles.
There are several hiking trails around the city, such as the 25-kilometer Herbert Roth Panorama Trail or four different mining trails with visible mine entrances.

Additional
School and public observatory with Zeiss planetarium
Glider airfield in Suhl-Goldlauter-Heidersbach
Cultural construction site Suhl

 

Buildings

Sacred buildings
The main church of St. Marien (built 1487–1491) was rebuilt after several town fires in 1590, 1634 and 1753. With its rococo interior from 1761, it is the largest surviving rococo church in East Germany. The organ is by Johann Michael Wagner, the wall paintings in the sacristy are from the first half of the 17th century.
Kreuzkirche (built 1731-1739) with a large organ by Eilert Köhler in the nave and a small Ladegast organ in the chapel
The new Ottilien chapel from 1843 instead of a pilgrimage chapel
The Gothic Kreuzkapelle/Gottesackerkirche from 1555 with a choir extension from 1618
St. Ulrich parish church in the district of Heinrichs from 1503 (first mentioned in documents in 1116, with a late-Gothic tabernacle of art historical significance)

Secular buildings
Town Hall (neo-baroque conversion 1910, previous building from 1590)
Weapons museum in the historic malt house from 1663 (part of a former half-timbered house ensemble)
Half-timbered ensemble in the district of Heinrichs with town hall from 1657 (ground floor 1515; showpiece of the Henneberg half-timbered style)
Armourer monument on the market square from 1903, symbol of the city
Half-timbered houses in the district of Neundorf
Rococo house in the Steinweg pedestrian zone (other Rococo houses fell victim to socialist redesign)
Old forge, first factory building of the C. G. Haenel arms company founded in 1840
Philharmonie from 1956 (former culture house, was partly replaced by a new IHK building, the portal building was preserved)
New construction of the city library from 2004 (architectural office Weingart-Bauer-Bracke-Hoffmann)
The Congress Centrum Suhl was created in the 1990s by converting the old "City Hall of Friendship", which was modeled on the Ice Palace in Leningrad.
Ringberghaus, a hotel visible from afar on the Ringberg above Suhl
For many years, the Centrum department store was one of the most defining buildings of the modern Suhl cityscape. The department store was built from 1966 to 1969 according to designs by Heinz Luther (collective), Ulrich Möckel and Fritz Popp and is considered one of the most important examples of European department store architecture of the post-war modern era. Since 1990 it operated as a Kaufhof department store and was closed in 2000. Characteristic of the building were the metal-plastic structural facade by Fritz Kühn and the constructivist fanned staircase made of reinforced concrete by Waldo Dörsch. From October 2006, according to investor plans, it was demolished, rebuilt and a multi-storey car park was added. The construction of a new shopping center was completed in March 2008.

 

Monuments

Natural monuments
Suhl's local mountain is the 675 m high Domberg with a view from the Bismarck Tower. The Ottilien chapel is located on its slope
Steinsburg near Suhl-Heinrichs: legendary place that reminds of the remains of an old castle. However, the stone formation has natural causes and goes back to a magma breakthrough.
Erletor dam near Hirschbach
UNESCO biosphere reserve Vessertal, in it lies e.g. B. the Adlersberg
Rennsteig in the immediate vicinity of the city
Pochwerksgrund near Suhl-Goldlauter

Historical monuments
Bismarckturm on the Domberg, a 21 m high observation tower inaugurated in 1896
Memorial stone from 1947 for the victims of National Socialism in the district in the Albrechts cemetery
Memorial from 1975 in the Goldlauter cemetery for "victims and fighters against fascism", since 1999 "victims of tyranny"
Soviet monument to the Red Army with the inscription "Honour to the glorious heroes of the Soviet army - thanks to the peoples of the Soviet Union" in the Aue II district
Memorial from 1979 for the victims of fascism with a relief “Stations of the Labor Movement” in the city park
Commemorative plaque from 1998 at the town hall on the market square for 51 victims of National Socialism - the names of the murdered Sinti and Roma are missing
Stela commemorating the synagogue destroyed in 1938, since 1985 on the street of victims of fascism
Memorial stone from 1994 in the municipal cemetery for Italian military internees who were deported to the German Reich after the occupation of Italy in September 1943 and had to do forced labor there. Some of them died in Germany
Memorial stone for forced laborers who died in the RAD camp at the cemetery in Dietzhausen
Stumbling blocks for deported Jewish citizens

Green spaces and local recreation
The small city park with red beeches is located near the Kreuzkirche, and Suhl also has a zoo. There are currently seven public water features in the city, which are operated by the Suhl municipal services company from the end of April to the end of September. Another water feature is at the Ottilienquelle.

The urban area of Suhl is located in a designated nature reserve (as of January 2017) called Vessertal.

 

Sports

Volleyball: women, 1st Bundesliga VfB 91 Suhl
American Football: Suhl Gunslingers e.V.
Soccer: 1. Suhler SV, FSV Goldlauter
Handball: HSG Suhl
Shooting center Suhl-Friedberg
Weightlifting: AC Suhl e.V.
Basketball Club Suhl e. V
Tennis Club Suhl e.V.
boxing ring 90
Sports Acrobatics Club Suhl
Badminton: SG Feinmess Suhl
Winter sports: SWV Goldlauter-Heidersbach
Flugsportclub Suhl e.V.

 

Regular events

Constantly changing events, concerts and exhibitions take place in the Congress Centrum Suhl. For example, you can visit the Köstritzer Schwarzbiernacht or the Tattoo Convention every year.
Provincial Scream (Cultural Festival)
A history fair has been held annually in Suhl since 2008. The three-day event is a forum for "providers" and "customers" of historical-political educational work in the Federal Republic. It is aimed at institutions and representatives from federal, state and local governments as well as anyone who is interested in recent contemporary history.
Since 2014, the Suhl Street Theater Festival has been held annually on the first weekend of September.

 

What to do

Shooting center Suhl (SSZ, ​shooting range), Schützenstraße 6, 98527 Suhl (accessible via the A73 exit “Suhl-Friedberg”). Phone: +49 (0)36818840, fax: +49 (0)3681884200, email: info@ssz-suhl.de. The SSZ is one of the most beautiful sports facilities for shooting sports. It was opened in 1971 and is an Olympic, federal and state base for sport shooting. The facility has a size of approx. 29ha. In the SSZ there are 90 50m ranges for small bore and free pistol, 3 ranges 10m and 2 ranges 50m running target, eight 25m ranges for small bore pistols, three 25m ranges for large caliber pistols, three 100m ranges for large caliber rifles, four combined ranges for Clay target and a multi-purpose hall, which makes it possible to shoot 25m and 50m KK even in winter. Since 1994, the world's largest international junior competition has taken place every year. In addition to guided tours through the SSZ, there is also the opportunity to try your hand at shooting by prior arrangement. Open: Mon-Sat 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. (50° 35′ 2″ N 10° 43′ 3″ E)

To swim
Ottilienbad Suhl, Friedrich-König-Strasse 7, 98527 Suhl. Open: Mon to Sat 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Price: 2 hours, adults €7.70, up to 14 years €5.10.
Waldbad Schmiedfeld, Cruxstraße, 98694 Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig. Tel.: +49 1749765620. Idyllic outdoor pool in the middle of the forest, don't be fooled by the unpaved path. Open: 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the season.
Dietzhausen swimming pool, Sesslesstrasse 21, 98529 Suhl. Open: Mon to Fri 1pm – 7pm, Sat, Sun 12pm – 7pm, holidays daily 12pm – 7pm. Price: Adults €2.50, 14 to 18 years €1.50, children 4 - 13 years €1.00.

 

Getting in

By plane
The nearest airports with scheduled flights are Leipzig Halle Airport (IATA: LEJ), Nuremberg Airport (IATA: NUE) and Frankfurt am Main Airport (IATA: FRA), each around 250km away.

The Goldlauter gliding and motor sport airfield is located in Suhl-Goldlauter. It is considered one of the most scenically situated airfields in Germany with special thermal conditions for glider pilots.

By train
Before the Second World War, Suhl station was an en route station for trains from Berlin to Saarbrücken, from Berlin to Tübingen and even for a night train from Berlin to Rome. Until 1990 there were 3 pairs of express trains to Berlin every day.

Today the city can only be reached by regional trains:
Regional Express (DB) Erfurt-Suhl-Schweinfurt-Würzburg
SüdThüringenBahn (STB) 44 Erfurt-Suhl-Meiningen
SüdThüringenBahn (STB) 43 Wernshausen-Schmalkalden-Zella-Mehlis-Suhl
The Friedbergbahn Suhl-Schleusingen has not been served since 1997.

By bus
Suhl is served by numerous local buses from the neighboring districts. There are direct overland connections to Hildburghausen, Meiningen, Bad Salzungen, Ilmenau, Oberhof and Masserberg, among others.

The nearest long-distance bus stop is in neighboring Zella-Mehlis. From there, the company MeinFernbus offers connections to Berlin, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Freiburg i. Br., Munich and Leipzig. The long-distance buses stop there at the bus station, Suhler Straße (at the Zella-Mehlis train station).

On the street
Suhl is connected to the motorway network via the A71 Erfurt - Schweinfurt motorway and the A73, which coming from Nuremberg ends at the Suhl triangle.

In addition to the motorways, the B247 Gotha-Suhl-Schleusingen is also worth mentioning.

 

Get around

Various SNG lines run through Suhl and neighboring Zella-Mehlis.

 

Shopping

1 Lauterbogen Center, Friedrich-König-Strasse 21, 98527 Suhl. Tel.: +49 (0)3681 8047690. Open: Mon – Fri 9.30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sat 9.30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
2 E-Center Blaufuss, Würzburger Str. 29, 98529 Suhl. Tel.: +49 (0)3681 4555280. Open: Mon – Sat 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
3 Kaufland, Würzburger Str. 1, 98529 Suhl. Tel.: +49 (0)3681 75600. Open: Mon – Sat 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.

 

Eat

Cheap
1 Gasthaus Naturheilgarten, Prießnitzstrasse 15, 98527 Suhl. Tel.: +49 (0)3681 723770, fax: +49 (0)3681 305091, e-mail: info@naturheilgarten.de. Thuringian cuisine, large selection of schnitzels, knight's dinners can be ordered. Open: Tue – Fri from 5 p.m., Sat + Sun from 11 a.m., closed on Mondays.
2 Asia Bistro Mini Wok, Bahnhofstrasse 11, 98527 Suhl. Tel: +49 (0)3681 351734. Asian cuisine. Open: Mon – Sat 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sunday is a day off.

Medium
3 Restaurant Delphi, Steinweg 13, 98527 Suhl. Tel.: +49 (0)3681 4580373, fax: (0)3681 4580375, e-mail: restaurant@delphi-suhl.de . Greek kitchen. Open: daily 11.30 a.m. – 2.30 p.m. + 5.30 p.m. – 11.30 p.m.
4 Banquet of the Sea, Steinweg 15, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 723820, email: info@gastmahl-des-meeres-suhl.de. Mainly fish, of course, but also meat, poultry and vegetarian dishes. In the middle of the pedestrian zone. Open: Mon - Sat 10.30 a.m. - 11.00 p.m., Sun + public holidays 10.30 a.m. - 3.00 p.m.
5 Restaurant Adria, Schleusinger Strasse 49, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 723271, email: info@adria-suhl.de. Croatian cuisine. Open: Tue – Sat 5 p.m. – 11 p.m., Sun 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. + 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., closed on Mondays.

Upscale
6 Restaurant La Vittoria, Friedrich-König-Str. 7, 98527 Suhl (in the Congress Center Suhl). Tel.: +49 (0)3681 308918. Italian cuisine at a high level. Open: Mon - Sun from 11 a.m.
7 Restaurant Vitaliamo, Kirchgasse 2, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 8075704, fax: +49 (0)3681 8075706, email: kontakt@vitaliamo.de. Upscale Italian restaurant. Open: Tuesday is a day off.

 

Night life

Gambrinus, Neundorfer Strasse 5, 98527 Suhl. Tel.: (0)3681 309744, e-mail: info@gambrinus-suhl.de. Old German beer and restaurant, regular live music. Open: Mon – Thu 4 p.m. – midnight, Fri 4 p.m. – 1 a.m., Sat 5 p.m. – 1 a.m., Sunday is a day off.

 

Hotels

Tourist tax of the city of Suhl per night: 2 € adults, 1 € children

Cheap
1 Pension am Markt, Pfarrstrasse 20, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 39750, fax: +49 (0)3681 397539, e-mail: info@pension-am-markt-suhl.de. Feature: pension. Price: Single room from €31, double room from €60.
2 Öko-Pension-Melle, Max-Reger-Strasse 3, 98529 Suhl OT Lautenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3681 304328, fax: +49 (0)3681 31259, email: info@oeko-pension-melle.de. Feature: pension. Price: Single room from €35, double room from €56.
3 "Thüringer Hof" inn and guesthouse, Zellaer Str. 101, 98528 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 458755, fax: +49 (0)3681 458758, email: thueringerhofshl@aol.com. Thuringian cuisine, beer garden available. Feature: pension. Open: Restaurant: Thursday is closed, Mon – Wed 11.30 a.m. – 10.00 p.m., Fri 2.00 p.m. – midnight, Sat 11.30 a.m. – midnight, Sun 10.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. Price: Single room from €30, double room from €50.
Vacation Home Am Heiligenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3681 761231. Quiet location on the edge of the forest in Suhl.

Medium
4 Waldfrieden Suhl, Schleusinger Strasse 117, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 722417, fax: +49 (0)3681 8049669, email: info@waldfrieden-suhl.de. Home-style Thuringian cuisine. Quiet location, a few minutes from ski trails and hiking trails. Feature: pension. Open: Restaurant: Summer: Mon is closed, Tue – Sat 5 p.m. – 9 p.m., Sun 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; in winter: Mon + Tues are days off, Wed – Sat 5 p.m. – 9 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Price: Single room from €35, double room from €60.
5 Steakhouse & Pension Crazy Horse, Carl-Fiedler-Strasse 56, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 71280, fax: +49 (0)3681 712811, email: info@gasthaus-pension-crazy-horse.de. Steakhouse with an American ambience. Feature: pension. Open: Mon + Tue are days off, Wed + Thu 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. + 5 p.m. – 10 p.m., Fri 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. + 5 p.m. – 11 p.m., Sat 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sun + public holidays 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Price: Single room from €41, double room from €70.

Upscale
6 Gasthaus & Hotel Goldener Hirsch, An der Hasel 91-93, 98527 Suhl. Tel.: +49 (0)3681 79590, fax: +49 (0)3681 795920, e-mail: reservierung@goldener-hirsch-suhl.de. Open: Restaurant: Mon – Thu 11 a.m. – 2.30 p.m. + 5 p.m. – 10 p.m., Fri + Sat 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m. – 9.30 p.m. Price: Single room from €69, double room from €89.
7 Hotel Thuringia, Platz der Deutschen Unity 2, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 7676, fax: +49 (0)3681 724379, e-mail: groeger@hotel-thueringen-suhl.de. Fine dining. Conference rooms available. Open: Restaurant-Suhl: daily 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.; Bistros and the Lobby Bar: daily 10.30 a.m. – 0.00 a.m. Price: Single room from €80, double room from €99.
8 Business Vital Hotel, Mittelbergstrasse 1, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 807140, fax: +49 (0)3681 80714333, e-mail: info@business-vital-hotel.de. 3 different restorations. Large wellness area. Open: Restaurant: Mon – Sat 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., Wed + Sun by arrangement. Price: Single room from €67, double room from €87.50, suite from €101.
9 Ringberg Hotel, Ringberg 10, 98527 Suhl The VdgB holiday hotel was opened in 1979. The hotel is located on a hill above Suhl, with a wide view of the countryside. 290 non-smoking rooms with flat-screen cable TV, desk, bathtub/shower, toilet and hairdryer. Sauna landscape, sports and leisure facilities and swimming pool.

 

Security

State Police Inspectorate Suhl, Schleusinger Straße 111, 98527 Suhl.

 

Health

Hospitals
1 SRH Central Clinic Suhl, Albert-Schweitzer-Strasse 2, 98527 Suhl. Tel.: +49 (0)3681 359, fax: +49 (0)3681 355001, e-mail: info.zs@srh.de.

Pharmacies
2 Lauterbogen Pharmacy, Friedrich Koenig Strasse 21, 98527 Suhl. Tel.: +49 (0)3681 707126, fax: +49 (0)3681 707125, e-mail: info@apotheke-suhl.de. Open: Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
3 Fuchs Pharmacy, Martin-Andersen-Nexö-Strasse 10, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 760473, fax: +49 (0)3681 763175, email: info@fuchsapotheke.com. Open: Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat 8.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
4 Auen-Apotheke, Würzburger Str. 74, 98529 Suhl. Tel.: +49 (0)3681 727133, fax: +49 (0)3681 709944, e-mail: auen-apotheke-suhl@t-online.de. Open: Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
5 Spangenberg Pharmacy, Steinweg 31, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 79130, fax: +49 (0)3681 791322, e-mail: suhl@spangenberg-apotheke.de. Open: Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 6.30 p.m., Sat 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
6 Adler Pharmacy, Marktplatz 4, 98527 Suhl. Phone: +49 (0)3681 707704, fax: +49 (0)3681 301981, email: adler.apo.suhl@pharma-online.de. Open: Mon - Fri 7.30 a.m. - 6.30 p.m., Sat 9.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m.

 

Practical hints

Tourist information, Friedrich-König-Strasse 7, 98527 Suhl (in the Congress Centrum Suhl). Tel.: +49 (0)3681 788405, +49 (0)3681 7880, fax: +49 (0)3681 788105, e-mail: info@suhl-ccs.de. Open: Mon – Fri 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. + 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. Sat 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sun closed.

 

History

Early history

Archaeological finds in the area of ​​today's city of Suhl prove that people lived there as early as 2000 BC. Around 500 BC. With the immigration of Celtic tribes people settled in the Suhl area. It is assumed that a single farm in the area of ​​the main church, located on the Rimbach, was the first settlement. The salt springs and the iron ore found were probably the reason for the settlement. The initial farm expanded into a village and gradually developed into a town over the following centuries.

 

Мiddle age

Documents from the Fulda monastery repeatedly name a place between 900 and 1155 as "Sulaha". From around 1100 the area belonged to the Counts of Henneberg. The first secured documentary mention dates from the year 1300. The oldest iron hammers in Suhl were mentioned from 1363 to 1365: the Niederhammer and the Lauterhammer. This documents a previous tradition of iron ore mining that goes back to the middle of the 13th century. Reports of negotiations at the Berggericht zu Suhl have been handed down as early as 1474.

In place of an earlier building, the main church of St. Mary was built on the Kirchberg, the oldest settlement center in the city, from 1487 to 1491. After city fires in 1590, 1634 and 1753, the church was rebuilt, most recently in 1761 in the Rococo style.

 

Early modern age

From 1500 to 1806, Suhl, like the rest of the Henneberger Land, belonged to the Franconian Empire.

In 1527 the prince counts of Henneberg-Schleusingen confirmed Suhl's municipal rights and statutes that had already existed. In 1553 Suhl was designated as a mining town, which grants the town rights and duties as the seat of the mining administration and the mountain jurisdiction. In the same year, gunsmiths from Nuremberg and Augsburg set up shop, and handgun production has been documented since 1535.

Iron ore mining formed the basis for the development of pipe forging and gunsmithing. The manufacture of sickles and chariots is documented in 1155 and of armor, armor and swords in 1499. In 1548 the barchents and linen weavers guild was formed, and in 1555 the pipe and gunsmiths guild was founded. In 1563, Count Georg Ernst von Henneberg granted the “locks, gunsmiths, spearers and winch makers” guild privileges. At the end of the 16th century, over 20,000 rifle barrels were manufactured annually. In 1555, the construction of the Gottesackerkirche / Heiligkreuzkapelle located in front of the city gates began. The three main rivers Steina, Lauter and Hasel supplied the drive energy for 37 mills identified in the city area.

After the death of Georg Ernst von Henneberg in 1583, the town fell to the Saxon Wettins as joint property. The first major fire in the city is documented in 1590. Imperial Croatian troops under Field Marshal Count Johann Ludwig Hektor von Isolani looted and destroyed Suhl in the Thirty Years' War in 1634, after arms production and trade had peaked two years earlier. The troops of the Swedish King Gustav Adolf of Sweden were also supplied with weapons, so Suhl repeatedly appeared to the warring parties as a worthwhile target. Iron and arms production fell into a crisis. Mining has not been able to recover since then.

Suhl was hit by the witch hunt from 1553 to 1699. There were 116 witch trials with 74 executions in the entire current urban area with the districts of Albrechts, Dietzhausen, Goldlauter, Heinrichs (Suhl), Mäbendorf, Neundorf (Suhl), Vesser (Suhl) and Wichtshausen. Four defendants died under torture. On June 26, 2011, the victims of the Suhl witch trials were posthumously rehabilitated.

Organ building has been based in Suhl since the middle of the 17th century. Caspar Lehmann, also known as Kaspar Lochmann, ran an organ building company with Johann Heinrich Mann that is recognized in southern Thuringia. Suhl instruments are attested to, among others. in Steinbach (Steinbach-Hallenberg), Ohrdruf and Rohr.

In 1660, after the Saxon partition treaty, Suhl became Albertine and fell to the Duchy of Saxony-Zeitz as the seat of the Suhl office.

In the 1690s, Duke Moritz Wilhelm von Sachsen-Zeitz tried to revitalize the mining industry. After an appraisal by J. M. Paräus, mining director, a concept was developed, as a result of which a blast furnace was built in Suhl and numerous mines were reopened or reopened - some with the most modern mining technology, such as water art (1696 at the Moritz Wilhelm shaft).

 

On May 28, 1702, 150 dragoons marched into the city under the orders of the Electorate Colonel Roland and confiscated 620 rifles that were to be delivered to the Swedish general Baron Gyldenstein. The order for this was given by the Saxon Elector August the Strong, who wanted to set an example against the flourishing arms trade of the Suhler with war opponents like Sweden. The occupation troops left Suhl with the hint that they would also pick up those weapons that had been ordered by other foreign potentates. The mobilization of the land militia proclaimed by Duke Moritz Wilhelm was only lifted on July 15, 1702.

Although already unusual in many German areas, there is a case in Suhl for 1712 in which the executioner Glaser publicly branded two men and four women. He had a gallows burned on their backs for the person called gypsies.

In 1713, Johann Bernhard Bach (the elder), a cousin of Johann Sebastian Bach, inaugurated the new organ in the main church of St. Mary. The Bach family was connected to the city, part of this branching family had his musical training with the Suhl town musician and town piper Johannes Christoph Hoffmann senior. received, so Johann Bach (1604–1673), the great uncle, and Christoph Bach (1613–1661), the grandfather of Johann Sebastian Bach, furthermore Heinrich Bach (1615–1692) and Johannes Bach (1604–1673). Georg Christoph Bach (1642–1697) was cantor and schoolmaster in Heinrichs near Suhl from 1661 to 1668. Even in later years, Suhl was considered a good address for musical training. The composer Johann Peter Kellner (1705–1772) learned composition and typesetting technique there from Hieronymus Florentinus Quehl. Kellner later taught the composer and organist Johann Ernst Rembt (1749–1810), who was born in Suhl. Johann Friedrich Kessel, who was cathedral cantor in Freiberg from 1756 to 1798, and Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688–1755), whose father was cantor and rector of the Latin school in Suhl, also received their training there.

After the Sachsen-Zeitz line was extinguished, Suhl became part of Kursachsen in 1718. In addition to the Gothic Heiligkreuzkapelle / Gottesackerkirche, the baroque Kreuzkirche was built from 1731 to 1739 "in front of the city gates". From the last big city fire on May 1, 1753, only the building ensemble around the former lower malt house (today the weapons museum), the Kreuzkirche, two mills and a few houses, including some pipe smiths and hammer mills on the outskirts, were spared. The fire broke out shortly after 10 a.m. in what is now Stadelstrasse in the center of the village and spread through all the streets in the city center through Steinweg. A total of 542 private houses with 220 outbuildings, 490 stables and 161 barns burned down in addition to the public buildings. So that the rifle and barch manufacturers did not migrate after the fire, they received a state construction advance. Several well-known master builders were involved in the reconstruction of the city, such as Gottfried Heinrich Krohne from Weimar, who designed Schlegelmilch's corner house on the market in 1754.

In 1736 there were 119 master locksmiths or gunsmiths working in Suhl. This made the city the most important place for arms production in Electoral Saxony.

In 1746 the mining industry was almost completely down, so that the existence of the rifle factory was threatened due to a lack of iron ore. The ores that could be imported from Schmalkalden or Saalfeld were either too inferior or too expensive. Only two mines were still in operation in Suhl: God's blessing and the Red Crux. The Suhl council asked the supervisory office in Schleusingen for tax concessions and wood allotments for the "inclusion of a demigen Gebürges auf Eisen-Stein" on the Ringberg. The negotiations dragged on for ten years without success.

A city fire on May 1, 1753 caused great damage in the city center, from which the city only gradually recovered.

In 1765, Kursachsen sent the mining officer Wilhelm Gottlob Gläser and his son Friedrich Gottlob Gläser to take over the mining office in Suhl, in order to remedy the grievances that had existed since the 1740s. Supported by the knowledge of the Gläsers and motivated by the orderly conditions, there were a number of people willing to mine, miners and unions. Dozens of mines were opened. The "Henneberg mountain fever" broke out, but only lasted a few years. As early as 1775, more than half of the new mines had ceased operations.

In 1780, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, together with the geologist and mountain ridge Johann Karl Wilhelm Voigt, sought ideas for the revival of mining in Ilmenau in the Suhl-Goldlauter mines.

 

19th century

In 1803 the first mechanical printing machine was designed by Friedrich Koenig in Suhl. After his defeat in the Battle of Leipzig, Napoleon I is said to have stayed in the Lauterer inn.

 

After the Congress of Vienna, Suhl fell to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815, like the entire Saxon share in the former county of Henneberg. The office of Suhl was finally dissolved in 1821 and was part of the Schleusingen district in the Erfurt administrative district in the Prussian province of Saxony until 1945, with the district office being relocated from Schleusingen to Suhl from July 1, 1929.

Although there were still a few mines in Suhl at the beginning of the 19th century, this was not enough to keep the mining office in Suhl. In 1838 it was moved to Kamsdorf near Saalfeld.

With the industrialization of the gunsmithing trade in the 19th century, important arms factories such as J. P. Sauer & Sohn, C. G. Haenel and Simson & Co. developed in Suhl. In 1840 a training institute for military gunsmiths was opened in Suhl.

In the 1840s and 1850s, as part of the first efforts to open up railways in northern Franconia by Joseph Meyer and later the Hennebergischer Glashüttenverein (Hennebergia AG), several iron ore mines were muted in Suhl and sometimes operated with good yields, but the economic conditions of the operators were not permanently cheap.

In 1861 an important porcelain production started. In the three factories founded in Suhl and Mäbendorf in 1861, 1868 and 1882, over 1000 workers were employed at times. In the first few years they produced fired porcelain and later decorative porcelain. Porcelain production was stopped around 1930.

In 1882, Suhl was connected to the German railway network to the south, and after the completion of the Brandleitetunnel in 1884 to the north. In 1893 a shooting station was opened in Suhl, the first and therefore the oldest in Germany. As early as 1896 the production of bicycles was started in the Simson works. In 1906 car production began in Suhl. Racing cars and luxury cars from Simson-Werke, such as the Simson Supra, quickly gained an excellent reputation.

 

20th and 21st centuries

During the Kapp Putsch, Suhl was occupied by troops. The inscription on the town hall, “In the green forest, the red city that had a town hall shot to pieces” commemorates the expulsion of the militias by the workers' armed forces. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Reichswehr was equipped with Suhl weapons.

With the beginning of the National Socialist era, the persecution of political opponents and undesirable parts of the population was responded to by the formation of resistance groups: since 1933 the social-democratic Domberg round, the communist Regenberg community and since 1936 the Friedberg group. The FAUD local anarcho-syndicalist group also joined forces with the communist KAPD / AAU from Ruhla to form a black crowd.

In 1935 the "Aryanization" of Jewish property took place. This affected inter alia. the department store on the market and the Simson works, which were initially transferred to the Wilhelm Gustloff Foundation. The Suhl synagogue in the former Hohenlohestrasse (today the Strasse der Victims of Fascism), built from 1904 to 1906, fell victim to the November pogroms in 1938. A memorial stone has been commemorating the destruction since November 1985. Among the Suhl victims of the Holocaust are the 27 Jewish citizens who were deported to Poland in May 1942, and another 14 who were transported to Theresienstadt in September 1942.

In 1940 an aviation school was opened, in the buildings of which from 1951 to 1989 the district administration of the Ministry of State Security was housed.

As in most German cities, the industry was completely converted to arms and war production during World War II. There were around 10,000 forced laborers for every 20,000 inhabitants. Submachine guns and machine guns as well as measuring control devices for V-weapon production were manufactured in large numbers. Suhl was spared major air raids, as the existing war weapon production facilities in the city had been classified as insignificant by the Allies. But 25 American B-17 “Flying Fortress” got rid of their bombs on March 26, 1945 over the Fröhlicher Mann settlement in the north of Suhl and over an open field (Dörrenbachtal) from a height of 7200 meters. The target was the - not hit - track body. 31 people died, the Merry Man restaurant and 16 other houses were destroyed. Since dispersed SS units did not surrender to the US troops without a fight, war damage occurred in the city in early April 1945.

 

On April 3, 1945, units of the 3rd US Army under the command of General George S. Patton occupied the city. With the dissolution of the Prussian district government in Erfurt, Suhl was assigned to the state of Thuringia on July 1, 1945. On July 3, 1945, units of the Red Army took over the city on the basis of the 1st London Zone Protocol of 1944 and the decisions of the Yalta Conference. Suhl became part of the Soviet zone of occupation. In 1947, important works in the armaments industry were blown up (including Krieghoff) or transported to the Soviet Union as reparations (such as the Simson works). Important experts and skilled workers such as the designer Hugo Schmeisser (MP18, assault rifle 44) had already been brought to the Soviet Union the year before.

With the start of motorcycle production (AWO 425) in the Simson works, vehicle production experienced a revival in 1950. The Simson-Werke initially produced as a SMAD company under Soviet management, traded as the vehicle and equipment factory Simson Suhl from 1952, from 1968 as the vehicle and hunting weapons factory "Ernst Thälmann" and were later incorporated into the IFA combine.

In 1952, after the dissolution of the states in the GDR, Suhl became the district capital and remained so until reunification in 1990. The city center, which had grown over time, was largely demolished and redesigned in a socialist manner under the leadership of the GDR Building Academy under Hermann Henselmann. A new city center was created with a cultural center, town hall, high-rise buildings, expressway, a department store center and administrative buildings. The State Symphony Orchestra Suhl was founded in 1953 (from 1979: Thuringian Philharmonic Suhl).

Since May 12, 1967, Suhl has been an independent city.

A sports airfield was inaugurated in Suhl-Goldlauter in 1972, and the first major air day took place in the same year. In 1978 the city attracted international attention as the venue for the European shooting championships.

In 1984 an officers' college for the GDR border troops opened on the Suhler Friedberg (after 1990 industrial park and part of the Technical University of Ilmenau). In 1986, Suhl was the venue for the 8th European volleyball championships and the 44th world championships in sport shooting.

From September 1989, more and more people gathered in the Kreuzkirche and Marienkirche and demanded democratic rights and freedoms. The first large-scale demonstration on November 4, 1989 was a milestone in the democratic upheaval in Suhl. Since 1990 Suhl has belonged to the re-established Free State of Thuringia. The turnaround led to economic restructuring, unemployment, emigration and population decline.

The vocational school for gunsmiths opened in 1992 as the only school of its kind in Germany. Engravers have been training there since 1998. In 2001 the SRH Institute for Health Professions (IfG) started its work as a technical school for professions in the health sector.

In 1995 the Congress Centrum Suhl (CCS) was opened after the reconstruction of the former town hall. With the hall that can hold up to 5000 visitors and its range of events, the CCS plays an important role in the cultural offerings in Suhl and South Thuringia.

In 1996 a vehicle museum opened its doors in the former Simson factory. The Suhl Vehicle Museum, which reflects the 100-year tradition of vehicle construction in Suhl, has been located in the Suhl Congress Center since 2007.

In view of the high debt (70 million euros, as of 2010) and the steady decline in population of the city, the status of district freedom has been publicly discussed for a long time, but no concrete alternative has emerged so far.

Since the beginning of 2014, Suhl has been a state-approved resort and levies a tourist tax.

 

Incorporations

On April 1, 1994, Albrechts, Dietzhausen, Vesser and Wichtshausen were incorporated. These towns, which are spatially separate from the urban area, have their own town council, just like the previously incorporated towns of Goldlauter-Heidersbach, Heinrichs and Mäbendorf. On January 1, 2019, Gehlberg and Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig were incorporated.

 

Population development

In 1989, the population of the city of Suhl reached its all-time high of over 56,000. In the meantime, however, the population has fallen again. Since the fall of the Wall, Suhl has had to contend with significant emigration, which is why Suhl's residential landscape is subject to severe demolition. This applies in particular to prefabricated buildings on the outskirts of the city and in the Suhl-Nord district.

The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) published an estimate in 2012, according to which Suhl could only have 27,400 inhabitants in 2030.

The following overview shows the population according to the respective territorial status. The numbers are census results (¹) or official updates from the respective statistical offices or the city administration itself. The information relates to the "local population" from 1843, to the resident population from 1925 and to the "local population" since 1966 the main residence".

 

Geographical location

Suhl lies in a long valley in the south (at least 380 m above sea level) on the south to west edge of the Thuringian Forest. The city is surrounded by mountains between 650 and 983 m high.

In the northeast, the urban area includes part of the Rennsteig, as well as the peaks of the Großer Beerberg (983 m), the Schneekopf (978 m), the Großer Finsterberg (944 m), the Großer Eisenberg (907 m) and the Sachsenstein (915 m) with a. Finally, with the Gehlberg district, it borders the northern part of the Thuringian Forest and the Wild Gera Valley.
In the east, the core city area is bordered by peaks that belong to the Adlersberg massif (Großer Erleshügel 839 m, Ringberg 746 m, Beerberg 808 m, Großer Dröhberg about 730 m). Furthermore, the urban area extends here over the district of Vesser including the upper Vessertal to the district of Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig.
To the south joins the 671 m high Schleusinger Berg (or its Suhler Vor-peaks Steinsburg and Sommerberg) on ​​the Schneeberg up to 692 m high Small Thuringian Forest, which is already part of the Thuringian Forest-Buntsandstein-Vorland and in the west Suhls merges into significantly lower peaks.
Within the city, the Domberg (674.8 m), the mountain Hohe Loh (529 m) with the equally high secondary summit Hainberg and the Döllberg (760 m) are important.
Neighboring communities are the immediately adjoining town of Zella-Mehlis in the north (district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen), the community of Dillstädt in the west, Geratal, Elgersburg and Ilmenau (all three Ilm districts) in the east and the towns and communities of Schleusingen, Schmeheim and Oberstadt ( Hildburghausen district) in the south.

Part of the Suhl district touches the UNESCO Vessertal-Thuringian Forest biosphere reserve in the east.

 

Geology

Due to the geological situation on the edge of the Thuringian Forest, various mineral resources occur near Suhl.

Iron ores: Red iron ore, brown iron ore, magnetic iron ore in vein and sedimentary deposits almost throughout the city
Copper ores: copper pebbles, copper pechers, malachite in vein deposits, but also in acanthodes slate near Suhl-Goldlauter
Silver ores: pale ores and rarely solid silver in acanthodes slate; Silver grades of the gangue copper ores
Manganese ores: brown stone, black glass head in corridors
Uranium ores: Enrichment of uranium mica and pitchblende in Latvian layers of the red sandstone
Bituminous coal: coal-bearing shale in Permian sediments
Spat: violet fluorite, barite, calcite
Salt: highly enriched calcium chloride spring “Ottilienquelle”, redone in 2003
All mineral resources were mined until the middle / end of the 19th century, iron ores and spar until the beginning of the 20th century. Today they no longer play an economic role.

 

City structure

Suhl includes ten incorporated villages and the prefabricated housing complexes built in GDR times on the outskirts and the city center in the valley in the middle. They are listed in the list of districts of Suhl.

The towns of Dietzhausen, Wichtshausen and Vesser, which were incorporated in 1994, have their own postcodes and phone numbers:

Dietzhausen and Wichtshausen the postcode 98529 and the area code 036846,
Vesser the zip code 98528 and the area code 036782.
Like Vesser, the towns of Gehlberg and Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig, which were incorporated in 2019, have the postcode 98528.

 

Economy and Infrastructure

Public facilities

The city is the seat of the Suhl District Court and the Suhl Labor Court.

 

Traffic

Suhl is on the A 71 Sangerhausen-Erfurt-Schweinfurt and A 73 Suhl-Nuremberg motorways. Suhl is crossed in the district of Heinrichs by the A 73 on the Hasel Viaduct at a height of 85 meters.

The town lies on the Neudietendorf–Ritschenhausen railway line. Before the Second World War, the station was a stop for trains from Berlin to Saarbrücken and Tübingen and for a night train from Berlin to Rome (timetable 1935: D 13/14). The city express train pair 150/157 Rennsteig to Berlin-Lichtenberg stopped here until 1991 in order to run a direct connection to the capital of the GDR on weekdays.

Deutsche Bahn regional express trains run between Würzburg and Erfurt and the Süd-Thüringen-Bahn to Meiningen, Erfurt and Wernshausen at Suhl station. Another station is in the district of Heinrichs.

RE 7 Erfurt Hbf - Arnstadt Hbf - Suhl - Grimmenthal - Bad Neustadt - Schweinfurt Hbf - Würzburg Hbf every two hours
RB 43 Suhl-Zella-Mehlis-Schmalkalden-Wernshausen two pairs of trains
RB 44 Erfurt Hbf–Arnstadt Hbf–Suhl–Grimmenthal–Meiningen every two hours
RE 50 Erfurt Hbf–Arnstadt Hbf–Suhl–Grimmenthal–Meiningen six pairs of trains

At Suhl station, the Friedbergbahn branches off to Schleusingen, which is considered one of the steepest standard-gauge railway lines in Germany. This route has been closed since 1997, but an association is planning to set up museum traffic between Suhl and Schleusingen.

The Gehlberg train station and the Rennsteig train station are also located in the urban area of Suhl, which was expanded in 2019 through incorporation. The latter also connects Suhl to the Rennsteigbahn.

Local public transport within the city is provided by the Suhl/Zella-Mehlis (SNG) municipal transport company with several bus lines. In 1989, the Suhl trolleybus should also go into operation, but the project could not be realized in times of political upheaval. In terms of regional bus services, Suhl is integrated into the line networks of WerraBus (district of Hildburghausen), Meininger Busbetriebe (district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen) and IOV Omnibusverkehr Ilmenau (Ilm district). For example, the winter sports resorts of Oberhof, Frauenwald and Masserberg can be reached.

The nearest long-distance bus stop is in neighboring Zella-Mehlis and is served by three Flixbus lines.

The sports airfield Suhl-Goldlauter (ICAO code EDQS), in the northeast of the city, is a special airfield with a 570 meter long grass runway.

 

Business

Important weapons factories in the neighboring town of Zella-Mehlis are worth mentioning, for example Carl Walther GmbH (founded in 1886), J. G. Anschütz or Reitz & Recknagel in today's Suhl district of Albrechts, which was rebuilt in Schweinfurt after 1945.

After the Second World War, the Ernst Thälmann factory and the Simson Suhl vehicle and equipment factory were the city's largest employers. These companies were combined in the early 1970s to form the VEB vehicle and hunting weapons factory "Ernst Thälmann". While weapons production was used to manufacture hunting guns, sports guns and air guns, but also Kalashnikovs in large numbers, Simson produced AWO 425 light motorcycles after motorcycle production had ended, e.g. Simson SR2, Simson Star, Sperber, Simson Schwalbe, Simson S 50, Simson S 51. With the housing combine WBK Suhl (with production lines in the twin town of Kaluga and in Berlin-Marzahn), the Suhl electrical equipment factory (hot water tank, mixer, bread and food slicer , hair clippers), the Feinmesszeugwerk FMS (last belonging to the Carl Zeiss Jena combine), the VEB MLW Medizinmechanik (today Aesculap) and the Fleischkombinat (today Zimbo) there were other large and medium-sized companies. Most of the companies organized in state combines were not economically viable after unification.

Significant companies after 1990 include the CD/DVD pressing plant Compact Disc Suhl-Albrechts, paragon AG, Merkel Jagd- und Sportwaffen GmbH (until 1945 the Merkel Brothers Suhl), the Zimbo plant (until 1990 Fleischkombinat Suhl) and the Large Bakery Gramss. In 2002, Simson Motorrad GmbH filed for bankruptcy, despite the introduction of new models such as the Schikra, SC and TS and the manufacture of motor and electric scooters. Furthermore, hoists, medical instruments, supplier parts for the automotive industry, mechanical and tool engineering products as well as electrical engineering and measurement technology are manufactured in Suhl.

In 2016, Suhl, within the city limits, had a gross domestic product (GDP) of €1,088 billion and thus had the smallest GDP of all independent cities. In the same year, per capita GDP was €30,053 (Thuringia: €27,674 / Germany €38,180) and thus above the Thuringian average but below the national average. In 2017 there were around 21,200 employed people in the city. The unemployment rate was 4.7% in December 2018 and thus below the Thuringian average of 5.2%. In addition to regional employment promotion, the Suhl employment agency has specialized in finding jobs on the high seas under the slogan sea work.

 

Health

The SRH Central Clinic Suhl, the largest clinic in southern Thuringia, is located in Suhl. The House of Specialized Care comprises 22 specialist and sub-areas of medicine. Connected to the clinic are the medical care center in Suhl, which currently has eight specialist areas for outpatient care, as well as the emergency service center of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.

There is also a rescue station from the DRK-Landesband Thüringen e. V. and the air rescue center of the DRF Luftrettung in the immediate vicinity of the SRH central clinic.

 

Housing

There are two large housing construction companies in Suhl: the municipal “Gemeinwohl Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH” (GeWo) and the workers’ housing cooperative (AWG) “Rennsteig” eG. In addition, the KLS and many private providers take care of the housing supply in Suhl. Housing construction in Suhl was at its peak in the 1960s and 1970s, which is why the average price per square meter for rental apartments is around €5.30. Large new development areas are the Aue, the Friedbergsiedlung, Suhl-Nord, the residential area around Ilmenauer-Straße and the settlement at Himmelreich or on the Döllberg. From 2001 to 2013, 5,729 apartments were dismantled in Suhl. In 2001, the Suhl-Nord development area still had a total of 5,358 apartments. By 2025 it is planned to almost completely demolish the district. 530 private apartments are to remain. For several years, Suhl has been striving for high-quality living space, e.g. by the AWG with the project: Habitats Auengrund. The first apartments were moved into in October 2015.

 

Education

Suhl has various educational institutions of primary and secondary level. such as via various elementary schools, a support center, two secondary schools, a high school (Friedrich-König-Gymnasium) and some vocational schools. Including e.g. B. the private technical school for economics and social affairs.

 

Public safety and fire protection

The Suhl fire brigade is divided into a professional fire brigade and eight volunteer fire brigades. The fire station of the professional fire brigade has been located in the hazard prevention center in Zella-Mehlis since July 2006 and houses the former full-time fire brigade in the city center and the tunnel fire brigade for the A71 motorway. Oberland-Lauter, Haselgrund, Goldlauter-Heidersbach, Albrechts, Vesser, Schmiedefeld and Gehlberg.

With around 600 police officers, the Suhl State Police Inspectorate is responsible for the districts of Hildburghausen and Schmalkalden-Meiningen, the southern Wartburg district and the city of Suhl. This area covers 2,923 square kilometers and about 292,000 inhabitants.

The Goldlauter correctional facility is located in the Suhl district of Goldlauter.

 

Miscellaneous

Under the direction of Rolf Anschütz, the first Japanese restaurant in the GDR was opened in Suhl in 1966 as the Japan department of the HO restaurant "Waffenschmied". The 2012 feature film Sushi in Suhl tells the story of the most exclusive Japanese restaurant in Europe, which was expanded in 1977 and equipped with a small sentō bath.

Suhl became known on the Internet mainly because the city authorities forgot to pay the fees for their domain in 2001. The ex-policeman Norbert Suhl from Lübeck then secured the domain that was automatically terminated. The ensuing legal battle was followed closely by the media and is considered a precedent. The city administration tried unsuccessfully to sue the domain.

The city of Suhl is the namesake for an Airbus A321neo (identification: D-AIEH) of Deutsche Lufthansa.