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Zwickau is a city of Germany, in the Bundesland Saxony (Sachsen), situated in a valley at the foot of the Erzgebirge, on the left bank of the Zwickauer Mulde, 130 km (82 miles) southwest of Dresden, south of Leipzig and south west of Chemnitz. (Population: slightly under 100,000). It is accessed by nearest autobahnen, the A72 and A4 along with a train station.
Boundaries Zwickau is bounded by Mülsen, Reinsdorf, Wilkau-Haßlau, Hirschfeld (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Kirchberg), Lichtentanne, Werdau, Neukirchen, Crimmitschau and Dennheritz (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Crimmitschau) along with the districts of Chemnitzer Land with the city of Glauchau. Districts Highlights Among the nine churches, the fine Gothic church of St Mary (1451-1536 and restored 1885-1891), with a spire 285 ft. high and a bell weighing 51 tons, is remarkable. The church contains an altar with wood-carving and eight pictures by Michael Wohlgemuth and a remarkable pietà in carved and painted wood, by Peter Breuer *.The late Gothic church of St Catharine * (restored 1893-94) has an altarpiece ascribed to Lucas Cranach the elder, and is memorable for the pastorate (1520-22) of Thomas Muenzer. Of the secular buildings the most noteworthy are the town-hall of 1581, with the municipal archives, including documents dating back to the 13th century and an autograph MS. of the works of Hans Sachs, and the late Gothic Gewandhaus (cloth merchants' hall), built 1522-24 and now in part converted into a theatre. It is also the birthplace of Robert Schumann and there is a museum dedicated to him. Economy The manufactures of Zwickau include spinning and weaving, machinery, automobiles (notably Horch and Audi before WW II and the Trabant), chemicals, porcelain, paper, glass, dyestuffs, wire goods, tinware, stockings, and curtains. There are also steam saw-mills, diamond and glass polishing works, iron-foundries, and breweries. Though no longer relatively so important as when it lay on the chief trade route from Saxony to Bohemia and the Danube, Zwickau carries on considerable commerce in grain, linen, and coal. The mainstay of the industrial prosperity of the town is the adjacent coalfield, which in 1908 employed 13,000 hands, and yielded million of tons of coal annually. The mines are mentioned as early as 1348; but they have only been actively worked since 1823, during which time the population of Zwickau has increased more than tenfold. Education Zwickau is home of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences with about 4700 students and two campuses in the area of Zwickau. Transportation History The region around Zwickau was settled by Slavs as early as the 7th century. In the 10th century, German settlers began arriving and the native Slavs were Christianized. A trading place known as Zcwickaw was mentioned in 1118. The settlement received a town charter in 1212 and hosted Franciscans and Cistercians during the 13th century. Zwickau was a free imperial city from 1290-1323, but was granted to the margraves of Meissen afterward. Although regional mining began in 1316, extensive mining increased with the discovery of silver in the Schneeberg in 1470. The Anabaptist movement of 1525 began at Zwickau under the inspiration of the "Zwickau prophets." Confessional warfare plundered the city during the Thirty Years' War. The composer Robert Schumann was born in Zwickau in 1810 in a house which still stands in the marketplace. During the Second World War, the German government operated a prison camp in Zwickau, liberated by the Allies in 1945. After liberation by the Americans, the town was placed under Soviet control. From 1949-1990 Zwickau belonged to East Germany and was a center for the mining of coal. As of November 2004, Ampelmännchen traffic signals have achieved gender equality; in Zwickau the first traffic light lady, or Ampelfrau, was created. Incorporations Historical population ¹ Census data Historical mayors of Zwickau Twinnings Sports One time DDR-Oberliga champions, football team FSV Zwickau today play in the sixth tier Landesliga Sachsen. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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