Apolda

Apolda
Town
Coat of arms
Location of Apolda within Weimarer Land district
Apolda Apolda
Coordinates: 51°1′N 11°31′E
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Weimarer Land
Government
• Mayor (2024–30)	Olaf Müller
Area
• Total	46.15 km2 (17.82 sq mi)
Elevation	205 m (673 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	23,072
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	99501-99510
Dialling codes	03644, 036462, 036465
Vehicle registration	AP, APD
Website	www.apolda.de

Apolda (German: [aˈpɔlda] ^ⓘ) is a town in central Thuringia, Germany, the capital of the Weimarer Land district. It is situated in the center of the triangle Weimar–Jena–Naumburg near the river Ilm, c. 15 kilometres (9 miles) east by north from Weimar. Apolda station lies on the Halle–Bebra railway, which is part of the main line from Berlin to Frankfurt.

History

Apolda was first mentioned in 1119. Until 1633 it was seat of a family of nobles, the Vitzthums, which acted relatively independent. Between 1633 and World War I Apolda was property of the University of Jena. Nevertheless, from 1691 to 1809 Apolda was part of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar and from 1809 to 1918 of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (after 1815 Grand Duchy). Around 1700, the knitting industry began to grow, so that finally, at the end of the 19th century, Apolda was the wealthiest town of the whole region. On July 12–17, 1945, Apolda issued a set of three of its own postage stamps. They depicted a new sprig growing up out of a tree stump. After World War II, Thuringia became part of the German Democratic Republic. Up to German reunification, Apolda still was famous for its textile industries. Since then, a notable economic decay has taken place.

Mayors

Ernst Stegmann was the long-time mayor of Apolda with 33 years in office (1901-1934).

Period of office Name 1869–1871 Dr. jur. Hugo Mentz 1871–1877 Gustav Francke 1878–1888 Julius Schrön 1888–1890 Friedrich August Eupel 1890–1896 Oskar Stechow 1896–1900 Georg von Fewson 1901–1934 Ernst Stegmann 1934–1945 Julius Dietz

Period of office Name from 23.4.1945 Friedrich Maul from 3.6.1945 Walther Lührs from 8.10.1945 Johannes Berger 1947–1948 Kurt Meyn 1948–1950 Kurt Sparschuh 1950–1953 Wilhelm Tischer 1953–1955 Anton Lifka 1955–1959 Kurt Koch

Period of office Name 1959–1963 Rudi Doye 1963–1983 Hans Reichert 1983–1985 Elke Brauer 1985–1989 Gerhard Brauer 1989–1990 Jürgen Goller 1990–2006 Michael Müller since 1.6.2006 Rüdiger Eisenbrand

Main sights

It possesses several churches and monuments to the Dobermann Pinscher dog breed, which was created in Apolda, and to Christian Zimmermann (1759–1842), who, by introducing the hosiery and cloth manufacture, made Apolda one of the most important places in Germany in these branches of industry. By 1900 it also had had extensive dyeworks, bell foundries, and manufactures of steam engines, boilers, cars and bicycles. After German reunification the majority of these had to be closed down for economical reasons.

The most important sights are:

• St. Martin's Church (1119), details in Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque style
• Town Hall (1558/9), in Renaissance style
• Castle (16th/17th century)
• Railway viaduct (1845/46)
• Zimmermann factory building (1880–1882)
• Lutherkirche (1894)
• St. Boniface's Church (1894)
• Glocken museum (Bell museum)

The largest free hanging bell in the world, the Decke Pitter of Cologne Cathedral, was made in Apolda. Apolda also has mineral springs.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Apolda is twinned with:

• Mark, Sweden
• Rapid City, United States
• San Miniato, Italy
• Seclin, France

Notable people

• Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann (1834–1894), first breeder of the Doberman Pinscher
• Otto Franz Georg Schilling (1911–1973), mathematician
• Albert Raisner (1922–2011), musician and TV host
• Klaus Agthe (born 1930), businessman and author
• Mike Mohring (born 1971), politician (CDU)
• Erich Seidel, ophthalmologist known for Seidel test and Seidel sign

See also

• Prager house