Gräfenthal

Gräfenthal
Gräfenthal
Town
	Town hall
	Coat of arms
	Location of Gräfenthal within Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
	Gräfenthal Gräfenthal
	Coordinates: 50°32′N 11°18′E / 50.533°N 11.300°E
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Saalfeld-Rudolstadt
Municipal assoc.	Schiefergebirge
Subdivisions	8
Government
• Mayor (2018–24)	Wolfgang Wehr
Area
• Total	36.45 km2 (14.07 sq mi)
Elevation	400 m (1,300 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)
• Total	1,878
• Density	52/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	98743
Dialling codes	036703
Vehicle registration	SLF
Website	www.graefenthal.de

Gräfenthal (German pronunciation: [ˈɡʁɛːfn̩ˌtaːl] ^ⓘ) is a town in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt in Thuringia, Germany.

Geography edit

Gräfenthal is located in the southern Thuringian Highland. Mountains in this region rise up to 800 meters above sea level and are usually wooded with spruce trees. 20 km north-eastern of Gräfenthal lies district town Saalfeld.

Neighboring municipalities (clockwise, starting northwards) are: Reichmannsdorf, Probstzella, Ludwigsstadt, Tettau, Oberland am Rennsteig, Piesau, Lichte, Schmiedefeld

Gräfenthal has 8 subdivisions:

Buchbach
Creunitz
Gebersdorf
Gräfenthal
Großneundorf
Lichtenhain
Lippelsdorf
Sommersdorf

History edit

In 1288 the town was first mentioned. It was for much of its early history under various Ernestine princelings.

Number of inhabitants edit

1994: 3.146
1997: 3.036
2000: 2.913
2003: 2.808
2006: 2.692
2009: 2.499
2012: 2.150
2014: 2.056

Pictures edit

Gräfenthal Market place Town hall

Gräfenthal-Market place

Gräfenthal-School

Buildings edit

Castle Wespenstein
Grenz- und Heimatmuseum Gräfenthal
Town church, with restored Art Nouveau mural paintings.
Railway viaduct

Economy and infrastructure edit

Erstwhile mining and the location at the route for commerce between Nuremberg and Leipzig were important economical factors. Mainly iron, slate and alum had been mined. During the 20th century Gräfenthal was well known for its porcelain products. From the formerly three manufactories only one is still in existence. Today a plastics factory is the main employer.

Gräfenthal lies on the road between Neuhaus am Rennweg and Probstzella. Further roads lead to surrounding municipalities. The town used to be connected to the railway-system up until the line section between Sonneberg and Probstzella became disused due to lacking profitability.

Sons and daughters of the town edit

Reinhard Höhn (1904-2000), state and administrative lawyer in the Period of National Socialism
Helmut Lipfert (1916-1990), Luftwaffe officer in World War II
Christian Paschold (born 1949), sculptor, artist

References edit

^ Gewählte Bürgermeister - aktuelle Landesübersicht, Freistaat Thüringen, accessed 14 July 2021.
^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2022" (in German). Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik. June 2023.

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[1] Gewählte Bürgermeister - aktuelle Landesübersicht, Freistaat Thüringen, accessed 14 July 2021.

[2] "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2022" (in German). Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik. June 2023.

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