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9/10/2015 Suhl - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
<br />The US Army reached Suhl on 3 April 1945 and was replaced by Soviet troops on 1 July 1945. At the same year, Suhl became part of Thuringia, which was replaced by
<br />three Bezirks in 1952. Suhl became the capital of the south-western Bezirk, reaching from Bad Satzungen in the north-west to Sonneberg in the south-east with a population
<br />of 550,000. During the GDR period, the upgraded city saw a period of rapid urban growth, which is defining until today.
<br />After the German reunification in 1990, Suhl lost its administrative functions when Thuringia was refounded and replaced the Bezirks. Furthermore, the industry collapsed.
<br />Both led to a structural crises, which isn't overcome yet. The population of Suhl declined about 35% since 1988.
<br />History of arms production
<br />The metal processing of Suhl naturally led, during the Renaissance, to other major local industries, including gunsmithing and armoring. Suhl was a major producer of
<br />cannons throughout the seventeenth and subsequent centuries, and Suhl cannons were used by many European powers. A major arms company that was located in Suhl for
<br />almost 200 years was J.P. Sauer and Sohn GmbH, producer of hunting rifles, shotguns, and pistols, such as the Sauer 38H, until moving operations to Eckemf6rde at the end
<br />of WWII.
<br />Other prominent firearms manufacturers in Suhl included
<br />■ Simson (also known as BSW and then Gustloff Werke under Nazi rule and Ernst Thalmann Suhl under Communist rule),
<br />■ Waffenfabrik August Menz, noted for having produced in the 1920s the Liliput pistol, one of the smallest semiautomatic handguns ever made.
<br />■ C.G. Haenel.
<br />■ The largest manufacturer producing firearms currently in Suhl is Merkel GmbH, who make both rifles and shotguns.
<br />During the Cold War, the East German national shooting arena was located at Suhl, and hosted many top-level competitions, including the 1986 ISSF World
<br />Championships. Although surpassed in this respect in the unified Germany by the Olympic shooting centre at Munich, Suhl remains an important place to the sport. It hosts
<br />Germany's only school for armorers, and a well equipped museum of weapons.
<br />Geography and demographics
<br />Topography and geology
<br />Suhl is located on the south-western edge of the Thuringian Forest. To the south-west, the Small Thuringian Forest (some foothills of the Thuringian forest) is situated. The
<br />terrain is mountainous to all directions, some important mountains are: the Grolier Beerberg (983 in, highest one in Thuringia) in the north-east, the Ringberg (745 m), the
<br />D611berg (760 m), the Friedberg (649 m) and the Adlersberg (859 m) in the east, the Steinsburg (641 m) in the south, the Heiliger Berg (513 m), the Domberg (675 m) and
<br />the Berg Bock (709 m) in the north-west as well as the Bocksberg (609 m) and the Hoheloh (526 m) within the city. The centre itself is located in an elevation of 450 in and
<br />nearly the complete non -build on part of the municipal territory is forested. There are a few small rivers running through Suhl: The Hasel rises at Friedberg in the south-east
<br />and runs westward through Suhl, Heimichs, Mabendorf, Dietzhausen and Wichtshausen. The Lauter rises on the southern slope of GroBer Beerberg mountain and runs
<br />through Goldlauter, Lauter and the city centre, before it joins the Hasel behind the station. The Muhlwasser rises on the western slope of Grolier Beerberg and runs
<br />southward through the northern city parts before it joins the Lauter at the northern city centre.
<br />Suhl sits on the southern edge of the Suhler Scholle, an upthrust granite complex that is streaked by numerous dikes. This is part of the Ruhla-Schleusingen Horst that
<br />defines the southwest side of the Thuringian Forest. The southwest side of the Suhler Scholle abuts horizontal sedimentary layers, Buntsandstein (sandstone from the
<br />Triassic period) over Zechstein (evaporite deposits from the Permian period). The granite of the Suhler Scholle is capped with Permian sediments and igneous deposits. The
<br />higher hills to the northeast are part of the Beerberg Scholle, an irregularly cracked mass of quartz porphyry from the later Permian period.[2][3]
<br />A band of iron ores follows the fault dividing the Suhler Scholle from the sedimentary rocks to the southwest, while the copper and silver deposits are to the northeast in the
<br />Permian deposits above the Suhler Scholle. Southeast of town, there is a significant uranium deposit in the Buntsandstein.141
<br />Panoramic view over Suhl and the mountains around
<br />Administrative division
<br />Suhl abuts the following municipalities: Gehlberg, Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig and Frauenwald within Ilm-Kreis
<br />district in the north-east, Nahetal-Waldau, Sankt Kilian, Eichenberg, Grub, Oberstadt and Schmeheim within
<br />Hildburghausen district in the south, Dillstadt and Schwarza in the west as well as Benshausen and Zella-Mehlis in
<br />the north within Schmalkalden-Meiningen district.
<br />Some villages got incorporated during the 20th century, forming the districts of Suhl today:
<br />■ Albrechts (incorporated in 1994)
<br />■ Dietzhausen (1994)
<br />■ Goldlauter(1979)
<br />■ Heidersbach (1979)
<br />■ Heinrichs (193 6)
<br />■ Mabendorf (1979)
<br />■ Neundorf (also: Suhler Neundorf, 193 6)
<br />■ Vesser (1994)
<br />■ Wichtshausen (1994)
<br />Demographics
<br />District map
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