Crimmitschau () is a town in the district of Zwickau in Saxony, Germany.
Geography Crimmitschau lies on the river Pleiße in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains.
Neighboring municipalities Adjacent communities include: Zwickau, Dennheritz, Neukirchen, Meerane, and Langenbernsdorf in Landkreis of Zwickau; Heyersdorf, Jonaswalde, Ponitz and Thonhausen in Thuringian Landkreis of Altenburger Land; as well as Braunichswalde, Rückersdorf, and Seelingstädt in Thuringia in Landkreis of Greiz.
Municipality subdivisions The town Crimmitschau consists of Crimmitschau proper and the following five Ortschaften (localities), each containing several Ortsteile or divisions:Hauptsatzung der Großen Kreisstadt Crimmitschau, January 2019. Blankenhain (incl. Großpillingsdorf) Frankenhausen (incl. Gösau and Gosel) Langenreinsdorf Lauenhain Mannichswalde
The Ortsteile Rudelswalde and Gablenz are not part of an Ortschaft.
History In the course of German eastward expansion, the city of Crimmitschau and a castle of the same name (now called the Schweinsburg) were established from around 1170 to 1200 as an organized German colony. The settlement's existence is first documented in 1212. In 1414 Crimmitschau received town privileges from Markgraf Wilhelm II.
On 15 March 1844, Crimmitschau was connected to the German rail network (on the Leipzig–Hof railway, which was later extended to Bavaria). Its current station was opened in 1873
Around the turn of the century, Crimmitschau was the site of a large concentrated textile industry, and was called "The City of 100 chimneys" (Stadt der 100 Schornsteine).
From August 22, 1903, to January 18, 1904, it was the site of one of the largest and longest strikes in the German Empire, which affected the entire nation.
In 1944, some Crimmitschau property was bombed by Allied Forces.
At the end of the 1980s, a great part of the old and inner cities were torn down and replaced with prefabricated concrete buildings. Similar plans existed for the southern suburb, but were not put in place after the regime change in 1990.
Population
Year Population 1834 3,767 1875 17,649 1880 18,925 1890 19,300 1933 27,938 1939 27,247 1946 30,504 1950 34,541 1960 31,279 1981 26,229 1984 25,086 Year Population 1995 23,888 1997 23,420 1999 23,570 2000 23,305 2002 22,874 2004 22,528 2006 21,953 2008 21.080 2009 20.833 2010 20.901
Religion Even though a majority of the people in Crimmitschau are not affiliated with any religion, there are some Protestant parishes and even a Catholic parish, belonging to the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen. The most important churches are: St. Laurentius-Kirche, Johanniskirche, and the Lutherkirche.
Twin towns – sister cities
Crimmitschau is twinned with: Bystřice nad Pernštejnem, Czech Republic Wiehl, Germany
Sights
Landmarks include the town hall, the late Gothic parish church of Saint Laurentius (Saint Lawrence)(1513), with its star and cross ribbed arches, the former Cistercian nunnery of Frankenhausen Abbey (founded around 1290) in the district of Frankenhausen and the open-air museum of Blankenhain Castle located at the castle of the same name.
Museums Western Saxon Textile Museum, which is located in a fully functional textile factory, former known as "Gebrüder Pfau KG" The Agricultural and Open-Air Museum of Schloss Blankenhain
Parks The Zöffelpark, which was built in the pre-war period and named after Emil Oskar Zöffel, an important textile manufacturer and Philanthropist in the history of the city. The Bismarck-Hain, a former cemetery, named after Reichskanzler Otto von Bismarck. This park was known as Friedenspark (Peace-park) during GDR-times. The Sahnpark, located north of the city center, is the largest park in Crimmitschau and harbours an old open-air bath, an animal park and the stadium of ETC Crimmitschau.
Sport Crimmitschau has a well-known ice hockey club, the ETC Crimmitschau, which plays in the second highest German league. The city also has a soccer team, FC Crimmitschau and an American Football Team, the Tornados Crimmitschau.
Business and infrastructure
Crimmitschau lies directly at the Autobahn A4 and can be reached through the exits Schmölln and Meerane. Deutsche Bahn provides connections from Crimmitschau station to Zwickau, Leipzig, Hof.
Education There are three elementary schools, two secondary schools, a gymnasium, and a special education school in Crimmitschau.
Notable people Julius Motteler (1838–1907), Reichstag deputy, co-founder of the Social Democratic Party of Germany Adolf Paul Schulze (1840–1891), emigrated to Scotland and became a successful merchant and noted microscopist Heinrich Mauersberger (1909–1982), engineer and inventor in the textile industry Helmut Bräutigam (1914–1942), composer Gerhard Zwerenz (1925–2015), writer and former Bundestag deputy Peter Graf (born 1937), painter Wolf-Dieter Storl (born 1942), ethnobotanist and author Klaus Gruner (born 1954), handball player, Olympic champion 1980 Udo Kießling (born 1955), ice hockey player Gabi Zange (born 1961), speed skater
Honorary citizen 1895: Otto von Bismarck, chancellor of the Reich 1984: Walter Richter, gardener
References
External links
Coat of Arms ETC-Crimmitschau the West Saxon Textile Museum of Crimmitschau Agricultural and Open-Air Museum of Schloss Blankenhain the Julius-Motteler-Gymnasium of Crimmitschau