Sondershausen () is a town in Thuringia, central Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km (30 mi) north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was merged with Sondershausen.
Until 1918 it was part of the principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.
Geography
Sondershausen is situated in North Thuringia and lies in a low mountain range between Hainleite (in the north) and Windleite (in the south). The highest mountain is the Frauenberg to the west of the town. A little river called Wipper flows through Sondershausen. The town is surrounded by mixed forests, dominated by beech.
Subdivisions
The city districts are:
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City centre
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Borntal
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Hasenholz
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Östertal
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Bebra
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Berka
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Großfurra
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Jecha
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Jechaburg
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Stockhausen
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Großberndten
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Himmelsberg
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Hohenebra
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Immenrode
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Kleinberndten
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Schernberg
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Straußberg
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Thalebra
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Culture and main sights
Museums
Sondershausen Palace houses a large museum with three different exhibit areas. Special exhibits are the , the only one of its kind in Germany, and the legendary bronze figurine . There are special guided tours of the palace's storage depot, cellar, tower, and park.
Other places of interest include a former mine under the city, and a Jewish bath from the 14th century.
Buildings
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Sondershausen Palace, with natural history and antiquarian collections. Built as a palace during the Renaissance, expanding from an earlier fort, it was later expanded further in a Baroque style (1764–1771). Especially noteworthy are the "Blue Hall" and the gardens.
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The previous Princes' Palace (1721–1725), a residence of the princes from 1835 to 1851. It currently houses the district administration office of the Kyffhäuserkreis.
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The "Octagonal House"
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"Alte Wache"
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Main building of the "Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium Sondershausen" (a grammar school)
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A mikveh
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"Haus der Kunst" ("House of the Arts") theatre
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Rathaus (city hall)
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Gottschalcksches Haus (House of Gottschalck)
Churches
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The Baroque Trinitatiskirche, a Lutheran church with a mausoleum containing the graves of the last members of the princely family
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Crucis Church, the oldest building in Sondershausen
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St. Matthias Church, a historical structure considered one of the most beautiful churches in the region
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St. Petri Church in Jechaburg
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St. Georg Church in Bebra
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St. Viti Church in Berka
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St. Bonifatius Church in Großfurra
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St. Johannis Church in Oberspier
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Church of Großberndten
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Church St. Mauritii in Himmelsberg
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Church Gloria Deo in Hohenebra
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Church of Immenrode
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Church St. Johannes in Kleinberndten
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St. Crucis Church in Schernberg
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Church of Thalebra
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St. Elisabeth Church (catholic)
Notable people
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Rudolf Arzinger (1922–1970), expert of public international law
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Felix Becker (1864–1928), art historian
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Regina Miriam Bloch (1888–1938), writer and poet
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Johann Günther Friedrich Cannabich (1777–1859), geographer
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Edmund Döring (1860–1938), German homeland culture ("Heimat") historian
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Ernst Christoph Dressler (1734–1779), composer, operatic tenor, violinist and music theorist
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Ernst Ludwig Gerber (1746–1819), composer, music writer, musician
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Jörg Hoffmann (born 1963), , Olympic champion in Calgary 1988
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Thilo Irmisch (1816–1878), botanist
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Günther Jahn (painter) (born 1933), painter
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Michael Kohl (1929–1981), lawyer, East German deputy foreign minister
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Olaf Koch (conductor) (born 1932), director of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin
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Karl Krieghoff (1905–1984), local poet
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Vera Lengsfeld (born 1952), politician
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Georg Richard Lewin (1820–1896), Dermatology, university professor
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Kurt Lindner (1906–1987), hunting historian
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Valentin Ernst Löscher (1674–1749), theologian, writer
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Günther Lutze (1840–1930), botanist, German homeland culture ("Heimat") historian, chronicler
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Joachim Manard (Manhard, Manardt) (1564–1637), chronicler of the town
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Ludwig Günther Martini (1647–1719), jurist
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Curt Mücke (1885–1940), painter
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Carl Moeller (German pastor) (1867–1920), pastor and German homeland culture ("Heimat") historian
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Hermann Müller (1891–1984), German homeland culture ("Heimat") historian
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Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (born 1966), speed skating
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Ronald Paris (1933–2021), painter
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Werner Schubert (1921–1991), painter
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Heinz Scharr (born 1924), visual arts
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Ferdinand Schlufter (1871–1948), major
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Volker Strübing (born 1971), book author, cabaret artist and songwriter
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Johann Friedrich Suckow (1769–1842), musician
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Johann Karl Wezel (1747–1819), poet
Sister cities
Sondershausen is twinned with three cities:
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Rolla, Missouri, United States
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Pecquencourt, France
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Kazlų Rūda, Lithuania
External links
