Weißenfels
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Weißenfels | |
 |
|
 |
|
  Weißenfels
|
|
| Coordinates | 51°12′0″N 11°58′0″E / 51.2°N 11.966667°E |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| State | Saxony-Anhalt |
| District | Burgenlandkreis |
| Municipal assoc. | Weißenfelser Land |
| Mayor | Manfred Rauner (CDU) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 24.74 km2 (9.55 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 100 m (328 ft) |
| Population | 29,669 (31 December 2006) |
| - Density | 1,199 /km2 (3,106 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | BLK |
| Postal code | 06667 |
| Area code | 03443 |
| Website | www.weissenfels.de |
Weißenfels (IPA /ˈvaisnˌfels/; written in English as Weissenfels) is the largest town of the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, approximately 30 kilometers (20 mi) south of Halle (Saale). Weißenfels is the seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Weißenfelser Land, an administrative body for the surrounding rural areas.
[edit] History
The city received municipal rights in 1185. It was the capital of Saxe-Weissenfels from 1656 to 1746. During the Thirty Years War, the town was badly damaged and the population fell from 2200 to 960. The town was later the residence of the Dukes of Sachsen-Weißenfels. Until 2007 it was the capital of the Weißenfels district.
[edit] Notable citizens
- Joachim Wilhelm von Brawe (1738-1758), playwright
- Konrad Dannenberg (1912-2009), rocket scientist
- Hermann Eilts (1922-2006), diplomat and adviser to Kissinger on Mideast
- Horst P. Horst (1906-1999), photographer
- Willy Kükenthal (1861-1922), zoologist
- Novalis, penname of poet Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772-1801)
- Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), composer and organist
[edit] Economics
Shoe manufacture was its primary industry until 1991 when the factory shut down. The factory buildings were either demolished or rented out.
The local dairy company is Frischli. Not far from Weißenfels there are two natural springs, the Leißlinger Mineralwasser and the Saskia-Quelle, where mineral water is bottled.
TönniesFleisch, Europe's third biggest meat group, runs one of its three meat-processing plants in Weißenfels.
[edit] Population
Development of the town's population (from 1960 as at 31 December):
|
|
|
- Datasource since 1990: Statistical office of Saxony-Anhalt
1: 29 October
2: 31 August
3: 3 October
[edit] Sports
Basketball and Unihockey are the two most popular sports in town. Mitteldeutscher Basketballclub [1] (MBC) was playing in the German national basketball league in between 1999 and 2003 and this year has entered it again. Unihockey Club Kreissparkasse Weißenfels won the German Unihockey championship seven times, from 2003 to 2009. The Unihockey European Cup, organized every year in order to establish the best team in Europe, was held in Weißenfels and neighbouring cities Hohenmölsen and Merseburg in January 2004.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Weißenfels |
 |
This Burgenlandkreis location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
