Ilmenau is a town located in the district of
Ilm-KreisIlm-Kreis is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Erfurt, the districts of Weimarer Land, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt and Hildburghausen, the city of Suhl, and the districts of Schmalkalden-Meiningen and Gotha...
,
ThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Ilmenau is situated in the valley of the
Ilm riverThe Ilm is a long river in Thuringia, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Saale, into which it flows in Großheringen near Bad Kösen.Towns along the Ilm are Ilmenau, Stadtilm, Kranichfeld, Bad Berka, Weimar, Apolda and Bad Sulza....
, at an altitude of 431 metres (1,415 feet) above sea level, and is the biggest town in Ilm-Kreis district, with 6,200 students studying at the
Technische Universität IlmenauThe Ilmenau University of Technology is the technical university of Thuringia and located in Ilmenau Germany...
. The surrounding area is marked by the
Thuringian ForestThe Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...
and its mountains. The highest mountain of Ilmenau is the
Kickelhahn (German for
roosterA rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
, which is also found in the coat of arms of Ilmenau), with a height of 861 metres. The highest mountains of the Thuringian forest are the
Schneekopf (meaning
snow-head) with a height of 978 metres and the
Großer Beerberg (982.9 meters), a few kilometres to the south-west of Ilmenau. Goethe also enjoyed staying in Ilmenau, mostly on holiday.
Etymology
The name comes from the
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
words
Ulmen (i.e.
ElmElms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
s) and
Aue (i.e.
floodplainA floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
), in reference to the floodplain of the
IlmThe Ilm is a long river in Thuringia, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Saale, into which it flows in Großheringen near Bad Kösen.Towns along the Ilm are Ilmenau, Stadtilm, Kranichfeld, Bad Berka, Weimar, Apolda and Bad Sulza....
river, which was covered with elms before the foundation of the town. The "town animals" of Ilmenau are the
henThe chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
and the
goatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
.
Geography
Ilmenau sits between the
Thuringian ForestThe Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...
to the southwest and the lower hills and plains of the Thüringer Becken (to the northeast). The mineral resources important in the history of Ilmenau were largely deposited as a result of the uplift of the metamorphic rock underlying the Thuringian Forest.
Subdivisions
There are five nearby villages belonging to the town of Ilmenau:
- Oberpörlitz
- Unterpörlitz
- Heyda
- Roda
- Manebach
Neighbouring municipalities
- Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, 40 km (24.9 mi) in north
- Gotha
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
, 40 km (24.9 mi) in northwest
- Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, 50 km (31.1 mi) in northeast
- Arnstadt
Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
, 25 km (15.5 mi) in north
- Saalfeld and Rudolstadt
Rudolstadt is a town in the German Bundesland of Thuringia, close to the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north....
, 35 km (21.7 mi) in east
- Suhl
- Geography :Suhl sits on the south edge of the Suhler Scholle, an upthrust granite complex that is streaked by numerous dikes. This is part of the Ruhla-Schleusingen Horst that defines the southwest side of the Thuringian Forest...
, 20 km (12.4 mi) in southwest
- Meiningen
Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
, 40 km (24.9 mi) in southwest
Vicinity
Nearly 80,000 people live around the city in an area of 540 km² (208.5 sq mi), which has Ilmenau as a centre of their work, school, shops and other supplies. The biggest towns and villages nearby are
GräfenrodaGräfenroda is a municipality in Thuringia in the northeast of the Thüringer Wald forest, Ilm-Kreis district. Gräfenroda is the seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Oberes Geratal....
(3,600 inhab.),
KönigseeKönigsee is a town in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 12 km east of Ilmenau, and 35 km south of Erfurt....
(3,500 inhab.),
GehrenGehren is a town in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 7 km southeast of Ilmenau. It has become town in 1855. Between 1881 and 1998, Gehren was linked to Ilmenau by railway....
(3,300 inhab.) and
LangewiesenLangewiesen is a town in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Ilm, 4 km southeast of Ilmenau....
(3,200 inhab.).
History
Ilmenau was founded in the 13th century, it is first named in 1273. Since 1341 it has some town rights. Between 1660 and 1920 it belonged to
Saxe-WeimarSaxe-Weimar was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia. The chief town and capital was Weimar.-Division of Leipzig:...
, earlier the majors about Ilmenau were the Käfernburger (from
ArnstadtArnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
), the
SchwarzburgSchwarzburg is a municipality in the valley of the Schwarza in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt in Thuringia, Germany.First mentioned in 1071 as Swartzinburg. The castle was from the 12th century the seat of the Counts of Schwarzburg...
er (from
ArnstadtArnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
, later
RudolstadtRudolstadt is a town in the German Bundesland of Thuringia, close to the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north....
), and the
HennebergerHenneberger can refer to :*Barbara Henneberger was a German alpine skier.*Moriz Henneberger was a Swiss chess master....
(from
MeiningenMeiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
).
Between 1471 to 1626, copper mining made an important contribution to
the economy of Ilmenau. In 1611, these mines produced an estimated 38 tons of copper and 188 kg of silver. Production reached these levels again in the 1730s, during a brief revival of copper mining under the leadership of
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheJohann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
. Later, in the 19th and 20th centuries,
fluoriteCalcium fluoride is the inorganic compound with the formula CaF2. This ionic compound of calcium and fluorine occurs naturally as the mineral fluorite . It is the source of most of the world's fluorine. This insoluble solid adopts a cubic structure wherein calcium is coordinated to eight fluoride...
and
Braunstein (
manganeseManganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
ore) were mined here.
In the early 19th century, Ilmenau was one of several places where people went for water cure treatments at hydropathic establishments. Ilmenau's hydropathic establishment was serviced by Drs Schwabe, Fitzler, Baumbach, and Preller. Until 1870, Ilmenau stayed a small town of circa 3000 inhabitants, but then the
industrial revolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
reached the town. Some factories for
porcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
(
Graf von Henneberg Porzellan since 1777),
glasswareThis list of glassware includes drinking vessels , tableware, such as dishes, and flatware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry whether made of glass or plastics such as polystyrene and...
s (the
Sophienhütte since 1852) and
toyA toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s developed. In 1879 the town got a railway connection to
ErfurtErfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
(north), 1881 to
GehrenGehren is a town in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 7 km southeast of Ilmenau. It has become town in 1855. Between 1881 and 1998, Gehren was linked to Ilmenau by railway....
/
GroßbreitenbachGroßbreitenbach is a town in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 13 km southeast of Ilmenau. It has about 8000 inhabitants. Major industries are glass manufacturing and tourism....
(south-east) and 1904 to
SchleusingenSchleusingen is a town in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 10 km north of Hildburghausen, and 12 km southeast of Suhl....
(south-west).
The university was founded in 1894 as
Thüringisches Technikum. Now, it is the
Technische Universität IlmenauThe Ilmenau University of Technology is the technical university of Thuringia and located in Ilmenau Germany...
, where the
ISWIInternational Student Week in Ilmenau is a student festival, held annually in the town of Ilmenau, located in the district of Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany....
takes place every two years. The
FIL European Luge Championships 1934The FIL European Luge Championships 1934 took place in Ilmenau, Germany under the auspices of the Internatioanler Schlittensportsverband , a forerunner to the International Luge Federation.-Men's singles:...
took place in the town.
1952 the district
Kreis Ilmenau was founded. It had an area of about 380 km² (146.7 sq mi) with a population of circa 70,000 inhabitants. Ilmenau has been the capital of this district. In 1994 it was merged with
Kreis Arnstadt in the North to the new district
Ilm-KreisIlm-Kreis is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Erfurt, the districts of Weimarer Land, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt and Hildburghausen, the city of Suhl, and the districts of Schmalkalden-Meiningen and Gotha...
with
ArnstadtArnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
as capital.
Development of number of inhabitants
- 1799: 2,001
- 1849: 2,791
- 1875: 3,760
- 1885: 5,483
- 1900: 10,419
- 1925: 13,614
- 1940: 17,279
- 1945: 21,862
|
1961: 17,000
1977: 22,700
1981: 28,749
1987: 29,500
1995: 28,514
2000: 27,176
2005: 26,713 |
Economy
The economy of Ilmenau is marked by production of
glasswareThis list of glassware includes drinking vessels , tableware, such as dishes, and flatware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry whether made of glass or plastics such as polystyrene and...
s and some high-tech-industries like programming software. Ilmenau has a stronger economy than other Eastern German regions. The unemployment rate remains high at 11.3% (Oct. 2009), but it is getting smaller. Per capita annual earnings are about 14,000 Euros.
Ilmenau is the locale of the
Technische Universität IlmenauThe Ilmenau University of Technology is the technical university of Thuringia and located in Ilmenau Germany...
with circa 6,200 students.
Infrastructure
Ilmenau is crossed by the
federal highwaysBundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
4 (Erfurt-Nürnberg), 87 (Ilmenau-Leipzig) and 88 (Eisenach-Ilmenau-Jena). A motorway
A 71is an Autobahn under construction in Germany. When completed, it will connect the A 38 and Erfurt to the A 70 near Schweinfurt.Construction on the A 71, supervised by DEGES, began in 1996, most parts were being opened by December 2005. Completion is projected for 2008...
from
ErfurtErfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
to
WürzburgWürzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
runs five kilometres to the north. There is still a railway to
ErfurtErfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
while the other former railway lines to
SchleusingenSchleusingen is a town in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 10 km north of Hildburghausen, and 12 km southeast of Suhl....
and
GroßbreitenbachGroßbreitenbach is a town in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 13 km southeast of Ilmenau. It has about 8000 inhabitants. Major industries are glass manufacturing and tourism....
are out of operation. The
Nuremberg-Erfurt high-speed rail line nearby is under construction.
In the arts
- In literature Ilmenau is (hypothetically) one of the closest towns to the fictional displaced town of Grantville West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and is featured in various deep background stories published in The Grantville GazettesThe Grantville Gazettes are anthologies of short stories set in the 1632 universe introduced in Eric Flint's novel 1632.The Gazettes started as an experiment: a professionally edited, officially sanctioned "fan magazine" published electronically...
e-publications.
International relations
Ilmenau is
twinnedTwin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
- Blue Ash, Ohio
Blue Ash is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an inner suburb of Cincinnati, which is located just to the south. The population was 12,513 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Blue Ash is located at ....
- Homburg, Saarland
Homburg is a town in Saarland, Germany, the administrative seat of the Saarpfalz district. With a population of c. 44,000 inhabitants, is the third city in its federal state. The medical department of the University of Saarland is situated here. The city is also home to the Karlsberg beer brewery...
- Wetzlar
Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Framework Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of...
- Târgu Mureş
Notable persons
- Jan Behrendt
Jan Behrendt is an East German-German luger who competed from the mid 1980s to 1998...
, luger, born in Ilmenau
- Robert Döpel
Georg Robert Döpel was a German experimental nuclear physicist. He was a participant in a group known as the “first Uranverein,” which was spawned by a meeting conducted by the Reichserziehungsministerium, in April 1939, to discuss the potential of a sustained nuclear reaction...
, nuclear physicist, died in Ilmenau
- Wolfram Fiedler
Wolfram Fiedler was an East German luger who competed from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s...
, luger, born in Ilmenau
- Marie Gutheil-Schoder
Marie Gutheil-Schoder was one of the most important German sopranos of her day.Born Marie Schoder, in 1899 she married Gustav Gutheil, with whom she lived until his death in 1914....
, soprano, died in Ilmenau
- Andrea Henkel
Andrea Henkel is a German biathlete and the younger sister of Manuela Henkel, a successful cross-country skier. She trains at SV Großbreitenbach...
, biathlete born in Ilmenau
- Karl Ludwig von Knebel
Karl Ludwig von Knebel , German poet and translator, born at the castle of Wallerstein in Franconia....
, poet, retired to Ilmenau
- Stefan Krauße
Stefan Krauße is an East German-German luger who competed from the mid 1980s to 1998...
, luger, born in Ilmenau
- André Lange
André Lange is a retired German bobsledder and the most successful bob pilot of all time who competed at senior level from 1998 to 2010. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he has won four gold medals. He was born in Ilmenau, Thuringia....
, bobsledder, born in Ilmenau
- Andreas Libavius
Andreas Libavius was a German doctor and chemist.-Life:Libavius was born in Halle, Germany, as Andreas Libau. In Halle he attended the gymnasium and studied from the year 1576 in University of Wittenberg. From 1577 on he studied in the University of Jena in the faculties of philosophy and history...
, chemist, taught in Ilmenau
- Paul Löbe
Paul Löbe was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany .-Life and career:...
, politician, worked as a printer in Ilmenau
- Jens Müller
Jens Müller is an East German-German luger who competed from 1985 to 2001. He won two medals at the Winter Olympics in men's singles with a gold at Calgary in 1988 and a bronze at Nagano in 1998.Müller started for the ASK Vorwärts Oberhof and the BSR "Rennsteig" Oberhof...
, luger, lives in Ilmenau
- Ute Oberhoffner
Ute Oberhoffner is an East German luger who competed during the 1980s...
, luger, born in Ilmenau
- Matthias Platzeck
Matthias Platzeck is a German politician. He has been Minister-President of Brandenburg since 2002 and party chairman of the SPD from November 2005 to April 2006.-Private life:...
, politician, studied and graduated in Ilmenau
- Fritz Reinhardt
Fritz Reinhardt was a state secretary in the German Finance Ministry in the time of the Third Reich.- Career :...
, Nazi Finance Minister, born in Ilmenau
- Fritz Sauckel
Ernst Friedrich Christoph "Fritz" Sauckel was a Nazi war criminal, who organized the systematic enslavement of millions from lands occupied by Nazi Germany...
, Nazi war criminal, studied in Ilmenau
- Corona Schröter
Corona Elisabeth Wilhelmine Schröter was a German musician best known as a singer. She also composed songs, setting works by Friedrich Schiller to music.-Early life:...
, singer, died in Ilmenau
- Peter Sendel
Peter Sendel is a former German biathlete. At the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Sendel was a part of the German team that won the gold medal...
, biathlete, born in Ilmenau