Suhl sits on the south edge of the
Suhler Scholle, an upthrust
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their...
complex that is streaked by numerous
dikesA dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
. This is part of the Ruhla-Schleusingen
HorstIn physical geography and geology, a horst is the raised fault block bounded by normal faults or graben. A horst is formed from extension of the Earth's crust...
that defines the southwest side of 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...
. The southwest side of the
Suhler Scholle abuts horizontal sedimentary layers,
Buntsandstein (
sandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains. Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any color, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow,...
from the
TriassicThe Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 251 to 199 Ma . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
era) over
Zechstein (
evaporiteEvaporites are water-soluble mineral sediments that result from the evaporation of bodies of surficial water. Evaporites are considered sedimentary rocks.- Formation of evaporite rocks :...
deposits from the
PermianThe Permian
[The term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named...]
era).
Geography
Suhl sits on the south edge of the
Suhler Scholle, an upthrust
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their...
complex that is streaked by numerous
dikesA dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
. This is part of the Ruhla-Schleusingen
HorstIn physical geography and geology, a horst is the raised fault block bounded by normal faults or graben. A horst is formed from extension of the Earth's crust...
that defines the southwest side of 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...
. The southwest side of the
Suhler Scholle abuts horizontal sedimentary layers,
Buntsandstein (
sandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains. Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any color, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow,...
from the
TriassicThe Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 251 to 199 Ma . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
era) over
Zechstein (
evaporiteEvaporites are water-soluble mineral sediments that result from the evaporation of bodies of surficial water. Evaporites are considered sedimentary rocks.- Formation of evaporite rocks :...
deposits from the
PermianThe Permian
[The term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named...]
era). The
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their...
of the
Suhler Scholle is capped with permian sediments and igneous deposits. The higher hills to the northeast are part of the
BeerbergThe Großer Beerberg is a mountain located in the Thuringian Forest, Germany and the highest point in Thuringia. The nearest town is Suhl, in Ilm-Kreis....
Scholle, an irregularly cracked mass of
quartz porphyryPorphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
from the later Permian era.
http://www.eisenstrasse.de/Lagerstaetten.htmhttp://www.geo.uni-jena.de/geophysik/gw_thur/grafik2_5.htm
A band of
iron oreIron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, deep purple, to rusty red. The iron itself is usually found in the form of magnetite , hematite , goethite, limonite or...
s follows the fault dividing the
Suhler Scholle from the sedimentary rocks to the Southwest, while the
copperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
and
silverSilver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
deposits are to the northeast in the permian deposits above the
Suhler Scholle. Southeast of town, there is a significant
uraniumUranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the symbol U and atomic number 92. Besides its 92 protons, a uranium nucleus can have between 141 and 146 neutrons. The most common uranium isotopes are U-238 and U-235 . A uranium atom has...
deposit in the
Buntsandstein.
http://www.eisenstrasse.de/Grosse-Karte.htm
History
First appearance in 1318. From 1365 the coat of arms shows two hammers indicating the city's most important livelihood: metal processing. City rights were granted (confirmed) in 1527.
Suhl was capital of the south-western GDR district "Bezirk Suhl" from 1952 till 1990.
Weapon industry
The metal processing of Suhl naturally led, during the
RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
, to other major local industries, including gunsmithing and armoring. Suhl was a major producer of 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 almost 200 years was
J.P. Sauer und Sohn GmbHJ. P. Sauer und Sohn GmbH is a German manufacturer of firearms. Founded in 1751 in Suhl, Thuringia, Sauer & Sohn is the oldest firearms manufacturer still active in Germany...
, producer of hunting rifles, shotguns, and pistols such as the
Sauer 38HThe Sauer 38H or often just H was a small semi-automatic pistol made in Nazi Germany from 1938 until just after the end of World War II by the prestigious firm J. P. Sauer & Sohn, then based in Suhl, Germany. The "H" in the model number denotes "hammerless"—the pistol uses an internal...
until moving operations to
EckernfördeEckernförde is a German city in Schleswig-Holstein, Kreis Rendsburg-Eckernförde at the Baltic Sea near Kiel...
at the end of WWII. Other prominent firearms manufacturers in Suhl included
SimsonSimson was a German company which produced firearms, automobiles, motorcycles, and mopeds. Under Nazi rule, the factory was seized from the Jewish Simson family, and was renamed several times under Nazi and later Communist control. The Simson name was reintroduced as a brand name for mopeds made at...
(also known as BSW under Nazi rule and Ernst Thälmann Suhl under Communist rule) and C.G. Haenel.
During the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
, the East German national
shootingThe shooting sports include those competitive sports involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
arena was located at Suhl and hosted many top-level competitions including the 1986
ISSF World ChampionshipsThe ISSF World Shooting Championships are governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation. World Shooting Championships began in 1897, after the successful 1896 Summer Olympics, and although the ISSF was not founded until 1907, these early competitions are still seen by the organization as...
. Although surpassed in this respect in the unified Germany by the
OlympicThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
shooting centre at
MunichMunich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg...
, Suhl remains an important place to the sport. It hosts Germany's only school for armorers and a well equipped museum of weapons.
Suhl became famous after division for building the
SimsonSimson was a German company which produced firearms, automobiles, motorcycles, and mopeds. Under Nazi rule, the factory was seized from the Jewish Simson family, and was renamed several times under Nazi and later Communist control. The Simson name was reintroduced as a brand name for mopeds made at...
moped.
Events
From 2007 to 2009, Suhl was the location of the yearly
EurofurenceEurofurence is a furry convention held in changing places in Europe every year. It was originally started in 1995 as a private gathering by nineteen European furry fans who met on the Internet. Attendance has been steadily rising since then, to 911 at Eurofurence 15...
convention, which was held at the city's Hotel Ringberg.
Twin towns
Suhl is twinned with:
České BudějoviceČeské Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia...
,
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
BèglesBègles is a commune in the Gironde department in south-western France.It is a suburb of the city of Bordeaux and is adjacent to it on the south.-Miscellaneous:Bègles was the birthplace of:* Lilly Daché , milliner and fashion designer...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
Калу́гaKaluga is a city in western Russia, located on the Oka River 188 km southwest of Moscow. It is the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast. Population: It is served by Kaluga Grabtsevo Airport.-History:...
(Kaluga),
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
LahtiLahti is a city and municipality in Finland.It is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region located in the province of Southern Finland. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...
,
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
LesznoLeszno , German Lissa, is a town in central Poland with 63,955 habitants ....
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
СмолянSmolyan is a town and ski resort in the very south of Bulgaria, the administrative center of Smolyan Province. It is situated in the valley of the Cherna and the Byala Rivers in the central Rhodopes at the foot of the mountains' highest part south of the popular ski resorts Pamporovo and...
(Smolyan),
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
WürzburgWürzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located on the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...