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Schmalkalden | |
|---|---|
 Schmalkalden about 1900 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Schmalkalden within Schmalkalden-Meiningen district  | |
  Schmalkalden  Schmalkalden | |
| Coordinates:50°43′N10°27′E / 50.717°N 10.450°E /50.717; 10.450 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Thuringia |
| District | Schmalkalden-Meiningen |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2024–30) | Thomas Kaminski[1] (SPD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 105.35 km2 (40.68 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 295 m (968 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 20,065 |
| • Density | 190/km2 (490/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 98574 |
| Dialling codes | 03683 |
| Vehicle registration | SM |
| Website | www.schmalkalden.de |
Schmalkalden (German pronunciation:[ʃmalˈkaldən]) is atown in theSchmalkalden-Meiningen district, in the southwest of the state ofThuringia,Germany. It is on the southern slope of theThuringian Forest at theSchmalkalde river, a tributary to theWerra. As of 31 December 2022[update], the town had a population of 20,065.
First mentioned in an 874 deed,Smalcalta in theFrankishduchy of Thuringia receivedtown privileges about 1180. When LandgraveHenry Raspe of Thuringia died without issue in 1247, it passed to theHouse of Henneberg-Schleusingen, while the major part of the landgraviate fell to theHouse of Wettin inMeissen. To secure their acquisition the Counts of Henneberg allied with theLandgraviate of Hesse, including the conclusion of an inheritance treaty. In 1360, together with LandgraveHenry II of Hesse they paid offFrederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg, son of Elisabeth of Henneberg.
In 1531 the town hall of Schmalkalden was the site of the establishment of theSchmalkaldic League byProtestant princes under the lead of LandgravePhilip I of Hesse, in order to protect religious and political interests within their domains. In 1537 theSmalcald Articles were drawn up byMartin Luther,Philipp Melanchthon and other reformers.
When the Counts of Henneberg became extinct in 1583, their share was inherited byWilliam IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. William made the town a residence and had Wilhelmsburg Castle erected, finished in 1590. The Lordship of Schmalkalden remained anexclave of Hesse, from 1868 on it was part of thePrussian province ofHesse-Nassau until it was incorporated into theProvince of Saxony in 1944 and in 1945 became part of the State of Thuringia.
The town sustained heavy bomb damage in World War II. From 1949 on, with Thuringia, it formed part ofEast Germany. Afterreunification it attained its present political configuration. In July 2018 the former municipality ofSpringstille was merged into Schmalkalden.
Lordship of Schmalkalden Herrschaft Schmalkalden | |||||||||
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| 1247–1583 | |||||||||
| Status | State of theHoly Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Capital | Schmalkalden | ||||||||
| Government | Principality | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Acquired byHenneberg | 1247 | ||||||||
• Joint rule withHesse | 1360 | ||||||||
• ToHesse-Kassel | 1583 | ||||||||
• ToThuringia | 1944 | ||||||||
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Schmalkalden istwinned with:
Fontaine, Isère, France
Recklinghausen, Germany | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(January 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Schmalkalden".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.| International | |
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| National | |
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