Saalfeld-Rudolstadt District Desire for the Future Dear Citizens and Friends of the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt District, Population in the Region 109,278 Total Jointly, we can work together to positively shape our region. We can achieve this with pride 53,769 Male and confidence by focusing on the strengths and characteristics of our home. Too few people 55,509 Female know that we have so much more to offer than our wonderful landscape, and beautiful Inhabitants of the Tri-City Area cities and villages. Our firms compete successfully on the world market, thanks to innovative Saalfeld, Rudolstadt, ideas and knowledge based on centuries of experience. Our cultural identity is characterised Bad Blankenburg 55,638 through a variety of institutions, in particular, our theatre and orchestra. Our strong economy, cultural diversity, solid social infrastructure and the beauty of our landscape inspire Sunshine Hours a desire for the future of our region. This brochure is designed to raise awareness of this for 1,600 hours per year you, your families and friends. Let yourself be carried away by our region. Surface Area You are most welcome! 103,603 hectares Yours truly, 1662 marks the first use of the term “Heidecksburg”. In a publication printed to commemorate the accession of a new Marko Wolfram sovereign, reference is made to the “Residence Heydekk”. Chief Executive, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt District Shaping our home! Saalfeld With a history spanning more than 1,100 years, Saalfeld numbers Saalfeld’s slogan, “the Stone Chronicle of Thuringia”, is earned among the oldest cities in Thuringia. The attractive city on the River through its diversity of well- maintained historic buildings. Saale is not only a family-friendly place to live and a successful hub One eye-catching example is the for business; it also offers plenty for tourists to discover. A tour of the gable of the Old Pharmacy in the historic city centre. former royal seat reveals numerous unique references to Thuringia’s history. Idyllically situated in the picturesque Saale Valley on the edge of Thuringia’s Slate Mountains, and surrounded by gentle hills and green forests, Saalfeld is an ideal starting point for day-trips and tours in and around the city. Visitors can follow in Martin Luther’s footsteps along the Luther Pathway. The city’s main tourist attraction is the 25,908 Feengrotten, translated as the Fairy Grottoes. The former mine’s inhabitants live in Saalfeld, making the city vibrant stalactites entice thousands of visitors, both large and small, the largest in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt region. every year and secure the grottoes’ entry in the Guinness Book of On occasion, the members of the Saalfeld City Guards – see above – travel back in time World Records as the most colourful caves in the world. to the Middle Ages to animate the history of the city for its guests. The Feengrotten’s Fairy Cathedral Upper Gateway Saalfeld Palace with Park In times long past, Saalfeld’s wealth was based on mining and trade. Later, large industrial companies of world renown were developed here, specialising in sewing and washing machines. The Villa Bergfried is not the only lasting mark of the chocolate factory owner, Ernst Hüther, which remains important to the city. Today, delicious confectionaries such as nougat cones and white chocolate continue to be produced at the Schokoladenwerk on the Saale that he established. Currently, the largest employer in the region is the Thuringian Clinic “Georgius Agricola”. Saalfeld is also the cradle of many noble houses in Europe. Queen Victoria‘s husband, Albert, is a descendant from the dukes of Saxe-Saalfeld, who built the Saalfeld Palace between 1677 and 1726. Thus, Queen Elizabeth II is a great-great grandchild of the first Duke of Saalfeld, Johann Ernst. For Families 32,000 Saalfeld is actively planning for the future: kindergartens and kilometres – the distance that would be reached schools are being invested in with the aim of offering families if all 174 million blocks of chocolate produced the very best in educational facilities. New building sites are each year in the Schokoladenwerk chocolate under construction in the region, while those who treasure short factory were laid out in a line. That’s roughly the distances and unique architecture can find numerous interesting distance from Saalfeld to Sydney, Australia – and properties on offer in the historic city centre. back again! Reschwitzer Saugbagger Saalfeld is a hub for high technology: operating tables from Trumpf are in use worldwide; gear parts from Samag provide extra drive for Mercedes. Local success Reschwitzer Saugbagger manufactures oversized vacuum cleaners for use in particularly difficult mining extractions. The Reschwitzer suction dredges are mounted on chassis, allowing easy mobility. A stationary version has been used in Venice to ensure the gondolas have enough water under keel. In 1991, the electronic supplier Epsa emerged from Jenoptik Carl Zeiss Jena in Saalfeld. With more than 200 employees, Epsa produces high quality electronic parts ranging from circuit boards to complex systems for the aerospace industry. The Bürgerliches Brauhaus Saalfeld is a regular medal candidate among beer connoisseurs. With its speciality creations, the traditional brewery offers something special for lovers of extravagant beers. SamagSamag Epsa Bürgerliches Brauhaus 40,000 hectolitres - or 400,000 boxes of beer - leave the Bürgerliches Brauhaus in Saalfeld each year. To celebrate the birth of Prince George, the son of Prince William and Kate, a unique “Prince Beer” was brewed and sent to England. The gift also emphasised the connection between the Windsors and Saalfeld: Prince George is the ten-times great-grandson of Duke Johann Ernst of Saxe-Saalfeld. Saalfeld Titans The district offers its inhabitants a wide variety of leisure activities. More than 17,000 members train in 160 clubs, covering 62 different sports activities ranging from traditional to exotic. The district has spent millions investing in gymnasiums and sports grounds to create outstanding training facilities. The Kreissparkasse Saalfeld-Rudolstadt is a generous supporter of numerous sports and cultural associations in the region. The search for the “Fittest Primary School” Anniversary Concert “60 Years Saalfeld Music School” Black Flash Archery from Könitz supplies 1,200 sportspeople from all over the world students are currently learning an instrument or receiving voice training with high-quality bows, arrows and crossbows in the District Music School’s two musical centres in Saalfeld and Rudolstadt. since more than 25 years. Regular concerts enrich the district’s cultural life. Rudolstadt Production of Faust Thuringian Symphony Orchestra Saalfeld Rudolstadt Rudolstadt is the district’s cultural capital, a claim underlined by Rococo en miniature – the lifework of the artists Gerhard Bätz and the imposing backdrop of Heidecksburg Palace. The former seat of Manfred Kiedorf – is a magnet for the Heidecksburg Palace, attracting government of the princes of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt attracted thousands of visitors every year. many famous personalities of the time. The legendary first meeting Inspired by the pompous court culture of the Baroque and Rococo of Goethe and Schiller took place in Rudolstadt, in the home of the periods, the fanciful “Palaces of the Praised Island” were created over a Chancellor of Beulwitz. Schiller was struck twice simultaneously by timeframe of more than 50 years. The artists even created a unique Cupid’s Arrow while in Rudolstadt. With a museum dedicated to his language for the island’s inhabitants life and the slogan “Schiller’s Secret Love”, the city has successfully – Pezanian. 1914 positioned itself as a vibrant tourism destination, spoken of in equal tones as Marbach and Weimar. However, Rudolstadt is not only a marks the date when the “Thuringian Farmhouses” were removed from place of historic encounters: for more than a quarter of a century, surrounding villages and rebuilt as a museum in the Heinrich Heine Park in tens of thousands of musicians and music lovers have flocked to the Rudolstadt. The oldest open-air museum city for the annual Tanz und Folk Festival – the largest world music in Germany, peasant life is depicted here through original furniture and household festival in Europe. The event has now been renamed the Rudolstadt items dating from the 17th Century to the mid 19th Century. Festival in a bid to increase the city’s renown. 650,000 paper hand towels were used by the nearly 90,000 visitors to the Rudolstadt Festival in 2013. Saalemaxx Schiller House Rudolstadt Vogelschießen Every year in the first week of July, this small, placid city changes into a gigantic stage, thanks to the annual world music festival. And since 1722, at the end of summer the Rudolstadt Vogelschießen Funfair attracts up to half a million visitors, making it the largest public festival in Thuringia. Not to be outshone, the Theatre Rudolstadt, founded in 1793, and the Thuringian Symphony Orchestra are rich in tradition. With enormous amounts of creativity and bravery, the actors and musicians have worked hard to earn their reputation as the most exciting theatre troupe in Thuringia. Ingenuity and diligence provide the backbone to the economic success of the “finer things in life”. In this vein, the “Aelteste Volkstedter Porzellanmanufaktur” – established close to the royal court in Volkstedt more than 250 years ago – today continues to produce the finest porcelain figures and decorative items. Nearby, Anker building blocks are manufactured from sand, chalk and linseed oil. In 1919, the first factory producing x-ray tubes was established here, a connection continued today with Siemens’ involvement in the healthcare sector. Rudolstadt’s strength lies in its diversity of industries: chemical operations, paper manufacturing, medical technology and steel construction to name just a few. The Thuringian Research Institute for Textiles and Synthetics is breaking new ground by developing innovative materials. Thanks to its strong economy, exciting career possibilities, cultural diversity and appealing living conditions, Rudolstadt is particularly attractive for families.