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Saalfeld (Thuringia)




Germany is located in Central Europe and it shares borders with Denmark in the North, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France in the West, Austria and Switzerland in the South and Poland and the Czech Republic in the East. The North Sea and the Baltic Sea represent additional National Borders in the North. The official language of Germany is German and Berlin is the capital.

Saalfeld is one of the popular destinations in Germany, well known for its beautiful countryside and the quantity of cultural related attractions. It is a town in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia and is situated on the left bank of the Saale, about 50 kilometers south of Weimar and 130 kilometers south-west of Leipzig by road. Its population in 2003 was 28,393 inhabitants.

Saalfeld was once the capital of the extinct duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and was a part of Saxe-Meiningen until 1918. The city is still partly surrounded by old walls and bastions, and contains some interesting medieval buildings, among them being a palace, built in 1679 on the site of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter, which was destroyed during the Peasants' War.

Other notable attractions in the town are the Gothic Church of Saint John, dating from the beginning of the 13th century, the Gothic town hall completed in 1537 and standing on an eminence above the river, the Kitzerstein, which is a palace that was originally erected by the German King Henry I. Perhaps the most interesting relic of the past in Saalfeld is the ruin of the Hoher Schwarm, called later the Sorbenburg, said to have been erected in the 7th century.

Saalfeld’s economy is mainly based on the industries in the town. It is situated in one of the busiest parts of Thuringia and has a number of prosperous industries, including the manufacture of machinery, bricks, colors, malt, cigars, hosiery and vinegar. Other industries are brewing, printing and iron-founding, and there are ochre and iron mines in the neighborhood.

Presently, Saalfeld’s experiences a sharp social, economic and population growth derivative of the strategic position of the locality and the high level of well-being and quality of life that is enjoyed with respect to other places of Germany. This fact has consolidated along with other adjacent municipalities, as a great alternative for residence.

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