Zella-Mehlis

Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town of Zella-Mehlis is the site of the original Walther Arms and J.G. Anschütz weapons factories. They remained there until the Soviets occupied eastern Germany at the end of World War II. The former municipality Benshausen was merged into Zella-Mehlis in January 2019.

Zella-Mehlis
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Zella-Mehlis within Schmalkalden-Meiningen district
Zella-Mehlis Zella-Mehlis
Coordinates: 50°39′35″N 10°40′1″E
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Schmalkalden-Meiningen
Government
• Mayor	Richard Rossel
Area
• Total	52.99 km^2 (20.46 sq mi)
Elevation	500 m (1,600 ft)
Population  (2019-12-31)[1]
• Total	12,727
• Density	240/km^2 (620/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	98544
Dialling codes	03682
Vehicle registration	SM
Website	www.zella-mehlis.de

Historical Population

Population as of 31 December unless otherwise indicated.

1946 - 1984 1946: 17,352 1) 1950: 16,914 2) 1960: 16,370 1981: 14,444 1984: 13,921

1994 - 1998 1994: 13,401 1995: 13,100 1996: 12,990 1997: 12,941 1998: 12,933

1999 - 2003 1999: 13,206 2000: 13,036 2001: 12,961 2002: 12,726 2003: 12,544

2004 - 2008 2004: 12,495 2005: 12,245 2006: 12,095 2007: 11,951 2008: 11,910

2009 - 2013 2009: 11,743 2010: 11,747 2011: 11,075 2012: 10,855 2013: 10,785

since 2014 2014: 10,669 2015: 10,631 2017: 10,813

Source since 1994: Thuringian State office of Statistics

1) 29 October
2) 31 August

Twin towns

Zella-Mehlis is twinned with:

• Andernach, Germany
• Gemünden am Main, Germany
• Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France

Martin Luther elementary school

Zella-Mehlis

Surroundings of Zella-Mehlis

Personalities

Honorary citizen

• Helmut Recknagel (* 1937), the first German Olympic ski jumping champion and world champion, started for SC Motor Zella-Mehlis

Sons and daughters of the city

• Johann Kaspar Friedrich Manso (1759-1826), teacher, historian and philologist
• Johann Heinrich Ehrhardt (1805-1883), locomotive builder, engineer of the Saxon Railroad
• Johann Peter Haseney (1812-1869), copper engraver, creator of the first German stamp "Schwarzer Einser" (Black one)
• Karl Künstler (1901–1945), Nazi SS concentration camp commandant
• Michael Schumann (1946-2000), professor of philosophy, politician (SED, PDS), Member of Brandenburg Landtag, Member of Bundestag
• Anja Kampe (born 1968), Opera singer

People associated with Zella-Mehlis

• Carl Walther (1858-1915), gunsmith
• Marcel Callo (1921-1945), blessed of the Roman Catholic Church, a place was named here after him
• Horst Queck (born 1943), ski jumper
• Reinhard Heß (1945-2007), ski jumping coach of the German national team
• Fredi Albrecht (born 1947), wrestler and competitor, visited the children's and youth sports school here
• Klaus-Peter Göpfert (born 1948), wrestler, attended the children's and sports school in Zella-Mehlis
• Rainer Schmidt (born 1948), ski jumper, overall winner of the Four Hills Tournament, lives in Zella-Mehlis
• Christoph Matschie (born 1961), politician, SPD Chairman of the State of Thuringia 1999–2014, minister and parliamentary secretary of state, received training as a mechanic in Zella-Mehlis
• Kati Wilhelm (born 1976), biathlete
• Sebastian Haseney (born 1978), Nordic Combiner
• Franz Göring (born 1984), cross-country skier, lives in Zella-Mehlis
• Andi Langenhan (born 1984), Rennrodler
• Frank Rommel (born 1984), Skeleton Pilots
• Tino Edelmann (born 1985), Nordic Combiner

References

1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2019". Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik (in German). August 2020.