Sömmerda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sömmerda
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Town hall
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| Country | Germany | |
| State | Thuringia | |
| District | Sömmerda | |
| Elevation | 130-140 m (−329.3 ft) | |
| Population
(2022-12-31)
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| • Total | 19,156 | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes |
99601–99610
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| Dialling codes | 03634 | |
| Vehicle registration | SÖM | |
| Website | www.soemmerda.de | |
Sömmerda is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is located near the city of Erfurt, right on the Unstrut river. Sömmerda is also the main town of the Sömmerda district.
Contents
History of Sömmerda
Ancient Times and Early Records
Long ago, around 2000 BCE, people lived in the area that is now Sömmerda. Archaeologists have found ancient burial sites here. One famous burial is called the Leubingen tumulus, where a person known as the "king of Leubingen" was buried.
Sömmerda was first written about in official papers in the year 876 CE. It likely became a town around 1350, but no records from that time still exist. You can still see parts of the old town today, like one town gate from 1395 and six towers from the old town walls.
Sömmerda During the Thirty Years' War
The town was greatly affected by the Thirty Years' War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648. Soldiers from both sides of the war attacked and robbed the town. This caused Sömmerda's population to be cut in half.
Industry and Innovation
In 1840, an inventor named Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse created the needle gun. Because of this invention, a factory for making firearms was started in Sömmerda.
Later, in 1919, the Rheinmetall company took over this factory. It was then called Rheinmetall-Borsig. At first, they made parts for cars. They tried making carburetors, but it wasn't very successful.
In 1925, a new manager, Fritz Faudi, joined the company. He helped develop a new type of cardan joint, which is a part used in machines to connect rotating shafts. This new joint became very popular. The Rheinmetall-Faudi system was well-known, and the Sömmerda factory became the biggest producer of these parts in Germany.
World War II and After
In April 1921, the factory started making weapons again. This was against the rules set after World War I. By October 1922, the factory was making all the fuses allowed for Germany by other countries. They also began making a new machine gun called the MG30.
During World War II, the Rheinmetall-Borsig factory was connected to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Many people, mostly women, were forced to work there. They made parts for armored vehicles and weapons.
After the war, on April 11, 1945, American soldiers arrived in Sömmerda. The Rheinmetall factory was still in good condition. A few days later, the Russians took control of Thuringia. They restarted production at the factory very quickly.
Today, there is a special cemetery in Sömmerda. It has graves and a memorial for the people who were forced to work there and for war prisoners.
After World War II, Sömmerda became part of East Germany. The factory continued to develop and produce goods as a state-run business. In the 1950s, it started making office machines. In 1957, a group of engineers began to bring electronics into the factory. The company changed its name several times, eventually becoming "Soemtron" in 1962. They showed off their first electronic invoicing machine that year.
In July 2018, the nearby town of Schillingstedt became part of Sömmerda.
Population Changes
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| Source: Source of figures from 1994: Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Getting Around Sömmerda
Train Connections
The Sömmerda station is on the Sangerhausen–Erfurt railway line. This means you can travel to and from Sömmerda by train.
Sömmerda's Coat of Arms
The town's coat of arms is a special shield. The top part of the shield is white and has a black eagle with a red tongue. The eagle is looking to the right. The bottom part of the shield is red and has a silver wheel with six spokes.
Sister Cities
Sömmerda has "sister city" relationships with other towns around the world. This means they share culture and friendship. Sömmerda is twinned with:
