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== History == === Through the Middle Ages === Meiningen originated during the formation of the [[Frankish Empire]] in the 6th or 7th century, which established trade routes, river crossings and boundary markers.<ref>Meiningen State Archives. Bernd W. Bahn: South Thuringia research, booklet 17, Section: Meiningen before the first mention, 1982.</ref> An intersection of two trade routes and a [[ford (crossing)|ford]] was located at the present-day southern end of the old town near the [[Werra]] river. [[File:Meiningen-1676.jpg|thumb|left|Meiningen in 1676]] Meiningen was first mentioned in 982<ref name="Baedeker">Travel Guide Beadeker, german, 2009.</ref>{{rp|193}} (extract certificate: "…in villis Meininga in Meiningermarca…").<ref>First mention Certification from the year 982, Meiningen Town Archives</ref> The village was first a crown land in the [[Duchy of Franconia]] and later a possession of the king. Around the year 1000, construction of the ''Stadtkirche'' (town church) began. It was several times expanded and rebuilt over the centuries. German Emperor [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II]] donated Meiningen in 1008 to the Roman Catholic [[Diocese of Würzburg]], and for 534 years it remained part of Würzburg.<ref>Meininger Deed Book No. 3-5. Reg. Thur. I, No. 614, 616, 618 -. Town Archives Meiningen</ref> To protect their property, the Bishops of Würzburg built a moated castle (today ''Schloss Elisabethenburg'' palace) in the 11th century. In 1153, the [[Plague (disease)|plague]] raged in Meiningen, which was also granted judicial rights (the first town-charter type of rights) that year by the rulers. In 1222, Würzburg and the [[House of Henneberg]] fought for possession of Meiningen, while the town suffered extensive damage. Meiningen was first mentioned in 1230 as a ''Stadt'' (town) and was granted wide-ranging autonomy in 1344.<ref>Mon. Boica XXXVII Nr. 205; Reg. Thur. II Nr. 2194 – Town Archives Meiningen.</ref><ref>Mon. Boica XLI Nr. 32 – Town Archives Meiningen.</ref> During this time the citizens built a powerful fortification with a double wall and three [[moat]]s. From 1239 to 1242 the [[Friars Minor]] of the [[Franciscan Order]] built a monastery between the castle and the Lower Gate. In 1380, a fire destroyed around a quarter of the town, including the archives of the town council. The town joined together with ten other towns of the Bishopric of Würzburg and participated in 1396-1399 in the "Franconian town war" against the diocese. Würzburg troops besieged Meiningen, until it capitulated in 1399. In an uprising on 10 August 1432, the citizens destroyed the castle (''Würzburger Burg'' or ''Burg Meiningen''). In the years 1443-1455, the town church was enlarged in the [[Gothic style]]. === Early modern period === Meiningen had about 2,000 inhabitants in 1450. At the end of the 15th century two devastating fires destroyed almost the whole town. 26 people were killed. The town church was spared from the fire. Bishop [[Lorenz von Bibra]] built a new castle from 1509 to 1511. In the town textiles, metal working and trade became more important. In 1542, Meiningen came to the Henneberg family in exchange for the administrative district (''[[Amt (country subdivision)|Amt]]'') of [[Schonungen|Mainberg]] from the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, [[Conrad von Bibra]]. In 1583, with the extinction of the Henneberg family, the town went to the [[Wettin dynasty|Wettin family]]. The Wettin family established its seat of transitional government for the County of Henneberg in Meiningen until 1660. The town experienced a great economic boom driven by the [[fustian]]- and [[linen]] weaving, dyeing and fabric trades, which lasted until the beginning of the 17th century, resulting in faster population increase to about 5,000. For example, in 1614 234 master craftsmen produced 37,312 pieces of cloth that were traded throughout Europe. This period was ended abruptly by the [[Thirty Years' War]] in 1634, when [[Croatia]]n troops plundered the town. In 1641, [[Kingdom of Sweden|Swedish]] troops besieged the town. Meiningen lost thousands of inhabitants to death or expulsion. === Residence of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen === [[File:Bernhardstr.1835.jpg|thumb|left|Meiningen Bernhardstreet in 1835]] Between 1680 and 1918, Meiningen was the capital of the Duchy of [[Saxe-Meiningen]].<ref name="Baedeker"/>{{rp|193}} In 1682-92, the ducal palace ''Schloss Elisabethenburg'' was built and by 1690 the [[Meiningen Court Orchestra|Court Orchestra]] had been created. From 1782, the ''Englischer Garten'', an [[English landscape garden]] was created in the town center. In 1813, a Russian army of 70,000 soldiers and 2,300 officers under [[Alexander I of Russia|Grand Duke Alexander]] in his campaign against [[Napoleon]] camped in and around Meiningen. The Tsar had his quarters in the inn ''Zum Braune Hirsch'', which also served for the entrained [[Prussian Army]] as headquarters. In 1782, [[Friedrich Schiller]] had been a guest at the inn. [[File:Markt2011a.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Market square]] One of the princesses of Saxe-Meiningen, [[Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen|Adelheid Louise Theresa Caroline Amelia von Sachsen-Meiningen]], became the wife of the future [[William IV of the United Kingdom|King William IV]] of [[Great Britain]] in 1818. The Australian city of [[Adelaide]] is named for her. [[Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen]], who became a great patron of the theatrical art, was born in 1826. The first [[Meiningen Court Theatre]] opened in 1831. The fairy tale collector and writer [[Ludwig Bechstein]] was an archivist in Meiningen. In 1858, the town was connected by the [[Eisenach–Lichtenfels railway|Werra Railway]] to the German railway network. In September 1874, a major fire destroyed a third of the town.<ref name="Baedeker"/>{{rp|196}} The reconstruction took place in [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical style]] with the financial help of many German and Austrian cities. In the same year, the [[Schweinfurt–Meiningen railway]] opened. A new town hall was built in 1878. By end of the 19th century and by the beginning of the 20th century, the existence of several large banks made Meiningen an important financial centre in Germany. During these decades, the town stretched out far beyond its ancient limits. New residential areas were built, and the population grew rapidly. Many lavish buildings were built at that time. 1889, the town church was enlarged in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] style. A large fire destroyed the ''Hoftheater'' (court theatre) in 1908, it was rebuilt in Neoclassical style and reopened in December 1909. In 1914, the [[Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works]] was built. ===After 1918=== The Duchy was abolished at the end of [[World War I]] in 1918. Meiningen then became the capital of the successor state ''Freistaat Saxony-Meiningen''. From 1920, it was a district town in the newly created state of [[Thuringia]]. {{Interlanguage link|Thüringisches Staatsarchiv Meiningen|de}} was founded in 1923. In 1927, ''{{Interlanguage link|Flugplatz Meiningen|de}}'', an airfield, was opened. In October 1931, airship [[LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin]] landed there before 100,000 spectators, followed by the airship [[LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II]] on 9 July 1939. During [[World War II]], Meiningen was the location of a [[prisoner of war]] hospital, and several German military hospitals. The [[Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt)|Deutsche Dienststelle]] was based in the ''Drachenbergkaserne'' barracks from 1943 to 1945. A heavy air raid on Meiningen on 23 February 1945, by the [[USAAF]] caused 208 deaths, destroyed 251 houses and two bridges in total, and damaged 440 buildings. Meiningen was occupied by American armed forces on 5 April 1945.<ref>Thuringia under American Occupation (April until July 1945), http://www.lzt-thueringen.de/files/huringia_under_american_occupation.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901115319/http://www.lzt-thueringen.de/files/huringia_under_american_occupation.pdf |date=1 September 2017 }}</ref> [[File:Justizzentrum-Meiningen5.jpg|thumb|A part of the ''Justizzentrum'' (court house)]] In July 1945, the town was included in the Soviet occupation zone along with the rest of Thuringia, and thus later became part of the [[German Democratic Republic]] (DDR). To accommodate workers for a [[microelectronic]]s plant, the ''Robotron Meiningen'', the new district of Jerusalem (Meiningen) was created from 1967 to 1983 in the north between Helba and Welkershausen, eventually housing around 6,000 inhabitants. Meiningen was an important center of ''[[Die Wende]]'' in southern Thuringia in 1989. Among the many events were a total of 25 demonstrations with 1,000-25,000 participants. After German reunification in 1990, Meiningen became the district town of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. In the ''Dreißigacker'' district, new businesses and the new Meiningen Hospital were constructed. In the 1990s, there was a new construction boom in the town, with many houses being renovated and embellished. In July 1994, Chancellor of Germany [[Helmut Kohl]] visited the town, [[Angela Merkel]] did so in April 2012. The new ''Justizzentrum'' (court house) was built in 2000. In 2003, the town was connected to the ''[[Bundesautobahn 71]]''. With the opening of the new ''Kammerspiele'' in June 2008, the town created another theater venue, underlining its national significance as a cultural town. In 2013, the new industrial area ''Rohrer Berg'' near the motorway junction Meiningen-North was created.
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