Editing Meiningen (section)

=== 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.