Rudolstadt (German pronunciation: [ˈʁuːdɔlˌʃtat] ) is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, within the Thuringian Forest, to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north.
The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide valley surrounded by woods. Rudolstadt was founded in 776 and has had municipal law since 1326. The town's landmark is the Castle Heidecksburg which is enthroned on a hill above the old town. The former municipality Remda-Teichel was merged into Rudolstadt in January 2019.
Rudolstadt was once well known because of the Anchor Stone Blocks of the Toy Company Richter and porcelain factories, beginning with the establishment of the Volkstedt porcelain manufacture in 1762.
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History
Early history
There is archeological evidence of a hill fort on the Weinberg in Oberpreilipp from the time of the late Urnfield culture and the early Iron Age. A Celtic settlement followed the Germanic one and the affiliation with the Duchy of Thuringia. From the 6th century onwards, archeological records suggest Slavic settlement in the area.
The first documented mention of the place-name was in 776 as Rudolfestat (Rudolf's settlement) as a gift from Charlemagne to Hersfeld Abbey
After 1990
In 1994 the Neonazi and police-informant Tino Brandt (NPD) founded the Neonazi-Gang „Thüringer Heimatschutz“ (THS, Thuringian homeland protection) in Rudolstadt. The structure of 170 right-wing extremists was an SA-style street gang. The THS gave rise to the Nazi terrorist group National Socialist Underground (NSU), which murdered a total of ten people over a period of 10 years.
Historical population
Number of Inhabitants (from 1960 as of 31 December, unless otherwise indicated):
Data since 1994: Thuringian Statistical Office
1 29 October
2 31 August
Culture
Rudolstadt is twinned with Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland.
The Rudolstadt Festival (formerly TFF, Tanz&FolkFest) takes place annually on the first full July weekend.
Rudolstadt is also home to the Thüringer Landestheater Rudolstadt, whose origins go back to a court theatre built in 1792/93. The theatre company and the Thüringer Symphoniker Saalfeld-Rudolstadt are operated by the Thüringer Landestheater Rudolstadt und Thüringer Symphoniker Saalfeld-Rudolstadt GmbH, which maintains both a spoken theatre ensemble and the orchestra.
Economy
The headquarters of the EPC Group, a global engineering and construction company, are in Rudolstadt.
Arthur Schopenhauer wrote his dissertation in Rudolstadt.
Princess Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, grandmother of King Leopold I of Belgium, great-grandmother to Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom
Tino Brandt (NPD), German Neonazi founded Thüringer Heimatschutz in 1994 in Rudolstadt
Christian Nikolaus Eberlein (1720–1788), historical painter
Traugott Maximilian Eberwein, German composer, worked here as the composer in residence for the Rudolstadt theatre
Philipp Heinrich Erlebach, German composer and choirmaster in Rudolstadt
Hans Fallada, German writer. He went to school in Rudolstadt, it was here that he killed his friend Hans Dietrich von Necker in a duel
Ahasverus Fritsch, German poet and composer
Simone Lange, German politician (SPD)
Franz Liszt, Hungarian composer worked here as the composer in residence for the Rudolstadt theatre
Niccolò Paganini, Italian composer, worked here as the composer in residence for the Rudolstadt theatre
Max Wandrer, Olympic gymnast, was born in Rudolstadt
Charlotte von Lengefeld (1766–1826), wife of Schiller