Saalfeld, a town of Germany in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia, is situated on the left bank of the Saale, 24 m. S. of Weimar and 77 SW. of Leipzig by rail. Pop. (1905) 13,245.

History

One of the most ancient towns in Thuringia, Saalfeld, once the capital of the extinct duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld , is still partly surrounded by old walls and bastions, and contains some interesting medieval buildings, among them being a palace, built in 1679 on the site of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter , which was destroyed during the Peasants' War. Other notable edifices are the Gothic Church of St. John , dating from the beginning of the 13th century; the Gothic town hall, completed in 1537; and, standing on an eminence above the river, the Kitzerstein , a palace said to have been originally erected by the German King Henry I, although the present building is not older than the 16th century. But perhaps the most interesting relic of the past in Saalfeld is the ruin of the Hoher Schwarm , called later the Sorbenburg , said to have been erected in the 7th century.

Industry

Saalfeld is situated in one of the busiest parts of Meiningen and has a number of prosperous industries, including the manufacture of machinery, bricks, colors, malt, cigars, hosiery and vinegar. Other industries are brewing, printing and iron-founding, and there are ochre and iron mines in the neighborhood.

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