Heldburg is a town and a municipality in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, in central Germany. The municipality was created with effect from 1 January 2019 by the merger of the former municipalities of Bad Colberg-Heldburg, Gompertshausen and Hellingen. It is situated 16 km south of Hildburghausen, and 18 km west of Coburg.

Heldburg
Location of Heldburg within Hildburghausen district
AhlstädtAuengrundBeinerstadtBischofrodEisfeldBrünnDingslebenEhrenbergEichenbergEisfeldGrimmelshausenGrubHeldburgHenfstädtHildburghausenKloster VeßraLengfeldMarisfeldMasserbergOberstadtReuriethRömhildSchlechtsartSchleusegrundSchleusingenSchmeheimSchweickershausenSankt BernhardStraufhainThemarUmmerstadtVeilsdorfWesthausenThuringia
Heldburg is located in Germany
Heldburg
Heldburg
Heldburg is located in Thuringia
Heldburg
Heldburg
Coordinates: 50°17′N 10°44′E / 50.283°N 10.733°E / 50.283; 10.733
CountryGermany
StateThuringia
DistrictHildburghausen
Municipal assoc.Heldburger Unterland
Subdivisions13
Government
 • Mayor (2019–25) Christopher Other[1] (CDU)
Area
 • Total112.75 km2 (43.53 sq mi)
Elevation
288 m (945 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total3,362
 • Density30/km2 (77/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
98663
Dialling codes036871
Vehicle registrationHBN
Websitestadt-heldburg.de

Administrative division

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  • Albingshausen
  • Bad Colberg
  • Einöd
  • Gellershausen
  • Gompertshausen
  • Heldburg
  • Hellingen
  • Holzhausen
  • Käßlitz
  • Lindenau
  • Poppenhausen
  • Rieth
  • Völkershausen
  • Volkmannshausen

History

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Heldburg was first mentioned in 837. It lies at the foot of the Heldburg Fortress. In 1374 it passed to the landgraves of Thuringia.[3] Heldburg was granted town rights in 1394.

In 1900, the town had a population of 1,040.[3]

During World War II, on 11 May 1942, the present-day district of Poppenhausen was the site of a massacre of 20 Polish prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp, who were publicly hanged by the Gestapo.[4] After the war, the town was part of East Germany.

In 1993 it became part of the municipality Bad Colberg-Heldburg.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Gewählte Bürgermeister - aktuelle Landesübersicht, Freistaat Thüringen, accessed 14 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2022" (in German). Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik. June 2023.
  3. ^ a b Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon. Vol. 9. Leipzig und Wien. 1906. p. 132.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Buchenwald. Ausgrenzung und Gewalt 1937 bis 1945 (in German). Bad Berka. 2016. p. 214. ISBN 978-3-9816900-3-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ Heldburg - Geschichte erleben Archived 2020-08-03 at the Wayback Machine, official website Heldburg