Heldburg
Town in Thuringia, Germany
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heldburg (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛltbʊʁk]) 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 | |
|---|---|
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Location of Heldburg
within Hildburghausen district  | |
 Location of Heldburg | |
  Heldburg  Heldburg | |
| Coordinates: 50°17′N 10°44′E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Thuringia |
| District | Hildburghausen |
| Municipal assoc. | Heldburger Unterland |
| Subdivisions | 13 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2019–25) | Christopher Other[1] (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total | 112.74 km2 (43.53 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 288 m (945 ft) |
| Population (2024-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 3,261 |
| • Density | 28.92/km2 (74.92/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 98663 |
| Dialling codes | 036871 |
| Vehicle registration | HBN |
| Website | stadt-heldburg |
Administrative division
- Albingshausen
- Bad Colberg
- Einöd
- Gellershausen
- Gompertshausen
- Heldburg
- Hellingen
- Holzhausen
- Käßlitz
- Lindenau
- Poppenhausen
- Rieth
- Völkershausen
- Volkmannshausen
History
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]
