Editing Zwickau (section)

==History==
[[File:Karte von Zwickau.tif|thumb|left|Map of Zwickau (around 1700)]]
[[File:19910-Zwickau-1915-Innere Schneeberger Straße-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag.jpg|thumb|220px|left|View of Zwickau and Innere Schneeberger Straße, 1915]]
[[File:Mulde in Zwickau - big.jpg|thumb|left|The river ''Zwickauer Mulde'' in Zwickau by autumn, seen in October 2004]]
[[File:Church Zwickau.jpg|thumb|St. Mary's church, at dusk]]
The region around Zwickau was settled by [[Sorbs]] as early as the 7th century AD. The name Zwickau is probably a [[Germanization]] of the [[Sorbian languages|Sorbian]] toponym ''Šwikawa'', which derives from [[Svarog|Svarozič]], the Slavic Sun and fire god.<ref>''Zwickau'' by Stadtbaurat Ebersbach in: Deutschlands Städtebau (Germany's Urban Development), Deutscher Architektur und Industrieverlag Berlin 1921</ref> In the 10th century, German settlers began arriving and the native Slavs were Germanized. A trading place known as ''terretorio Zcwickaw'' (in [[Medieval Latin]]) was mentioned in 1118. The settlement received a town charter in 1212, and hosted [[Franciscans]] and [[Cistercians]] during the 13th century. Zwickau was a [[free imperial city]] from 1290 to 1323, but was subsequently granted to the [[Margraviate of Meissen]]. Although regional mining began in 1316, extensive mining increased with the discovery of silver in the [[Schneeberg, Saxony|Schneeberg]] in 1470. Because of the silver ore deposits in the Erzgebirge, Zwickau developed in the 15th and 16th centuries and grew to be an important economic and cultural centre of Saxony.

Its nine churches include the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] church of St.&nbsp;Mary (1451–1536), with a spire {{convert|285|ft|abbr=on}} high and a bell weighing 51 [[ton]]s. The church contains an altar with wood carvings, eight paintings by [[Michael Wohlgemuth]] and a [[pietà]] in carved and painted wood by [[Peter Breuer (woodcarver)|Peter Breuer]].

[[File:Zwickau Katharinenkirche.jpg|thumb|left|St. Catharine's church]]
The late Gothic church of [[Catherine of Alexandria|St.&nbsp;Catharine]] has an altar piece ascribed to [[Lucas Cranach the elder]], and is remembered because [[Thomas Müntzer]] was once pastor there (1520–22). The city hall was begun in 1404 and rebuilt many times since. The municipal archives include documents dating back to the 13th century.

Early printed books from the Middle Ages, historical documents, letters and books are kept in the City Archives (e.g. Meister Singer volumes by [[Hans Sachs]] (1494–1576)), and in the School Library founded by scholars and by the city clerk Stephan Roth during the Reformation.

In 1520 [[Martin Luther]] dedicated his treatise "On the Freedom of the Christian Man" to his friend Hermann Muehlpfort, the Lord Mayor of Zwickau. The [[Anabaptist]] movement of 1525 began at Zwickau under the inspiration of the "[[Zwickau prophets]]".<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Zwickau|volume=28|page=1061}}</ref> After Wittenberg, it became the first city in Europe to join the [[Lutheran Reformation]]. The late Gothic Gewandhaus (cloth merchants' hall), was built in 1522–24 and is now converted into a theatre. The city was seriously damaged during the [[Thirty Years' War]].{{cn|date=April 2022}}

The old city of Zwickau, perched on a hill, is surrounded by heights with extensive forests and a municipal park. Near the city are the Hartenstein area, for example, with Stein and Wolfsbrunn castles and the Prinzenhöhle cave, as well as the Auersberg peak (1019 meters) and the winter sports areas around Johanngeorgenstadt and the Vogtland.

In the Old Town the Cathedral and the ''Gewandhaus'' (cloth merchants' hall) originate in the 16th century and when Schneeberg silver was traded. In the 19th century the city's economy was driven by industrial coal mining and later by automobile manufacturing.

[[File:Gedenkstätte für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus am Schwanenteich 02.jpg|thumb|Memorial at the resting place of 325 victims of Nazi Germany]]
During [[World War II]], in 1942, a Nazi [[show trial]] of the members of the {{Interlanguage link multi|Czarny Legion|pl|Czarny Legion (polska organizacja konspiracyjna)}} [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish underground resistance organization]] from [[Gostyń]] was held in Zwickau, after which 12 members were executed in [[Dresden]], and several dozen were imprisoned in [[Nazi concentration camps]], where 37 of them died.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://opinie.wp.pl/czarny-legion-polska-organizacja-podziemna-rozbita-przez-niemcow-6126041043765377a?src01=f1e45|title=Czarny Legion – polska organizacja podziemna rozbita przez Niemców|website=WP Opinie|author=Wojciech Königsberg|date=20 August 2015|access-date=8 March 2020|language=pl}}</ref> In May 1942, five Polish students of the Salesian Oratory in [[Poznań]], known as the ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Poznań Five|pl|Poznańska piątka}}'' or five of the [[108 Martyrs of World War II|108 Blessed Polish Martyrs of World War II]], were imprisoned in Zwickau, before being executed in Dresden.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gosc.pl/doc/5803763.Poznanska-piatka|title=Poznańska piątka|website=Gosc.pl|date=24 August 2019|access-date=8 March 2020|language=pl}}</ref> A subcamp of the [[Flossenbürg concentration camp]] was located in Zwickau, whose prisoners were mostly Poles and Russians, but also Italians, French, Hungarians, Jews, Czechs, Germans and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gedenkstaette-flossenbuerg.de/en/history/satellite-camps/zwickau|title=Zwickau Subcamp|website=KZ-Gedenkstätte Flossenbürg|access-date=8 March 2020}}</ref>

On 17 April 1945, US troops entered the city. They withdrew on 30 June 1945 and handed Zwickau to the [[Soviet]] [[Red Army]]. Between 1944 and 2003, the city had a population of over 100,000.

A major employer is [[Volkswagen]] which assembles its ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5 models, as well as Audi and Cupra EV's in the Zwickau-Mosel vehicle plant.

===Economic history===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R85422, Zwickau, Schacht Brückenberg I.jpg|thumb|The ''Brückenberg I'' [[anthracite|anthracite coal]] mine, later named Karl-Marx, here in 1948]]
[[File:Zwickau Georgenplatz Trabantdenkmal.jpg|thumb|Monument to the ''[[Trabant]]'' on the Georgenplatz; the last were produced in 1991]]
====Coal mining====
Coal mining is mentioned as early as 1348.<ref name="EB1911"/> However, mining on an industrial scale first started in the early 19th century. The coal mines of Zwickau and the neighbouring Oelsnitz-Lugau coalfield contributed significantly to the industrialisation of the region and the city.

In 1885 Carl Wolf invented an improved gas-detecting safety mining-lamp. He held the first world patent for it. Together with his business partner Friemann he founded the "Friemann & Wolf" factory. Coal mining ceased in 1978. About 230 million tonnes had been mined to a depth of over 1,000 metres. In 1992 Zwickau's last coke oven plant was closed.

Many industrial branches developed in the city in the wake of the coal mining industry: mining equipment, iron and steel works, textile, machinery in addition to chemical, porcelain, paper, glass, dyestuffs, wire goods, tinware, stockings, and curtains. There were also steam saw-mills, diamond and glass polishing works, iron-foundries, and breweries.

====Automotive industry====
In 1904 the [[Horch]] [[automobile]] plant was founded, followed by the [[Audi]] factory in 1909. In 1932 both brands were incorporated into [[Auto Union]] but retained their independent trademarks. [[Auto Union racing cars]], developed by [[Ferdinand Porsche]] and [[Robert Eberan von Eberhorst]], driven by [[Bernd Rosemeyer]], [[Hans Stuck]], [[Tazio Nuvolari]], [[Ernst von Delius]], became well known nationally and internationally. During World War II, the Nazi government operated a satellite camp of the [[Flossenbürg concentration camp]] in Zwickau which was sited near the Horch Auto Union plant. The Nazi administration built a hard labour prison camp at [[Osterstein Castle]]. Both camps were liberated by the US Army in 1945. On 1 August 1945 military administration was handed over to the Soviet Army. The Auto Union factories of Horch and Audi were dismantled by the Soviets; Auto Union relocated to [[Ingolstadt]], Bavaria, evolving into the present day Audi company. In 1948 all large companies were seized by the East German government.

With the founding of the [[German Democratic Republic]] in 1949 in East Germany, post-war reconstruction began. In 1958 the Horch and Audi factories were merged into the [[Sachsenring]] plant. At the Sachsenring automotive plant the compact ''[[Trabant]]'' cars were manufactured. These small cars had a two-cylinder, two-stroke engine. The car was the first vehicle in the world to be industrially manufactured with a plastic car body. The production of the Trabant was discontinued after German reunification, but [[Volkswagen]] built a new factory in the nearby [[Mosel (Zwickau)|Mosel]] area to the north of the city and Sachsenring is now a supplier for the automobile industry. The former VEB Sachsenring manufacturing site was acquired by Volkswagen in 1990 and has since been redeveloped as an engine and transmission manufacturing facility. Nowadays the headquarters of Volkswagen-Saxony Ltd. (a VW subsidiary) is in the northern part of Zwickau.

Audi together with the city of Zwickau operates the [[August Horch Museum Zwickau|August Horch Museum]] in the former Audi works.  In 2021, production of the [[Audi Q4 e-tron]] began at the Zwickau-Mosel plant, marking the return of the manufacture of Audi badged cars in Zwickau for the first time in over 80 years.

====Uranium mining====
Two major industrial facilities of the Soviet [[Wismut (mining company)|SDAG Wismut]] were situated in the city: the uranium mill in Zwickau-Crossen, producing [[Yellowcake|uranium concentrate]] from ores mined in the Erzgebirge and Thuringia, and the machine building plant in Zwickau-Cainsdorf producing equipment for the uranium mines and mills of East Germany. Uranium milling ended in 1989, and after the unification the Wismut machine building plant was sold to a private investor.