Sonneberg (district)

Sonneberg is a Kreis (district) in the south of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the west clockwise) the districts Hildburghausen, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, and the Bavarian districts Kronach and Coburg.

This article is about the district or county in Thuringia. For its county town, see Sonneberg. For the hill of the same name, see Sonneberg (hill).
Sonneberg
District
Flag of Sonneberg
Flag
Coat of arms of Sonneberg
Coat of arms
CountryGermany
StateThuringia
Founded1868
CapitalSonneberg
Government
 • District admin.Robert Sesselmann (AfD)
Area
 • Total460.83 km2 (177.93 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2021)[1]
 • Total56,504
 • Density120/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registrationSON, NH
Websitewww.landkreis-sonneberg.de

History

The district was created in 1868 when districts were introduced in Saxe-Meiningen. In 1952, parts of the district were split off into a newly created district Neuhaus am Rennweg. In 1994, Neuhaus am Rennweg was dissolved and the district Sonneberg regained its original size. In 2019 the municipalities Lichte and Piesau from the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt came as villages into the town Neuhaus am Rennweg in the district Sonneberg.

Geography

The district is located on the southern slopes of the mountains of the Thuringian Forest. The land descends from the more than 800m tall hills (the highest elevation is the 869m high Großer Farmdenkopf) down to the lower plains Sonneberger Unterland and Schalkauer Platte. The Dreistromstein near Siegmundsburg near Neuhaus am Rennweg marks the intersection of three watersheds that drain into the rivers Rhine, Weser, and Elbe.

Politics

Jürgen Köpper of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has served as interim district administrator since Hans-Peter Schmitz resigned in March 2023, citing health concerns.[2] An early election to replace him took place on 11 June 2023, with a runoff held on 25 June. In the runoff, Jürgen Köpper was defeated by Robert Sesselmann of the Alternative for Germany (AfD). This marked the first time any AfD candidate had been elected district administrator, and the first executive position to be held by the party.[3]

Candidate Party First round Second round
Votes  % Votes  %
Robert Sesselmann Alternative for Germany 10,941 46.7 14,992 52.8
Jürgen Köpper Christian Democratic Union 8,371 35.7 13,419 47.2
Anja Schönheit Social Democratic Party 3,107 13.3
Nancy Schwalbach The Left/The Greens 1,023 4.4
Valid votes 23,442 98.9 28,411 98.7
Invalid votes 263 1.1 367 1.3
Total 23,705 100.0 28,778 100.0
Electorate/voter turnout 48,299 49.1 48,261 59.6
Source: Wahlen Thüringen

Coat of arms
Coat of arms since 1990 The coat of arms shows symbols of the historic states which make up the territory of the district. In the top left field is the lion as symbol of the county of Meißen. In the top right field is the symbol of the Lords of Sonneberg, which includes sheep shears. The bottom left field displays the symbol of the Counts of Schaumberg-Rauenstein, and the bottom right field shows the coat of arms of Saxony.
Coat of arms until 1952
Coat of arms until 1952

Until 1952, a coat of arms introduced in the 1920s was used, which shows the coat of arms of the House of Henneberg instead of the Lords of Sonneberg in the top right field as another important part of Sonneberg's history.

Towns and municipalities
Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district
Towns Municipalities
  1. Lauscha
  2. Neuhaus am Rennweg
  3. Schalkau
  4. Sonneberg
  5. Steinach
  1. Föritztal
  2. Frankenblick
  3. Goldisthal

References
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2021" (in German). Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik. June 2022.
  2. "Sonneberger district administrator retired - first candidate reports". Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (in German). 2 March 2023.
  3. "Germany: Far-right AfD wins first governing post". Deutsche Welle. 25 June 2023.

50°25′N 11°10′E

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