Zschopau


Zschopau, is a town in the Erzgebirgskreis district of Saxony, Germany.
The town grew around the castle, which was built in the mid-12th century to protect the Salt Road, which crossed the Zschopau River here. Mining was also practiced from the 14th century onward, and in 1493, Zschopau was granted the privileges of a "Freie Bergstadt" However, its importance always lagged behind the major mining towns in the Ore Mountains.
The development of crafts and trades was favored by the trade route; in 1451, Zschopau was granted market rights and in 1466, brewing rights. The first guilds of weavers and calico printers were founded as early as 1529. Later, textile factories and spinning mills developed, which favored Zschopau's early transformation into an industrial city at the beginning of the 19th century.
Motorcycles have been built in Zschopau since 1922. The world's first motorcycle assembly line was located here in 1926, and the Zschopauer Motorenwerke, with its DKW brand, was the world's largest motorcycle factory for the first time, with a production of around 60,000 units in 1928. Even during the GDR era, the motorcycle factory was one of the world's largest motorcycle producers in terms of production volume.

Geography

The town is located on the northwestern slopes of the Ore Mountains, on both banks of the Zschopau River, about south-east from Chemnitz. The highest point is Mt. Pilzhübel with an elevation of. The municipal area comprises the village of Krumhermersdorf, incorporated in 1999. Since German reunification, Zschopau has lost about one fourth of its population.
Zschopau has a handsome parish church dedicated to St Martin, a town hall and a castle, whose construction started in the twelfth century.

Historical population

Notable people