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.
The district was created in 1868 when districts were created in Saxony-Meiningen. In 1952 part of the district was incorporated into the newly created district Neuhaus am Rennweg. This district was dissolved again in 1994 and the district Sonneberg did regain its old size.
Geography
The district is located on the southern slope of the mountains of the Thuringian Forest. The land descends from the more than 800m high hills (the highest elevation is the 863m high Bleßberg) down to the lower plains Sonneberger Unterland and Schalkauer Platte. The Dreistromstein near Siegmundsburg near the city Neuhaus am Rennweg marks the meeting of the watersheds which separate the areas which fed the rivers Rhine, the Weser and the Elbe.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms shows symbols of the historic states which make up the territory of the district. In the topleft is the lion as symbol of the county of Meißen. In the top right is the symbol of the Lords of Sonneberg, which includes a sheep scissor. In the bottom left the symbol of the Counts of Schaumberg-Rauenstein; in the bottom right is the coat of arms of Saxony.
The name Sonneberg is derived from the settlement founded in 1300 at the foot of the 'Schlossberg'.
Sonneberg is situated in the fascinating landscape of the southern slopes of the Thuringian Forest.
Recommended museums to visit are the glas museum in Lauscha (20 km away), the slates museum in Steinach (15 km away), the doll museum in Neustadt near Coburg (4 km away), the 'Veste Coburg' (20 km away), the gold museum in Theuern (15 km away) and the museum of local history in Schalkau.
Feeds |
Contact