Zwickau

Zwickau
Town
Osterstein Castle
Marienkirche
Schwanenteich
city hall
theatre
Robert Schumann monument
Paradiesbrücke
Flag of Zwickau
Flag
Coat of arms of Zwickau
Coat of arms
Location of Zwickau within Zwickau district
BernsdorfCallenbergCrimmitschauCrinitzbergDennheritzFraureuthGersdorfGlauchauHartensteinHartmannsdorfHirschfeldHohenstein-ErnstthalKirchbergLangenbernsdorfLangenweißbachLichtensteinLichtentanneLimbach-OberfrohnaMeeraneMülsenNeukirchenNiederfrohnaOberlungwitzOberwieraReinsdorfRemseSchönbergSankt EgidienWaldenburgWerdauWildenfelsWilkau-HaßlauZwickauSaxonyThuringiaVogtlandkreisErzgebirgskreisChemnitzMittelsachsen
Zwickau is located in Germany
Zwickau
Zwickau
Zwickau is located in Saxony
Zwickau
Zwickau
Coordinates: 50°43′N 12°30′E / 50.717°N 12.500°E / 50.717; 12.500
CountryGermany
StateSaxony
DistrictZwickau
Subdivisions5 urban units with 35 townships
Government
 • Lord mayor (2020–27) Constance Arndt (BfZ)[1]
Area
 • Total102.54 km2 (39.59 sq mi)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total87,172
 • Density850/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
08001–08067
Dialling codes0375
Vehicle registrationZ
Websitewww.zwickau.de

Zwickau (German pronunciation: [ˈtsvɪkaʊ] ⓘ; Upper Sorbian: Šwikawa; Czech: Cvikov or Zvíkov; Polish: Ćwików) is, with around 88,000 inhabitants, the fourth-largest city of Saxony, Germany, after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz.

The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: Zwickauer Mulde; progression: Mulde→ Elbe→ North Sea), and lies in a string of cities sitting in the densely populated foreland of the Elster and Ore Mountains stretching from Plauen in the southwest via Zwickau, Chemnitz and Freiberg to Dresden in the northeast. Zwickau is the seat of the Zwickau District, the most densely populated district in the new states of Germany.

Zwickau is the seat of the West Saxon University of Zwickau (German: Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau) with campuses in Zwickau, Markneukirchen, Reichenbach im Vogtland and Schneeberg (Erzgebirge). The city is the birthplace of composer Robert Schumann.

Zwickau has historically been one of the centres of the German automotive industry.[3][4] It is the cradle of Audi and its forerunner Horch. Horchwerke AG Zwickau was founded there in 1904 and was renamed to Audiwerke Zwickau AG in 1909. Zwickau was also the seat of VEB Sachsenring (now Sachsenring GmbH), which produced East Germany's most popular car, the Trabant, in Zwickau. Since 1990, there is a large Volkswagen plant in Zwickau-Mosel.

The 167-kilometre (104-mile)-long Zwickau Mulde River, originating in Schöneck/Vogtl. in the Western Ore Mountains, traverses the city in a south to north direction. It enters Zwickau between Zwickau-Cainsdorf and Zwickau-Bockwa, and leaves at Zwickau-Schlunzig near the Volkswagen plant, and is spanned by 17 bridges within the city. The Silver Road, Saxony's longest tourist route, connects Dresden with Zwickau.[5]

Zwickau can be reached by car via the nearby Autobahns A4 and A72, the main railway station (Zwickau Hauptbahnhof), via a public airfield which takes light aircraft, and by bike along the Zwickau Mulde River on the so-called Mulderadweg.[6]

  1. ^ Wahlergebnisse 2020, Freistaat Sachsen, accessed 10 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Einwohnerzahlen nach Gemeinden als Excel-Arbeitsmappe" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen. 2024.
  3. ^ "Wirtschaft & Standort" [Industry & Location]. zwickau.de (in German). Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  4. ^ "How to find us". horch-museum.de. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  5. ^ ADAC Travel Guide, Towns and Cities from A to Z – City Guide Germany Travel Information, first edition June 2005, 368 pages, ISBN 3-89905-233-1
  6. ^ "Mulderadweg" [Mulde bike lane] (in German). Retrieved 1 February 2019.