View source for Zwickau

{{short description|Town in Saxony, Germany}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox German location
|type=Stadt
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
  | total_width      = 280
  | border           = infobox
  | perrow           = 1/2/2/2
  | caption_align    = center
  | image1           = Schloss Osterstein Zwickau.jpg
  | caption1         = [[Osterstein Castle (Zwickau)|Osterstein Castle]]
  | image2           = Zwickau Cathedral.jpg
  | caption2         = Marienkirche
  | image3           = Zwickau - Swan pond with boat (aka).jpg
  | caption3         = Schwanenteich
  | image4           = Rarhaus Zwickau, Sachsen 2H1A1853WI.jpg
  | caption4         = City Hall
  | image5           = Gewandhaus Zwickau in der Nacht.jpg
  | caption5         = Theatre
  | image6           = Robert-Schumann-Denkmal in Zwickau... 2H1A2252WI.jpg
  | caption6         = [[Robert Schumann]] Monument
  | image7           = Paradiesbrücke über die Zwickauer Mulde in Zwickau 2H1A1551WI.jpg
  | caption7         = Paradiesbrücke }}
|image_flag=Flagge Zwickau.svg
|image_coa=DEU Zwickau COA.svg
|coordinates={{coord|50|43|N|12|30|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan=Zwickau in Z.svg
|state=Sachsen
|district=Zwickau
|elevation=
|area=102.58
|postal_code=08001–08067
|area_code=0375
|licence=Z
|Gemeindeschlüssel=14524330
|divisions=5 urban units with 35 townships
|website={{URL|www.zwickau.de}}
|mayor=Constance Arndt (BfZ)<ref name=mayor>[https://wahlen.sachsen.de/buergermeisterwahl-2020-wahlergebnisse.php Wahlergebnisse 2020], Freistaat Sachsen, accessed 10 July 2021.</ref>
|leader_term       = 2020&ndash;27
|Bürgermeistertitel=Oberbürgermeister
|party=
}}

'''Zwickau''' ({{IPA|de|ˈtsvɪkaʊ|-|De-Zwickau.ogg}}; {{langx|hsb|Šwikawa}}) is the fourth-largest city of [[Saxony]], Germany, after [[Leipzig]], [[Dresden]] and [[Chemnitz]], with around 88,000 inhabitants,.

The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the [[Zwickau Mulde]] (German: ''Zwickauer Mulde''; progression: {{PMulde}}), and lies in a string of cities sitting in the densely populated foreland of the [[Elster Mountains|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 [[Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zwickau.de/de/wirtschaft.php|title=Wirtschaft & Standort|trans-title=Industry & Location|access-date=2019-09-20|language=de|website=zwickau.de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.horch-museum.de/content/12/standort-anreise/1/183/|title=How to find us|language=en|website=horch-museum.de|access-date=2019-09-20}}</ref> It is the cradle of [[Audi]] and its forerunner [[Horch]]. [[Horch|Horchwerke AG Zwickau]] was founded there in 1904 and was renamed to [[Audi|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 [[Volkswagen Zwickau-Mosel Plant|large Volkswagen plant]] in [[Mosel (Zwickau)|Zwickau-Mosel]].

The {{convert|167|km|mi|0|abbr=off|adj=mid|-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.<ref>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}}</ref>

Zwickau can be reached by car via the nearby ''[[Autobahn]]''s [[Bundesautobahn 4|A4]] and [[Bundesautobahn 72|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mulderadweg.de|title=Mulderadweg|trans-title=Mulde bike lane|language=de|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref>

==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.

==Boundaries==
Zwickau is bounded by [[Mülsen]], [[Reinsdorf, Saxony|Reinsdorf]], [[Wilkau-Hasslau]], [[Hirschfeld, Saxony|Hirschfeld]] ([[Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Kirchberg]]), [[Lichtentanne]], [[Werdau]], [[Neukirchen, Zwickau|Neukirchen]], [[Crimmitschau]], [[Dennheritz]] ([[Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Crimmitschau]]), and the city of [[Glauchau]].

==Incorporations==
* 1895: Pölbitz
* 1902: Marienthal
* 1905: Eckersbach
* 1922: Weissenborn
* 1923: Schedewitz
* 1939: Brand and Bockwa
* 1944: Oberhohndorf and [[Planitz]]
* 1953: Auerbach, Pöhlau, and Niederhohndorf
* 1993: Hartmannsdorf
* 1996: Rottmannsdorf
* 1996: Crossen (with 4 municipalities on 1 January 1994, Schneppendorf)
* 1999: Cainsdorf, [[Mosel (Zwickau)|Mosel]], [[Oberrothenbach]], and Schlunzig, along with Hüttelsgrün (Lichtentanne) and Freiheitssiedlung

==Population==
[[File:Bergparade in Zwickau; Weihnachtstradition..IMG 7574BE.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Bergparade in Zwickau, a Christmas tradition]]
{{historical populations
|align=none
|source       = Census data for 1875 to 1939
|1462|3,900
|1530|7,677
|1640|2,693
|1723|3,753
|1800|4,189
|1840|9,740
|1861|20,492
|1871|27,322
|1875|31,491
|1890|44,198
|1900|55,825
|1905|68,502
|1910|73,542
|1925|80,358
|1933|84,701
|1939|85,198
|1946|122,862
|1950|138,844
|1960|129,138
|1972|124,796
|1981|121,800
|1990|122,979|2001|101,726|2011|93,081|2022|87,020}}

==Education==
Zwickau is home to the [[Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau - University of Applied Sciences Zwickau|University of Applied Sciences Zwickau]], with about 4,700 students and two [[campuses]] within the boundaries of Zwickau.

Dr. Martin Luther School (German: ''Dr. Martin Luther Schule'') is a grade 1–4 school of the [[Evangelical Lutheran Free Church (Germany)|Evangelical Lutheran Free Church]] in Zwickau.<ref name="CELC">{{cite web |title=Evangelical Lutheran Free Church—Germany |url=https://celc.info/membership/member-churches/evangelical-lutheran-free-church-germany/ |access-date=7 February 2021}}</ref>

==Politics==
===Mayor and city council===
The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was [[Rainer Eichhorn]] of the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU), who served from 1990 to 2001. The mayor was originally chosen by the city council, but since 1994 has been directly elected. [[Dietmar Vettermann]], also of the CDU, served from 2001 until 2008. He was succeeded by [[Pia Findeiß]] of the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD), who was in office until 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 20 September 2020, with a runoff held on 11 October, at which Constance Arndt (Bürger für Zwickau) was elected.<ref name=mayor/>

{{election table}}
! rowspan=2 colspan=2| Candidate
! rowspan=2| Party
! colspan=2| First round
! colspan=2| Second round
|-
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| Kathrin Köhler
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]
| '''9,453'''
| '''31.5'''
| 7,549
| 28.1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Constance Arndt
| align=left| Citizens for Zwickau
| 6,506
| 21.7
| '''19,358'''
| '''71.9'''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| Andreas Gerold
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]]
| 5,109
| 17.0
| align=center colspan=2| ''Withdrew''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Michael Jakob
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 4,797
| 16.0
| align=center colspan=2| ''Withdrew''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| Ute Manuela Brückner
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]]
| 4,183
| 13.9
| align=center colspan=2| ''Withdrew''
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 30,048
! 99.3
! 26,907
! 99.1
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid votes
! 204
! 0.7
! 246
! 0.9
|-
! colspan=3| Total
! 30,252
! 100.0
! 27,153
! 100.0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 72,225
! 41.9
! 72,085
! 37.7
|-
| colspan=7| Source: City of Zwickau ([https://wahlen.zwickau.de/wahlen/2020/01_OB1/index.html#ergebnisse 1st round], [https://wahlen.zwickau.de/wahlen/2020/01_OB2/index.html#ergebnisse 2nd round])
|}

The most recent city council election was held on 9 June 2024, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}
! colspan=2| Party
! Votes
! %
! +/-
! Seats
! +/-
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD)
| 38,740
| 32.3
| {{increase}} 10.4
| 16
| {{increase}} 5
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU)
| 24,937
| 20.8
| {{decrease}} 1.2
| 10
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance}}| 
| align=left| [[Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance]] (BSW)
| 15,593
| 13.0
| New
| 6
| New
|-
| 
| align=left| Citizens for Zwickau (BfZ)
| 14,970
| 12.5
| {{increase}} 1.8
| 6
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD)
| 8,304
| 6.9
| {{decrease}} 3.3
| 3
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] (Die Linke)
| 5,312
| 4.4
| {{decrease}} 10.3
| 2
| {{decrease}} 6
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]] (Grüne)
| 3,823
| 3.2
| {{decrease}} 3.3
| 2
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP)
| 3,702
| 3.1
| {{decrease}} 2.5
| 1
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
| bgcolor=169340| 
| align=left| [[Freie Sachsen|Free Saxons]] (FS)
| 2,823
| 2.4
| New
| 1
| New
|-
| 
| align=left| Shaping Zwickau Together (2ZG)
| 1,816
| 1.5
| New
| 1
| New
|-
! colspan=2| Valid votes
! 120,020
! 100.0
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Total ballots
! 42,623
! 100.0
! 
! 48
! ±0
|-
! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout
! 68,766
! 62.0
! {{increase}} 7.0
! 
! 
|-
| colspan=7| Source: [https://wahlen.regioit.de/4/eu2024/14524330/praesentation/ergebnis.html?wahl_id=295&stimmentyp=0&id=ebene_-1067_id_2670 City of Zwickau]
|}

===Historical mayors===
[[File:Zwickau Rathaus.jpg|thumb|City hall, main façade from 1866 to 1867 and earlier]]
* 1501–1518: Erasmus Stella
* 1518–1530: Hermann Mühlpfort
* 1800, 1802, 1804, 1806, 1808, 1810, 1812, 1814: Carl Wilhelm Ferber
* 1801, 1803, 1805, 1807, 1809, 1811, 1813, 1815, 1817, 1819: Tobias Hempel
* 1816, 1818, 1820, 1822: Christian Gottlieb Haugk
* 1821, 1823, 1825, 1826: Carl Heinrich Rappius
* 1824: Christian Heinrich Pinther
* 1827–1830: Christian Heinrich Mühlmann, Stadtvogt
* 1830–1832: Franz Adolf Marbach
* 1832–1860: Friedrich Wilhelm Meyer
* 1860–1898: Lothar Streit, from 1874 ''Lord Mayor''
* 1898–1919: Karl Keil
* 1919–1934: Richard Holz
* 1934–1945: Ewald Dost
* 1945: Fritz Weber (acting Lord Mayor)
* 1945: [[Georg Ulrich Handke]] (1894–1962) (acting Lord Mayor)
* 1945–1949: Paul Müller
* 1949–1954: Otto Assmann (1901–1977)
* 1954–1958: Otto Schneider
* 1958–1969: Gustav Seifried
* 1969–1973: Liesbeth Windisch
* 1973–1977: Helmut Repmann
* 1977–1990: Heiner Fischer (1936–2016)
* 1990–2001: Rainer Eichhorn (born 1950)
* 2001–2008: Dietmar Vettermann (born 1957)
* 2008–2020: Pia Findeiss (born 1956)
* 2020 until now: Constance Arndt (born 1977)

==Sports==
{{main|FSV Zwickau}}

==Transport==
[[File:Zwickau railway main station, saxony.jpg|thumb|Main railway station]]
The city is close to the [[Bundesautobahn 4|A4]] (Dresden-Erfurt) and [[Bundesautobahn 72|A72]] (Hof-Chemnitz) ''[[Autobahns]]''.

[[Zwickau Hauptbahnhof]] is on the [[Dresden–Werdau railway|Dresden–Werdau line]], part of the [[Saxon-Franconian trunk line]], connecting [[Nuremberg]] and Dresden. There are further railway connections to [[Leipzig]] as well as [[Karlovy Vary]] and [[Cheb]] in the [[Czech Republic]]. The core element of Zwickau's urban public transport system is the [[Trams in Zwickau|Zwickau tramway network]]; the system is also the prototype of the so-called [[Zwickau Model]] for such systems.

The closest airport is [[Leipzig-Altenburg Airport|Leipzig-Altenburg]], which has no scheduled commercial flights. The nearest major airports are [[Leipzig/Halle Airport]] and [[Dresden Airport]], both of which offer a large number of national and international flights.

==Museums==
[[File:Zwickau Robert Schumann Birth House.jpg|thumb|right|House where [[Robert Schumann]] was born 1810, museum at Hauptmarkt 5]]
In the city centre there are three museums: an art museum from the 19th century and the houses of priests from 13th century, both located next to St.&nbsp;Mary's church. Just around the corner there is the Robert-Schumann museum. The museums offer different collections dedicated to the history of the city, as well as art and a mineralogical, palaeontological and geological collection with many specimens from the city and the nearby [[Ore Mountains]].

Zwickau is the birthplace of the composer [[Robert Schumann]]. The house where he was born in 1810 still stands in the marketplace. This is now called [[Robert Schumann House]] and is a museum dedicated to him.

The histories of the [[Audi]] and [[Horch]] [[automobile]] factories are presented at the ''[[August Horch Museum Zwickau]]''. The museum is an ''Anchor Point'' of the [[European Route of Industrial Heritage]] (EIRH).

==Notable people==
[[File:Portrait of Robert Schumann.jpg|thumb|150px|Robert Schumann]]
[[File:Iano Cornarius.jpg|thumb|150px|Janus Cornarius]]
[[File:Jacob Leupold 1674-1727 (01).JPG|thumb|150px|Jacob Leupold]]

===Born before 1900===
*[[Nicholas Storch]] (before 1500 – after 1536), weaver and lay preacher (Zwickau Prophets)
*[[Janus Cornarius]] (c. 1500–1558), philologist and physician
*[[Gregor Haloander]] (1501–1531), jurist
*[[David Köler]] (1532–1565), musician, organist, choirmaster and composer
*[[Jacob Leupold]] (1674–1727), mechanic and instrument maker
*[[Robert Schumann]] (1810–1856), composer of the Romantic era
*[[Paul Emil Flechsig]] (1847–1929) neuroanatomist, psychiatrist and neuropathologist
*[[Heinrich Schurtz]] (1863–1903), ethnologist and historian
*[[August Horch]] (1868–1952), automotive engineer
*[[Heinrich Waentig]] (1870–1943), economist and politician (SPD)
*[[Hans Dominik (writer)|Hans Dominik]] (1872–1945), writer, journalist and engineer
*[[Fritz Bleyl]] (1880–1966), Expressionist painter and architect
*[[Max Pechstein]] (1881–1955), Expressionist painter
*[[Margaret Scott (suffragette)|"Margaret Scott"]] (1888–1973), militant suffragette in London
*[[Paul Langheinrich]] (1895–1979), genealogist

===Born after 1900===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1982-1123-416, Gerhard Schürer.jpg|thumb|150px|Gerhard Schürer in 1982]]
*[[Gerhard Küntscher]] (1900–1972), orthopedic surgeon and inventor of the modern [[Intramedullary rod|intramedullary nailing procedure]] to treat long bone fractures
*[[Robert Eberan von Eberhorst]] (1902–1982), Austrian automotive engineer
*[[Gershom Schocken]] (1912–1990), Israeli journalist and politician
*[[Gert Fröbe]] (1913–1988), actor
*[[Gerhard Schürer]] (1921–2010), politician (SED)
*[[Erhard Weller]] (1926–1986), actor
*[[Rolf Hädrich]] (1931–2000), film director and screenwriter
*[[Dieter F. Uchtdorf]] (born 1940), Second Counselor in [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]. He lived here following World War II.
*[[Harald Fritzsch]] (1943–2022), theoretical physicist (quantum theory)
*[[Volkmar Weiss]] (born 1944), geneticists, social historian and genealogist
*[[Jürgen Croy]] (born 1946), footballer
*[[Christoph Bergner]] (born 1948), politician (CDU), 1993–1994 Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt
*[[Eckart Viehweg]] (1948–2010), mathematician
*[[Hagen von Ortloff]] (born 1949), TV-journalist
*[[Werner Schulz]] (1950–2022), politician ([[Alliance 90/The Greens]])
*[[Frank Petzold]] (born 1951), composer and conductor
*[[Christoph Daum]] (1953–2024), football player and coach
*[[Lutz Dombrowski]] (born 1959), athlete and Olympic champion
*[[Lars Riedel]] (born 1967), discus thrower
*[[Sven Günther]] (born 1974), footballer
*[[Cathleen Martini]] (born 1982), bobsledder, world champion
*[[Marie-Elisabeth Hecker]] (born 1987), classical cellist
*[[Danny Röhl]] (born 1989), football coach
*[[Kristin Gierisch]] (born 1990), triple jumper

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Zwickau is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Stabsstelle Stadtentwicklung|url=https://www.zwickau.de/de/politik/verwaltung/aemter/obundbau/stabsstelle_stadtentwicklung.php|website=zwickau.de|publisher=Zwickau|language=de|access-date=2021-02-18}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Jablonec nad Nisou]], Czech Republic (1971)
*{{flagicon|NED}} [[Zaanstad]], Netherlands (1987)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Dortmund]], Germany (1988)
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Volodymyr (city)|Volodymyr]], Ukraine (2014)
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Yandu District|Yandu (Yancheng)]], China (2014)

==See also==
*[[SV Cainsdorf]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikivoyage|Zwickau}}
* Zwickau {{Official website|https://www.zwickau.de}} {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.horch-museum.de ''August-Horch Museum'' at Audi Works] {{in lang|de}}

{{Cities and towns in Zwickau (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Zwickau| ]]
[[Category:Zwickau (district)]]