Zella-Mehlis

Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, located in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the scenic Thuringian Forest, approximately 5 km north of Suhl and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town was notably home to Walther and Anschütz, two of Germany's most notable firearm manufacturers, both of which were originally founded in Zella-Mehlis. They operated there until Soviet occupation of Eastern Germany at the conclusion of World War II caused both companies to move.

Zella-Mehlis
Town
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Zella-Mehlis within Schmalkalden-Meiningen district
Zella-Mehlis Zella-Mehlis
Coordinates: 50°39′35″N 10°40′1″E
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Schmalkalden-Meiningen
Government
• Mayor (2024–30)	Torsten Widder
Area
• Total	52.99 km2 (20.46 sq mi)
Elevation	500 m (1,600 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	12,514
• Density	240/km2 (610/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	98544
Dialling codes	03682
Vehicle registration	SM
Website	www.zella-mehlis.de

In January 2019, the former municipality Benshausen was integrated into Zella-Mehlis, expanding the town's jurisdiction.

Historical Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1946 17,352 —     1950 16,914 −0.64% 1960 16,370 −0.33% 1981 14,444 −0.59% 1984 13,921 −1.22% 1994 13,401 −0.38% 1995 13,100 −2.25% 1996 12,990 −0.84% 1997 12,941 −0.38% 1998 12,933 −0.06% 1999 13,206 +2.11% 2000 13,036 −1.29% 2001 12,961 −0.58% 2002 12,726 −1.81% 2003 12,544 −1.43% 2004 12,495 −0.39%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2005 12,245 −2.00% 2006 12,095 −1.22% 2007 11,951 −1.19% 2008 11,910 −0.34% 2009 11,743 −1.40% 2010 11,747 +0.03% 2011 11,075 −5.72% 2012 10,855 −1.99% 2013 10,785 −0.64% 2014 10,669 −1.08% 2015 10,631 −0.36% 2016 10,595 −0.34% 2017 10,813 +2.06% 2018 10,537 −2.55% 2019 12,727 +20.78% 2020 12,630 −0.76%
Population as of 31 December (1946: 29 October 1950: 31 August) Source: Source since 1994: Thuringian State office of Statistics

Twin towns

Zella-Mehlis is twinned with:

• Andernach, Germany
• Gemünden am Main, Germany
• Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France

Martin Luther elementary school

Train station Zella-Mehlis

Surroundings of Zella-Mehlis

People

• Helmut Recknagel (* 1937), the first German Olympic ski jumping champion and world champion, started for SC Motor Zella-Mehlis
• Johann Kaspar Friedrich Manso (1759-1826), teacher, historian and philologist
• Johann Heinrich Ehrhardt (1805-1883), locomotive builder, engineer of the Saxon Railroad
• Johann Peter Haseney (1812-1869), copper engraver, creator of the first German stamp "Schwarzer Einser" (Black one)
• Karl Künstler (1901–1945), Nazi SS concentration camp commandant
• Michael Schumann (1946-2000), professor of philosophy, politician (SED, PDS), Member of the Brandenburg Landtag, Member of the Bundestag
• Anja Kampe (born 1968), Opera singer
• Carl Walther (1858-1915), gunsmith
• Marcel Callo (1921-1945), blessed of the Roman Catholic Church, a place was named here after him
• Horst Queck (born 1943), ski jumper
• Reinhard Heß (1945-2007), ski jumping coach of the German national team
• Fredi Albrecht (born 1947), wrestler and competitor, visited the children's and youth sports school here
• Klaus-Peter Göpfert (born 1948), wrestler, attended the children's and sports school in Zella-Mehlis
• Rainer Schmidt (born 1948), ski jumper, overall winner of the Four Hills Tournament, lives in Zella-Mehlis
• Christoph Matschie (born 1961), politician, SPD Chairman of the State of Thuringia 1999–2014, minister and parliamentary secretary of state, received training as a mechanic in Zella-Mehlis
• Kati Wilhelm (born 1976), biathlete
• Sebastian Haseney (born 1978), Nordic Combiner
• Franz Göring (born 1984), cross-country skier, lives in Zella-Mehlis
• Andi Langenhan (born 1984), Rennrodler
• Frank Rommel (born 1984), Skeleton Pilots
• Tino Edelmann (born 1985), Nordic Combiner