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{{short description|Town in Saxony, Germany}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Plauen (Dresden)|Plauen]], a former town which is now a district of [[Dresden]]}}
{{See also|E. O. Plauen}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{expand German|topic=geo|date=January 2022|Plauen}}
{{Infobox German place 
|type=Stadt
|image_coa=Plauen_Coat_of_arms.svg
| image_skyline            = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| perrow = 1/2/2/1
| total_width = 280
| align = center
| caption_align = center
| image1 = Plauen i.V. Zentrum.jpg
| caption1 = View over the city centre
| image2 = Plauen, Altes und Neues Rathaus, 004.jpg
| caption2 = Old and new city hall
| image3 = Plauen, Altes Rathaus, 006.jpg
| caption3 = Astronomical clock of the city hall
| image4 = Plauen Johanniskirche vom Rathausturm.jpg
| caption4 = St John's Church
| image5 = Elstertalbruecke 01 09.jpg
| caption5 = [[Elster Viaduct]]
| image6 = PL-Markt-1.jpg
| caption6 = Old market square }}
|coordinates={{coord|50|29|N|12|07|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan=Plauen in V.svg
|state=Sachsen
|district=Vogtlandkreis
|elevation=412
|area=102.11
|postal_code=08523;-5;-7;-9
|area_code=03741
|licence=V, AE, OVL, PL, RC
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 14523320
|divisions         = 5 city boroughs with 38 parts
|website           = {{URL|www.plauen.de}}
|mayor             = Steffen Zenner<ref name=mayor>[https://wahlen.sachsen.de/download/Buergermeister/statistik-sachsen_wahlen_buergermeister_uebersicht_aktuell.xlsx Gewählte Bürgermeisterinnen und Bürgermeister im Freistaat Sachsen, Stand: 17. Juli 2022], Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen.</ref>
|leader_term       = 2021&ndash;28
|Bürgermeistertitel= Oberbürgermeister
|party             = CDU
}}

'''Plauen''' ({{IPA|de|ˈplaʊən|-|De-Plauen.ogg}};<ref>{{cite book|last1=Krech|first1=Eva-Maria|last2=Stock|first2=Eberhard|last3=Hirschfeld|first3=Ursula|last4=Anders|first4=Lutz Christian|title=Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch|url=https://archive.org/details/deutschesausspra00krec|url-access=limited|language=German|year=2009|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|location=Berlin|isbn=978-3-11-018202-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/deutschesausspra00krec/page/n839 828]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Mangold|first=Max|title=Das Aussprachewörterbuch|language=German|year=2005|publisher=Dudenverlag|edition=6th|location=Mannheim|isbn=9783411040667|page=635}}</ref> {{langx|hsb|Pławno}}; {{langx|cs|Plavno}}) is a town in [[Saxony]], [[Germany]] with a population of around 65,000. It is Saxony's 5th most populated city after [[Leipzig]], [[Dresden]], [[Chemnitz]] and [[Zwickau]], the second-largest city of the [[Vogtland]] after [[Gera]], as well as the largest city in the Saxon Vogtland region (''Sächsisches Vogtland'').

The city lies on the upper reaches of the [[White Elster]] River, a tributary of the [[Saale]], in the Central Vogtlandian Hill Country. Plauen is the southwesternmost city of 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. It is the county seat of the [[Vogtland District]]. Plauen directly borders [[Greiz]] in [[Thuringia]] to the north, and it is also situated near the Saxon border with [[Bavaria]] ([[Franconia]]) and the [[Czech Republic]] ([[Bohemia]]).

Plauen and the surrounding Saxon Vogtland are known as the historic center of the German [[embroidery]] and [[lace]] industry, and the products of the region are protected under the label ''{{Ill|Plauener Spitze|de}}'' ("Plauen Lace"). The [[Elster Viaduct]] (''Elstertalbrücke''), spanning the valley of the White Elster between Plauen and [[Pöhl]], is the second-largest bridge built out of bricks in the world, after the [[Göltzsch Viaduct]].

Despite its location in Saxony the regional [[Vogtlandian]] dialect spoken in Plauen is a variety of [[East Franconian]] (with [[Upper Saxon|Saxon]] influences) related to the dialects of neighbouring Franconia in Bavaria. The name of the city as well as the names of many of its neighborhoods and boroughs are of [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] origin.

==History==
Plauen was founded by [[Polabian Slavs]] in the 12th century as "Plawe" and was passed to the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] in 1327. The town was captured by the Archbishop of [[Archbishopric of Magdeburg|Magdeburg]], {{Ill|Lippold von Bredow|de|Lippold von Bredow}}, in 1384. In 1466, it was passed to [[Albert III, Duke of Saxony|Albertine Saxony]] and later in 1569 to the [[Electorate of Saxony]]. Plauen became incorporated into the [[Kingdom of Saxony]] in 1806 during the [[Napoleonic Wars]], and in 1871 it became part of the [[German Empire]].

In the late-19th century, Plauen became a centre of [[textile]] manufacturing, specializing in [[Chemical lace]], called [[Plauen lace]]. Around 1910, Plauen, as an industrial 'boomtown' of the region, reached its population peak (1910 census: 121,000, 1912: 128,000). Plauen's population, however, has shrunk dramatically since the [[World War II|Second World War]] (1939: 111,000 inhabitants).

In the 1930s, Plauen hosted the first chapter of the [[Nazi Party]] outside of [[Bavaria]].

During the war, the Nazis operated a prison in the town,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100000341|title=Untersuchungshaftanstalt Plauen|website=Bundesarchiv.de|accessdate=3 April 2021|language=de}}</ref> and three subcamps of the [[Flossenbürg concentration camp]]. Five hundred women, mostly Polish, but also Russian, Italian, French, Yugoslavian and Croatian, were imprisoned and used as [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] in the first two subcamps,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gedenkstaette-flossenbuerg.de/en/history/satellite-camps/plauen-industriewerke|title=Plauen (Industriewerke AG) Subcamp|website=KZ-Gedenkstätte Flossenbürg|accessdate=3 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gedenkstaette-flossenbuerg.de/en/history/satellite-camps/plauen-baumwollspinnerei|title=Plauen (Cotton Mill) Subcamp|website=KZ-Gedenkstätte Flossenbürg|accessdate=3 April 2021}}</ref> and 50 men from various countries were imprisoned in the third subcamp.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gedenkstaette-flossenbuerg.de/en/history/satellite-camps/plauen-dr-th-horn|title=Plauen (Dr. Th. Horn) Subcamp|website=KZ-Gedenkstätte Flossenbürg|accessdate=3 April 2021}}</ref> It was occupied by [[United States|American]] troops on 16 April 1945 but was left to [[Red Army]] on 1 July 1945. On 15 December 1945, the city issued 7 semi-postal postage stamps of its own to raise money for reconstruction.

From 1945 onwards, Plauen fell into the [[Soviet occupation zone]] of Germany, which later became the [[East Germany|German Democratic Republic]] (1949–1990). Plauen hosted a large [[Red Army]] occupation garrison and, in the last years of the GDR (DDR), an officer school of the Border Guards ("Grenztruppen der DDR"). The first mass demonstration against the communist regime in the GDR began in Plauen on 7 October 1989; this was the beginning of a series of mass demonstrations across the country and ultimately led to the re-unification of Germany in 1990.

The exposé ''[[Fast Food Nation]]'' gives special mention to Plauen as the first city of the GDR to have a [[McDonald's Corporation|McDonald's]] restaurant following the collapse of the [[Berlin Wall]].

As part of Saxony's local government reform of July 1st 2008, Plauen lost its status as a [[Urban districts of Germany|district-free city]] and was integrated into the [[Vogtlandkreis]] district.

==Jewish Community of Plauen==
[[File:Judische friedhof.jpg|thumb]]

[[File:Synagogue Plauen.jpg|thumb|https://www.plauen.de/Verwaltung-und-Stadtrat/Stadtinformationen/Wahlen/Landratswahl-am-03-07-2022/Gemeindehaus-mit-Synagoge.php?object=tx,3317.3.1&ModID=6&FID=3317.2359.1&NavID=3317.2051&La=1&kuo=1]] The Jewish community of Plauen dates back to the early 14th century<ref>Centre for Holocaust Education. ''Life in Plauen Photo Cards.'' https://holocausteducation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Life-in-Plauen-Photo-cards.pdf</ref> and numbered several hundred between the two world wars. A reform-Jewish, bauhaus-style synagogue was opened in 1930, only to be demolished in 1938 during the [[Kristallnacht]]. 
Plauen becoming a Nazi stronghold, attacks against the Jewish community were frequent in the 1920s.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://germansynagogues.com/index.php/synagogues-and-communities?pid=54&sid=1055:plauen | title=Archive - saxony - Plauen }}</ref> Physically labelled Jews are documented from 1932.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/amjwld/1932/08/12/01/article/4/?srpos=1&e=------193-he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI-PLAUEN-------------1 | title=⁨Police Double Guard as Nazis Attacks on Merchants Continue ⁩ &#124; ⁨The American Jewish World⁩ &#124; 12 אוגוסט 1932 &#124; אוסף העיתונות &#124; הספרייה הלאומית }}</ref> Most of the Jewish population either left or was killed during [[The Holocaust]]. 
Today, no Jewish community exists in Plauen. The city of Plauen maintains a few sites in the city to commemorate past Jewish life in Plauen, such as the Jewish Cemetery.

A 3D-model of the Jewish Synagogue of Plauen was designed by Prof. Marc Grellert and his team from the TU Darmstadt as a part of his project to 3D-design German synagogues that were demolished before, during and after WW2.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Architektur |date=2021-11-09 |title=9. November: 18 Synagogen für eine Nacht digital rekonstruiert |url=https://www.architektur.tu-darmstadt.de/fachbereich/aktuelles_arch/architektur_news_details_133952.de.jsp |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Architektur – TU Darmstadt |language=de}}</ref>

==Politics==
The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was {{Ill|Rolf Magerkord|de|Rolf Magerkord}} of the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU), who served from 1990 to 2000. The mayor was originally chosen by the city council, but since 1994 has been directly elected. {{Ill|Ralf Oberdorfer|de|Ralf Oberdorfer}} of the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP) was mayor between 2000 and 2021. The most recent mayoral election was held in two rounds on 13 June and 4 July 2021, in which Steffen Zenner (CDU) 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| Steffen Zenner
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]
| 8,390
| 33.5
| 8,768
| 41.1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Silvia Queck-Händel
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 5,881
| 23.5
| 6,477
| 30.4
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Lars Buchmann
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 4,197
| 16.8
| 4,398
| 20.6
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Ingo Eckardt
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 2,077
| 8.3
| align=center colspan=2| ''Withdrew''
|-
| bgcolor=169340| 
| align=left| Thomas Kaden
| align=left| [[Freie Sachsen|Free Saxons]]
| 1,865
| 7.5
| 1,107
| 5.2
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| Thomas Haubenreißer
| align=left| [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]]
| 1,635
| 6.5
| align=center colspan=2| ''Withdrew''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Andreas Ernstberger
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 970
| 3.9
| 574
| 2.7
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 25,015
! 99.6
! 21,324
! 99.8
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid votes
! 113
! 0.4
! 53
! 0.2
|-
! colspan=3| Total
! 25,128
! 100.0
! 21,377
! 100.0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 51,961
! 48.4
! 51,926
! 41.2
|-
| colspan=7| Source: [https://www.plauen.de/Verwaltung-und-Stadtrat/Stadtinformationen/Wahlen/Kommunalwahlen/ City of Plauen]
|}

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)
| 24,718
| 28.1
| {{increase}} 8.1
| 12
| {{increase}} 3
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU)
| 22,638
| 25.8
| {{increase}} 2.1
| 11
| {{steady}} 0
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance}}| 
| align=left| [[Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance]] (BSW)
| 11,730
| 13.4
| New
| 5
| New
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD)
| 8,155
| 9.3
| {{decrease}} 4.7
| 4
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP)
| 4,356
| 5.0
| {{decrease}} 4.9
| 2
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] (Die Linke)
| 4,333
| 4.9
| {{decrease}} 9.7
| 2
| {{decrease}} 4
|-
| 
| align=left| Initiative Plauen (WV)
| 4,179
| 4.8
| {{decrease}} 0.6
| 2
| {{steady}} 0
|-
| 
| align=left| Voter Initiative Plauener List (PL)
| 4,123
| 4.7
| New
| 2
| New
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]] (Grüne)
| 3,658
| 4.2
| {{decrease}} 4.4
| 2
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
! colspan=2| Valid votes
! 87,890
! 100.0
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Total ballots
! 30,855
! 100.0
! 
! 42
! ±0
|-
! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout
! 50,803
! 60.7
! {{increase}} 2.5
! 
! 
|-
| colspan=7| Source: [https://wahlen.regioit.de/4/eu2024/14523320/praesentation/ergebnis.html?wahl_id=347&stimmentyp=0&id=ebene_-684_id_2196 City of Plauen]
|}

=={{anchor|Industry and inftastructure}}Industry and infrastructure==
[[File:Plauen (Vogtl) Oberer Bahnhof.jpg|thumb|500px|[[Plauen (Vogtland) Oberer Bahnhof|Plauen station]]]]

[[Plauen (Vogtland) Oberer station|Plauen (Vogtland) Oberer Bahnhof]] lies on the [[Leipzig–Hof railway|Leipzig–Hof line]]. The section of this line through Plauen is part of the [[Saxon-Franconian trunk line]] running between [[Nuremberg|Nürnberg]], [[Hof, Bavaria|Hof]], Plauen, [[Zwickau]], [[Chemnitz]] and [[Dresden]]. The city had another station, [[Plauen (Vogtland) Unterer station]] (now defunct), on the [[Elster Valley Railway]]. There is a plan to rename the Oberer (Upper) station into Plauen Hauptbahnhof (Main Station).

Vogtlandbahn (Vogtland Railway), a regional train company, operates services from Plauen to [[Hof, Bavaria|Hof]], Werdau, [[Chemnitz]], [[Zwickau]], Falkenstein and Adorf within Germany and [[Cheb]] in the [[Czech Republic]]. At these stations, there are other Vogtlandbahn services to [[Munich]], [[Regensburg]], Marktredwitz, [[Dresden]] and [[Leipzig]] within Germany and [[Karlovy Vary]] and [[Prague]] in the [[Czech Republic]]. A Vogtlandbahn Express Bus service runs between Plauen and [[Berlin]] Schönefeld Airport and Zoological Garden.

The [[Plauen Straßenbahn]] is a tram system with 6 lines connecting the center of city, the central Plauen-Tunnel stop, to the surrounding areas and the upper railway station (Oberer Bahnhof).

==Main sights==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-W1117-006, VEB Plauener Spitze.jpg|thumb|Lace curtain factory, 1980]]
*[[Embroidery Machine Museum, Plauen|Embroidery Machine Museum]]
*Museum Plauener Spitze
*Galerie e.O. plauen
*Old City Hall
*[[Elster Viaduct]] – second largest brick bridge in the world
*Friedensbrücke – largest stone [[arch bridge]] in the world
*Johanniskirche
*Old Elster Viaduct – oldest bridge in Saxony
*Malzhaus

==Education and science==
Plauen is home to a [[Fachhochschule|University of Applied Sciences]] with about 300 students and a DIPLOMA Fachhochschule.

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Plauen is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.plauen.de/de/rathaus/wissenswertes/staedtepartnerschaften/staedtepartnerschaften.php|website=plauen.de|publisher=Plauen|language=de|access-date=2021-03-11|archive-date=3 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103181721/https://www.plauen.de/de/rathaus/wissenswertes/staedtepartnerschaften/staedtepartnerschaften.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Aš]], Czech Republic (1962)
*{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Steyr]], Austria (1970)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Hof, Bavaria|Hof]], Germany (1987)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Siegen]], Germany (1990)
*{{flagicon|HUN}} [[Cegléd]], Hungary (2005)
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Pabianice]], Poland (2006)
*{{flagicon|LTU}} [[Šiauliai]], Lithuania (2010)
{{div col end}}

The urban district of Jößnitz is twinned with [[Heilsbronn]], Germany.<ref>{{cite web |title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.heilsbronn.de/de/stadt/staedtepartnerschaften|website=heilsbronn.de|publisher=Heilsbronn|language=de|access-date=2021-03-11}}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:Pezel, Christoph.jpeg|thumb|130px|Christoph Pezel 1598]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2003-0037, E. O. Plauen.jpg|thumb|130px|E. O. Plauen 1943]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1986-0617-031, Horst Dohlus.jpg|thumb|130px|Horst Dohlus 1986]]
*[[Heinrich von Plauen]] (1370–1429), [[Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights|Grand Master]] of the [[Teutonic Knights]]
*[[Christoph Pezel]] (1539–1604), theologian
*[[Johann von Mayr]] (1716–1759), Prussian general
*[[Ferdinand Gotthelf Hand]] (1786–1851), philologist
*[[Eduard Friedrich Poeppig]] (1798–1868), botanist, zoologist and explorer
*[[Gustav Hartenstein]] (1808–1890), philosopher
*[[Charles Beyer]] (1813–1876), locomotive designer and engineer
*[[Emil Kautzsch]] (1841–1910), theologian
*[[Arwed Rossbach]] (1844–1902), architect in Leipzig
*[[Hermann Vogel (German illustrator)|Hermann Vogel]] (1854–1921), illustrator
*[[Arthur Hess (SA general)|Arthur Hess]] (1891–1959), SA general and Nazi politician 
*[[Kurt Helbig]] (1901–1975), weightlifter
*[[Friedrich Hielscher]] (1902–1990), religious philosopher, writer and resistance fighter against Nazism
*[[E.O. Plauen]] (1903–1944), cartoonist
*[[Paul Wessel]] (1904–1967), politician (SED)
*[[Egon Zill]] (1906–1974), Nazi SS commandant of the [[Flossenbürg concentration camp]]
*[[Werner Hartenstein]] (1908–1943), war-time commander of U-156
*[[Walter Ballhause]] (1911–1991), photographer
*[[Horst Dohlus]] (1925–2007), SED functionary
*[[Karl Richter (conductor)|Karl Richter]] (1926–1981), conductor, organist, and harpsichordist
*[[Hans Otte]] (1926–2007), composer and pianist
*[[Klaus Zoephel]] (1929–2017), composer and conductor
*[[Klaus Zink]] (born 1936), footballer
*[[Angelika Bahmann]] (born 1952), slalom canoeist, Olympic champion
*[[Kornelia Ender]] (born 1958), swimmer, Olympic champion
*[[Volker Eckert]] (1959–2007), serial killer
*[[Matthias Freihof]] (born 1961), television actor and director 
*[[Andrea Stolletz]] (born 1963), handball player
*{{ill|Jörg Schneider (politician, born 1967)|lt=Jörg Schneider|de|Jörg Schneider (Politiker, 1967)}} (born 1967), politician
*[[Olaf Schubert]] (born 1967), comedian and musician
*[[Martin Dulig]] (born 1974), politician (SPD)
*[[Philip Geipel]] (born 1986), racing driver
*[[Christian Bahmann]] (born 1981), slalom canoeist
*[[Christin Zenner]] (born 1991), swimmer
*[[Linda-Philomène Tsoungui]] (born 1992), drummer for [[The Mars Volta]]
*[[Kassem Taher Saleh]] (born 1993), politician (Alliance 90/The Greens)

===Honorary citizens===
*[[Martin Mutschmann]], 1933 (revoked 1945)<ref>{{cite book|last=Miller|first=Michael|title=Gauleiter Volume 2|publisher=R James Bender Publishing|location=California|year=2017|isbn=978-1-932970-32-6|page=341}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Plauen Innenstadt Bahnhofstrasse.jpg|Plauen downtown
PL-Markt-1.jpg|Old market square
Plauen Altes Rathaus.jpg|Old city hall
Markuskirche.jpg|Church of St. Mark
Das Vogtlandtheater .jpg|Vogtlandtheater
Plauen Gedenktafel 7.Oktober.jpg|Commemorative plaque in Plauen for the mass demonstration of 1989
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{wikivoyage inline|Plauen}}
*{{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}

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

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Plauen| ]]
[[Category:Vogtlandkreis]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 12th century]]