# Zella-Mehlis

Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, approximately 5km north of Suhl and 20km east of Meiningen.

## History

Two of Germany's most notable firearm manufacturers, Walther and Anschütz, were founded in Zella-Mehlis. They operated there until the Soviet occupation of Eastern Germany at the conclusion of World War II caused both companies to move.
In January 2019, the former municipality of Benshausen was integrated into Zella-Mehlis, expanding the town's jurisdiction.

## 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% |
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. :
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

## 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), beatified member of the Roman Catholic Church, a location in Zella-Mehlis was named 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 Combined skier
* Franz Göring (born 1984), cross-country skier, lives in Zella-Mehlis
* Andi Langenhan (born 1984), luger
* Frank Rommel (born 1984), skeleton racer
* Tino Edelmann (born 1985), Nordic Combined skier