DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Freistaat Thüringen	Thuringia
Landkreis: Kyffhäuserkreis

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Roßleben is situated at an elevation of 119 m on the river Unstrut in the extreme east of the district Kyffhäuserkreis in northeastern Thuringia. The municipality has a population of about 5,400 (2011).

The earliest written mention of Rostenleba dates from the 9th century and is found in a document of the monastery of Hersfeld, dating to between AD 881 and 899. In 1140 an Augustine monastery was founded here, which was confirmed by Pope Innocens II in 1142. In 1250 the Augustine monastery was taken over by Cistercian nuns. In 1851 the first sugar factory of Roßleben was opened. The town was connected to the railroad system in 1889. Potash mining started in 1903. In 1976 the municipalities of Roßleben, Langenroda and Donndorf formed the local authorities association "Unstruttal" ('Unstrut Valley'), which was dissolved in 1990. In 1995 Roßleben became 'fulfilling authority' ("Erfüllende Gemeinde") for the neighbouring communities of Bottendorf and Schönewerde, which were incorporated into the municipality of Roßleben in 1999. In the same year, Roßleben obtained the official status as a town. [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roßleben]

The top picture on glass no. 2779 shows a view of the square Wilhelmsplatz, today Schulplatz.

The Klosterschule (Convent School) [bottom left] was founded in 1554 by Heinrich von Witzleben from nearby Wendelstein in the former Cistercian nuns' monastery, which had been dissolved soon before during the Reformation. Since then and up until today, a male member from the Witzleben family serves as hereditary administrator of the school. During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) the school had to be closed and could be re-opened only in 1675. On Good Friday of 1686 a large fire destroyed almost the whole town, including the monastery buildings. Only 85 old documents could be saved from the library, including the document confirming of the monastery's foundation issued by Pope Innocens II (1142) and a patent issued by Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa (1174), both of which are still in possession of the school today. The present school building, a large complex in Baroque style, was built in 1727–1742. Construction of the school church began in 1751 but had to be interrupted due to the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756. In the subsequent years this part of the building fell into dereliction. After the Battle of Jena and Auerstedt (1806) the building was used as an army hospital by retreating Prussian troops. New school buildings were added in 1910 and the new school church was completed in 1913. During the Nazi period, several alumni of the school became part of the resistance movement. Four of them, Peter Graf Yorck von Wartenburg, Ulrich Wilhelm Graf Schwerin von Schwanenfeld, Egbert Hayessen and Heinrich Graf von Lehndorff-Steinort, as well as Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben, member of the founders' family, were executed in 1944 for their involvement in the unsuccessful assassination of Adolf Hitler. After World War II, the school was nationalised in the Russian occupation zone. During the period of the German Democratic Republic, the school operated as Erweiterte Oberschule ('extended high school'), since 1949 under the name Goetheschule. After the Reunification of Germany the school was renovated, again under the supervision of the von Witzeben family. The school was restituted by the state to the Foundation Klosterschule Roßleben. At first, the school was directed by the district Artern, later by the district Kyffhäuserkreis. In 2008, the leasing contract was terminated prematurely by consensus. Since 2009, the foundation Klosterschule Roßleben again is in charge of the school. [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klosterschule_Roßleben]

The bottom right picture on glass no. 2779 shows a view of Wendelstein, part of the municipality of Kaiserpfalz in the district Burgenlandkreis of Saxony-Anhalt, about 4 km southeast of Roßleben.