DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Freistaat Thüringen	Thuringia
Landkreis: Greiz

map →

Zeulenroda-Triebes is situated at an elevation of 315 m (Triebes) to 415 (Zeulenroda) in the southeast of Thuringia, district Greiz. The municipality was formed in 2006 by merging the former independent municipalities of Zeulenroda and Triebes. Zeulenroda-Triebes has a population of about 17,350 (2012).

Triebes was first mentioned as Tributz in a document of 1209, Zeulenroda was first mentioned as Zulenrode in 1325. Due to its favourable location at the crossroads of the trading routes from Weida to Hof and from Auma to Elsterberg, Zeulenroda soon prospered and in 1438 was chartered as a town. In 1500, Zeulenroda was pawned to the Lords of Reuß-Plauen. After the partition of the Reuß territories in 1654, Zeulenroda belonged to the Lords of Reuß Elder line, while Triebes belonged to Reuß-Schleiz (from 1848 Reuß Junior line). In 1918 the two Reuß territories (Junior and Elder line) were merged to the Volksstaat (Repubic) Reuß, which in 1920 became part of the newly created state of Thuringia. Triebes obtained the status of a town in 1919. In 1952 Zeulenroda became the administrative centre of the district (Kreis) Zeulenroda within the distict (Bezirk) Gera. The district Zeulenroda was dissolved in 1994 and was merged into the district Greiz.

The lithopone factory [left, no. 2905, and below, no. 4220: top pictures] was an important factory for paints and dyes, which goes back to the pait factory Friedrich Pratz & Co. Farbenfabrik, founded in 1873, renamed C.G. Fehre-Farbenfabrik, Triebes in 1881 and Triebeser Farbenwerke C.G. Fehre Nachf.[ahren] in 1890. The AG Lithoponefabrikation, Triebes was founded in 1901. Lithopone, a mixture of barium sulfate and zinc sulfide, is a non-toxic white pigment (Colour Index C.I. Pigment White 5). The building depicted on glass no. 2905 was built in 1905. In 1937 the entire fabrication was moved to Wünschendorf/Elster. The factory building was taken over in 1937 by a machine tool factory (Sachs & Grimm, Triebes, later Hermann Grimm KG Triebes). The machine tool fabrication was closed in 1992. The factory buildings were finally demolished in 2012.

The Protestant town church [bottom left picture: background] was built in 1716–1717. One of its bells had been cast in 1513 for the previous chapel, the second bell was added in 1754 (but was melted down during World War II). The first organ was installed in 1721. A new organ was installed in 1930. Two new bells were purchased in 1959.
The victory monument [bottom left picture: foreground] with the statue of "Germania" was created in 1902 as a memorial to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871. The monument still existed in 1947 but was removed at an unkown date later.

The Bismarckstein [bottom right picture] in Triebes was created 1908 as a memorial to Otto von Bismarck, Prussian Prime Minister and first Chancellor of the German Empire. The monument was removed after 1945. As the monument had been hidden by a local resident it was recovered and was re-erected in 1995.
(see also other glasses showing other monuments for Bismarck.)

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeulenroda-Triebes; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triebes, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithopone, http://triebes-thueringen.de/triebes-geschichte.htm; http://triebes-thueringen.de/triebes-stadtkirche.htm, http://zeulenroda.otz.de/web/lokal/leben/detail/-/specific/Auf-den-Spuren-der-Germania-Buerger-aus-Triebes-erforschen-verschollene-Statue-1437939049; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Bismarckdenkmale_in_Deutschland]