DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Freistaat Sachsen	Saxony	Landkreis: Vogtlandkreis

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Markneukirchen is situated at an elevation of 504 m in the southern upper Vogtland region of western Saxony. The municipality has a population of about 7,600 2017).

The village Nothaft was founded in the 13th century. In a deed from a century later, 1378, it was referred to as Nuwenkirchen dictum Nothaft. Around 1274 the name was first recorded as Neukirchen (new church). In 1357 and 1360 the place gained a market with the same rights as the neighbouring towns of Adorf und Oelsnitz. The town's instrument-making history stems from the 17th century arrival of a group of Protestants fleeing religious persecution across the border in Bohemia. Among them were some who already practised the instrument trade. By the 1900s, 80 percent of the world's musical instruments were made in this small town. The present spelling Markneukirchen, that is Mark without a t, was fixed in 1858 by royal decree from Dresden, so it would not be confused with other 'Neukirchens'. Under communist rule, the businesses in the town were reorganised collectively. The state managed trade with the outside world, and decided a production schedule for the instrument makers at the start of each year, rendering it a useful foreign-exchange income.

Today, Markneukirchen is the main town of the small musical instrument-making region. Within this small locality, 113 different enterprises are involved in making musical instruments. They rely on traditional methods but sell all over the world. The town is home to the Museum of Musical Instruments founded in 1883. It hosts an annual International Instrumental Competition and master classes. Since 1993 the competition has been a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions.

The former town hall [left, no. 3570: centre] was built in 1843 as a representative plastered building with two stepped gables. From 1852 until 1902 it also served as district court. The town's administration moved to another building in 1893.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markneukirchen, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markneukirchen; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Kulturdenkmale_in_Markneukirchen, https://markneukirchen.de/tourismus-freizeit/lebendige-geschichte/geschichtsspur]