Chemnitz
[key], city, Saxony, E central Germany, on the Chemnitz River. It is a
major industrial center and an important road and rail junction; it has
become one of the most heavily polluted cities in Europe. Manufactures
include machine tools, machinery, chemicals, private and commercial
vehicles, and textiles. Nearby is a large open-pit lignite mine. Of Wendish
origin, the city was chartered in 1143, when it was also granted a
linen-weaving monopoly. It grew as a trade center, was devastated in the
Thirty Years War (1618–48), and recovered its prosperity after the
introduction (late 17th cent.) of cotton milling. Noteworthy buildings of
the city include two Renaissance-style city halls (one built in 1496 and the
other in 1911) and a late-Gothic church, the Stadtkirche (1136). The city
was renamed Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1953 but returned to its original name
shortly after German reunification in 1990.
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