Oberhof, Germany
Oberhof is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. It is a winter sports center and health resort. With 1,625 inhabitants (December 2016), it is visited by 144,000 tourists every year (2016).[2] The town got its official city status in 1985.
Oberhof | |
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Oberhof in August 2006 | |
Coat of arms | |
Location of Oberhof within Schmalkalden-Meiningen district | |
Oberhof Oberhof | |
Coordinates: 50°42′19″N 10°43′33″E | |
Country | Germany |
State | Thuringia |
District | Schmalkalden-Meiningen |
Government | |
• Mayor | Thomas Schulz |
Area | |
• Total | 23.47 km2 (9.06 sq mi) |
Elevation | 823 m (2,700 ft) |
Population (2018-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 1,608 |
• Density | 69/km2 (180/sq mi) |
Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
Postal codes | 98559 |
Dialling codes | 036842 |
Vehicle registration | SM |
Website | www.oberhof.de |
History
Oberhof was settled in 1641, and remained a small town until the late 19th century, when the town, then in Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was connected to the railway line from Erfurt to Ritschenhausen, and skiers and other tourists discovered the place.
From the early 1900s onwards, Oberhof became a center for winter sports, with luge, nordic skiing, and ski jumping taking place in the town's regularly updated sports facilities. In recent years the town has also seen the construction of lift-equipped alpine skiing slopes and an international competition standard biathlon stadium. Their bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track has hosted many world and European championships in luge.
In August 2009 the first German ski tunnel opened in Oberhof.
International sports events
- 1931 Two-man Bobsleigh World Championship and FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
- 1973 FIL World Luge Championships
- 1979 FIL European Luge Championships
- 1985 FIL World Luge Championships
- 1998 FIL European Luge Championships
- 2004 Biathlon World Championship and FIL European Luge Championships
- 2008 FIL World Luge Championships
International relations
Oberhof, Germany is twinned with:
Winterberg, Germany Bad Neustadt an der Saale, Germany Lillehammer, Norway
References
- "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften nach Geschlecht in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2018". Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik (in German). September 2019.
- Gäste und Übernachtungen in Thüringen Dezember 2016