Apolda

Apolda lies in Thuringia between Weimar, Jena and Naumburg. First mentioned in 1119, it was the seat of the Vitzthum noble family until 1633. The Renaissance town hall dates from 1558–1559, while the castle was developed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. After the Vitzthums, the town became property of the University of Jena. Knitting grew from around 1700, and Christian Zimmermann later helped develop hosiery and cloth manufacture. Apolda belonged to Saxe-Weimar and then to Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.