Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, located in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the scenic Thuringian Forest, approximately 5 km north of Suhl and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town was notably home to Walther and Anschütz, two of Germany's most notable firearm manufacturers, both of which were originally founded in Zella-Mehlis. They operated there until Soviet occupation of Eastern Germany at the conclusion of World War II caused both companies to move.
In January 2019, the former municipality Benshausen was integrated into Zella-Mehlis, expanding the town's jurisdiction.
Historical Population
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1946
17,352
—
1950
16,914
−0.64%
1960
16,370
−0.33%
1981
14,444
−0.59%
1984
13,921
−1.22%
1994
13,401
−0.38%
1995
13,100
−2.25%
1996
12,990
−0.84%
1997
12,941
−0.38%
1998
12,933
−0.06%
1999
13,206
+2.11%
2000
13,036
−1.29%
2001
12,961
−0.58%
2002
12,726
−1.81%
2003
12,544
−1.43%
2004
12,495
−0.39%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
2005
12,245
−2.00%
2006
12,095
−1.22%
2007
11,951
−1.19%
2008
11,910
−0.34%
2009
11,743
−1.40%
2010
11,747
+0.03%
2011
11,075
−5.72%
2012
10,855
−1.99%
2013
10,785
−0.64%
2014
10,669
−1.08%
2015
10,631
−0.36%
2016
10,595
−0.34%
2017
10,813
+2.06%
2018
10,537
−2.55%
2019
12,727
+20.78%
2020
12,630
−0.76%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Population as of 31 December (1946: 29 October 1950: 31 August) Source: Source since 1994: Thuringian State office of Statistics
Christoph Matschie (born 1961), politician, SPD Chairman of the State of Thuringia 1999–2014, minister and parliamentary secretary of state, received training as a mechanic in Zella-Mehlis
