Zwickau

Zwickau
Zwickau town hall and theatre
Flag Coat of arms
Zwickau
Location of Zwickau within Zwickau district
Coordinates: 50°43′N 12°30′E / 50.717°N 12.500°E / 50.717; 12.500Coordinates: 50°43′N 12°30′E / 50.717°N 12.500°E / 50.717; 12.500
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Zwickau
Government
• Lord Mayor	Pia Findeiss (SPD)
Area
• Total	102.54 km2 (39.59 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	91,123
• Density	890/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	08001–08067
Dialling codes	0375
Vehicle registration	Z
Website	www.zwickau.de

Zwickau (German pronunciation: [ˈtsvɪkaʊ]; Sorbian (hist.): Šwikawa, Czech Cvikov, is a town in Saxony, Germany, it is the capital of the district of Zwickau. Zwickau is situated in a valley at the foot of the Erzgebirge mountains and is within the Saxon triangle, an area including Leipzig-Halle, Dresden and Chemnitz. The town has approximately 100,000 inhabitants, but has a regional catchment area of over 480,000 people. From 1834 until 1952 Zwickau was the seat of the government of the south-western region of Saxony.

Zwickau, known as the city of automobiles, is the centre of the Saxon automotive industry, with a tradition over one hundred years old. Well known beyond Germany's borders are car makers such as Horch, Audi, Auto Union (silver arrows Type A, B, C, D), Trabant and Volkswagen. Since 2000 its history has been presented in the August-Horch Museum, inside the former Audi Works. The University of Applied Sciences Zwickau (Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau) trains automotive engineers.

The valley of the 166 kilometres (103 miles) long Zwickauer Mulde river stretches from the Vogtland to Colditz Castle at the other end. The Silver Road, Saxony's longest tourist route, connects Dresden with Zwickau. The ADAC City Guide 2005 wrote: "The town of Zwickau has transformed itself over the years from a traditional mining town into an elegant Art Nouveau town, which is well worth discovering."