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Schweinfurt is a city in the Unterfranken region of Bavaria in Germany.
A famous native of Schweinfurt is Friedrich Rückert, a notable poet and translator.
The Museum Georg Schäfer, founded by Georg Schäfer, shows among others important pieces of Altdeutschen Malerei.
Economy
Schweinfurt is known for its metal industry, especially ball-bearing plants and bicycle manufacturing. (See also FAG Kugelfischer, ZF Sachs AG and SKF). The pigment Schweinfurter Green, which is extremely toxic, was manufactured here. In World War II, Schweinfurt's ball-bearing plants were targets of at least two major B-17 daylight bombing raids by the United States Army Air Force.
Communal facilities
swimming pool, swimming hall, library, school of music, Fachhochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt
Information
- City map (http://www.speedmap-schweinfurt.de/)
- Events (http://www.schweinfurt.info/databases/veranstaltungen/veranstaltungen.php4)
History
In World War II, Schweinfurt was the target of a series of strategic bombing raids by the United States Army Air Force because it held, at one point, the majority of the ball bearing production facilities for the Third Reich.
The Allies bombed it several times, but the first American raid went down in the annals of the 8th Air Force as its 'Battle of the Somme'. On 17th August 1943, 60 of 376 aircraft were lost trying to 'precision bomb' the ball bearing factory, which were losses of 17%, devasting for the time - losses on raids usually were around the 4% mark. Almost every single aircraft came back with damage from the waves of fighters that attacked them all the way there and all the way back.
Population
Historical Population of Schweinfurt:
1939: 49,302
1950: 46,128
1961: 56,923
1970: 58,446
1987: 51,962
2002: 54,670
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