Once called Hohenwinden-Sulza. What do you think about that? Today we know it simply as Hohenwinden a district in the northeast of Erfurt. It is marked by industrial and agricultural areas. However the Rotebergsiedlung and Salinesiedlung are nestled in between. Most of Hohenwinden’s approximately 1800 residents live there.
Hohenwinden’s name comes from a former village. This village was near Schwerborner Strasse. This village fell into ruin in the Middle Ages. In 1318 the remaining village church was torn down. It was used for building material.
Hohenwinden sits in an old valley of the Gera river. The Gera once flowed here before changing course. This makes the land in Hohenwinden flat and unwooded. The Schmale Gera is the only watercourse. It is a branch of the Gera. It forms Hohenwinden’s western border. The Sulzer See is the largest body of water. It lies to the north and is one of Erfurt’s lakes. Like other lakes it came from a flooded gravel pit.
Gravel was mined in the eastern part of Hohenwinden. This was for building materials. Wienerberger also has a large brickyard here. It is on the northern slope of the Roter Berg. The Roter Berg gets its name from the red Keuper rock. It is the highest point at 239 meters.
While the Roter Berg is in western Hohenwinden the land also rises to the east. There is the Stollberg in the south. There is also the Schwabenberg in the Schwerborn area to the north. These reach heights of about 220 meters in Hohenwinden. The valley floor in between is between 190 meters in the south and 175 meters in the north.
Johannesvorstadt is a district to the south. Ilversgehofen is to the southwest. The villages of Gispersleben Mittelhausen Stotternheim Schwerborn and Kerspleben border Hohenwinden. The Roter Berg and the Sulzer Siedlung are also in Hohenwinden. Since 1994 the Sulzer Siedlung has been a separate district.
The open land is used for farming. Mining also took place here. Salt was mined between 1862 and 1916. Gravel is mined in open-pit mines.
The Rotebergsiedlung began in 1949. It is west of Stotternheimer Strasse. Before that the area was an airfield. Erfurt’s first airport opened here in 1925. It was used for civilian flights. During World War II the airport was used by the military. The SMAD shut it down after the war. In 1956 a smaller airfield reopened for sports flying. The Rotebergsiedlung was built on the eastern part. Air traffic moved to Flughafen Bindersleben after the war. Small houses were built in the settlement. They eased the housing shortage after the war. In the 1990s the settlement expanded south. Streets here have names that recall the former airfield.
The Thuringian Zoopark Erfurt opened north of the Rotebergsiedlung in 1959. It is the largest zoo in Thuringia. It covers much of the Roter Berg.
The Salinesiedlung and Stollbergsiedlung were built in the mid-20th century. They have small houses. In 1972 the Salinesiedlung expanded. Many small gardens with weekend houses were created. The Salinesiedlung gets its name from the salt mine. The mine extracted salt between 1862 and 1916. The Stollbergsiedlung is named after the mountain on whose western slope it lies.
Settler houses were also built on the west side of the Sangerhäuser Bahn. They are near Salinengraben and Querfurter Strasse.
Extensive areas between the settlements are industrial areas. The flat land and the rail connection helped these areas grow after Ilversgehofen was incorporated in 1911. They are part of an industrial zone. This zone runs along the railway lines. It stretches through northeastern Erfurt. Many companies closed after reunification. Some areas in the south are now unused. A new industrial park has been built in the north. It is on Bergrat-Voigt-Strasse near the A71 autobahn.
Hohenwinden’s economy is shaped by manufacturing companies. These companies are in the industrial areas. Erfurter Bahn is based in Rasenrain. This company operates passenger trains in Thuringia and Lower Franconia.
Hohenwinden is on the A71 autobahn. It is near the Erfurt-Stotternheim exit. Stotternheimer Strasse is Hohenwinden’s main road. Bunsenstrasse Am Roten Berg and Schwerborner Strasse are also important.
Erfurt East station connects Hohenwinden to the rail network. Trains run to Magdeburg and Erfurt’s main station. However this station is far from the settlements. It mainly serves commuters in the industrial areas. Tram line 5 connects the Rotebergsiedlung to Erfurt’s tram network. Buses connect the Salinesiedlung and Stollbergsiedlung but they run infrequently.