Erfurt (Bezirk)
The district Erfurt was a number based on area and population of medium-sized district in the southwest of the German Democratic Republic, which consisted 1952-1990. The agricultural and industrial embossed district was formed as a result of the administrative reform of 1952 from the northwestern part of the then existing state of Thuringia and edge regions of Saxony-Anhalt. District town was Erfurt. With the reunification of Germany on 3 October 1990, the territory became part of the state of Thuringia.
- 7.1 Chairman of the Council of the District
- 7.2 First Secretary of the SED district leadership
Location
The district Erfurt covered an area of 7325 km ², which stretched over much of central and northern Thuringia Thuringia. The area includes the natural areas Thuringian basin with the calibration field, parts of the resin and the Thuringian Forest.
Adjacent districts were the Magdeburg district, in the northeastern district of Halle, in the east and southeast of Gera district, in the south of Suhl district in the north. In the west and northwest, the state border ran the Federal Republic of Germany with the neighboring states of Hesse and Lower Saxony in the west to the northwest.
History
In the formation of the Thuringian districts in advance of the administrative reform of 1952, it turned out that none of the districts to forming a characteristic industry would dominate. The summary of a contiguous natural area was excluded in the same district area. The blank areas of the district of the former state of Thuringia was therefore carried by different administrative, economic, geographic, political and cultural history of safety reasons, in contrast to some other districts were not too strong economic and geographical aspects in the foreground. An interim discussed Thuringian " Kalibezirk " could not be realized due to the scattering situation of potash deposits in the southern Harz and Werra area. The choice of Erfurt to a district town was due to the urban size already at the beginning of the reorganization of the national territory. In addition, Erfurt had to show the advantage of a relatively central location in the district.
The county council Erfurt with its 75 MPs confirmed the previously determined by the SED Chairman of the Council of the District Willy Gebhardt at its first meeting on 1 August 1952.
The strikes in conjunction with the popular uprising of 17 June 1953 continued in Erfurt district until June 19. The largest center of the uprising was the county seat, smaller centers were Rheinmetall Sömmerda, Gotha, Nordhausen, Mühlhausen and Weimar. After the suppression of the activities of four people between 18 and 20 June 1953 were summarily executed in the districts of Erfurt and Gera. Since the SED was already occupied in the Erfurt district early with young officials, who had not actively fought against Nazism, and older party members continually occupied fewer features, the party was in the district after June 17, 1953 in a crisis situation. Some young leaders have been overwhelmed by the situation; among other things, the First Secretary of the SED district leadership, Herrmann rod, and the Chairman of the District Council of the Office were dismissed in Sömmerda.
Since 1958, Alois groom standing at the top of the SED district leadership, who was a close confidant of Walter Ulbricht. Political experience he gained previously served as First Secretary of the SED district leadership of Arnstadt 1949-1950, Weimar from 1950 to 1951, the SED city line Erfurt 1953 and 1954, and three years at the head of the regional party organization of Wismut. In the course of his administration were his activities and his leadership style, as well as some of the district secretaries of the party, increasingly in criticism, so that the groom term of office was terminated in April 1980. Successor was the former Second SED district secretary of Neubrandenburg, Gerhard Müller.
With Müller hopes for a new beginning moral were connected. He set new guidelines through in the ideological orientation of the party members in his district. On the occasion of Karl -Marx- 1983 Müller sat in the two Catholic -dominated circles Heiligenstadt and Worbis standards, the central targets exceeded. Thus, not only party willing to enter citizens should clear commitment to socialism and therefore leave the Church, but also functionaries of the SED itself The course apparently took little consideration to the relationship between SED and church. Müller was then placed a change of strategy from Berlin. The costs associated with the person's hopes were hardly maintained at the latest around 1985.
Meanwhile, began the construction of numerous plate areas in Erfurt and other smaller towns. Inadequate communication between the building authorities associated with time pressure often led to the situation that homes could be purchased only belatedly or not at all because of the infrastructure on the date of completion were not available yet. At the same time the mid-70s were initiated reconstruction measures in which the districts for buildings in East Berlin and the district towns of the district towns should arise. These programs could not solve the problem of the continuous decline of the old buildings. Early 80s had the district with about 44 percent share of over 80 year old buildings in the total housing stock, and therefore a relatively high value. Of these, locked the State supervision around 4,800 flats due to the poor state of construction, 1300 were considered hard to rent. Of particular concern was the situation in Erfurt, Weimar, Mühlhausen, Gotha, Bad Langensalza and Arnstadt. Parts of old neighborhoods were planned for demolition, which failed to materialize in many cases lack of funds.
Coat of arms
By sealing order of the GDR from May 28, 1953 lost all its importance as a regional emblem mark or seal. However, the coat of arms of cities and counties were still used on buildings, or in publications without meeting an official function. The coat of arms used in some books of the district Erfurt actually shows the coat of arms of the city of Erfurt. Officially was the seal coat of arms of the GDR. Only by the municipal constitution of the GDR of 17 May 1990 municipalities and counties could again lead expressly coat of arms and use it as a seal.
Policy
For the most important politicians in the start- up and development phases of the district Erfurt Erich Mückenberger was, he had become 1949-1952 First Secretary of the SED state line in Thuringia and 1950 candidate for the Politburo. With the establishment of the district Erfurt he became its first secretary.
The SED included in the district party organization Erfurt in 1989 over 156,000 members and candidates. The post of district secretary was often occupied by men who were previously noticed by an authoritarian style of leadership. In the period from 1958 to 1980 Alois groom, was a close confidant of Walter Ulbricht, the First Secretary of the SED district. He was succeeded in 1980 the previously ascended in the local party hierarchy in the district of Neubrandenburg SED politician Gerhard Müller. Müller's disempowerment took place in the meetings from 8 to 11 November 1989.
Formal representation of the people was the county council of the district of Erfurt. It met for the last time on 18 May 1990.
Economy
The district Erfurt had a complex industrial and agricultural structure, which is why he was at the time characterized as industrial and agricultural district. This Erfurt had unlike some other districts no dominant industry, only the proportions of the individual industries shifted.
Industry
The diversified industrial structure of the district comprised mainly machinery and transport equipment, electrical engineering, electronics, precision engineering, optical equipment, potash and rock salt mining, cement, leather goods, furniture and textile production, food industry and the beginning from the 80s production of microelectronics. Around 25 % of industrial production presented the district town itself
Agriculture
Profile determining agricultural products were wheat, sugar beet, vegetables and fruit. In addition to intensive cattle breeding operation. The foundations for agricultural use were mainly given in the Thuringian basin, the districts of Bad Langensalza, Erfurt, Weimar Sömmerda and retained until 1990 their agricultural character.
Administrative divisions
The district was divided into two urban districts and 13 counties:
The largest cities in the district were in 1984:
With the re- establishment of the countries on the territory of the GDR in 1990, the districts were dissolved. The district Erfurt was assigned to the state of Thuringia.
With the district reform, which was implemented in Thuringia 1 July 1994, created from the previous circles larger administrative units.