Pößneck, Urban municipality in Saale-Orla-Kreis, Germany
Pößneck is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district of Thuringia, nestled in a valley between Rudolstadt and Jena. The town features a Gothic church dating to the late 1300s and a Gothic town hall from the 1400s as its main landmarks.
The settlement grew from Slavic origins and fell under Thuringian rule around 1300. Over the following centuries, control of the town changed several times as it was part of Saxony and the duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
The town center is defined by its Gothic church and town hall, structures that have shaped how people gather and move through the core area. These medieval buildings remain the focal point where locals and visitors naturally congregate.
The town is well connected to Jena and Rudolstadt by regional trains and buses. Jena airport is located about 25 kilometers away and serves as the nearest air gateway.
In 1979, two families executed a daring escape from East Germany using a homemade hot air balloon launched from here. This extraordinary event later became the subject of films and remains a remarkable chapter in the town's story.
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