MUHLHAUSEN

also called Mhlhausen in Thringen city, Thuringia Land (state), central Germany, on the Unstrut River, in the Thringer Becken (Thuringian Basin). Originally a Germanic village and later a Frankish settlement, it was first documented in 775. It was granted royal privileges and was where Philip of Swabia was elected German king in 1198. Created a free imperial city after 1256, it joined the Hanseatic League c. 1420. After the Reformation Mhlhausen became a centre of the people's reform movement, and during the Peasants' War (152325) against the feudal princes it was associated with the peasant leader Thomas Mntzer, who was executed there after the Battle of Frankenhausen. The city was subsequently deprived of its privileges but regained its independence under the supremacy of the Holy Roman Empire in 1548. From 1802 to 1945 it was in the former Prussian province of Saxony, except from 1807 to 1815, when it was attached to Westphalia. Notable medieval buildings include the Church of St. Mary on the site of a Romanesque basilica, St. Blasius' Church (with an organ constructed to the plans of Johann Sebastian Bach), and the 13th-century town hall. There are remains of medieval fortifications. Mhlhausen has a teachers' training college, a school for agriculture, and a folklore museum. Industries include the manufacture of textiles, leather, machinery, electrical and radio equipment, wood products, and cigarettes. Pop. (1989 est.) 42,994.