Sosa, Germany

Sosa
Ortsteil of Eibenstock
Location of Sosa
Sosa Sosa
Coordinates: 50°29′57″N 12°39′7″E
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Erzgebirgskreis
Town	Eibenstock
Area
• Total	21.99 km2 (8.49 sq mi)
Elevation	714 m (2,343 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	2,046
• Density	93/km2 (240/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	08326
Dialling codes	037752
Vehicle registration	ERZ
Website	www.sosa.de

Sosa is a former municipality in the western Ore Mountains, in the Erzgebirgskreis, Saxony, Germany. It is a state-recognized health resort, that has belonged to the town Eibenstock since 1 January 2011.

Geography

Sosa lies on both sides of the like-named Sosabach at an elevation of between 550 and 817 m above sea level. Also in the community is the Rote Grube (“Red Mine”).

History

Sosa began as a forest village (Waldhufendorf). In 1453 it was first mentioned as Sossaw, although its beginnings are believed to have been in the 13th century. The people originally worked the land; however, from the 18th century onwards, mining gained in importance. In the second half of the 19th century, mining was diminishing in importance, and many migrated to the Zwickau coalfields. There was a short revival between 1947 and 1956 when the Soviet-German Wismut Corporation (Sowjetisch-Deutsche Aktiengesellschaft Wismut, or SDAG Wismut) mined uranium here, bringing about a new upswing. From 1952 to 1990, Sosa was part of the Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt of East Germany.

Population development

Development of population figures (31 December):

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1971	2,709	—
1998	2,311	−14.7%
1999	2,330	+0.8%
2000	2,321	−0.4%
2001	2,287	−1.5%
2002	2,273	−0.6%
2003	2,248	−1.1%
2004	2,189	−2.6%
2005	2,157	−1.5%
2006	2,137	−0.9%

Source from 1998 on: Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen

Culture and sightseeing

Between 1949 and 1952, the Sosa Reservoir was built. Its dam is almost 60 m high and its area is 39.3 ha.

Notable people

• Ludwig Güttler (b. 1943), trumpet virtuoso
• Daniel Friedrich Hecht (1777–1833), mathematician

External links

• Bergbrüderschaft Sosa (“Mining Brotherhood”)
• private homepage about Sosa
• homepage of the FSV Sosa