title: Bretleben
text: # Bretleben
  
  Bretleben is a village and a former municipality in the Kyffhäuserkreis district in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town An der Schmücke. It is located at the right side of the river Unstrut, between the towns of Heldrungen and Artern. It has a station on the Sangerhausen–Erfurt railway line, where a now-decommissioned line once branched off to Bad Frankenhausen and Sondershausen.
  
  ## History
  
  The earliest known documented mention of Bretleben is as Bretalaho in an early 9th century document.
  
  ### Historical Population
  
  Number of inhabitants (as of 31 December):
  
  | 1994: 760 1995: 750 1996: 736 1997: 705 1998: 688 1999: 685 2000: 682 2001: 667 | 2002: 661 2003: 657 2004: 651 2005: 634 2006: 642 2007: 621 2008: 605 2009: 593 | 2010: 579 2011: 577 2012: 566 2013: 559 2014: 553 2015: 541 2016: 529 2017: 530 |
  | - | - | - |
  
      Source: Thuringian state statistical bureau
  
  ## Transport
  
  Bretleben is on the Sangerhause-Erfurt railway line. The so-called Kyffhäuserbahn to Sondershausen branched from Bretleben, but the train doesn't run anymore. The line was decommissioned in September 2008. The Bundesstraße 86 passes nearby and the Bundesautobahn 71 between Sömmerda and Sangerhausen crosses the river Unstrut between Bretleben and Artern. The nearest exits to Bretleben are Exit 2 Artern, and Exit 3 Heldrungen.
  
  