What is Plauen?
{{Infobox German Location |Art = Stadt |Wappen = Plauen Coat of arms.svg |coordinates = {{coord|50|29|N|12|07|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}} |Lageplan = |Bundesland = Sachsen |Regierungsbezirk = Chemnitz |Landkreis = [[Vogtlandkreis Rural District|Vogtlandkreis]] |Höhe = 412 |Fläche = 102.12 |Einwohner = 66412 |Stand = 2009-12-31 |PLZ = 08523;-5;-7;-9 |Vorwahl = 03741 |Kfz = V <small>(by 2008 PL)</small> |Gemeindeschlüssel = 14 5 23 320 |Gliederung = 5 town boroughs with 38 parts |Website = {{url|http://www.plauen.de}} |Bürgermeister = Ralf Oberdorfer |Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeister |Partei = [[Freie Demokratische Partei|FDP]] }} '''Plauen''' is the biggest city of the [[Vogtlandkreis Rural District|Vogtlandkreis]] in the southwest of [[Saxony]]. It is the fifth-largest city in the [[states of Germany|state]]. Only [[Leipzig]], [[Dresden]], [[Chemnitz]] and [[Zwickau]] are larger. Plauen was a ''[[Kreisfreie stadt]]'' until July 2008. Since 1. August 2008 Plauen ist Part of the [[Vogtlandkreis]]. The nearest large cities are Zwickau, about {{convert|35|km|mi|1|lk=on|abbr=off}} northeast and Gera, about {{convert|41|km|mi|1|lk=on|abbr=off}} north of Plauen. ==History== [[File:Plauen Johanniskirche vom Rathausturm.jpg|thumb|left|The ''Johanniskirche'']] Plauen was already settled in the [[Bronze Age]], but the first written record of the city was in 1122, when the oldest [[church]] (named ''Johanniskirche'') was build. About 1224 Plauen has get the [[Town privileges]]. 1632 a big part of the city was destroyed in the [[Thirty Years' War]]. Since about 1830 Plauen grow because of the [[textile]]-[[industry]]. In the [[Second World War]]about three quarters of the city was destroyed by the [[United States Army Air Force]] and the [[Royal Air Force]]. 1989 Plauen was the first city in the [[German Democratic Republic]] were happens a big [[demonstration]] against the [[Government]]. This leads to the [[Wende]]. ==Population change== Plauen became a large city in 1904 when the population reached 100.