FRANKENHAUSEN

frankenhausen, a town of germany, in the principality of schwarzburg-rudolstadt, on an artificial arm of the wipper, a tributary of the saale, 36 m. n.n.e. of gotha. pop. (1905) 6534. it consists of an old and a new town, the latter mostly rebuilt since a destructive fire in 1833, and has an old chateau of the princes of schwarzburg, three protestant churches, a seminary for teachers, a hospital and a modern town-hall. its industries include the manufacture of sugar, cigars and buttons, and there are brine springs, with baths, in the vicinity. at frankenhausen a battle was fought on the 15th of may 1525, in which the insurgent peasants under thomas muenzer were defeated by the allied princes of saxony and hesse.