Mylau

Mylau is a town and a former municipality in the Vogtlandkreis district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany with about 2600 citizens. Since 1 January 2016 it is part of the town Reichenbach im Vogtland. It is situated in the valleys of the river Göltzsch and the Raumbach, a stream flowing from Reichenbach im Vogtland that is locally known as the Soap Stream (German: Seifenbach) because of the textile painting factories that had been built by its banks. The town lies 6 km southeast of Greiz, and 20 km southwest of Zwickau. Mylau has the smallest area of any town ("Stadt") in what was formerly East Germany, although there are 10 towns in what was formerly West Germany that are even smaller in area.HistoryIn the 14th century, a settlement was built at the foot of Mylau Castle (1180). Emperor Charles IV granted town privileges in 1376. Until late in the 17th century, the town was reasonably insignificant; in 1650 it was composed of only 24 houses. It then grew rapidly because of a rise of manual weaving craftsmanship in the area, which facilitated the rapid development of the textile industry in the 19th century.