Plauen

Plauen lace — embroidery and lacework produced in this Saxon Vogtland town since the textile industry took hold in the 18th century — remains the area's most distinctive export, protected today under the label Plauener Spitze. The town sits on the White Elster River in hill country near the Bavarian and Czech borders, and its centre retains much of its 19th-century urban fabric, including the Renaissance-gabled Old Town Hall and the Johanniskirche. Two of the world's largest brick bridges are within reach: the Elster Viaduct and the nearby Göltzsch Viaduct.

• Population66,412
• Nearest water0.2 km
• Nearest mountain1.8 km
• UNESCO within 50 km7