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.

In 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.

Population growth (as of 1960, the poll date is December 31):

1706: 900 1834: 2393 1871: 4449 1890: 6353 1910: 7957 1925: 7166 1933: 7375

1939: 6986 1946: 7562 1950: 7234 1960: 6668 1964: 6393 1971: 6087 1990: 3658

1998: 3364 1999: 3328 2000: 3316 2001: 3202 2002: 3119 2003: 3080 2004: 3013

2005: 2979 2007: 2889 2008: 2878 2009: 2858

Data before 1998: Digitales Historisches Ortsverzeichnis von Sachsen
Data since 1998: Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen

Mylau Castle was built in 1180 at the place where the Raumbach flows into the Göltzsch river, and is still intact. One kilometer to the northwest of the town the world-famous Göltzsch Viaduct crosses the Göltzsch valley. Also worth visiting is the city church St. Wenzel established in 1890, which includes a Gottfried Silbermann organ built in 1730/1731).

• 
  Mylau Castle
• 
  Mylau Castle inner courtyard
• 
  City church (rear view)

• Media related to Mylau at Wikimedia Commons
• Municipal Web site (in German)
• City information (in German)
• Digitales Historisches Ortsverzeichnis von Sachsen (Digital Historic City Directory of Saxony) (in German)