Bischofswerda
Encyclopedia
Bischofswerda (ˌbɪʃɔfsˈveːɐ̯da; Sorbian: Biskupicy) is a small town in Germany
at the western edge of Upper Lusatia
in Saxony
.
at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country. The town is known as the "Gateway to Upper Lusatia" - "Tor zur Oberlausitz" in German. It is located in the district of Bautzen
. The town is 18 km west of Bautzen
itself. Großdrebnitz
is among its quarters. The river Wesenitz
flows through Bischofswerda.
, though it may have existed before that point. In 1288 city walls were constructed. The first mention of Bischofswerda as a city is in a document dating from 1361. The town remained under the authority of the Bishops of Meissen until 1559 when power was transferred to Augustus, Elector of Saxony
. The city arms are based on a 14th century seal and consist of two crossed bishop's croziers and four stars. The significance of the stars is not known.
Like many late medieval towns, Bischofswerda suffered from periodic fires that damaged the town. Fires are recorded in 1429, 1469, 1528, 1583, 1596, 1641, 1671 and 1813. The last fire was the worst. During the War of the Sixth Coalition
, Napoleonic forces had occupied Bischofswerda when a fire broke out within the town walls on the 12th of May 1813, destroying most of the medieval town. However the town was rebuilt in a manner closely following the earlier layout, and this remains to this day. The town hall (Rathaus) was constructed soon after in 1818, just off the Altmarkt, the centre of the town. Together with the Christuskirche it is an example of neo-classical
architecture, designed by Gottlob Friedrich Thormeyer
.
During the increased tensions of the 1980s between the Western democracies and the Eastern Communist Bloc, Bischofswerda became a base for Soviet SS-12 nuclear missiles. A depot for the missiles and their launchers was built just outside of town. The missiles were withdrawn in 1988.
The following table indicates Bischofwerda's population at different times:
produced agricultural machines. This manufacture as well as the glass fabrication had to be closed in the meanwhile.
New industries began to settle in Bischofswerda in recent years. Roth Industries, a German enterprise from the environmental technology sector, as well as the Canadian producer of solar cells ARISE Technologies have dependancies here.
and Görlitz
at the Polish border. The Bundesautobahn 4 takes course 6 km north, enabling easy access to the Dresden Airport. Via railway, direct access is possible to Dresden, Görlitz, Zittau
as well as to Czech Liberec
.
, reached two times the DDR-Oberliga
, the highest football league in East Germany. Today, a modern open air bath and Saxony's littlest zoo
can be noted. Regularly, the local festival Schiebocker Tage and a Karl May
festival are organized.
Moreover, a long-term partnership exists between organizations for the disabled in Bischofswerda and Eggenfelden
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
at the western edge of Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
.
Geography
The town is located 33 km to the east of DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country. The town is known as the "Gateway to Upper Lusatia" - "Tor zur Oberlausitz" in German. It is located in the district of Bautzen
Bautzen (district)
Bautzen is a district in the Free State of Saxony in Germany including the former districts of Bischofswerda and Kamenz. It is bounded by the Czech Republic, the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, the district-free city Dresden and the districts of Meißen and Görlitz...
. The town is 18 km west of Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
itself. Großdrebnitz
Großdrebnitz
Großdrebnitz, in Sorbian language Drjewnica, is part of the city of Bischofswerda in the district of Bautzen, in Saxony, Germany. It stretches along 4 km from the river Wesenitz in the north to the foothills of Lausitzer Bergland in the south....
is among its quarters. The river Wesenitz
Wesenitz
The Wesenitz is a river in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, right tributary of the Elbe. Its total length is 83 km. The Wesenitz runs through the tourist regions of the Lusatian Highlands and Saxon Switzerland...
flows through Bischofswerda.
History
The first documentary evidence of the existence of Bischofswerda dates from 1227. Nominally the town was founded by the Bishops of MeissenMeissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
, though it may have existed before that point. In 1288 city walls were constructed. The first mention of Bischofswerda as a city is in a document dating from 1361. The town remained under the authority of the Bishops of Meissen until 1559 when power was transferred to Augustus, Elector of Saxony
Augustus, Elector of Saxony
Augustus was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586.-First years:Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He consequently belonged to the Albertine branch of the Wettin family...
. The city arms are based on a 14th century seal and consist of two crossed bishop's croziers and four stars. The significance of the stars is not known.
Like many late medieval towns, Bischofswerda suffered from periodic fires that damaged the town. Fires are recorded in 1429, 1469, 1528, 1583, 1596, 1641, 1671 and 1813. The last fire was the worst. During the War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
, Napoleonic forces had occupied Bischofswerda when a fire broke out within the town walls on the 12th of May 1813, destroying most of the medieval town. However the town was rebuilt in a manner closely following the earlier layout, and this remains to this day. The town hall (Rathaus) was constructed soon after in 1818, just off the Altmarkt, the centre of the town. Together with the Christuskirche it is an example of neo-classical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
architecture, designed by Gottlob Friedrich Thormeyer
Gottlob Friedrich Thormeyer
Gottlob Friedrich Thormeyer was a German representative of neoclassical architecture.- Education and early work:...
.
During the increased tensions of the 1980s between the Western democracies and the Eastern Communist Bloc, Bischofswerda became a base for Soviet SS-12 nuclear missiles. A depot for the missiles and their launchers was built just outside of town. The missiles were withdrawn in 1988.
The following table indicates Bischofwerda's population at different times:
|
|
- Source from 2000: Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen (Saxony Office of Statistics)
Economy
Until the German reunification in 1990, Bischofswerda was a significant industrial location. The textile industry has a centuries-long tradition in the town, which is still alive today. In Bischofswerda, the company FortschrittFortschritt
Fortschritt was an East German brand of tractors, combine harvesters and other agricultural machines made by VEB Fortschritt in Neustadt, Saxony.Fortschritt was taken over by Case IH in 1997....
produced agricultural machines. This manufacture as well as the glass fabrication had to be closed in the meanwhile.
New industries began to settle in Bischofswerda in recent years. Roth Industries, a German enterprise from the environmental technology sector, as well as the Canadian producer of solar cells ARISE Technologies have dependancies here.
Transportation
The town is situated at the Bundesstraße 6, which connects DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and Görlitz
Görlitz
Görlitz is a town in Germany. It is the easternmost town in the country, located on the Lusatian Neisse River in the Bundesland of Saxony. It is opposite the Polish town of Zgorzelec, which was a part of Görlitz until 1945. Historically, Görlitz was in the region of Upper Lusatia...
at the Polish border. The Bundesautobahn 4 takes course 6 km north, enabling easy access to the Dresden Airport. Via railway, direct access is possible to Dresden, Görlitz, Zittau
Zittau
Zittau is a city in the south east of the Free State of Saxony, Germany, close to the border tripoint of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. , there are 28,638 people in the city. It is part of the Görlitz district....
as well as to Czech Liberec
Liberec
Liberec is a city in the Czech Republic. Located on the Lusatian Neisse and surrounded by the Jizera Mountains and Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge, it is the fifth-largest city in the Czech Republic....
.
Culture and sports
The little town was nation-wide known when the local football club, sponsored by FortschrittFortschritt
Fortschritt was an East German brand of tractors, combine harvesters and other agricultural machines made by VEB Fortschritt in Neustadt, Saxony.Fortschritt was taken over by Case IH in 1997....
, reached two times the DDR-Oberliga
DDR-Oberliga
The DDR-Oberliga was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the elite level of football competition in the DDR , being roughly equivalent to the Oberliga or Bundesliga in West Germany.-Overview:Following World...
, the highest football league in East Germany. Today, a modern open air bath and Saxony's littlest zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
can be noted. Regularly, the local festival Schiebocker Tage and a Karl May
Karl May
Karl Friedrich May was a popular German writer, noted mainly for adventure novels set in the American Old West, and similar books set in the Orient and Middle East . In addition, he wrote stories set in his native Germany, in China and in South America...
festival are organized.
Partnership
Bischofswerda is twin town of:- Geislingen an der SteigeGeislingen an der SteigeGeislingen an der Steige is a town in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.-History:Although the area had settlements since the Bronze Age, Geislingen was founded by the counts of Helfenstein as a transit collection station on the important commercial route between the...
- Gryfów ŚląskiGryfów SlaskiGryfów Śląski is a town in Lwówek Śląski County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Gryfów Śląski. As at 2006, the town has a population of 7,128. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany.The town is located between Zgorzelec...
- RaspenavaRaspenavaRaspenava is a small town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic, just next to Frýdlant v Čechach. It has approximately 2,800 inhabitants.Raspenava is twin town of Bischofswerda and Gryfów Śląski.-External links:*...
Moreover, a long-term partnership exists between organizations for the disabled in Bischofswerda and Eggenfelden
Eggenfelden
Eggenfelden is a town in the Rottal-Inn district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Rott, 55 km south of Straubing and 55 km southwest of Passau.-Notable people:*The ski mountaineer Konrad Lex is born in Eggenfelden....
.
Births
Bischofswerda was the birthplace of:- Christian Adolph KlotzChristian Adolph KlotzChristian Adolph Klotz was a German philologist. He was a renowned representative of the transition period between the Age of Enlightenment and Sturm und Drang.-Education:...
(1738-1771), Philologist - Karl Friedrich BahrdtKarl Friedrich BahrdtKarl Friedrich Bahrdt , German theologian and adventurer, was born at Bischofswerda, Upper Lusatia, where his father, afterwards professor, canon and general superintendent at Leipzig, was pastor....
(1741-1792), Theologian - Walther Hesse (1846-1911), MicrobiologistMicrobiologistA microbiologist is a scientist who works in the field of microbiology. Microbiologists study organisms called microbes. Microbes can take the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists...
- Johannes PacheJohannes PacheJohannes Johann Fürchtegott Pache was a German composer and organist.- Life :...
(1857-1897), ComposerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media... - Oskar Ernst BernhardtAbd-ru-shinOskar Ernst Bernhardt , also known as Abd-ru-shin or Abdruschin is best known as the author of the "In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message"....
(1875-1941), WriterWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images.... - Arthur BiramArthur BiramArthur Yitzhak Biram was an Israeli philosopher, philologist, and educator.- Biography :...
(1878-1967), Philosopher
External links
- Bischofswerda Official Website (German)
- Statistics of Bischofswerda, Germany (German)
- Karl Wilhelm Mittag. Chronik der königlich sächsischen Stadt Bischofswerda. Verl. Friedrich May Bischofswerda, 1861 Chronicle of the town, digitized