Kamenz (
SorbianThe Sorbian languages are classified under the Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. They are the native languages of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority in eastern Germany. Historically the language has also been known as Wendish or Lusatian...
Kamjenc) is a
LusatiaLusatia is a historical region between the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers and the Elbe river in the eastern German states of Saxony and Brandenburg and south-western Poland ....
n town in eastern
SaxonyThe Free State of Saxony is a federal state of Germany, located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area and the sixth largest in population , of Germany's sixteen states.Long in the heart of German-speaking Europe, Saxony became one of the new...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, with a population of 18,243, and is part of the
Bautzen districtBautzen 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 located about 40 km (25 miles) northeast of
DresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and about 30 km (19 miles) northwest of
BautzenBautzen ; is a city in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative center of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2005, its population is 42,189...
.
The philosopher and poet
Gotthold Ephraim LessingGotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature.-Life:Lessing was born in...
was born in Kamenz, as was convicted criminal
Bruno HauptmannBruno Richard Hauptmann was a German carpenter sentenced to death and executed for the abduction and murder of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of famous pilots Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh...
.
At the location of today's old town a castle has been build to secure the crossing of route
Via RegiaVia Regia means "King's Highway". It is an imperial road and an ancient road.Via Regia, in the usual sense, means not just a specific road, rather a type of road. It was legally associated with the king and remained under special protection. There were many such country roads and military roads in...
and river
Schwarze ElsterThe Schwarze Elster is a 179 km long river in eastern Germany, in the states Saxony, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, right tributary of the Elbe. Its source is in the Upper Lusatia region, near Elstra....
at the end of the 12th century.
Discussion
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Kamenz (
SorbianThe Sorbian languages are classified under the Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. They are the native languages of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority in eastern Germany. Historically the language has also been known as Wendish or Lusatian...
Kamjenc) is a
LusatiaLusatia is a historical region between the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers and the Elbe river in the eastern German states of Saxony and Brandenburg and south-western Poland ....
n town in eastern
SaxonyThe Free State of Saxony is a federal state of Germany, located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area and the sixth largest in population , of Germany's sixteen states.Long in the heart of German-speaking Europe, Saxony became one of the new...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, with a population of 18,243, and is part of the
Bautzen districtBautzen 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 located about 40 km (25 miles) northeast of
DresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and about 30 km (19 miles) northwest of
BautzenBautzen ; is a city in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative center of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2005, its population is 42,189...
.
The philosopher and poet
Gotthold Ephraim LessingGotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature.-Life:Lessing was born in...
was born in Kamenz, as was convicted criminal
Bruno HauptmannBruno Richard Hauptmann was a German carpenter sentenced to death and executed for the abduction and murder of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of famous pilots Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh...
.
History
At the location of today's old town a castle has been build to secure the crossing of route
Via RegiaVia Regia means "King's Highway". It is an imperial road and an ancient road.Via Regia, in the usual sense, means not just a specific road, rather a type of road. It was legally associated with the king and remained under special protection. There were many such country roads and military roads in...
and river
Schwarze ElsterThe Schwarze Elster is a 179 km long river in eastern Germany, in the states Saxony, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, right tributary of the Elbe. Its source is in the Upper Lusatia region, near Elstra....
at the end of the 12th century. The Via Regia was an important trade route between
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
and
SilesiaSilesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in present-day Poland, with parts in the Czech Republic and Germany....
.
In 1225 the town was mentioned the first time and in 1319 it became independent. The
League of six towns of Upper LusatiaThe Lusatian League was a historical alliance of six towns in the Upper Lusatia region. The towns were Bautzen, Görlitz, Zittau, Kamenz, Löbau, and Lauban. The first five towns are located in present-day Germany, but the sixth is located in present-day Poland, and is now known as Lubań...
has been founded by Kamenz and five other lusatian towns for protection against robber barons in 1346. In 1707 a fire destroyed large parts of the old town.
The philosopher and poet
Gotthold Ephraim LessingGotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature.-Life:Lessing was born in...
was born in Kamenz in 1729.
Theater
- Stadttheater (City theater)
- Hutbergbühne Kamenz (an open-air stage for up to 10,000 visitors)
Museums
- Museum der Westlausitz (Museum of Western Lusatia)
- Lessingmuseum (Museum of Lessing)
Buildings
- Town hall of Kamenz (build 1848 to 1849, italien Neorenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
)
- Andreasbrunnen (Andreas Fountain), on the market square
- Red Tower, Mönchsmauer (monk wall), Pichschuppen (parts of the mediaeval town battlement)
- Protestant main church St. Marien (build 1275 - 1479, late gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
)
- minster St. Annen (1499)
- catechism
A catechism is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
church (1358)
- Lessing memorial (place where birth house of Lessing was situated)
- Lessing-Haus
Nature
- Hutberg (294 m) - mountain with park, with Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. It is a large genus with over 1000 species and most have showy flower displays. It includes the plants known to gardeners as azaleas...
- about 32% of the nature of the District
Kamenz was a Kreis in the north-east of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Neighboring districts were Oberspreewald-Lausitz, Spree-Neiße, Niederschlesischer Oberlausitzkreis, Bautzen - Budyšin, Sächsische Schweiz, the district-free city Dresden - Drježdźany, and the districts Meißen and...
is under protection
- there is a good network of routes for riding by bicycle and hiking
Events
- Blütenlauf auf dem Hutberg (Run on the Hutberg)
- Lessing Days (every year, January and February)
- Fête de la Musique
The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is a music festival taking place on June 21.-History:The idea was first broached in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen, then employed by the national French radio station France Musique. Cohen proposed an all-night music celebration at the...
every year on June 21
- Forstfest (Forest Festival), every year in the week of August 24 (St Bartholomew's Day)
- Kamenzer Nasenfest (Nose Festival), Festival with the so called nose market every year on October 3
- carnival
External links