Markranstädt
Encyclopedia
Markranstädt is a town in the Leipzig
Leipzig (district)
Leipzig is a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after the city Leipzig, which is surrounded by the district, but not part of it...

 district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany
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...

. It is situated 11 km southwest of Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...

.

Geography and transport

Markranstädt can be found about 10 km (6.2 mi) south-west of Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...

 city centre, between the Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

 and the Leipzig housing estate Grünau, on the west bank of the Kulkwitzer See.

Through the proximity to the city Leipzig and to the Leipzig/Halle Airport
Leipzig/Halle Airport
Leipzig/Halle Airport, sometimes called Schkeuditz Airport , is located in Schkeuditz, Saxony and serves both Leipzig, Saxony and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.It has more than two million passengers per year....

 (12 km), two connections to the Motorway A 9, two connections to the A 38 and the Trainstation feeding in to the MDV Transport network of Central Germany  seems to give the town a very good transport infrastructure. The National Roads B 87 and B 186 also intersect in the area of the town.

Administrative structure

Markranstädt is an administrative area consisting of the town itself plus the districts Albersdorf, Altranstädt, Döhlen, Göhrenz, Großlehna, Kleinlehna, Meyen, Quesitz, Räpitz, Schkeitbar, Schkölen, Thronitz, Kulkwitz, Gärnitz, Seebenisch, Lindennaundorf, Frankenheim und Priesteblich.

History

The first documentary mention of Markranstädt was in 1285 as the seat of a court. Probably founded as a subsidiary settlement of the neighbouring monastic settlement Altranstädt, it was mentioned as a marketplace in 1287 and as a small town in 1354.
The name is also derived from its foundation: it was founded as Ranstädt (ran = "Place on cleared land") , while meanwhile Ranstädt became known as Altranstädt (Old Ranstadt). Ranstädt then obtained the right to hold markets, hence the current name "Markranstädt".
In the year 1633, during the Thirty Years War, the town was burned by the Holk'schen Reitern. The fire destroyed, amongst other buildings, the town hall and all its records. The plague epidemic of 1634 and the famine of 1639 led to a drastic population decline. In the year 1650 Markranstädt numbered fewer than 150 inhabitants. The next local catastrophe happened in 1671, as 31 houses were destroyed by a large fire. At the beginning of the 18th century the town began to recover again.
Markranstädt had its brush with world history on the 23rd July 1807, as Napoléon Bonaparte, together with his entourage, stayed overnight in the guesthouse "Zum Rosenkranz". In the course of the Battle of the Nations in 1813 the town was once again adversely affected.
Markranstädt experienced an economic blooming toward the end of the 19th century. Mainly the Kürschnergewerbe, but machine-building flourished also. A car factory was established and also Markranstädter Brewery. The town was well renowned until the Second World War for "Markranstädter Pilsener" beer.

Cultural

Markranstädt is also known locally as Lallendorf. This inspired the motto of the Markranstädter Carneval Club e.V. (“Lallendorf -oho-, Markranstädt -oho-, MCC -oho-“).
There are frequently musical events in the local church.

Worth seeing

  • Kulkwitz Lake (Kulkwitzer See), with 1.6 square kilometres (400 acres) surface water and 2 square kilometres (500 acres) surrounding area, which are enjoyed especially by watersports enthusiasts, holidaymakers and walkers-
  • St. Laurentius Town Church
  • Altranstädt Castle (Schloss Altranstädt)

Sport

Markranstädt describes itself as a "Sports town". The women’s handball team of SC Markranstädt plays successfully in the 2nd division of the German League. The men of Markrandstädt Volleyball Club reached in 2006 the quarterfinal of the 1st division of the German League. In the same year, the club merged with VV Leipzig to become VC Leipzig. Markranstadt "Sports town" club offers a large number of sports. The largest section is football. The first team plays in the Saxon State League. The Junior-A team also plays in the State League.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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