Weißwasser
Encyclopedia
Weißwasser is a town
in Upper Lusatia
in eastern Saxony
, Germany
.
Weißwasser is the third largest town in the Görlitz district
after Görlitz
and Zittau
. The town's landmark is its water tower
.
production. It became part of Prussian Lower Silesia
in 1919.
Weißwasser received its town charter on 28 August 1935. In the Second World War, 40% of the town had been destroyed. With the dissolution of Prussia
resulting from the war, the town became part of Saxony from 1945–52. It was then part of communist East Germany from 1952–90 and administered within Bezirk Cottbus. Many enterprises had to close during the communist regime. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, only a few enterprises were left. It was included within a restored Saxony after German reunification
.
Weißwasser now struggles with the aftereffects of German reunification, as the fall of the Berlin Wall has had a devastating effect on the local economy. Many people have since lost their jobs and the town's population continues to suffers from a high percentage of unemployment
. Consequently, many have left the area in the hope of finding a new job elsewhere in a reunited Germany.
In September 2005, Weißwasser hosted the "Day of the Saxons." The event was a success with more than 300,000 visitors, which left some believing that the town could reinvent itself as a tourist attraction.
Source from 1998 on: Statistics office Saxony
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in 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 eastern 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....
, 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...
.
Weißwasser is the third largest town in the Görlitz district
Görlitz (district)
Görlitz is a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after its capital city Görlitz. It borders the district of Bautzen, the state Brandenburg, Poland and the Czech Republic.- History :...
after 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...
and 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....
. The town's landmark is its water tower
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
.
History
Weißwasser was mentioned for the first time on 8 June 1552; the town's name means "white water". It became part of Prussian Silesia in 1815. In the 19th and 20th century, Weißwasser was the European centre of glassGlass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
production. It became part of Prussian Lower Silesia
Province of Lower Silesia
The Province of Lower Silesia was a province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. Between 1938 and 1941 it was reunited with Upper Silesia as the Silesia Province. The capital of Lower Silesia was Breslau...
in 1919.
Weißwasser received its town charter on 28 August 1935. In the Second World War, 40% of the town had been destroyed. With the dissolution of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
resulting from the war, the town became part of Saxony from 1945–52. It was then part of communist East Germany from 1952–90 and administered within Bezirk Cottbus. Many enterprises had to close during the communist regime. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, only a few enterprises were left. It was included within a restored Saxony after German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
.
Weißwasser now struggles with the aftereffects of German reunification, as the fall of the Berlin Wall has had a devastating effect on the local economy. Many people have since lost their jobs and the town's population continues to suffers from a high percentage of unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
. Consequently, many have left the area in the hope of finding a new job elsewhere in a reunited Germany.
In September 2005, Weißwasser hosted the "Day of the Saxons." The event was a success with more than 300,000 visitors, which left some believing that the town could reinvent itself as a tourist attraction.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was allotted on 31 January 1927. The two green glasses symbolise the glass industry of the town, which has been one of the largest in former East Germany. The tools are a reference to the coal mining, which is carried out close to the city. Blue and yellow are the traditional colours of Upper Lusatia and the white waves in the bottom part of the coat of arms symbolise the name of the city.Population development
Development of the population figure since 31 December 1960
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Source from 1998 on: Statistics office Saxony
Politics
A new city council was elected on the 13 June 2004. Out of 18,653 eligible voters, 29.36% participated in the vote. The results were as following:- 27.68 % PDSLeft Party (Germany)The Party of Democratic Socialism was a democratic socialist political party active in Germany from 1989 to 2007. It was the legal successor to the Socialist Unity Party , which ruled the German Democratic Republic until 1990. From 1990 through to 2005, the PDS had been seen as the left-wing...
- 27.01 % CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
- 18.54 % Wir für Hier e.V.
- 12.70 % SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 6.96 % Klartext
- 3.84 % FDPFree Democratic Party (Germany)The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
- 3.26 % NPDNational Democratic Party of GermanyThe National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"...
Twin cities
- BrühlBrühl, North Rhine-WestphaliaBrühl is a town in the Rhineland of Germany. It is located in Rhein-Erft-Kreis, 20 km south of Cologne city center and at the edge of Naturpark Kottenforst-Ville Nature Reserve.-History:...
(North Rhine-Westphalia) - ŻaryZaryŻary is a town in western Poland with about 39,900 inhabitants , situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship...
(Poland)
Sights
- Water Tower
- Ice Hockey Stadium "Fuchsbau" (fox's den)
- Glass makers museum
- Zoo
- Pückler - Park in Bad Muskau
- Rhododendron - Park in Kromlau
- Forest Railway Muskau
- Braunsteich - Lake
- Erratic Rock - Park in Nochten
- Opencast pit in Nochten