Großenhain

Großenhain
Town hall

Coat of arms
Großenhain
Location of Großenhain within Meißen district
Coordinates: 51°17′N 13°33′E / 51.283°N 13.550°E / 51.283; 13.550Coordinates: 51°17′N 13°33′E / 51.283°N 13.550°E / 51.283; 13.550
Country Germany
State Saxony
District Meißen
Government
 • Mayor Burkhard Müller (CDU)
Area
 • Total 96.79 km2 (37.37 sq mi)
Elevation 122 m (400 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
 • Total 18,230
 • Density 190/km2 (490/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 01558; 01561
Dialling codes 03522
Vehicle registration MEI; GRH; RG; RIE
Website www.grossenhain.de

Großenhain (also written as Grossenhain; Upper Sorbian: Wulki Hojn) is a Große Kreisstadt (German for major district town) in the district of Meißen, Saxony, Germany.

History

Großenhain was originally a Sorb settlement. It was first mentioned in 1205.[2] It was for a time occupied by the Bohemians, by whom it was strongly fortified. It afterwards came into the possession of the margraves of Meißen, from whom it was taken in 1312 by the margraves of Brandenburg. In the middle-ages, Großenhain was one of the most powerful towns in Saxony. It suffered considerably in all the great German wars, and in 1744 was nearly destroyed by fire. On May 16, 1813, a battle took place here between the French and the Russians.

Geography

Großenhain is located on the river Röder, 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Dresden, and 17 km (11 mi) east of Riesa. It is also situated on Via Regia from Görlitz to Santiago de Compostela.

Localities

  • Naundorf
  • Folbern
  • Rostig
  • Zschieschen
  • Mülbitz
  • Kleinraschütz
  • Großraschütz
  • Skassa
  • Weßnitz
  • Zschauitz.


Infrastructure

There are two train stations in Großenhain. As Großenhain Berliner Bahnhof is out of service since 2002, only Großenhain Cottbusser Bahnhof is served by trains from Dresden to Elsterwerda, Cottbus and Hoyerswerda.

Großenhain is accessible by car via Bundesstraße 98 and Bundesstraße 101.

Famous people

Karl Bejamin Preusker 1840
  • Martin Blochwich (1602-1629): German physician, born here
  • Karl Benjamin Preusker (1786–1871): Founder of the first public library in Germany (1828)
  • Manfred von Richthofen (1892–1918): German fighter pilot known as The Red Baron, was trained as observer at the local airport
  • Corinna Harfouch (born 1954): German actress, passed her childhood here
  • Benjamin Hedericus (1675-1748): Lexicographer
  • Heino (born 1938): German schlager artist, passed his childhood here
  • Carlo Mierendorff (1897-1943), representatives of the SPD, a member of the German Reichstag and resistance fighter against Nazism
  • Frederick Traugott Pursh (1774-1820), actually Friedrich Pursch , botanist
  • Helmut H. Schaefer (1925-2005), mathematician, professor at the University of Halle (Saale), at the University of Tübingen, at the California Institute of Technology and other US universities
  • Valentin Weigel (1533-1588), theologian and philosopher

References

  1. ↑ "Aktuelle Einwohnerzahlen nach Gemeinden 2017] (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011)" (PDF). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen (in German). October 2018.
  2. ↑ Großenhain, Steifzug durch eine sächsische Kleinstadt 2002, Gräser Verlag

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Grossenhain". Encyclopædia Britannica. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 617.

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