Rothenburg, Oberlausitz

Rothenburg

Coat of arms
Rothenburg
Location of Rothenburg within Görlitz district
Coordinates: 51°20′0″N 14°58′0″E / 51.33333°N 14.96667°E / 51.33333; 14.96667Coordinates: 51°20′0″N 14°58′0″E / 51.33333°N 14.96667°E / 51.33333; 14.96667
Country Germany
State Saxony
District Görlitz
Municipal assoc. Rothenburg/O.L.
Government
 • Mayor Heike Böhm (SPD)
Area
 • Total 72.28 km2 (27.91 sq mi)
Elevation 160 m (520 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
 • Total 4,556
 • Density 63/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 02929
Dialling codes 035891
Vehicle registration GR, LÖB, NOL, NY, WSW, ZI
Website www.rothenburg-ol.de

Rothenburg/Oberlausitz (Upper Sorbian Rózbork) is a small Lusatian town in eastern Saxony, Germany on the Neisse river on the German-Polish border. It has a population of 5,500.

The town was first mentioned in 1268 and in 1815 became a town in the Prussian district.

Localities of Rothenburg are Bremenhain (first mentioned in 1396), Geheege, Lodenau, Neusorge (first mentioned in 1564), Nieder-Neundorf, Steinbach and Uhsmannsdorf (first mentioned in 1388 as "Osansdorf").

Some of its attractions are the Town Park, Marketplace and the Evangelische Stadtkirche (Town Evangelical Church) which was built in 1798, the tower of which was badly damaged in April 1945, during an air-raid bombing. The church was restored later and stands at a focal-point of the town square and marketplace.

Points of interest include the former site of the Castle Rothenburg (b.1686-WWII) which once laid on the edge of the main town square, the dam on the Neisse river once used as a bathing area for locals, and Martinshof, a still operational home and complex for the mentally and physically disabled, the innovative brainchild of Friedrich von Martin in 1883. Most of the first houses and barns of the establishment still remain, bearing the original biblical names given to them by Martin himself, such as "Bethlehem".

Despite several landmarks in the town having been hit hard by shells from the air raids during the Second World War, the town has preserved much of its original medieval charm and old world feel. Nearby places of interest include Niesky to the southwest and Görlitz directly south of town, which is a true Medieval town complete with city walls, great hotels and festivals.

Rothenburg Town hall
Rothenburg Protestant church

Population development

[2]

  • 1815: 1028
  • 1844: 1013
  • 1885: 1310
  • 1925: 1617
  • 1970: 3500
  • 1990: 5500
  • 2015: 4760

Personalities

  • Wigand of Gersdorff (1851-1920), Prussian general lieutenant
  • Paul Rentsch (1898-1944), dentist and resistance fighter; Righteous among the Nations
  • Iris Wittig (1928-1978), first military pilot of the GDR
  • Reinhard Leue (1929-2012), Protestant theologian, publicist, author and chronicler

References

  1. ↑ "Aktuelle Einwohnerzahlen nach Gemeinden 2017] (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011)" (PDF). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen (in German). October 2018.
  2. ↑ Rothenburg/O.L., Stadt. "Stadt Rothenburg/O.L. - Historisches". www.rothenburg-ol.de.
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