Hochkirch (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

) or Bukecy (

Upper Sorbian Upper Sorbian (), occasionally referred to as "Wendish", is a minority language spoken by Sorbs in Germany in the historical province of Upper Lusatia, which is today part of Saxony. It is grouped in the West Slavic language branch, together ...

) is a municipality in the district of

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budi ...

, in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is known for the 1758

Battle of Hochkirch The Battle of Hochkirch took place on 14 October 1758, during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War). After several weeks of maneuvering for position, an Austrian army of 80,000 commanded by Lieutenant Field Marshal Leopold Jo ...

, part of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

. The municipality (except Breitendorf) is part of the recognized

Sorbian settlement area hsb, Serbski sydlenski rum, dsb, Serbski sedleński rum, image_map=File:Sorbisches Siedlungsgebiet.png, subdivision_type1=Country, subdivision_name1=Germany, subdivision_type2=State, subdivision_name2=Saxony, subdivision_type3=State, subdivision ...

in Saxony.

has an official status next to German, all villages bear names in both languages.

Geography

Hochkirch is located in the historic

Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...

region, about east of the administrative capital

and northwest of

Löbau Löbau ( Upper Sorbian: Lubij) is a city in the east of Saxony, Germany, in the traditional region of Upper Lusatia. It is situated between the slopes of the Löbauer Berg and the fertile hilly area of the Upper Lusatian Mountains. It is the ga ...

. Situated within the

Lusatian Highlands The Lusatian Highlands''Upper Lusatia''
at www.silvaportal.info. Accessed on 10 July 20 ...

, it belongs to the settlement area of the

Sorbs Sorbs ( hsb, Serbja, dsb, Serby, german: Sorben; also known as Lusatians, Lusatian Serbs and Wends) are a indigenous West Slavic ethnic group predominantly inhabiting the parts of Lusatia located in the German states of Saxony and Branden ...

History

The village of ''Bukovici'' (possibly derived from Upper Sorbian ''buk'': " beech") was first mentioned in a 1222 deed issued by Bishop Bruno II of Meissen; the present

name first appeared in 1368. By the 1635 Peace of Prague, the area passed to the Electorate of Saxony. During the Seven Years' War on 14 October 1758, the Habsburg (Austrian) Imperial Army under Field Marshal

Count Leopold Joseph von Daun Count Leopold Joseph von Daun (german: Leopold Joseph Maria, Reichsgraf von und zu Daun; 24 September 17055 February 1766), later Prince of Thiano, was an Austrian field marshal of the Imperial Army in the War of the Austrian Succession and Se ...

attacked the

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

forces of King Frederick II in a gruesome dawn attack in which many soldiers were bayonetted in their tents in an alleyway beside the village cemetery, called '' Blutgasse'' (Blood Alley). The Prussians suffered a bitter defeat; Frederick's field marshal

James Francis Edward Keith James Francis Edward Keith (in later years ''Jakob von Keith''; 11 June 1696 – 14 October 1758) was a Scottish soldier and ''Generalfeldmarschall'' of the Royal Prussian Army. As a Jacobite he took part in a failed attempt to restore th ...

was killed in battle; his brother-in-law was decapitated by a cannonball. The church yard and church were the scene of intense fighting and the doors of the Baroque Hochkirch parish church still show pock marks from musket balls.

Politics

Seats in the municipal assembly (''Gemeinderat'') as of 2014 local elections: *

Free Voters Free Voters (german: Freie Wähler, FW or FWG) in Germany may belong to an association of people which participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it involves a locally organized group of voters ...

: 7 * Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU): 6 * The Left: 1

Notable people

Kito Lorenc Kito Lorenc (4 March 1938 – 24 September 2017) was a German writer, lyric poet and translator. He was a grandson of the writer and politician Jakub Lorenc-Zalěski. Lorenc attended the Sorbian boarding high school in Cottbus from 1952 to 1956 ...

(1938–2017), Sorbian writer, lyric poet and translator.

External links

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Bautzen (district)