Hoyerswerda () or Wojerecy () is a major district town 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 the

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 ...

state of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, 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 ...

. It is located in the

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, subdivisio ...

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 t ...

, a region where some people speak the

Sorbian language The Sorbian languages ( hsb, serbska rěč, dsb, serbska rěc) are the Upper Sorbian language and Lower Sorbian language, two closely related and partially mutually intelligible languages spoken by the Sorbs, a West Slavic ethno-cultural min ...

in addition to

. Hoyerswerda is divided into the Old Town and the New Town, surrounded by village areas. The Old Town is the historical centre with many old houses and sight-seeing attractions, the New Town is more modern and varicoloured. Prior to the renovation of the town, prefabricated apartment blocks predominated in this area. The town has many lakes, marshes and waterways in its surrounding area, because of its situation in

Lusatia Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...

. This brings many tourists to spend their holidays there. It is attractive for cyclists and inline skaters who use recently created paths meandering among the lakes.

Geography

The town is situated in the north of the District of Bautzen, close to the borders of Saxony with

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...

. Major cities and towns in proximity are

Cottbus Cottbus (; Lower Sorbian: ''Chóśebuz'' ; Polish: Chociebuż) is a university city and the second-largest city in Brandenburg, Germany. Situated around southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree, Cottbus is also a major railway junction with exte ...

in the north-west,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

in the south-west and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

in the north. Hoyerswerda is part of

and lies on a rural

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

characterised by the presence of several lakes and some marshes.

Districts

Hoyerswerda is divided beside the Old Town and New Town into the following districts (names given in German/Upper Sorbian): * Bröthen-Michalken (German), Brětnja/Michałki (Upper Sorbian) * Dörgenhausen/Němcy * Knappenrode/Hórnikecy * Schwarzkollm/Čorny Chołmc * Zeißig/Ćisk

Old Town

The old town of Hoyerswerda is divided into eleven districts: Neida, Dresdner Vorstadt, Am Bahnhof ('At the Railway Station'), Am Stadtrand ('On the Outskirts'), an der Neupetershainer Bahn, An der Thrune, Innere Altstadt ('Inner Historic Centre'), Senftenberger Vorstadt, Spremberger Vorstadt, Nördliche Elsteraue, Südliche Elsteraue. Lausitzer Platz HY 2

New Town

The new town of Hoyerswerda is divided into 14 districts: Neustadt Zentrum ('New Town Centre'), Kühnicht, Grünewaldring, Gondelteich ('Gondola Lake'), Wohnkomplex I, Wohnkomplex II, Wohnkomplex III, Wohnkomplex IV, Wohnkomplex V/VE, Wohnkomplex VI, Wohnkomplex VII, Wohnkomplex VIII, Wohnkomplex IX, Wohnkomplex X. Sources

http://www.hoyerswerda.de/index.php?language=de&m=1&n=5&o=184#content]

History

Early history

The first settlers arrived in this area in 700 AD. They were

Milceni The Milceni or Milzeni ( cs, Milčané; german: Milzener; pl, Milczanie) were a West Slavs, West Slavic tribe, who settled in the present-day Upper Lusatia region. They were first mentioned in the middle of the 9th century AD by the Bavarian Geogr ...

Slavs. Many artifacts from this old culture have been found in the Hoyerswerda area. 1000 AD saw the construction of the first church in the town; the ('Holy Family') which is still standing today in the historic centre of Hoyerswerda. In 1150, Hoyerswerda first appeared on a map of Lusatia. The city was first mentioned in 1268. At the time the mayor was Hoyer von Vredeberg. In 1371 it was designated an official market town. Before this Hoyerswerda was a very little town with few structures, but the city then grew under the leadership of the new mayor Karl IV. It received

municipal rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

from Freiherr von Duba on 19 December 1423, as well as the right to elect its own council. In the 17th century, the city experienced many problems due to the 30 Years War. The Number of inhabitants dropped drastically, but recovered by the end of the century. In 1624, Hoyerswerda became the capital of the Spremberg district. A few years later the district took the name Hoyerswerda because of the growing importance of the city. Schloss Hoyerswerda 1787 b 01

In the middle of this century Hoyerswerda had become the largest town in the Lusatian region. In the 18th century the

Polish King Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16th ...

and Elector of Saxony,

Augustus II the Strong Augustus II; german: August der Starke; lt, Augustas II; in Saxony also known as Frederick Augustus I – Friedrich August I (12 May 16701 February 1733), most commonly known as Augustus the Strong, was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as K ...

, gave the Duchy of Hoyerswerda to

Ursula Katharina Lubomirska Ursula Katharina of Altenbockum, divorced Princess Lubomirska, married Duchess von Württemberg-Winnental ( pl, Urszula Katarzyna Lubomirska z domu Bokum; 25 November 1680 – 4 May 1743), later Imperial Princess of Teschen (german: Reichsf ...

, who helped the town develop trade and manufacturing. In 1737, King

Augustus III of Poland Augustus III ( pl, August III Sas, lt, Augustas III; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Aug ...

bought the town from Lubomirska. The King used to stop in the Hoyerswerda Castle during his travels from Dresden to

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

. The

Battle of Hoyerswerda The Battle of Hoyerswerda was a minor encounter of September 25, 1759 during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War) between Prussian and Austrian forces. Following on from the calamitous Prussian defeat at Kunersdorf in August howe ...

occurred nearby in 1759 during 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 (1754 ...

. In 1815 Hoyerswerda became part of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

. Initially it was administered as part of the of the

Province of Brandenburg The Province of Brandenburg (german: Provinz Brandenburg) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1945. Brandenburg was established in 1815 from the Kingdom of Prussia's core territory, comprised the bulk of the historic Margraviate of Brandenburg ...

, but in 1825 the southern part was split off to form and attached to the

Province of Silesia The Province of Silesia (german: Provinz Schlesien; pl, Prowincja Śląska; szl, Prowincyjŏ Ślōnskŏ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1740 and established as an official p ...

. In 1871, with Prussia, it became part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. In 1873 a new railway between Hoyerswerda and

Ruhland ( Sorbian: ''Rólany'') is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in Upper Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 12 km southwest of Senftenberg. Ruhland station is a major railway junction, fo ...

opened. It had a positive effect on the economic development of the city. In 1912, the Domowina, the organisation 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 ...

, was founded in the city. In 1918, the Sorbs protested here against the policy of

Germanisation Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In lin ...

. The town became part of the Prussian

Province of Lower Silesia The Province of Lower Silesia (german: Provinz Niederschlesien; Silesian German: ''Provinz Niederschläsing''; pl, Prowincja Dolny Śląsk; szl, Prowincyjŏ Dolny Ślōnsk) was a province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. Betwe ...

in 1919.

Recent history

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-58152-0002, Hoyerswerda, Wohnblocks

At the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the town was declared a core centre of German defence and was therefore heavily damaged. The invading Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

set the town on fire. It became part of Saxony again after the war, but from 1952, it was administered by the Bezirk (Region) of Cottbus, until 1990, when the states of East Germany were abolished. During the GDR period, Hoyerswerda became an important industrial town. The

lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...

processing enterprise "Schwarze Pumpe" was established in 1955 (it is today in the federal state of

). From 1957, the demand for new living space rose dramatically. In the following years, 10 new living areas were established with tens of thousands of apartments being built. In 1981, the city reached its maximum number of inhabitants, with 71,054 residents. At that time, more children per inhabitant were born in Hoyerswerda than anywhere else in the GDR. Upon reunification in 1990, the people of the city decided to become part of the reconstituted state of Saxony. With the end of the GDR and the reorganisation of the East German economy, many enterprises in the industrial region of Hoyerswerda were scaled down or closed. In 1991 multiple xenophobic attacks targeted immigrant workers from the Far East as well as asylum seekers from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. A hostel accommodating asylum seekers was attacked and petrol bombs were thrown. Media coverage of the unrest shocked many in Germany and abroad, provoking much public debate. Between 1993 and 1998, several smaller villages became part of the city, but the number of overall inhabitants declined rapidly, from about 70,000 people in the 1980s to about 35,000 people by the end of 2012. There have been attempts to renovate the city. Many of the apartment blocks built during the time of the GDR have been demolished or renovated. This project, like others, was financed with money from the EU and the Federal Republic of Germany. Its role as an independently ruled town ("Kreisfreie Stadt") in Saxony disappeared in 2008 with the reshaping of the regional administration of Saxony.

Sights

Main sights include: *the Hoyerswerda castle *the Market Square (''Markt'') in the Old Town, including: **the Old Town Hall (''Altes Rathaus'') **an 18th-century Polish-Saxon post milestone with coats of arms of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

and the

Electorate of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charle ...

and the

monogram A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series ...

of King

**the Sorbian Fountain (''Sorbenbrunnen'') from 1980 *the St. John's Church (''Johanneskirche'') *the former seat of the '' Domowina'', built in 1885 *the New Town Hall (''Neues Rathaus''), built in 1904 *Planetarium Hoyerswerda, founded in the 1960s *the Lusatian Square (''Lausitzer Platz'') in the New Town with the Lusatian Hall (''Lausitzhalle/Łužiska Hala'') *the ZCOM Zuse-Computer-Museum File:Schloss Hoyerswerda 9.JPG, Hoyerswerda Castle File:Markt 1 Altes Rathaus HY 1.JPG, Old Town Hall File:Markt Postdistanzsäule HY 2.JPG, Polish-Saxon post milestone File:HYBrunnenMarkt.JPG, Sorbian Fountain File:Johanniskirche Hoyerswerda.jpg, St. John's Church File:Braugasse 1 HY.JPG, Former seat of the '' Domowina''

Seats in the Local council (Stadtrat)

Elections in 2014: *CDU: 10 seats *The Left: 8 seats *Free voters: 5 seats *SPD: 4 seats *AH: 2 seats *NPD: 1 seat *Total: 30 seats

Economic situation

While part of

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...

, employment in Hoyerswerda was provided by a power plant, glassworks, coal mines, and an army artillery range. With the reunification of Germany and the subsequent demise of a centrally planned economy, the city lost many jobs as the glassworks and artillery range were closed, and the power plant reduced its payroll. The industries on the secondary sector disappeared nearly completely. It is, however, expected that new houses must be built in Hoyerswerda, because of an anticipated increase in population due to copper mining at Schwarze Pumpe. There is also a thermal power plant planned for Hoyerswerda, because the district heating contract with Schwarze Pumpe will end in 2016. Unemployment remains at 13%. Hoyerswerda holds third place regarding poverty of children according to a statistics of the Child Protection Alliance.

Notable people

Alfred Otto Herz Alfred Otto Herz (14 October 1856 Hoyerswerda, Silesia – 12 July 1905) was a German entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. He was employed as a collector and preparator by the Otto Staudinger - Andreas Bang-Haas insect deale ...

(1856–1906), entomologist *

Rudolf von Sebottendorf Adam Alfred Rudolf Glauer (9 November 1875 – 8 May 1945), also known as Rudolf Freiherr von Sebottendorff (or von Sebottendorf) was a German occultist, writer, intelligence agent and political activist. He was the founder of the Thule Socie ...

(1875–1945), founder of the anti-semitic and racial

Thule Society The Thule Society (; german: Thule-Gesellschaft), originally the ''Studiengruppe für germanisches Altertum'' ("Study Group for Germanic Antiquity"), was a German occultist and '' Völkisch'' group founded in Munich shortly after World War I, n ...

* Günter Peters (1907–1987), painter und zoo director, museum curator from 1952 until 1975 *

Hermann Mau Hermann or Herrmann may refer to: * Hermann (name), list of people with this name * Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language * Éditions Hermann, French publisher * Hermann, Miss ...

(1913–1952), historian, teacher and university lecturer * Kurt Klinkert (1927–2004), painter *

Gertrud Winzer Gertrude or Gertrud may refer to: Places In space *Gertrude (crater), a crater on Uranus's moon Titania *710 Gertrud, a minor planet Terrestrial placenames * Gertrude, Arkansas * Gertrude, Washington * Gertrude, West Virginia People *Gertrude ( ...

''also Gertraud Winzer'' (born 1940), politician (CDU), MdL *

Rainer Nachtigall Rainer may refer to: People * Rainer (surname) * Rainer (given name) Other * Rainer Island, an island in Franz Josef Land, Russia * 16802 Rainer, an asteroid * Rainer Foundation, British charitable organisation See also

* Rainier (disambigua ...

(born 1941), footballer in the GDR *

Heinz Kozur Heinz Walter Kozur (born 26 March 1942 in Hoyerswerda; died 20 December 2013 in Budapest) was a German paleontologist and stratigrapher. In 1974, with Mock, he described the conodont genus '' Misikella'', in 1975, with Merrill, the genus '' Di ...

(1942–2013), paleontologist and stratigrapher * Rolf Babiel (1952–2009), well-known

gastronome Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gast ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Petra Pfaff Petra Pfaff (born 16 October 1960 in Hoyerswerda) is a retired East Germany, East German 400 metres hurdler. In 1980, a special edition of the 1980 World Championships in Athletics, World Championships was staged in Sittard, holding events not ...

(born 1960), track and field athlete *

Frank Hirche Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

(born 1961), politician (CDU), MdL * Roland Hennig (born 1967), racing cyclist * Mike Hauschild (born 1972), politician * Marcel Rozgonyi (born 1976), footballer * Krystyna Schreiber (born 1976), journalist * Matthias Heidrich (born 1977), footballer * Evelyn Schmidt (born 1983), German Wine Queen, 2007/08. * Stefanie Karg (born 1986), volleyball player *

Tony Jantschke Tony Jantschke (born 7 April 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a defender for Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a right-back. Career Jantschke began his career at ''Hoyersw ...

(born 1990), footballer *

Marvin Stefaniak Marvin Stefaniak (born 3 February 1995) is a German professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for club FC Erzgebirge Aue, Erzgebirge Aue. Career Beginnings and Dynamo Dresden Stefaniak began his career as a youth ...

(born 1995), footballer

Lived in Hoyerswerda

(1680–1743), Polish noblewoman,

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...

of King

(lived here, was owner of the castle for over 30 years) * Jan Michał Dąbrowski (1718–1779),

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

(lived here) *

Jan Henryk Dąbrowski Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (; also known as Johann Heinrich Dąbrowski (Dombrowski) in German and Jean Henri Dombrowski in French; 2 August 1755 – 6 June 1818) was a Polish general and statesman, widely respected after his death for his patri ...

(1755–1818), Polish general, national hero of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

(grew up here) *

Konrad Zuse Konrad Ernst Otto Zuse (; 22 June 1910 – 18 December 1995) was a German civil engineer, pioneering computer scientist, inventor and businessman. His greatest achievement was the world's first programmable computer; the functional program ...

(1910–1995), computer pioneer (did his

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

here) *

Rochus Misch Rochus Misch (29 July 1917 – 5 September 2013) was a German ''Oberscharführer'' (sergeant) in the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). He was badly wounded during the Polish campaign during the first month of World ...

(1917–2013), radio operator, bodyguard of Hitler (did his painter education here) *

Brigitte Reimann Brigitte Reimann (born 21 July 1933, Burg bei Magdeburg, d. 22 February 1973, East Berlin) was a German writer who is best known for her posthumously published novel ''Franziska Linkerhand''. Life Brigitte Reimann was the daughter of Willi Rei ...

(1933–1973), writer (lived here in the 1960s) *

Gerhard Gundermann Gerhard Rüdiger Gundermann, who generally performed as simply Gundermann (February 21, 1955 – June 21, 1998), was a German singer-songwriter and rock musician. A skilled excavator operator, his musical career began in the former East Germany ...

(1955–1998), songwriter and rock musician (Abitur, life and musical work until 1987, sepulchre on the graveyard of Hoyerswerda )

Twin towns – sister cities

Hoyerswerda is twinned with: * Dillingen, Germany (1988) *

Huittinen Huittinen ( sv, Vittis) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Satakunta region, southeast of Pori and southwest of Tampere. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population d ...

, Finland (1998) *

Środa Wielkopolska Środa Wielkopolska (until 1968 ''Środa''; german: Schroda) is a town in western-central Poland, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, about southeast of Poznań, with 22,001 inhabitants (2009). It is the seat of Środa Wielkopolska Count ...

, Poland (2006)

References

External links

*
Hoyerswerda
at the ISGV website {{Authority control Towns in Saxony Populated places in Bautzen (district) Socialist planned cities