Markersdorf ( hsb, Markoćicy) is a municipality in the district of Görlitz 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 ...

, near to the eastern border with Poland. About 25 kilometres directly to the south, ''Markersdorf'' is also the former German name of Markocice, a small township in

Gmina Bogatynia __NOTOC__ Gmina Bogatynia is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Zgorzelec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, bordering both the Czech Republic and Germany. Its seat is the town of Bogatynia, which lies app ...

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 ...

. The current ''Großgemeinde'' (large municipality) of Markersdorf came into being in 1994, when the municipalities of Markersdorf, Deutsch-Paulsdorf (

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 ...

: ''Němske Pawlice''), Friedersdorf, Gersdorf, Holtendorf, Jauernick-Buschbach (''Jawernik-Nechow'') and Pfaffendorf were adjoined in the course of Saxon municipal reforms. The former seven municipalities still exist as equal districts within the municipality, which is symbolized by its coat of arms – seven identical leaves on a tree.

Geography

Markersdorf lies at the foot of the Landeskrone, bordering the town of

Görlitz Görlitz (; pl, Zgorzelec, hsb, Zhorjelc, cz, Zhořelec, :de:Ostlausitzer Mundart, East Lusatian dialect: ''Gerlz'', ''Gerltz'', ''Gerltsch'') is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is located on the Lusatian Neisse River, and ...

to the east. The Weißer Schöps flows through the municipality. In the south-east of the municipality is the Berzdorfer See (Berzdorf Lake).

History

The municipality of Markersdorf was first mentioned in print in 1360, in a foundation certificate in the Görlitz city book. The first church is said to have been built in Jauernick as early as 980. The proximity of the city of Görlitz brought the surrounding area not only economic boom, but also suffering in times of war. Thus, the community was affected during the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...

, the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, 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� ...

and the Wars of Liberation. Markersdorf is often also called "Napoleonsdorf". In the village, marshal

Géraud Duroc Géraud Christophe Michel Duroc (born de Michel du Roc; 25 October 1772 – 23 May 1813), 1st Duke of Frioul (''Duc de Frioul''), was a French general and diplomat who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted ...

, wounded in the

Battle of Bautzen (1813) In the Battle of Bautzen (20–21 May 1813), a combined Prusso–Russian army, that was massively outnumbered, was pushed back by Napoleon but escaped destruction, with some sources claiming that Marshal Michel Ney failed to block their ret ...

, died. File:Markersdorf Denkmal für Geraud Christophe Michel Duroc.jpg, Monument to marshal

in Markersdorf File:Markersdorf Deutsch Paulsdorf Schloss.jpg, Deutsch-Paulsdorf manor house File:Markersdorf-Friedersdorf, Kirche St.Ursula, 1663, Blick auf Friedhof u Chor, RvH 20110420.jpg,

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

Church of

St Ursula Saint Ursula (Latin for 'little female bear', german: link=no, Heilige Ursula) is a legendary Romano-British Christian saint who died on 21 October 383. Her feast day in the pre-1970 General Roman Calendar is 21 October. There is little inform ...

in Friedersdorf File:Kirche Gersdorf (Markersdorf).JPG, File:Schönau-Berzdorf - Jauernick (Aussichtsturm Neuberzdorfer Höhe) 02 ies.jpg, Jauernick, seen from the File:Dorfmuseum Markersdorf.jpg, Markersdorf village museum

References

External links

Populated places in Görlitz (district) {{Görlitz-geo-stub