Mittweida () is a town 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 ...

, in the

Mittelsachsen Mittelsachsen ("Central Saxony") is a district ('' Kreis'') in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. History The district was established by merging the former districts of Döbeln, Freiberg and Mittweida as part of the district reform of August ...

district.

Geography

Mittweida is situated on the river

Zschopau Zschopau (), is a town in the Erzgebirgskreis district of Saxony, Germany. Geography The town is located on the northwestern slopes of the Ore Mountains, on both Bank (geography), banks of the Zschopau (river), Zschopau River, about south-east ...

, 18 km north of

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...

, and 54 km west of

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 larg ...

. Embedded within the steep hills and valleys of the river and two smaller creeks, the town is green and picturesque. Mittweida has a station on the

Riesa–Chemnitz railway The Chemnitz–Riesa railway is a two-track and electrified mainline railway in the German state of Saxony, originally built and operated by the ''Chemnitz-Riesa Railway Company''. The line was opened between 1847 and 1852 and is one of the olde ...

. A branch line, closed in 1997, served the industries in nearby Dreiwerden and Ringethal. Major roads are the state roads S200, S201, and S247, connecting the town with various federal roads and the motorway A4 which passes south-east of Mittweida.

History

The town was first mentioned in 1209. In 1286 it was known as ''civitas'' and ''oppidum''. Weaving of wool and linen were major occupations of the inhabitants in the Middle Ages, and after a spinning mill was founded in 1816, the town grew into one of the major textile-producing centers in Saxony of the 20th century. Mittweida was already a sizeable town in the mid-16th century, and despite having more inhabitants than

Rochlitz Rochlitz (; hsb, Rochlica) is a major district town (Große Kreisstadt) in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. Rochlitz is the head of the "municipal partnership Rochlitz" (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Rochlitz) with its other members ...

, it had remained part of Amt and Amtshauptmannschaft Rochlitz for many years. In 1924 it became a separate urban district. During World War II, a subcamp of

Flossenbürg concentration camp Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office. Unlike other concentration camps, it was located in a remote area, in the Fichtel Mountains of Bavaria, adjacent to the town of F ...

was located in Mittweida. In 1946 the town was reintegrated into Landkreis Rochlitz and was transferred to

Kreis Hainichen Kreis is the German word for circle. Kreis may also refer to: Places * , or circles, various subdivisions roughly equivalent to counties, districts or municipalities ** Districts of Germany (including and ) ** Former districts of Prussia, al ...

in 1952. Landkreis Mittweida was formed from the districts Rochlitz and Hainichen in 1994, it was integrated into

Landkreis Mittelsachsen Mittelsachsen ("Central Saxony") is a district ('' Kreis'') in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. History The district was established by merging the former districts of Döbeln, Freiberg and Mittweida as part of the district reform of August ...

in 2008.

Buildings and culture

Of interest are the Gothic church from the 15/16th century, the old town, the historic and technical museums and the nearby

Kriebstein Kriebstein is a municipality in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, 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, ...

castle. Mittweida is home to a

University of Applied Sciences A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...

with about 5000 students. Founded in the late 19th century, it is known far beyond the Saxon borders. Among its students were August Horch,

Walter Bruch Walter Bruch (2 March 1908 – 5 May 1990) was a German electrical engineer and pioneer of German television. He was the inventor of Closed-circuit television. He invented the PAL colour television system at Telefunken in the early 1960s. In add ...

Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen (30 July 1878 – 12 August 1964) was a Danish engineer and industrialist. Life The son of a shipmaster who died when Rasmussen was still a young child, he attended middle school in Nakskov and in 1894 began an app ...

, and

Gerhard Neumann Gerhard Neumann (October 8, 1917 – November 2, 1997) was an American aviation engineer and executive for General Electric's aircraft engine division (which today is called GE Aviation). Born and raised in Germany, he went to China shortly be ...

Mayors

* 1960–1972 Günter Kluge (SED) * 1972–1988 Max Gerhard Imhof (SED) * 1988–1989 Hans Günter Beulich (SED) * 1990 Helene Gerda Wunderlich (SED) * 1990–2001 Bruno Rudolf Kny (CDU) * 2001–2015 Matthias Damm (CDU) * since 2015 Ralf Schreiber

Notable people

* Manfred Halpern (1924-2001), political scientist * Heinrich Gottlieb Tzschirner (1778-1828), Protestant theologian *

Johannes Schilling Johannes Schilling (23 June 1828 in Mittweida – 21 March 1910 in Klotzsche near Dresden) was a German sculptor. Life and work Johannes Schilling was the youngest of five children. A year after his birth, his family moved to Dresden, where he g ...

(1828-1910), sculptor * Rudolf Hasse (1906-1942), racing driver *

Paul Dittel Paul Dittel (14 January 1907 in Mittweida, Saxony – 8 May 1982 in Mönchengladbach) was a German historian and Anglicist who was also an ''Obersturmbannführer'' in the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS). He played a central role in the Nazi German policy ...

(1907-1976?), Head of Amt VII of the Reichsicherheitshauptamt and SS Obersturmburführer *

Erich Loest Erich Loest (; 24 February 1926 – 12 September 2013) was a German writer born in Mittweida, Saxony. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Hans Walldorf, Bernd Diksen and Waldemar Naß. Life and career He was a conscript soldier in World War II a ...

(1926-2013), writer *

Peter Moreth Peter Moreth (28 July 19414 February 2014) was a German politician of the East German satellite party LDPD. He was a member of the Volkskammer from 1986 to March 1990 and member of the State Council of East Germany from 1986 to November 1989. D ...

(born 1941), politician (LDPD) *

Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden (born 22 June 1975) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 1998 and 2013. His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and finishing second in the gen ...

(born 1975), cyclist * Antje Traue (born 1981), actress

Twin towns – sister cities

Mittweida is twinned with: * Bornheim, Germany *

Česká Lípa Česká Lípa (; german: Böhmisch Leipa) is a town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 37,000 inhabitants and it is the most populated town of the Czech Republic without city status. The town centre is well preserved and is p ...

, Czech Republic *

Gabrovo Gabrovo ( bg, Габрово ) is a town in central northern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Gabrovo Province. It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an internationa ...

, Bulgaria *

Viersen Viersen (; li, Veeëse) is the capital of the district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Viersen is situated approximately 8 km north-west of Mönchengladbach, 15 km south-west of Krefeld and 20 km east o ...

, Germany

References

External links

* Mittelsachsen {{Mittelsachsen-geo-stub