Rosslau (in
German orthography: Roßlau) was until 30 June 2007 a town in
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...
,
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 ...
, belonging to the district
Anhalt-Zerbst. After a fusion with the town of
Dessau
Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau ...
it became eponym of the newly founded town of
Dessau-Roßlau
Dessau-Roßlau () is a ''kreisfreie Stadt'' (urban district) in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Mulde. The town was formed by merger of the towns of Dessau and Roßlau in the course of th ...
and a quarter of it. Rosslau is situated on the right bank of the
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
, here crossed by two railway bridges, 3 mi. by rail N. of
Dessau
Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau ...
and 35 mi. S.E. of
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...
. It has a ducal residence, an old castle, a handsome parish church, and manufactures of machinery, paper, sealing-wax, wire goods, sugar, bricks and chemicals. Rosslau became a town in 1603.
Town merger
On 1 July 2007 the town ''Rosslau (Elbe)'' was consolidated with the town ''
Dessau
Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau ...
''. Together they are named
Dessau-Roßlau
Dessau-Roßlau () is a ''kreisfreie Stadt'' (urban district) in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Mulde. The town was formed by merger of the towns of Dessau and Roßlau in the course of th ...
. The mayor of the new town is
Klemens Koschig
Klemens is a masculine given name derived from Clemens. It may refer to the following people:
* Klemens of Brzeźnica (died 1241), Polish nobleman, Voivode of Opole and Castellan of Kraków
* Klemens Janicki (1516–1543), Polish poet
* Klemens v ...
, who was elected on 22 April 2007.
History
The town “Rozelowe“ was first documented in 1215. In 1359 “Dat borchlen zu Rozlau” was mentioned. The name is of Dutch heritage and suggests the foundation and the settlement of Rosslau by inhabitants of the Dutch town Reuzel in
North Brabant
North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the we ...
.
The construction of the bridge over the Elbe River occurred in 1583 and just 20 years later the town was chartered and received its right to hold markets. During 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 bridge was a scene of a
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
. A few years later, in 1631, the bridge was destroyed. Six years after that, imperial soldiers burned down the town; in 1717 the town was in flames again. In 1740 the town hall and castle were built. From 1765-1767 Rosslau was a point of origin for colonial crusades of the Russian Tsarina
Catherine the Great
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
, a princess of the
principality of Anhalt-Zerbst
Anhalt-Zerbst was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the House of Ascania, with its residence at Zerbst in present-day Saxony-Anhalt. It emerged as a subdivision of the Principality of Anhalt from 1252 until 1396, when it was divided ...
. In 1806 fleeing Prussians set the Elbe-bridge on fire again. From 1836-1838
Henry, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen
Henry of Anhalt-Köthen (30 July 1778, Pszczyna Castle, Schloss Pszczyna, Pless23 November 1847, Köthen) was a German prince of the House of Ascania, ruler of the non-sovereign principality of Duchy of Pless, Anhalt-Pless and the last ruler of th ...
prompted the renovation of the deteriorating medieval castle in a gothic and romantic fashion.
In the following years the connection to the network of the
Berlin-Anhalt Railway Company The Berlin-Anhalt Railway Company (German: ''Berlin-Anhaltische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', BAE) was a railway company in Prussia. The railway connection between Berlin and Köthen, built by the BAE, was one of the first long-distance railways in Ge ...
,
the foundation of fabrics, newspapers and shipyards took place. In 1907 the tramline between Dessau and Rosslau was put into operation.
In fall 1933 the National Socialist government of Anhalt setup one of the early
concentration camps in the former ''Volkshaus'' in the Hauptstraße 51 in which predominantly members of the Communist Party (KPD) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) were detained and deviled. In summer 1934 the concentration camp was closed. The remaining inmates were transferred to the
concentration camp in Lichtenburg.
Aiding the town of
Dessau
Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau ...
in becoming the
capital of the district, the town Rosslau (Elbe) became suburbanised into Dessau from 1 April 1935 to 1 April 1946 which gave the town the required number of 100,000 inhabitants. In 1952 the
district of Rosslau was built out of the eastern part of the
district of Zerbst. This gave Rosslau the status of a
country town
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while th ...
, which it hold until 30 Juny 1994, before it became part of the
Anhalt-Zerbst district.
Until 1991 Rosslau was the base of the
7th Guards Tank Division of the
Soviet forces in Germany.
The
Elbe-flood from 2002 exceeded the
Elbe-flood from 1845.
Sights
The
moated castle
A water castle is a castle whose site is largely defended by water. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle ...
of Rosslau is very popular location for Open-Air Events and Stage Plays. The annual This is Ska Festival takes part in the castle since 1997. There's also a Country Festival offering Liveacts, Linedance and a Western Casino. The Knight Dinner is a popular event too.
The European village was built after an architectural competition from 1993 to 1996. Architect's offices from
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 ...
, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
created the plans and a few conspicuous buildings were built.
Other places to see are the "Öhlmühle" (Oil Mill) and St. Mary's City Church.
Traffic
The "Bundesstrassen" B184 and B187 go through Rosslau.
Rosslau also has a main train station with connections to
Dessau
Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau ...
,
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...
,
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 constitue ...
,
Halle Halle may refer to:
Places Germany
* Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt
** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt
** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany
** Hall ...
,
Bitterfeld and Lutherstadt
Wittenberg
Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon language, Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the Ri ...
.
Sons and daughters
*
Gottfried Bandhauer (1790–1837), master-builder of
classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...
*
Gotthard Sachsenberg
Gotthard Sachsenberg (6 December 1891 – 23 August 1961) was a German World War I fighter ace with 31 victories who went on to command the world's first naval air wing. In later life, he founded the airline ''Deutscher Aero Lloyd'', became an ant ...
(1891–1961), officer, entrepreneur and politician (
Wirtschaftspartei
The Reich Party of the German Middle Class (german: Reichspartei des deutschen Mittelstandes), known from 1920 to 1925 as the Economic Party of the German Middle Classes (german: Wirtschaftspartei des deutschen Mittelstandes), was a conservative G ...
)
*
Richard Paulick
Richard Paulick (7 November 1903 – 4 March 1979) was a German architect with political connections. In professional terms his most productive period, frequently overlooked in western sources, may have been the time he spent in Shanghai betwe ...
(1903–1979), architect
*
Wolfgang Schwenke (1921–2006), zoologist, entomologist and forest scientist
*
Bobby Bölke (1926–2007), actor and entertainer
*
Reiner Kontressowitz Reiner Kontressowitz (born 25 June 1942) is a German musicologist and lyricist.
Life
Kontressowitz was born in Roßlau. After graduating from the Secondary School in 1961, Kontressowitz studied horn, drums, theory and composition at the conserva ...
(born 1942), musicologist
*
Günter Dreibrodt
Günter Dreibrodt (born 26 July 1951 in Roßlau) is a former East German handball player who competed in the 1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye ...
(born 1951), former handball player
*
Peter Müller (born 1967), German art historian and publicist
Twin towns
*
Ibbenbüren
Ibbenbüren ( Westphalian: ''Ippenbürn'') is a medium-sized town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Ibbenbüren is situated on the Ibbenbürener Aa river, at the northwest end of the Teutoburger forest ...
,
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
*
Roudnice nad Labem,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
References
External links
History of RosslauThis is Ska Festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosslau
Towns in Saxony-Anhalt
Rosslau
Former municipalities in Saxony-Anhalt
Duchy of Anhalt