Riesa is a town in the district of Meißen in Saxony, Germany. It is located on the river Elbe, approximately northwest of Dresden.

History

The name ''Riesa'' is derived from Slavic ''Riezowe''. This name, romanised as "Rezoa", appears first in October 1119 in a document from

Pope Callixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

. The world's first 110 kV power line was installed between Riesa and

Lauchhammer Lauchhammer ( dsb, Łuchow) is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in southern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the Black Elster river, approx. 17 km west of Senftenberg, and 50 km north of Dresden. History From 1815 t ...

in 1912. Between 1952 and 1994, Riesa was the seat of a district. During the 1980s, Riesa was the headquarters of the

Group of Soviet Forces in Germany The Western Group of Forces (WGF),. previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG). and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG),. were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupati ...

's 9th Tank Division.

Population history

The town grew from the start of the 20th century due to industrialisation. The population declined after German Reunification in 1989. The local steel works shut and the population fell from 52,000 to 31,000.

Sights

Riesa Elbe Trinitatis church 1897 profile of entrance side district Meißen Saxony photo 2008 Wolfgang Pehlemann Wiesbaden Germany IMG 0022

Riesa has a 25 m tall, 234 tonne,

cast-iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

(GGG 40) sculpture of an oak trunk, named ''Elbquelle'', which means

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...

of the Elbe, by Jörg Immendorff, erected in 1999. Local folk call the sculpture by many other names, most notably "Rostige Eiche", which means "Rusty Oak". In Riesa there are two notable churches. The minster St. Marien was built in 1261 as an addition to the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

Abbey. The

Trinitatis Church The Trinitatis Church (''Trinitatis Kirke'') is located in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the 17th century Trinitatis Complex, which includes the Rundetårn astronomical observatory tower and the Copenhagen University Library, in add ...

was completed in 1897.

Culture

Riesa is well known locally for its pasta, which is produced at ''Teigwaren Riesa GmbH''. Another symbol of Riesa are the ''Riesaer Zündhölzer'', the matches which were traditionally manufactured there. The steel production in Riesa is also well known.

Sport

Riesa has a football club,

BSG Stahl Riesa BSG Stahl Riesa is a German association football club from Riesa in Saxony. History The club was founded as ''SC Riesa'' in 1903 in the cellar of the local pub "Bodega" and was renamed ''Riesaer SV'' two years later. In 1917, they fused with ...

. The club's crest is blue and white, as are the club colours. They play now in the Landesliga Sachsen (6th tier). Riesa is known locally for the '' SACHSENarena'', a large hall which hosted the European

Sumo Wrestling is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

Championship in October 2003 and the World Sumo Wrestling Championship in October 2004.

Twin towns – sister cities

Riesa is twinned with: * Głogów, Poland * Lonato del Garda, Italy * Mannheim, Germany * Rotherham, England, United Kingdom *

Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...

, United States *

Villerupt Villerupt (; lb, Weller) is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. A festival takes place in the commune each year in October-November. Population Notable people from Villerupt * Aurélie Filippetti * Oliv ...

, France * Wuzhong (Suzhou), China

Transport

Empfangshalle, Bahnhof Riesa Bahnhofstraße 50

Riesa railway station Riesa station is the only passenger station of the town of Riesa in the German state of Saxony. It is a regular stop for Intercity and Intercity-Express services. The station is located at kilometer 65.8 of the Leipzig–Dresden railway. In additi ...

is located north of the town's centre, it offers both regional and long-distance services. Riesa is located on Bundesstraße 169, which ensures access to federal motorways A 14 (close to Döbeln, approx. 25 km) and A 13 (close to

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, f ...

, approx. 50 km).

Notable people

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-E0119-0011-002, Dieter Noll

Adolph von Carlowitz Hans Carl Adolph von Carlowitz (25 March 1858 – 9 July 1928) served as a German army commander during the First World War. Early life Coming from an ancient noble family, Carlowitz studied rights at the Leipzig University. In 1879, he entered t ...

(1858–1928), Saxon officer, general of the infantry and war minister * Johannes Müller (1864–1949), theologian * Rolf Moebius (1915–2004), actor * Dieter Noll (1927–2008), writer *

Jürgen Schmieder Jürgen Schmieder (born Jahnishausen 23 June 1952) is a politician, originally from East Germany, who came to prominence during the months immediately preceding German reunification. At the end of January in 1990 he became Chairman (leader) o ...

(born 1952), politician * Monika Zehrt (born 1952), athlete * Heiko Peschke (born 1963), footballer *

Ulf Kirsten Ulf Kirsten (born 4 December 1965) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ''Der Schwatte'' (dialect for ''Der Schwarze'', 'The Black One'), he is the first player in history to reach a total 100 caps play ...

(born 1965), footballer * Rüdiger Heinze (born 1971), film producer and screenwriter * Maximilian Arnold (born 1994), footballer

Associated with the town

* Walter Fritzsch (1920–1997), football coach * Wolfgang Lischke (born 1947), footballer * Peter Kotte (born 1954), footballer *

Harald Czudaj Harald Czudaj (born 14 February 1963) is a German former bobsledder who competed during the 1990s. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he won a gold medal in the four-man event at Lillehammer in 1994. Czudaj also won four medals at the FIBT Wor ...

(born 1963), bobsledder * Ralf Hauptmann (born 1968), footballer

References

External links

Official websiteRiesa tourism siteOfficial Web site of Stahl Riesa Footballclub
* {{Authority control Meissen (district) Populated riverside places in Germany Populated places on the Elbe