Weißenberg (

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 **Ger ...

) or Wóspork (

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 ...

) is a town in the district of Bautzen, in Saxony, Germany. The Upper Lusatian town has approximately 3100 inhabitants and is part of the recognized

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, subdivision ...

in Saxony.

Geography

Weißenberg is located 16 km east of Bautzen/Budyšin in the region of Lusatia. The town borders Malschwitz/Malešecy and Hohendubrau in the north, Vierkirchen and Löbau in the south, and Hochkirch and Kubschütz in the west. It also borders the district 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 ...

. It's near to the border to the Czech Republic.

Subdivisions

* Belgern (Sorbian ''Běła Hora'', which means "white mountain") with Neubelgern ''(Nowa Běła Hora)'', 88 inhabitants * Cortnitz ''(Chortnica)'', 42 inhabitants * Drehsa ''(Droždźij)'', 234 inhabitants * Gröditz ''(Hrodźišćo)'', 246 inhabitants * Grube ''(Jama)'', 27 inhabitants * Kotitz ''(Kotecy)'', 193 inhabitants * Lauske ''(Łusk)'', 139 inhabitants * Maltitz ''(Malećicy)'' with Wasserkretscham ''(Wodowa korčma)'', 265 inhabitants * Nechern '(Njechorń)'', 123 inhabitants * Nostitz ''(Nosaćicy)'', 174 inhabitants * Särka ''(Žarki)'', 166 inhabitants * Spittel ''(Špikały)'', 53 inhabitants * Weicha ''(Wichowy)'', 98 inhabitants * Wuischke ''(Wuježk)'', 53 inhabitants * Wurschen ''(Worcyn)'', 312 inhabitants The actual town of Weißenberg has 977 inhabitants. Weißenberg_Zentrum

History

Weißenberg was founded in 1228 at the Via Regia by Ottokar I of Bohemia and it used to be called Wizenburg, referring to the city's white castle. In 1625, the town was able to buy its freedom from its noble masters for 8,500 thalers, but Weißenberg still had to accept a knightly patron. Today's district of Wurschen is engraved on the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...

in Paris, since 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 ...

on May 20th and 21st. In the 18th century, Weißenberg was still mentioned as a largely Sorbian-inhabited market town, with all residents also speaking

. In the 1880s

Arnošt Muka Arnošt Muka (German: ''Ernst Mucke''; 10 March 1854 – 10 October 1932) was a German and Sorbian writer, linguist and man of science. Muka was born in Großhänchen which is now in the municipality of Burkau, and studied theology, classical la ...

determined a population of 1242, including 300 Sorbs (24%). In 1893 the regular Sorbian services in the Weißenberg church were abolished. 1956, Ernst Tschernik counted a Sorbian-speaking population of only 5.8%, a total of 81 speakers. Today, the Sorbian community in Weißenberg is a big minority. On April 17, 1945, the battlefield of World War II came to Weißenberg for the first time, when Soviet artillery shelled the town's train station. The following day Weißenberg was occupied by Soviet troops. From 1952 to 1990, Weißenberg was part of the Bezirk Dresden of East Germany.

Sights

* Castle of Gröditz * Kotitz: Evangelical church with Jan-Kilian-monument * Riegelmühle in Nechern * Church of Nostitz * The museum ''Alte Pfefferküchlerei'' shows how the traditional Pfefferkuchen are made * Castle of Wurschen

Education

There are two schools in Weißenberg; a 'Grundschule' and a 'Mittelschule'.

Notable people

* Pawoł Nedo (1908–1984), educator and anthropologist Sorbian, Chairman of the Domowina * Benno von Heynitz (1924–2010), resistance fighter and lawyer, founder of Bautzen Committee e. V. and the Bautzen Memorial * Wolfgang Beyer, city historian and former director of the outpatient clinic

In fiction

In James P. Hogan's science fiction novel ''

The Proteus Operation ''The Proteus Operation'' is a science fiction alternate history novel written by James P. Hogan. The plot focuses on an Anglo-American team of soldiers and civilians sent back in time from the Nazi-dominated world of 1975 to prevent an Axis ...

'', Weißenberg was the location of a time machine in Nazi Germany.

Twin towns

* Deckenpfronn (1990) https://www.deckenpfronn.de/de/gemeinde-daten/partnergemeinde

Weblinks

*
Website of Weißenberg

Interactive 360° panorama of Weißenbergs, Marktplatz

References

Towns in Saxony Populated places in Bautzen (district) {{Bautzen-geo-stub