Markranstädt () is a town in the

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

district, in

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, Germany. It is situated 11 km southwest of the city of

and has close to 15,000 inhabitants.

Geography

Location

Markranstädt is located about south-west of

city centre, between

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

and the Leipzig housing estate Grünau, to the west of the '' Kulkwitzer See''. It is the only municipality in the ''Landkreis Leipzig'' that lies west of the city.

Divisions

Markranstädt is a municipality consisting of the town itself and the following six ''Ortschaften'' (localities), each containing several ''Ortsteile'' or divisions:Hauptsatzung der Stadt Markranstädt
September 2016. *Frankenheim (incl. Lindennaundorf and Priesteblich) *Großlehna (incl. Altranstädt) *Göhrenz (incl. Albersdorf) *Kulkwitz (incl. Gärnitz and Seebenisch) *Quesitz (incl. Döhlen and Thronitz) *Räpitz (incl. Meyhen, Schkeitbar and Schkölen)

History

The first documentary mention of Markranstädt was in 1285 as the seat of a court. Probably founded as a subsidiary settlement of the neighbouring monastic settlement Altranstädt, it was mentioned as a marketplace in 1287 and as a small town in 1354. The name is also derived from its foundation: it was founded as Ranstädt (ran = "place on cleared land"), while meanwhile Ranstädt became known as Altranstädt (literally "Old Ranstadt"). Ranstädt then obtained the right to hold markets, hence the current name "Markranstädt". In the year 1633, during the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...

, the town was burned by the '. The fire destroyed, amongst other buildings, the town hall and all its records. The plague epidemic of 1634 and the famine of 1639 led to a drastic population decline. In the year 1650 Markranstädt numbered fewer than 150 inhabitants. The next local disaster happened in 1671, as 31 houses were destroyed by a large fire. At the beginning of the 18th century, the town began to recover again. In

1706 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Monday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 26 ** War of Spanish Succession: The uprising by Bavarians aga ...

and

1707 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – John V is crowned King of Portugal and the Algarv ...

, the "Treaties of Altranstädt" were signed. Markranstädt had its brush with world history on 23 July 1807, when

Napoléon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, together with his entourage, stayed overnight in the guesthouse ''Zum Rosenkranz''. In the course of the '' Völkerschlacht'' in 1813 the town was once again adversely affected. Markranstädt experienced an economic boom toward the end of the 19th century. It was concentrated in the

furrier Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific item ...

business, but machine-building flourished also. A

car factory The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, repairing, and modification of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries ...

and Markranstädter Brewery were established. The town was well known until

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

for ''Markranstädter Pilsener'' beer.

Culture

There are frequent musical events in the local church and the town celebrates the "Kinderfest" yearly, which includes big parades and loud music.

Attractions

* Kulkwitz Lake ('' Kulkwitzer See''), with 1.6 square kilometres (400 acres) surface water and 2 square kilometres (500 acres) surrounding area, popular with watersports enthusiasts, holidaymakers and walkers * St. Laurentius town church, built 1518–1525 * Altranstädt Castle (''Schloss Altranstädt'')

Sports

Markranstädt describes itself as a "sports town". The women's handball team of SC Markranstädt plays in the 2nd division of the German League. The men of Markrandstädt Volleyball Club reached the quarterfinal of the 1st division of the German League in 2006. In the same year, the club merged with VV Leipzig to become VC Leipzig. Markranstädt "sports town" club offers a large number of sports, the largest section of which is football,

SSV Markranstädt SSV Markranstädt is a Football in Germany, German association football club from the city of Markranstädt, Saxony near Leipzig. It is part of a larger sports club that also has departments for badminton, cycle ball, gymnastics, table tennis, a ...

RB Leipzig RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig or informally as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional association football, football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company ...

used SSV Markranstädt´s license in the 2009/10 season to enter the German league system in the fifth division. The SSV Markranstädt first team currently plays in the

NOFV-Oberliga Süd The NOFV-Oberliga Süd is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the southern states of the former East Germany. It covers the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Saxony and southern Brandenburg. It is one of fourteen Ob ...

. The Junior-A team also plays in the State League.

Infrastructure

The proximity to the city of Leipzig and to the

Leipzig/Halle Airport Leipzig/Halle Airport is an international airport located in Schkeuditz, Saxony, Germany, and serves both Leipzig, Saxony, and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt. It is a state-owned enterprise and allows 24 hour take off and landing for cargo flights. In ...

(12 km), two interchanges with the motorway A 9, two interchanges with the A 38 and the train station feeding in to the MDV Transport network of Central Germany provide good transport infrastructure. The national roads B 87 and B 186 also intersect in the area of the town.

References

External links

Municipal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Markranstadt Leipzig (district)