Strehla (; , ) is a small town in the district of Meißen,

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 Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is located on the river

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) 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 Republic), then Ge ...

, north of Riesa. This place name means ''

arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

'' in Sorbian. Strehla includes the following subdivisions: *Forberge *Görzig/Trebnitz *Großrügeln *Lößnig *Oppitzsch *Paußnitz *Unterreußen

History

Strehla was first mentioned in 1002, when its castle was set on fire by Polish King Boleslaw I, on his way back to Poland from a meeting with German King Henry; starting the German-Polish War of 1002–1018. During this war, Strehla went back and forth between Polish and German rule. It is situated on the Via Regia Lusatiae Superioris (Royal road of

Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia (, ; , ; ; or ''Milsko''; ) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the north, it makes up the region of Lusatia, named after the Polabian Slavs, Slavic ''Lusici'' tribe. Both parts of Lusatia a ...

), which connected

Görlitz Görlitz (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, East Lusatian: , , ) is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is on the river Lusatian Neisse and is the largest town in Upper Lusatia, the second-largest town in the region of Lusatia after ...

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 ...

. The castle of Strehla belonged to the Pflugk family from the 14th century until 1945. The

Battle of Strehla The Battle of Strehla (20 August 1760) was a military engagement fought during the Seven Years' War between the Kingdom of Prussia and Austria. The Austrian army attacked an outnumbered Prussian corps but was repulsed. The battle was fought near t ...

between Austria and Prussia took place around the town during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. Strehla is also regarded as the point towards the end of

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 ...

where troops of the Western Allies heading East first encountered Soviet troops heading West, at 11:30am on April 25, 1945, when Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue of the

69th Infantry Division (United States) The 69th Infantry Division, nicknamed the "fighting 69th," was a Division of the United States Army formed during World War II. It is distinct from the 69th Infantry Regiment (New York) (the "Fighting 69th"). The shoulder sleeve insignia of th ...

encountered a Russian on horseback at nearby Leckwitz, later identified as a trooper of a Soviet Guards rifle regiment. The later encounter on the same day at 4:40 p.m. in Torgau, about twenty miles to the north, would go into history books as the official link-up. US historian and author Cornelius Ryan, " The Last Battle (Ryan)".

Personalities

* Theodor Schreiber (1848-1912), professor of archeology in Leipzig * Werner Unger (1931-2002), soccer player *

Maximilian Arnold Maximilian Arnold (born 27 May 1994) is a German professional Association football, footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg, which he Captain (association football), captains. An academy graduate of Wolfs ...

(born 1994), soccer player

References

{{Authority control Meissen (district) Populated riverside places in Germany Populated places on the Elbe