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Dessauis a district of the independent city ofDessau-Roßlauin Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the riversMuldeandElbe,in theBundesland(Federal State) ofSaxony-Anhalt.Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent city. The population of Dessau is 67,747 (Dec. 2020).[1]
Dessau | |
---|---|
Coordinates:51°50′N12°15′E/ 51.833°N 12.250°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | Saxony-Anhalt |
District | Urban district |
Town | Dessau-Roßlau |
Area | |
• Total | 182.81 km2(70.58 sq mi) |
Elevation | 61 m (200 ft) |
Population (2020-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 67,747 |
• Density | 370/km2(960/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00(CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00(CEST) |
Postal codes | 06811-06849 |
Dialling codes | 0340 |
Vehicle registration | DE |
Website | www.dessau.de |
Geography
editDessau is situated on a floodplain where theMuldeflows into theElbe.This causes yearly floods. The worst flood took place in the year 2002, when the Waldersee district was nearly completely flooded. The south of Dessau touches a well-wooded area called Mosigkauer Heide. The highest elevation is a 110 m high former rubbish dump called Scherbelberg in the southwest of Dessau. Dessau is surrounded by numerous parks and palaces that make it one of the greenest towns in Germany.
History
editDessau was first mentioned in 1213. It became an important centre in 1570, when thePrincipality of Anhaltwas founded. Dessau became the capital of this state within theHoly Roman Empire.In 1603, the state was split into four – later five – Anhalts, Dessau becoming the capital of the mini-state ofAnhalt-Dessau.In 1863 two of the noble lines died out, and the Duchy of Anhalt became reunited. From 1918 to 1945, Dessau was the capital of theFree State of Anhalt.
Dessau is famous as the second site of theBauhausschool. It moved here in 1925 after it had been forced to close inWeimar.Many famous artists were lecturers in Dessau in the following years, among themWalter Gropius,Paul KleeandWassily Kandinsky.TheNazis’ control of Dessau city council forced the closure of the Dessau Bauhaus in 1932. The school moved toBernau bei Berlinand closed its doors for the last time in 1933.
The town was almost completely destroyed by Allied air raids inWorld War IIon 7 March 1945, six weeks before American troops occupied the town. Afterwards, it was rebuilt with typicalGDRconcrete slab architecture (Plattenbau) and became a major industrial centre ofEast Germany.SinceGerman reunificationin 1990, many historic buildings have been restored.
The composerKurt Weillwas born in Dessau. Since 1993, the city has hosted an annual Kurt Weill Festival. Dessau was also the birthplace of the philosopherMoses Mendelssohn(in 1729), andLeopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau(der alte Dessauer) (on 3 July 1676), a lauded field marshal for theKingdom of Prussia.
In January 2005, Dessau gained notoriety for the mysterious death of a Sierra Leonean convicted drug trafficker and failed asylum seeker,Oury Jalloh.
Sights
editCastles and gardens
edit- Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz,(Dessau-Wörlitzer Gartenreich) is aWorld Heritage Sitelandscape garden. It is an exceptional example of 18th centuryAge of Enlightenmentlandscape design in the English style.[2]
- Dresden Elbe Valley
- Zoo at Mausoleumspark
- Wallwitzburg
- Rondell
- remains of theDessau Palace(Johannbau)
- Georgium Palace and Park
- Kühnau Palace and Park
- Mosigkau Palace and Park
- Luisium Palace and Park
- Erbprinzliches Palais Dessau(demolished)
The Bauhaus
editThere are several examples ofBauhausarchitecture in Dessau, some of which are part of theBauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and BernauWorld Heritage Site. This includes the Bauhaus Dessau school building, designed byWalter Gropius,which is one of the iconic modernist buildings of the 20th century.[3]
In addition to the buildings that are part of the World Heritage Site, other notable Bauhaus architecture in Dessau includes:
- Dessau-Törten Estate, designed by Walter Gropius in 1926–1928.[4]
- Stahlhaus(Steel House), designed byGeorg Mucheand Richard Paulick in 1926–1927.[5]
- Fieger Haus,designed byCarl Fiegerin 1927.[6]
- TheKornhaus,a restaurant overlooking the river Elbe designed by Carl Fieger in 1929–1930.[7]
- Arbeitsamt(Employment office), designed by Walter Gropius in 1928–1929. It is now the Dessau-RoßlauAmt für Ordnung und Verkehr(Authority of Public Security and Regulations).[8]
Churches
edit- St. Mary's Church
- St. John's Church
- Georgenkirche
- Petruskirche
- Auferstehungskirche
- Pauluskirche
- Christuskirche
- Propsteikirche St. Peter and Paul
- Dreieinigkeit
- St. Josef
Other sights
edit- Townhall, built in 1901
- The palaces of Waldersee and Dietrich, today used as libraries
- General post office
- New water tower
- Umweltbundesamt(formerly Wörlitzer Bahnhof)
- Footbridge crossing the river Mulde
Culture
editTheatres and museums
edit- Anhaltisches Theater[9]includingGregor Seyffert& Compagnie[10]
- City history museum
- Anhalt Art Gallery at Georgium Palace with park (currently closed)
- Mosigkau Palace museum
- Luisium Castle museum with park
- OranienbaumPalace museum with park
- Museum of Natural- and Prehistory
- Moses Mendelssohn-Centre
- Hugo JunkersTechnical Museum
- UCI Cinema Complex
- Kiez-Cinema (one of the smallest Cinemas in Germany)[11]
Regional media
edit- Mitteldeutsche Zeitung(daily newspaper, Monday-Saturday)
- Wochenspiegel(free newspaper on Wednesday) andSupersonntag(free newspaper on Sunday)
- REGJO(quarterly Economy Journal for the Region ofLeipzig/Halle)
- leo[12](monthly, regional Event- and Culture Magazine)
- local Studios of theMDRand SAW (Radiostations)
- local TV Stations: RAN 1 and Offener Kanal Dessau
Transport
editPublic transport
editTheDessau tramway networkhas three lines and is supplemented by numerous bus lines. Dessau's public transport is operated byDessauer Verkehrsgesellschaft (DVG), which transports around 6 million people each year.
Railway stations
editDessau Hauptbahnhof(main station) has connections toMagdeburg,Berlin,Leipzig,Halle,Bitterfeldand LutherstadtWittenberg.Theline from Berlinwas opened on 1 September 1840. TheDessau-Bitterfeld line(opened on 17 August 1857) was electrified in 1911, the first fully electrified long-distance railway in Germany. Dessau was part of theInterCitylong-distance network until the year 2002. Regional trains also stop at the stations Dessau-Süd, Dessau-Alten, Dessau-Mosigkau and Rodleben. TheDessau-Wörlitzer-Eisenbahn(railway) connects Dessau toWörlitz,a town situated 15 km to the east, and theWörlitzer Park.The starting point of this railway is the main station. This train also stops at the stations Dessau-Waldersee and Dessau-Adria.
Roads
editIn 1938 theautobahnA9(Munich-Berlin) was built southeast of the town area. The two exits to Dessau on the A9 are called Dessau-Ost and Dessau-Süd. Dessau is also crossed by theBundesstrassen(federal roads) B 184 and B 185.
Airfield
editTheairfieldof Dessau (ICAO: EDAD) is situated northwest of the town between the districts Kleinkühnau, Alten, and Siedlung. A destination with a charter airplane is possible. The runway has a length of 1000 m. TheHugo JunkersTechnical Museum is situated in the neighbourhood directly east of the airfield, with the eastern end of the modern runway almost directly abutting the historical World War II Junkers factory airstrip's western end.
Water
editToday the Leopoldshafen (harbour) is used for annual international motorboat racing events. The "Wallwitzhafen" is used as a private pleasure boat harbour and the Elbehafen near the Grain House is used for cruisers. The next harbour for goods is situated inRosslau.
Bikes
editDessau is located in the flat landscape of theSaxon Lowland.The local bike paths have a length of about 146 km and connect all major parks and sights.
Sports
editSports like soccer, cycling, handball, volleyball, gymnastics, table tennis and tennis have a long tradition and are very popular in Dessau. The former soccer teamSG Waggonbau Dessauwon theGDRsoccer cup in 1949. The handball team played in theGDROberliga and since 1990 they are playing in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga. Currently, Dessau has around 80 sport clubs with over 13,500 members. Next to the traditional sports, Dessau has active sport clubs in the following disciplines: aikido, badminton, basketball, canoeing, chess, climbing, cycling, dancing, fishing, horse riding, karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, motorboat, rowing, speedskating, sailing, skittles, skydiving, squash, swimming, table tennis, water polo, wrestling and others.
Facilities
edit- Numerous sports fields (more than 10)
- Skittle alleys (6)
- Tennis courts (3)
- Boathouses (3)
- Indoor swimming pools (2)
- Paul-Greifzu-Stadion(22,000 capacity)
- Speedskating course
- Zuckerturm climbing tower
- Anhalt Arena Dessau (3,600 capacity)
- Airfield Dessau
- Rifle range
Governance
editThe borough of Dessau was first mentioned in 1372. The head of the town of Schultheiss was appointed by the count. Together with a few assessors, the Schultheiss formed the town council. As of 1372, the town council was divided into two agencies, as of 1600 into three agencies, and as of 1785 again into two agencies. The Schultheiss of Dessau changed nearly every year until the town council constitution was cancelled in 1832. Afterwards Dessau became a Town Council and a Town Delegation Constitution. Since 1852 the town leader has the title of mayor. Duringthe National Socialist periodthe mayor was appointed by the party (NSDAP). AfterWorld War II,theSovietsformed an executive council with a mayor. The town council constitution was elected by the people. SinceGerman reunificationthis committee has been freely elected. Since 1994 it has been called the Stadtrat. Since 1994, the mayor is directly elected by the people.
In 2007, Dessau became part of the municipality of Dessau-Roßlau.
Mayor
editPeter Kuras(born 1958) was elected mayor of Dessau-Roßlau in June 2014 with 75.82% of the votes for a term of seven years. He is the successor ofKlemens Koschig(born 1957, independent), who was elected in 2007 with 56.8% of the votes.
Town Council (Stadtrat)
editConsists of the following parties: (Local elections from 25 May 2014)
- CDU (14 seats)
- The Left (11 seats)
- The Greens (3 seats)
- SPD (7 seats)
- Pro Dessau (5 seats)
- AfD (3 seats)
- FDP (2 seats)
- Neues Forum (2 seats)
- Bürgerliste (2 seats)
- NPD 1 seat
Town twinning
editDessau is twinned with:
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Education
edit- Anhalt Universityof Applied Sciences (Architecture, Facility Management, Design and Geoinformatics)[14]
- Learning Centre from the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (Halle/ Dessau)
- Anhalt Vocational School CentreHugo JunkersI, II, and III (Chapon-School)
- Grammar SchoolWalter Gropius
- Grammar School Liborius
- Grammar School "Philantropinum"
European subsidies
editDessau is part of the EU-URBAN programme. This programme is based on the integrated approach that is used for tackling the environmental, economical and social problems, affecting the deprived urban areas. There are several projects in Dessau sponsored via this subsidy.[citation needed]
Notable people
editAcademics
edit- Peter Lebrecht Schmidt(1933–2019), German classical scholar
Aristocracy and military
edit- George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau(1507–1553), prince
- Bernhard VII, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst(1540–1570), prince
- John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau(1596–1660), prince
- John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau(1627–1693), prince and Prussian field marshal
- Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau(1676–1747), ruler of Anhalt-Dessau from 1693 to 1747
- Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau(1700–1751), prince and Prussian general
- Dietrich of Anhalt-Dessau(1702–1769), prince and Prussian field marshal
- Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau(1833–1916), Duchess of Nassau and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
- Eduard, Duke of Anhalt(1861–1918), Prince of the House of Ascania and the penultimate ruler of theDuchy of Anhaltin 1918
- Oswald Boelcke(1891-1916), World War I air ace
- Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt(1901–1947), the last ruler of theDuchy of Anhalt
Science and philosophy
edit- Moses Mendelssohn(1729–1786), German Jewish philosopher, father of Haskalah
- Heinrich Schwabe(1789–1875), astronomer and botanist, worked onsunspots
- Karl Adolph von Basedow(1799–1854), a German physician
- Max Müller(1823–1900), philologist and Orientalist
- Franz Woepcke(1826–1864), an historian, Orientalist and mathematician
- Friedrich Preisigke(1856–1924), a German Egyptologist and papyrologist
- Hugo Junkers(1859–1935), German engineer and airplane designer, constructed first airplane made from metal, founded theJunkers & Co
- Gustav Lindau(1866–1923), mycologist and botanist
- Johannes Winkler(1897–1947), launched the first liquid-fuelled rocket in Europe at Dessau
- Hans von Ohain(1911–1998), physicist, designer of the first jet engine
- Gernot Böhme(1937–2022), philosopher and author
The arts
edit- Wilhelm Karl Rust(1787–1855), a German pianist
- Friedrich von Olivier(1791–1859), a German history painter in the Romantic style
- Wilhelm Müller(1794–1827), lyric poet, best known for theLiederofFranz Schubert
- Ludwig Philippson(1811–1889), writer and rabbi, founder ofAllgemeine Zeitung des Judentums
- Wilhelm Rust(1822–1892), composer, musicologist, Bach researcher and choirmaster
- Bernhard Cossmann(1822–1910), a German cellist
- Friedrich Grützmacher(1832–1903), cellist and composer
- Leopold Grützmacher(1835-1900), a German cellist and composer.
- Erna Schorlemmer(1875-1945), a German composer
- Julius Schubring(1839–1914), classical scholar
- Henriette Johanne Marie Müller(1841–1916), a street character identified with Hamburg
- August Klughardt(1847–1902), composer and conductor[15]
- Kurt Weill(1900–1950), composer, grew up in Dessau, worked withBertolt Brecht,
- Gerhard Nebel(1903–1974), writer, essayist and cultural critic
- Ursula Herking(1912–1974), actress and cabaret artist[16]
- Anne-Marie Lauenstein (1923–2010), first German war bride to emigrate to the US in 1946
- Herbert Tobias(1924–1982), fashion photographer
- Horst Bollmann(1925–2014), a German film and television actor[17]
- Gerhard Stolze(1926–1979), a German operatic tenor
- Karl-Heinz Kämmerling(1930–2012), professor of piano
- Brigitte Grothum(born 1935), a German film actress[18]
- Dieter Hallervorden(born 1935), comedian, cabaret artist and singer, hon. citizen of Dessau[19]
- Imi Knoebel(born 1940), a German artist of minimalist, abstract painting and sculpture
- Emil Schult(born 1946), painter, poet and musician
- Thomas Kretschmann(born 1962), actor[20]
- Annette Schlünz(born 1964), a German musician and composer
- Michael Flade(born 1975), German composer of electronic music
Sports
edit- Ameli Koloska(born 1944), javelin thrower, competed in the1968 Summer Olympics
- Danny Fuchs(born 1976), retired Bundesliga football player
- Carsten Rump(born 1981), a retired German footballer with 436 club caps
Gallery
edit-
Dessau with the remains of theDessau Palaceand Mulde river
-
Hunting bridge over the Mulde (b. 1993)
-
Junkers-works in Dessau and portrait of its founder
-
Side view of the Rathaus Dessau
References
edit- ^abEinwohner mit Hauptwohnsitz am 31.12.2020(OR 07-21, SBB1-5), Stadt Dessau-Roßlau, accessed 28 September 2021.
- ^Unesco. Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz.Retrieved 2 January 2019
- ^"Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau".UNESCO.Retrieved29 December2018.
- ^Bauhaus Dessau Foundation. Dessau-Törten Estate.Retrieved 2 January 2019
- ^Bauhaus Dessau Foundation. Steel House.Retrieved 2 January 2019
- ^Bauhaus Dessau Foundation. Fieger House.Retrieved 2 January 2019
- ^Bauhaus Dessau Foundation. Kornhaus.Retrieved 2 January 2019
- ^Bauhaus Dessau Foundation. Employment Office.Retrieved 2 January 2019
- ^[1],Anhalt Theatre (German)
- ^[2],Gregor Seyffert Company (English and German)
- ^[3],Kiez Cinema Website (German)
- ^[4],leo Magazine (German)
- ^"Dessau-Rosslau".Archived fromthe originalon 27 August 2007.Retrieved18 June2007.,Twin Towns from www.dessau.de
- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 15 June 2007.Retrieved18 June2007.
{{cite web}}
:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link),Anhalt University Website - ^New International Encyclopedia.1905. .
- ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 21 September 2019
- ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 21 September 2019
- ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 21 September 2019
- ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 21 September 2019
- ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 21 September 2019
External links
edit- Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). .Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 08 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Official Website of Dessau(English and German)