Leisnig (, ) is a small town in the district of

Mittelsachsen Mittelsachsen (, ) is a district ('' Kreis'') in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. History The district was established by merging the former districts of Döbeln, Freiberg and Mittweida as part of the district reform of August 2008. Geog ...

, in the free state of

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 ...

, 50 kilometers southeast of

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 ...

History

A settlement in this location was first mentioned in 1046. The town features

Mildenstein Castle Mildenstein Castle, in German ''Burg Mildenstein'', also called ''Schloss Leisnig'', is located in Leisnig in Landkreis Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany. It is a property of the Free State of Saxony and is administrated by the company State Palaces, ...

which is over 1000 years old. The house Markt 13 shows the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of the Apian family. Leisnig was

Friedrich Olbricht Friedrich Olbricht (4 October 1888 – 21 July 1944) was a German general during World War II. He is known for being one of the plotters involved in the 20 July Plot, an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944. Olbricht was a senior staff o ...

's birthplace. In 1944, he was involved in the

20 July Plot The 20 July plot, sometimes referred to as Operation Valkyrie, was a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the chancellor and leader of Nazi Germany, and overthrow the Nazi regime on 20 July 1944. The plotters were part of the German r ...

assassinate Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, and was executed for his participation in it. The former municipality

Bockelwitz Bockelwitz is a former municipality in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. With effect from 1 January 2012, it has been incorporated into the town of Leisnig Leisnig (, ) is a small town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in the ...

became a part of the town of Leisnig in 2012.Gebietsänderungen vom 01. Januar bis 31. Dezember 2012

Statistisches Bundesamt The Federal Statistical Office (, shortened ''Destatis'') is a federal authority of Germany. It reports to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The Office is responsible for collecting, processing, presenting and analysing statistical informati ...

Points of interest

* Arktisch-Alpiner Pflanzengarten und Alpine Staudengärtnerei, a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

Museums

The museum at Mildenstein Castle was founded in 1890 by th
Leisnig Historical and Antiquarian Society
In addition to an exhibition on the history of the castle, which includes important finds such as Bohemian glasses from the 14th century, there are also newly established exhibitions on the penal system and the Leisnig office. In the boot museum on the outer bailey, inaugurated in 2006, the town's landmark, the Leisnig Giant Boot, is exhibited. In the town hall a small gallery is maintained with exhibitions that change several times a year.

Notable People

Johann von Staupitz Johann von Staupitz ( 1460 – 28 December 1524) was a German Catholic priest and theologian, university preacher, and Vicar General of the Augustinian friars in Germany, who supervised Martin Luther during a critical period in his spiritual life ...

(1465-1524), theologian, confessor of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

Peter Apian Petrus Apianus (April 16, 1495 – April 21, 1552), also known as Peter Apian, Peter Bennewitz, and Peter Bienewitz, was a German Humanism, humanist, known for his works in mathematics, astronomy and cartography. His work on "cosmography", the fie ...

(1495-1552), mathematician, cartographer, geographer and astronomer *

Georg Rimpler Georg Rimpler (born c. 1636, died 1683) was a German military engineer. A well-travelled engineer, Rimpler served in a number of European armies before being appointed Chief Engineer of the Holy Roman Empire in 1681. He was killed during the 1683 ...

(1636-1683), military engineer and author *

(1888-1944), one of the leading figures in connection with the assassination against

July 1944 *

Lothar Voigtländer Lothar Voigtländer (born 3 September 1943) is a German composer. Life Voigtländer was born in Leisnig. He received his formative musical education between 1954 and 1962 as a choirboy and later as choir prefect in the Dresdner Kreuzchor under R ...

(born 1943), composer *

Beate Schramm Beate Schramm (born 21 June 1966) is a German rower and Olympic gold medallist. Between 1986 and 1991, she won four senior world championship titles, after having previously twice been junior world champion. She won gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympic ...

(born 1966), rower *

Kerstin Behrendt Kerstin Behrendt (born 2 September 1967 in Leisnig) is a former Germany, German Track and field athletics, athlete, who mainly competed in the 100 metres, 100 m during her career. Behrendt competed for East Germany at the 1988 Summer Oly ...

(born 1967), athlete

References

External links

* https://www.leisnig.de - Official website of the city
News from Leisnig

Castle Mildenstein
* Mittelsachsen {{Mittelsachsen-geo-stub