Mittweida () is a town in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, in the

Mittelsachsen Mittelsachsen ("Central Saxony") 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 Augu ...

district.

Geography

Mittweida is situated on the river

Zschopau Zschopau (), is a town in the Erzgebirgskreis district of Saxony, Germany. Geography The town is located on the northwestern slopes of the Ore Mountains, on both banks of the Zschopau River, about south-east from Chemnitz. The highest point ...

, 18 km north of

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany ...

, and 54 km west of

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

. Embedded within the steep hills and valleys of the river and two smaller creeks, the town is green and picturesque. Mittweida has a station on the Riesa–Chemnitz railway. A branch line, closed in 1997, served the industries in nearby Dreiwerden and Ringethal. Major roads are the state roads S200, S201, and S247, connecting the town with various federal roads and the motorway A4 which passes south-east of Mittweida.

History

The town was first mentioned in 1209. In 1286 it was known as ''civitas'' and ''oppidum''. Weaving of wool and linen were major occupations of the inhabitants in the Middle Ages, and after a spinning mill was founded in 1816, the town grew into one of the major textile-producing centers in Saxony of the 20th century. Mittweida was already a sizeable town in the mid-16th century, and despite having more inhabitants than Rochlitz, it had remained part of Amt and Amtshauptmannschaft Rochlitz for many years. In 1924 it became a separate urban district. During World War II, a subcamp of Flossenbürg concentration camp was located in Mittweida. In 1946 the town was reintegrated into Landkreis Rochlitz and was transferred to

Kreis Hainichen Kreis is the German word for circle. Kreis may also refer to: Places * , or circles, various subdivisions roughly equivalent to counties, districts or municipalities ** Districts of Germany (including and ) ** Former districts of Prussia, als ...

in 1952. Landkreis Mittweida was formed from the districts Rochlitz and Hainichen in 1994, it was integrated into

Landkreis Mittelsachsen Mittelsachsen ("Central Saxony") 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 ...

in 2008.

Buildings and culture

Of interest are the Gothic church from the 15/16th century, the old town, the historic and technical museums and the nearby

Kriebstein Kriebstein is a municipality in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad ...

castle. Mittweida is home to a

University of Applied Sciences A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...

with about 5000 students. Founded in the late 19th century, it is known far beyond the Saxon borders. Among its students were

August Horch August Horch (12 October 1868 – 3 February 1951) was a German engineer and automobile pioneer, the founder of the manufacturing giant which would eventually become Audi. Beginnings Horch was born in Winningen, Rhenish Prussia. His ini ...

Walter Bruch Walter Bruch (2 March 1908 – 5 May 1990) was a German electrical engineer and pioneer of German television. He was the inventor of Closed-circuit television. He invented the PAL colour television system at Telefunken in the early 1960s. In add ...

Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen (30 July 1878 – 12 August 1964) was a Danish engineer and industrialist. Life The son of a shipmaster who died when Rasmussen was still a young child, he attended middle school in Nakskov and in 1894 began an appre ...

, and

Gerhard Neumann Gerhard Neumann (October 8, 1917 – November 2, 1997) was an American aviation engineer and executive for General Electric's aircraft engine division (which today is called GE Aviation). Born and raised in Germany, he went to China shortly be ...

Mayors

* 1960–1972 Günter Kluge (SED) * 1972–1988 Max Gerhard Imhof (SED) * 1988–1989 Hans Günter Beulich (SED) * 1990 Helene Gerda Wunderlich (SED) * 1990–2001 Bruno Rudolf Kny (CDU) * 2001–2015 Matthias Damm (CDU) * since 2015 Ralf Schreiber

Notable people

Manfred Halpern Manfred Halpern (February 1, 1924 in Mittweida, Germany – January 14, 2001 in Princeton, USA), a transformation theorist, noted scholar of the Middle East, and author of the foundational study of post-imperial politics in the Middle East, The Pol ...

(1924-2001), political scientist *

Heinrich Gottlieb Tzschirner Heinrich Gottlieb Tzschirner (14 November 1778 – 17 February 1828) was a German Protestant theologian born in Mittweida, Saxony. He studied theology at the University of Leipzig, receiving his habilitation in 1800 with assistance from Dres ...

(1778-1828), Protestant theologian *

Johannes Schilling Johannes Schilling (23 June 1828 in Mittweida – 21 March 1910 in Klotzsche near Dresden) was a German sculptor. Life and work Johannes Schilling was the youngest of five children. A year after his birth, his family moved to Dresden, where he ...

(1828-1910), sculptor *

Rudolf Hasse Rudolf Hasse (30 May 1906 – 12 August 1942) was a German racing driver who won the 1937 Belgian Grand Prix. Hasse was born in Mittweida, Saxony, and died while serving on the Russian front during World War II in a military hospital in Makiivk ...

(1906-1942), racing driver * Paul Dittel (1907-1976?), Head of Amt VII of the Reichsicherheitshauptamt and SS Obersturmburführer * Erich Loest (1926-2013), writer * Peter Moreth (born 1941), politician (LDPD) *

Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden (born 22 June 1975) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 1998 and 2013. His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and finishing second in the gen ...

(born 1975), cyclist *

Antje Traue Antje Traue (; born 18 January 1981) is a German actress. She appeared in her first English-language role for the film ''Pandorum''. Internationally, she is best known for her portrayal of the villain Faora in the 2013 Superman movie '' Man of S ...

(born 1981), actress

Twin towns – sister cities

Mittweida is twinned with: * Bornheim, Germany *

Česká Lípa Česká Lípa (; german: Böhmisch Leipa) is a town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 37,000 inhabitants and it is the most populated town of the Czech Republic without city status. The town centre is well preserved and is ...

, Czech Republic *

Gabrovo Gabrovo ( bg, Габрово ) is a town in central northern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Gabrovo Province. It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an internat ...

, Bulgaria * Viersen, Germany

References

External links

* Mittelsachsen {{Mittelsachsen-geo-stub