Annaburg () is a town in Wittenberg district in Saxony-Anhalt,
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 was the seat of the former ''
Verwaltungsgemeinschaft
Municipal associations (, , ) are statutory corporations or public bodies created by statute in the German federal states of Bavaria, Saxony, Thuringia, and Schleswig-Holstein. In Baden-Württemberg the term ''stipulated municipal association ...
''
Annaburg-Prettin.
Constituent communities
The town Annaburg consists of the following ''Ortschaften'' or municipal divisions:
[Neufassung der Hauptsatzung der Stadt Annaburg]
23 February 2021.
*Annaburg
*
Axien
*
Bethau
*
Groß Naundorf
*
Labrun
Labrun is a village and a former municipality in Wittenberg district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Annaburg. The municipality belonged to the administrative municipality (''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'') of ...
*
Lebien
*Löben
*
Plossig
*Premsendorf
*
Prettin
*Purzien
History
In the 13th century, the
Ascanians built a hunting lodge on the site of today's Annaburg. This stately edifice, however, burnt down in 1422. Duke Albrecht III of Saxony-Wittenberg found himself inside the lodge when it caught fire. He and his wife escaped through a window clad only in their night clothes. The fire killed many of Albrecht's entourage, and indeed it claimed his life too, a few days later as a result of his injuries. This actually influenced the region's history, as Albrecht had no heir. With his death, the Ascanian dynasty came to an end.
In 1498, a
zoölogical garden was built.
Until 1572, Annaburg was called Lochau and was, until it was abolished for good in 1821, the seat of the ''
Amt'' of Annaburg. In 1550, Lochau was home to 40 men who owned land, among them eight draught cattle raisers, one feudal judge, nine gardeners and 22 "suburbanites" who lived somewhere just outside Lochau.
The first Saxon court
pharmacy
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...
is also to be found in Annaburg.
The Elector August's wife was
Anna of Denmark), Danish King
Christian III's daughter. For her, the stately home – and thereby also the town – were renamed. Since 1762, the aforesaid residence has been the site of a military youth institute in which more than 500 pupils aged 11 to 15 have been educated for free by military personnel of Protestant (''evangelisch'') faith. Furthermore, there existed another junior officer preparatory school in a newly built barracks.
In July 1754, Johann Christian Noack, "der ''Malificant''" (''i.e.'' "the Wrongdoer") was put to death on the
breaking wheel and left there to deter others from a life of evil deeds. It was one of the last such executions.
From 1780, the ''Amt'' actuary, Christian August Seidel, ran a
mulberry
''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...
orchard
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...
in Annaburg.
From 1815 to 1944, Annaburg was part of the
Prussian Province of Saxony.
After losing town rights in the 17th century, they were granted Annaburg once again in 1939.
In 1942, Annaburg served as the holding camp of Indian POWs of the
British Indian Army, captured in the North African campaigns. This was done at the behest of the Indian nationalist leader,
Subhas Chandra Bose
Subhas Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945) was an Indian independence movement, Indian nationalist whose defiance of British raj, British authority in India made him a hero among many Indians, but his wartime alliances with ...
; and as a staging ground to create a
Free India Legion (eventually absorbed under oath to the German army) to fight for Indian independence from British rule.
From 1944 to 1945, Annaburg was part of the Province of
Halle-Merseburg.
After
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 ...
, Annaburg was incorporated into the Province (since 1947, State) of
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 ...
from 1945 to 1952 and the
Bezirk Cottbus of
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
from 1952 to 1990. Since 1990, Annaburg has been part of
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 ...
.
File:Annaburg_Vorderschloss.jpg, Vorderschloss
File:Annaburg_Hinterschloss.jpg, Hinterschloss
File:Annaburg_Grundschule.jpg, Primary school
File:Annaburg_Sekundarschule.jpg, Secondary school
Personalities
*
Justus Christian Thorschmidt (1688–1738), clergyman and historian
*
Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (1463-1525), also ''Frederick the Wise'', Elector of Saxony, resided in Lochau from about 1500 and died here in 1525

*
Anne of Denmark, Electress of Saxony (1532-1585), called '' Mother Anna '', Electress of Saxony and wife of Augustus I. Saxony, named after the town Annaburg, resided in the newly built castle Lochau (later Annaburg), castle Annaburg housed the first Saxon court pharmacy
*
Michael Stifel (1487-1567), theologian, mathematician and reformer, was collaborator of Martin Luther and worked as pastor in Lochau (now Annaburg)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Wittenberg (district)