Hohnstein () is a town located in the
Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge
Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains (, ) is a district ('' Kreis'') in Saxony, Germany. It is named after the mountain ranges Saxon Switzerland and Eastern Ore Mountains.
History
The district was established by merging the former districts ...
district 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 ...
, in eastern
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 ...
. As of 2020, its population numbered a total of 3,262.
Geography
It is situated in
Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland (, ) is a hilly climbing area and national park in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. It is located around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany, adjoining Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic. Toge ...
, 12 km east of
Pirna
Pirna (; , ) is a town in Saxony, Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a ''Große ...
, and 28 km southeast of
Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
(centre). It is dominated by its castle, standing on a sandstone rock.
The municipal territory includes the villages (''Ortsteile'') of Cunnersdorf, Ehrenberg, Goßdorf, Lohsdorf, Rathewalde,
Ulbersdorf
Ulbersdorf is a village in Saxon Switzerland in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge in southeastern Saxony, Germany. It was mentioned first in 1432 as ''Olbersdorff'' and is part of the town of Hohn ...
and Waitzdorf.
History
In 1900, the town had a population of 1,321.
During the German
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
at the start 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 ...
, in September 1939, the
Oflag IV-A prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...
for Polish officers was established at the
local castle, and from 1940 it also held
French and Belgian officers and orderlies.
In 1941, the Oflag IV-A was dissolved, and the
Stalag IV-A POW camp was relocated to Hohnstein from Elsterhorst.
[ It held Polish, French, British, Belgian, Serbian, Dutch, Soviet, ]Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
, American, Slovak, Czech and Bulgarian POWs, and was liberated by the Soviets in April 1945.[
]
Gallery
File:Hohnstein - Burg und Stadt von Osten.JPG, View of the town and the castle.
File:Hohnstein - Blick auf die Stadtkirche - geo-en.hlipp.de - 11321.jpg, Town's church
File:Rathewalde_church.jpg, Church in Rathewalde
File:Amselfall_2014.jpg, The Amsel Falls near Rathewalde
File:Hockstein Schutzhütte.jpg, Shelter on the Hockstein in the Saxon Switzerland National Park
See also
* Hohnstein Castle (Saxon Switzerland)
* Schwarzbach Railway
* Goßdorf-Kohlmühle railway station
*Ulbersdorf railway station
Ulbersdorf () is a railway station in the village of Ulbersdorf, Saxony, Germany. The station lies on the Bautzen–Bad Schandau railway. The station is served by one train service, operated by DB Regio in cooperation with České dráhy: the ''N ...
References
External links
*Newsreel WK2 from a private archive: http://www.archiv-akh.de/filme#1549 (Material Nr 1966, Time 10:17:28)
Populated places in Saxon Switzerland
{{SächsischeSchweizOsterzgebirge-geo-stub