Lommatzsch (; , ) is a municipality located in the
district of Meißen 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 ...
.
Geography
Lommatzsch lies amidst the so-called ''Lommatzscher Pflege'', an area of land featuring high quality
loess
A loess (, ; from ) is a clastic rock, clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loesses or similar deposition (geology), deposits.
A loess ...
ic soil and therefore mainly used agriculturally.
Subdivisions
Albertitz, Altlommatzsch, Altsattel, Arntitz, Barmenitz, Birmenitz, Churschütz, Daubnitz, Dennschütz, Dörschnitz, Grauswitz, Ickowitz, Jessen, Klappendorf, Krepta, Lautzschen, Löbschütz, Lommatzsch, Marschütz, Mögen, Neckanitz, Paltzschen, Petzschwitz, Piskowitz, Pitschütz, Poititz, Prositz, Rauba, Roitzsch, Scheerau, Schwochau, Sieglitz, Striegnitz, Trogen, Wachtnitz, Weitzschenhain, Wuhnitz, Zöthain, Zscheilitz.
History
The town's name is derived from the West Slavic
Glomacze tribe (''Daleminzier'' in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
), who settled here around 800 C.E. at the ''Glomuci''
sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...
, a now dry lake north of the town. Lommatzsch in the
Margraviate of Meissen
The Margravate or Margraviate of Meissen () was a medieval principality in the area of the modern German state of Saxony. It originally was a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, created out of the vast ''Marca Geronis'' ( Saxon Eastern March ...
was first mentioned as Lomats in a 1286 deed. Other previous variations of the name recorded include:
* 1190 Thiemo de Lomacz
* 1206 Heinricus sacerdos de Lomaz
* 1286 Lomats
* 1308 Lomatsch
* 1350 Lamacz, Lowmacz
* 1408 Lommaczsch
* 1500 Lumbatzsch
* 1518 Lumbicz
* 1547 Lommatz, Lommitsch, Lummitsch
On 12 August 1330, the
Wettin margrave
Frederick I Frederick I or Friedrich I may refer to:
* Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht.
* Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978)
* Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105)
* Frederick I ...
ceded to the Meissen
burgrave
Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from , ), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especially a royal or episcopal castle, and its territory called a ''Burgraviate'' or ''Burgr ...
the tax receipts from the Lommatzsch citizens for having the right to
brew beer. A mayor and a board was mentioned in 1386, the council's constitution of 1412 ordered a mayor and 9 boardmembers. In 1423 Lommatzsch with the Meissen margraviate was merged into the
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony ( or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356 to 1806 initially centred on Wittenberg that came to include areas around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. It was a ...
under Wettin rule.
The current
Saint Wenceslaus parish church was erected from 1504 onwards, three
Gothic spikes were set on the tower of a predecessor building and a
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
was added. The town became
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
in 1539, when Ambrosius Naumann became first Evangelical
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...
. The
town hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
in its current size was erected from 1550 to 1555, and the Saint Wenceslaus Church received its first tower clock in 1591. In 1607 and 1611 the town was heavily affected by
plague epidemics, leaving 1350 dead, soon followed by the destructive
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
: after Elector
John George I of Saxony had sided with King
, Lommatzsch was burnt down in 1632 by
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...
's Imperial troops and again in 1645, after the Elector had switched sides, by
Swedish forces under General
Lennart Torstenson
Lennart Torstensson (17 August 1603 – 7 April 1651), Swedish List of Swedish field marshals, Field Marshal and later Governor-General of Pomerania, Västergötland, Dalsland, Värmland and Halland. He adapted the use of artillery on the battlef ...
. Nevertheless, Saxony rose quickly after the war. Under Elector
Frederick Augustus I, a Saxon stagecoach
milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...
was erected on the market square.
People
Honorary citizens
*
Robert Volkmann
Friedrich Robert Volkmann (6 April 1815 – 30 October 1883) was a German composer.
Life
Robert Volkmann was born in Lommatzsch near Meißen in the Kingdom of Saxony. His father, a music director for a church, trained him in music to prepare him ...
, (1815-1883), composer
*
Carl Menzel, (1844-1923), entrepreneur for the production of glas
*
Gerhard Menzel
Gerhard Menzel (29 September 1894 – 4 May 1966) was a German screenwriter. He wrote for nearly 40 films between 1933 and 1965. He was supportive of Nazism and worked for Nazi propaganda. He was responsible for writing the script of '' Heim ...
, (1911-1997), entrepreneur
*
Terence Hill
Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with hi ...
, (born 1939 as Mario Girotti), film star, spent part of his childhood in Lommatzsch, due to his mother coming from
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 ...
.
Sons and daughters of the town
*
Hans Fährmann (1860-1940), composer and organist
*
Reiner Frieske (born 1940), handball goalkeeper
* Horst Frank (1942-1962) died at the Berlin Wall
References
{{Authority control
Meissen (district)