Pegau () is a town in the

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 ...

district in

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, situated in a fertile plain, on the

White Elster The White Elster (, ) is a river in central Europe. It is a right tributary of the Saale. The source of the White Elster is in the westernmost part of the Czech Republic, in the territory of Hazlov. After a few kilometres, it flows into easte ...

, 18 m. S.W. from

by the railway to Zeitz. It has two Evangelical churches, that of St. Lawrence being a fine Gothic structure, a 16th-century town-hall; a very old hospital and an agricultural school. In the 19th Century, its industries included the manufacture of felt, boots and metal wares.

Rathaus

The ''Rathaus'' (town hall) is located in the middle of the city and has a distinctive character. It was built from 1559 to 1561 by Paul Widemann and

Hieronymus Lotter Hieronymus Lotter (* around 1497 in Nuremberg; † 22 July 1580 in Geyer / Ore Mountains) was a merchant and several times List of mayors of Leipzig, mayor of Leipzig, construction manager for important Landeshoheit, sovereign building projects in ...

in the style of the German Renaissance. It is extremely similar to Leipzig's ''Altes Rathaus'' (built-in 1556/57), which Widemann and Lotter had previously worked on. The ''Rathausturm'' (town hall tower) can be climbed during the summer season. At a height of 30 meters, the tower offers a panoramic view in which the viewer can sometimes see to Leipzig. The town hall is the seat of the city administration and has a large meeting hall, which is used for youth consecration, graduation parties, and other festivities.

History

Pegau grew up around a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

founded in 1096 by

Wiprecht of Groitzsch Wiprecht (or Wigbert) of Groitzsch (died 22 May 1124) was the Margrave of Meissen and the Saxon Ostmark from 1123 until his death. He was born to a noble family of the Altmark, the son of Wiprecht of Balsamgau and Sigena of Leinungen. After his fa ...

but does not appear as a town before the close of the 12th century. Markets were held here and its prosperity was further enhanced by its position on the main road running east and west. In the monastery, which was dissolved in 1539, a valuable chronicle was compiled, the ''Annales pegavienses'', covering the period from 1039 to 1227. The town hosted witch trials in 1604-1605. In January 2012 it absorbed the former municipality

Kitzen Kitzen is a former municipality in the Leipzig district, in Saxony, Germany. With effect from 1 January 2012, it has been incorporated into the town of Pegau.

.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 ...

References

External links

Town of Pegau in German
{{Authority control Leipzig (district)