Großenhain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Großenhain | |
| Coat of arms | Location |
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| Administration | |
| Country |  Germany |
|---|---|
| State | Saxony |
| Admin. region | Dresden |
| District | Riesa-Großenhain |
| Town subdivisions | 5 |
| Mayor | Burkhard Müller (CDU) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 43.97 km² (17 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 122 m (400 ft) |
| Population | 15,965 (31/12/2006) |
| - Density | 363 /km² (940 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | RG |
| Postal code | 01558 |
| Area code | 03522 |
| Website | www.grossenhain.de |
Großenhain is the capital of the district of Riesa-Großenhain, Saxony, Germany.
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[edit] History
Großenhain was originally a Sorb settlement. It was first mentioned in 1205.[1] It was for a time occupied by the Bohemians, by whom it was strongly fortified. It afterwards came into the possession of the margraves of Meißen, from whom it was taken in 1312 by the margraves of Brandenburg. In the middle-ages, Großenhain was one of the most powerful towns in Saxony. It suffered considerably in all the great German wars, and in 1744 was nearly destroyed by fire. On May 16, 1813, a battle took place here between the French and the Russians.
[edit] Geography
Großenhain is located on the river Röder, 30 km northwest of Dresden, and 17 km east of Riesa. It is also situated on Via Regia from Görlitz to Santiago de Compostela.
[edit] Localities
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[edit] Economy
The Funke & Will AG is domiciled in Großenhain and is know for the production of Yes! Roadster.
[edit] Infrastructure
There are two train stations in Großenhain. As Großenhain Berliner Bahnhof is out of service since 2002, only Großenhain Cottbusser Bahnhof is served by trains from Dresden to Elsterwerda, Cottbus and Hoyerswerda.
Großenhain is accessible by car via Bundesstraße 98 and Bundesstraße 101.
[edit] Famous people
- Karl Benjamin Preusker (1786-1871): Founder of the first public library in Germany (1828)
- Manfred von Richthofen (1892-1918): German fighter pilot known as The Red Baron, was trained at the local airport
- Corinna Harfouch (*1954): German actress, passed her childhood here
- Heino (*1938): German schlager artist, passed his childhood here
[edit] References
- ^ Großenhain, Steifzug durch eine sächsische Kleinstadt 2002, Gräser Verlag
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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