Bitterfeld was a district in Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the city of Dessau

Dessau

Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...

, the district of Wittenberg

Wittenberg (district)

Wittenberg is a district in the east of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are Anhalt-Bitterfeld, the district-free city of Dessau-Roßlau, the districts of Potsdam-Mittelmark, Teltow-Fläming and Elbe-Elster in Brandenburg, and the district of Nordsachsen in the Free State of Saxony.-...

, Delitzsch

Delitzsch (district)

Delitzsch is a former district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It was bounded by the districts of Torgau-Oschatz and Muldentalkreis, the city of Leipzig, the district of Leipziger Land and the state of Saxony-Anhalt .- History :After the 1815 Congress of Vienna Saxony had to cede large...

 (Saxony) and the districts of Saalkreis

Saalkreis

Saalkreis was a district in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts were Mansfelder Land, Bernburg, Köthen, Bitterfeld, the district Delitzsch in the Free State of Saxony, and the district Merseburg-Querfurt...

 and Köthen

Köthen (district)

Köthen was a district in the middle of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts were Anhalt-Zerbst, Schönebeck, Anhalt-Zerbst, the district-free city Dessau,Bitterfeld, Saalkreis and Bernburg.- History :...

.

History

The district was a swampy and unpopulated area in the early Middle Ages. In the 12th century Flemish settlers helped to drain the swamps. In that time Bitterfeld was known as "the Flemish town" in the region. The present district is roughly identical with the old county of Brehna, which ruled the area from the 10th to the 13th century. Later the region became a part of Saxony

Saxony

The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....

.

When Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

 gained the northern parts of Saxony (including the lands around Bitterfeld), the district of Bitterfeld was established. After the dissolution of Anhalt

Anhalt

Anhalt was a sovereign county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Dukes of Anhalt :...

 some places in the north were added to the district.

The East German government tried to establish a socialistic industrial centre in the Bitterfeld region. The city of Bitterfeld and the entire district were infamous for polluted air, poisoned rivers and devastated landscape. After the German reunification

German reunification

German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...

 there have been measures to change these conditions. Today the power plants work with modern filters, and sewage works greatly improve the water conditions.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms displays: top left and bottom right: the arms of the medieval county of Brehna top right: the heraldic lion of Saxony bottom left: the arms of the county of Landsberg

Towns and municipalities

Towns	Verwaltungsgemeinschaften	Free municipalities
Zörbig Zörbig ' is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km west of Bitterfeld, and 20 km northeast of Halle . Zörbig is well-known for its molasses made from sugar beets....	Bitterfeld Bitterfeld Bitterfeld is a town in the district Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2007 it has been part of the town Bitterfeld-Wolfen. It is situated approx. 25 km south of Dessau, and 30 km northeast of Halle...  (incl. towns Bitterfeld and Brehna Brehna Brehna is a town and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Sandersdorf-Brehna.It is situated southwest of Bitterfeld. Important in this city is the church... ) Muldestausee-Schmerzbach Muldestausee-Schmerzbach Muldestausee-Schmerzbach was a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was situated on the right bank of the Mulde, east of Bitterfeld. It was named after the reservoir in the river Mulde in its territory. The seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft... Raguhn Raguhn Raguhn is a town and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Mulde, approx. 10 km northwest of Bitterfeld, and 14 km south of Dessau. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Raguhn-Jeßnitz....  (incl. towns Jeßnitz Jeßnitz Jeßnitz is a town and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Mulde, north of Bitterfeld. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Raguhn-Jeßnitz....  and Raguhn) Wolfen Wolfen, Germany Wolfen is a town in the district Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2007 it is part of the town Bitterfeld-Wolfen. It is situated approximately 6 kilometres northwest of Bitterfeld, and 20 kilometres south of Dessau....  (incl. town Wolfen)	Sandersdorf Sandersdorf Sandersdorf is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Sandersdorf-Brehna. It is situated approx. 5 km west of Bitterfeld, and 27 km northeast of Halle .It is the birthplace of German author...

External links

• Official website (German)
• Inofficial website (German)
• Website from the Level-Tower (German)