Oderwitz
Encyclopedia
Oderwitz is a Saxon
municipality in the district Görlitz
in Upper Lusatia
, Germany
. It is located in the southeast of the Free State of Saxony near the border with the Czech Republic
. It consists of the two districts Oberoderwitz and Niederoderwitz, in the historic tripartite division of the place also Mitteloderwitz is known.
s have been preserved, the Birkmühle, the Neumann-Mill and the Berndt-Mill. Two old watermill
s have also survived, the Bernhardt Mill and Lower Mill.
As in other parts of Lusatia, there are many half-timbered houses − over 450 in the village. The studio of the homeland painter Max Langer can be found in Niederoderwitz.
Due to the historic division and the size of the village, Oderwitz has two churches. Construction of the Niederoderwitz church began in 1719, and it was consecrated in 1726. It was built in Baroque style and has a richly decorated altar. The Oberoderwitz church was built from 1816 to 1821 in the architectural style of classicism.
men. To them a memorial recalls in the cemetery. Another memorial in the cemetery commemorates Oderwitz citizens who have fallen in the Franco-German war.
Oderwitz in the course of its history has been repeatedly ravaged by floods, which killed several people. For the flood victims of 1880 a memorial stone was built in Niederoderwitz near the river Landwasser. Furthermore,a small memorial located on the surface of the primary school Max Langer evocatives of the siblings Scholl
.
In the cemetery of the suburb Oberoderwitz a grave reminds of the Polish forced laborer Michalina Woysiak who was shot in May 1945. A commemorative plaque for the opponents of Hitler Willi Netsch at the house Dorfstraße 189 was removed after 1990.
. On the slopes of the mountain Sonnenhübel, there are the so-called Steinklunsen, rock formations on which a dense beech forest has grown. Moreover, one can find several abandoned phonolite quarries, which have been reclaimed by nature, piece by piece, such as the Geiersberg or Steinberg near Spitzkunnersdorf
.
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....
municipality in the district Görlitz
Görlitz (district)
Görlitz is a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after its capital city Görlitz. It borders the district of Bautzen, the state Brandenburg, Poland and the Czech Republic.- History :...
in Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
, 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 located in the southeast of the Free State of Saxony near the border with the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. It consists of the two districts Oberoderwitz and Niederoderwitz, in the historic tripartite division of the place also Mitteloderwitz is known.
Buildings
Oderwitz was once known for its many mills and even today it is known as the Windmill Village. Today, three windmillWindmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s have been preserved, the Birkmühle, the Neumann-Mill and the Berndt-Mill. Two old watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s have also survived, the Bernhardt Mill and Lower Mill.
As in other parts of Lusatia, there are many half-timbered houses − over 450 in the village. The studio of the homeland painter Max Langer can be found in Niederoderwitz.
Due to the historic division and the size of the village, Oderwitz has two churches. Construction of the Niederoderwitz church began in 1719, and it was consecrated in 1726. It was built in Baroque style and has a richly decorated altar. The Oberoderwitz church was built from 1816 to 1821 in the architectural style of classicism.
Memorials
Towards the end of World War II since January 1945 in what is now the district Niederoderwitz one outpost of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp existed, which mainly Jewish inmates were used for forced labor. Five of them were murdered in the spring of 1945 by SSSchutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
men. To them a memorial recalls in the cemetery. Another memorial in the cemetery commemorates Oderwitz citizens who have fallen in the Franco-German war.
Oderwitz in the course of its history has been repeatedly ravaged by floods, which killed several people. For the flood victims of 1880 a memorial stone was built in Niederoderwitz near the river Landwasser. Furthermore,a small memorial located on the surface of the primary school Max Langer evocatives of the siblings Scholl
Sophie Scholl
Sophia Magdalena Scholl was a German student, active within the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. She was convicted of high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother Hans...
.
In the cemetery of the suburb Oberoderwitz a grave reminds of the Polish forced laborer Michalina Woysiak who was shot in May 1945. A commemorative plaque for the opponents of Hitler Willi Netsch at the house Dorfstraße 189 was removed after 1990.
Natural monuments
In the municipal area of Oderwitz there are many natural monuments of volcanic origin. The biggest is probably the mountain Oberoderwitzer Spitzberg with his head of PhonolitePhonolite
Phonolite is a rare igneous, volcanic rock of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture....
. On the slopes of the mountain Sonnenhübel, there are the so-called Steinklunsen, rock formations on which a dense beech forest has grown. Moreover, one can find several abandoned phonolite quarries, which have been reclaimed by nature, piece by piece, such as the Geiersberg or Steinberg near Spitzkunnersdorf
Leutersdorf
Leutersdorf is a municipality in the district Görlitz, in Saxony, Germany....
.