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Pretzsch (Elbe)
Encyclopedia
Pretzsch is a small town and a former municipality in Wittenberg
district in Saxony-Anhalt
, Germany
. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Bad Schmiedeberg
.
s along the Elbe), on the river's west bank which is on the northwest edge of the Dübener Heide Nature Park. It is about 20 km southeast of Wittenberg
and is the intersection of Federal Highway (Bundesstraße) B 182 between Torgau
and Wittenberg, and state road (Landesstraße
) L 128 between Bad Schmiedeberg and Jessen
.
documents. In the 17th century, August II the Strong's wife Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
lived there and is buried in the town church. In the 1930s, the writer Erwin Strittmatter
worked at the local bakery. Until 1815, Pretzsch belonged to Saxony
, and from then until the Second World War to the Prussia
n province of Saxony. As of 1952, when East Germany abolished the Land system
, Pretzsch was in the Halle region, until 1990 when the Land system was revived in the former East Germany at German Reunification
.
The Einsatzgruppen
, the perpetrators of the initial level of the Holocaust that preceded the invention of the more efficient Nazi concentration camp system, were first assembled at a police academy in Pretzsch in the spring of 1941.
(born 1785 in Pretzsch - died 6 October 1873 in Loschwitz
near Dresden
) was a German
musician
and music teacher.
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.-...
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...
. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Bad Schmiedeberg
Bad Schmiedeberg
Bad Schmiedeberg is a small town in Wittenberg district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It lies within the Dübener Heide Nature Park.- History :The town was first mentioned in 1206 as Smedeberg...
.
Geography
Pretzsch lies in the middle of the Elbauen (natural polderPolder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
s along the Elbe), on the river's west bank which is on the northwest edge of the Dübener Heide Nature Park. It is about 20 km southeast of Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
and is the intersection of Federal Highway (Bundesstraße) B 182 between Torgau
Torgau
Torgau is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.Outside Germany, the town is most well known as the place where during the Second World War, United States Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union...
and Wittenberg, and state road (Landesstraße
Landesstraße
Landesstraßen are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are roads that cross the boundary of a rural or urban district...
) L 128 between Bad Schmiedeberg and Jessen
Jessen (Elster)
Jessen is a municipality on the Schwarze Elster and lies in the eastern part of Saxony-Anhalt in the district of Wittenberg.-Geography:Jessen is an amalgamated municipality, and has the following subdivisions:-History:...
.
History
Pretzsch was first mentioned in 981 in one of Otto II'sOtto II, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto II , called the Red, was the third ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty, the son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy.-Early years and co-ruler with Otto I:...
documents. In the 17th century, August II the Strong's wife Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth was Electress of Saxony from 1694 to 1727 and titular Queen of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1697 to 1727 as the wife of Augustus II the Strong. Not once throughout the whole of her thirty-year queenship did she set foot in Poland, instead...
lived there and is buried in the town church. In the 1930s, the writer Erwin Strittmatter
Erwin Strittmatter
Erwin Strittmatter was a German writer. Strittmatter was one of the most famous writers in the GDR....
worked at the local bakery. Until 1815, Pretzsch belonged to 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....
, and from then until the Second World War to the 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...
n province of Saxony. As of 1952, when East Germany abolished the Land system
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
, Pretzsch was in the Halle region, until 1990 when the Land system was revived in the former East Germany at 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...
.
The Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary death squads that were responsible for mass killings, typically by shooting, of Jews in particular, but also significant numbers of other population groups and political categories...
, the perpetrators of the initial level of the Holocaust that preceded the invention of the more efficient Nazi concentration camp system, were first assembled at a police academy in Pretzsch in the spring of 1941.
Sightseeing
- RenaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
stately home from the 16th century - Wieck'sches Haus from 1725
- Late GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
church with BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
additions by Matthäus Daniel PöppelmannMatthäus Daniel PöppelmannMatthäus Daniel Pöppelmann was a German master builder who helped to rebuild Dresden after the fire of 1685, and designed Dresden Castle and the Pillnitz church.Pöppelmann was born in Herford... - Heimatmuseum (half-timbered houseTimber framingTimber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
) from the 18th century - Pretzsch Banhof, the heritage railway station station which starred in the 2009 film The Last StationThe Last StationThe Last Station is a 2009 biographical drama film directed by Michael Hoffman. It is an adaptation of the 1990 biographical novel of the same name by Jay Parini about the final months of Leo Tolstoy's life. The film stars Christopher Plummer as Tolstoy and Helen Mirren as his wife Sophia Tolstaya...
, standing in for the station in Astapovo, RussiaLev Tolstoy (settlement)Lev Tolstoy is a settlement in the northern part of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia. It is the administrative center of Lev-Tolstovsky District. Population: 8,800 ; 9,035 ; 9,139 ....
where Leo Tolstoy died.
Personalities
Friedrich WieckFriedrich Wieck
Johann Gottlob Friedrich Wieck was a noted German piano teacher, voice teacher, owner of a piano store, and music reviewer. He is remembered as the teacher of his daughter, Clara, a child prodigy who was doing international concert tours by age eleven and who later married Robert Schumann...
(born 1785 in Pretzsch - died 6 October 1873 in Loschwitz
Loschwitz
Loschwitz is a borough of Dresden, Germany, incorporated in 1921. It consists of ten quarters :Loschwitz is a villa quarter located at the slopes north of the Elbe river...
near Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
) was a German
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...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and music teacher.