Zahna
Encyclopedia
Zahna is a town and a former municipality in Wittenberg
district in Saxony-Anhalt
, Germany
not far from Federal Highway (Bundesstraße) B 2 and about 11 km east of Lutherstadt Wittenberg. It was the seat of the former administrative community
(Verwaltungsgemeinschaft) of Elbaue-Fläming
. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Zahna-Elster
.
finds from the 6th century BC up until the migration of the Semnoni
who settled in the region.
After them came the Sorbs
who took over their homes. The historic town core shows the form and structure that goes back to Flemish
settlement in the High Middle Ages
in the twelfth century.
The whole highland
north of Wittenberg
was so strongly shaped by the Flemings' ways of doing things that the whole area came to be named after them; to this day, it is still called the Fläming
and the town belongs to the Fläming Nature Park
, which was opened in 2005.
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...
not far from Federal Highway (Bundesstraße) B 2 and about 11 km east of Lutherstadt Wittenberg. It was the seat of the former administrative community
Amt (subnational entity)
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only found in Germany, but formerly also common in northern European countries. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to a U.S...
(Verwaltungsgemeinschaft) of Elbaue-Fläming
Elbaue-Fläming
Elbaue-Fläming was a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft in the district of Wittenberg, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was situated on the right bank of the Elbe, north and east of Wittenberg. The seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft was in Zahna...
. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Zahna-Elster
Zahna-Elster
Zahna-Elster is a town in the district of Wittenberg, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was formed on 1 January 2011 by the merger of the former municipalities Zahna, Dietrichsdorf, Elster , Gadegast, Leetza, Listerfehrda, Mühlanger, Zemnick und Zörnigall....
.
History
Zahna is one of Saxony-Anhalt's oldest towns. It has been proved that Zahna has been occupied uninterruptedly since about 2000 BC. This has been established by archaeologicalArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
finds from the 6th century BC up until the migration of the Semnoni
Semnoni
thumb|350px|The Semnones are located near the centre of the map. The orange area shows one view of the extent of the [[Suebi]]an tribes in the first century AD.The Semnones were a Germanic tribe which was settled between the Elbe and the Oder in the 1st century when they were described by Tacitus...
who settled in the region.
After them came the Sorbs
Sorbs
Sorbs are a Western Slavic people of Central Europe living predominantly in Lusatia, a region on the territory of Germany and Poland. In Germany they live in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. They speak the Sorbian languages - closely related to Polish and Czech - officially recognized and...
who took over their homes. The historic town core shows the form and structure that goes back to Flemish
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
settlement in the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
in the twelfth century.
The whole highland
Highland (geography)
The term highland or upland is used to denote any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau. Generally speaking, the term upland tends to be used for ranges of hills, typically up to 500-600m, and highland for ranges of low mountains.The Scottish Highlands refers to the mountainous...
north 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....
was so strongly shaped by the Flemings' ways of doing things that the whole area came to be named after them; to this day, it is still called the Fläming
Fläming
The Fläming Heath is a region and a hill chain that reaches over 100 km from the Elbe river to the Dahme River in the German states Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg. Its highest elevation is the Hagelberg...
and the town belongs to the Fläming Nature Park
Fläming Nature Park
The Fläming Nature Park is a nature park with 824 km² in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, opened in 2005. It is one of six nature parks in the state Saxony-Anhalt....
, which was opened in 2005.