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Rackwitz

Coordinates: 51°26′N 12°23′E / 51.433°N 12.383°E / 51.433; 12.383
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the German politician, see Werner Rackwitz.
Rackwitz
Municipality
Town hall
Town hall
Coat of arms of Rackwitz
Coat of arms
Location of Rackwitz within Nordsachsen district
ArzbergBad DübenBeilrodeBelgern-SchildauCavertitzDahlenDelitzschDoberschützDommitzschDreiheideEilenburgElsnigBeilrodeJesewitzKrostitzLaußigLiebschützbergLöbnitzMockrehnaMockrehnaMügelnNaundorfWiedemarOschatzRackwitzBelgern-SchildauSchkeuditzSchönwölkauMügelnTauchaTorgauTrossinWermsdorfWiedemarTorgauZschepplinWiedemar
Rackwitz is located in Germany
Rackwitz
Rackwitz
Rackwitz is located in Saxony
Rackwitz
Rackwitz
Coordinates: 51°26′N 12°23′E / 51.433°N 12.383°E / 51.433; 12.383
CountryGermany
StateSaxony
DistrictNordsachsen
Subdivisions7
Government
 • Mayor (2022–29) Steffen Schwalbe[1] (Ind.)
Area
 • Total39.92 km2 (15.41 sq mi)
Elevation
129 m (423 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total5,480
 • Density140/km2 (360/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
04519
Dialling codes034294, 034202
Vehicle registrationTDO, DZ, EB, OZ, TG, TO
Websitewww.gemeinde-rackwitz.de

Rackwitz (pronunciationⓘ) is a municipality in the district of Nordsachsen, in Saxony, Germany.

Geography

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Site, situation and location

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Rackwitz is about 10 km north of Leipzig and 13 km south of Delitzsch.

The surrounding landscape belongs to the Leipzig Bay and is drained by the river Lober, a tributary of the Mulde. The lakes Schladitzer See and Werbeliner See, which were created from disused open-cast mines, are situated nearby.

Leipzig Trade Fair Center and Leipzig/Halle Airport are also in the vicinity.

Villages

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Rackwitz municipality contains the following villages with populations in brackets:

  • Biesen (182)
  • Brodenaundorf (40)
  • Kreuma (162)
  • Lemsel (313)
  • Podelwitz (466)
  • Rackwitz (2,282) with Güntheritz
  • Zschortau (1,489)

Also within the municipality's area are the footprints of the now demolished villages Schladitz with Kömmlitz, Kattersnaundorf and Werbelin, on the sites of which are now lakes, formerly open-cast lignite mines.

History

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The Rackwitz area was settled by Slavs in prehistoric times. The name Rak means shrimp, and can be seen in the coat of arms. The town Rackwitz came to be after the merger of Rackwitz and Güntheritz. The oldest part of the present day municipality is Podelwitz, which was documented in 1250. Since 1349/50 Zschortau and Rackwitz were mentioned in documents. Brodenaundorf was mentioned in 1547.

At the start of the 15th Century, plague and famine decimated Rackwitz. The municipality was also plundered during the Thirty Years War. In 1692 trials for witchcraft took place in Rackwitz in which two witches were tried.[3]

On 21 June 1871 a train crash killed 19 and injured 56 in the vicinity of Rackwitz.[4]

Mergers and Annexations

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Former municipality Date Comment
Biesen 1 July 1950 Merged into Zschortau
Brodenaundorf 1 July 1950 Merged into Zschortau
Güntheritz between 1925 und 1939 Annexed by Rackwitz
Kattersnaundorf 1981 Demolished in 1981 to make way for the open-cast lignite mine Delitzsch-Southwest and thereby merged into Zschortau
Kömmlitz 1 April 1936 Merged into Schladitz, then demolished in 1986-89 for lignite mine
Kreuma 1 May 1974 Merged into Zschortau
Lemsel 1 March 1994 Merged into Zschortau
Podelwitz 1999 Merged into Rackwitz
Schladitz 1989 demolished in 1986-89 for lignite mine and thereby annexed by Rackwitz. Gives its name to the lake on the site of the lignite mine, known as Schladitzer Bucht.
Werbelin 1 January 1957 Merged with Kattersnaundorf, when Kattersnaudorf was demolished in 1981, Werbelin was merged into Zschortau, and was itself demolished in 1992 for the mine, giving its name to Werbeliner Lake, the lake on the site of the mine.
Zschortau 1 March 2004 Annexed by Rackwitz

Historical Population

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Note that the population figures in the table below include the figures for other districts that were merged with Rackwitz at various points in time (see table above, thereby accounting for significant increases.

Historical Population of Rackwitz
Year 1818 1880 1895 1910 1925 1939 1946 1950 1964 1990 2000 2013 2015 [5]
Inhabitants 76 96 113 124 192 1055 1375 1329 1786 3228 3388 4916 4855

Culture and Sights

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Podelwitz church
Church in Zschortau
Herrenhaus of the Rittergutes Güntheritz
Church tower in Kreuma

Buildings

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  • The church in Podelwitz was gifted from Henry the Illustrious of the House of Wettin to the Teutonic Order on Christmas Eve 1250.
  • The church in Zschortau contains the last remaining organ by Johann Scheibel, which was tested by Johann Sebastian Bach.[6]
  • Only the tower remains from the church in Kreuma.
  • Castle in Zschortauer Park which is today an educational institution.
  • Herrenhaus of the Rittergutes Güntheritz

References

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  1. ^ Gewählte Bürgermeisterinnen und Bürgermeister im Freistaat Sachsen, Stand: 17. Juli 2022, Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen.
  2. ^ "Einwohnerzahlen nach Gemeinden als Excel-Arbeitsmappe" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen. 2024.
  3. ^ Manfred Wilde: Die Zauberei- und Hexenprozesse in Kursachsen, Cologne, Weimar, Vienna 2003, page 509.
  4. ^ Martin Weltner: Bahn-Katastrophen. Folgenschwere Zugunfälle und ihre Ursachen. Munich 2008. ISBN 978-3-7654-7096-7, page 14.
  5. ^ "Daten und Fakten". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  6. ^ http://www.leipzigerneuseenland.de/en/node/2619 [dead link]


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