Bad Liebenwerda
Encyclopedia
Bad Liebenwerda is a spa town
in the Elbe-Elster
district, in southwestern Brandenburg
, Germany
. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster
, 57 km northwest of Dresden
, and 28 km east of Torgau
.
of Lievenwerde, and Plebanus Walterus, a priest. Liebenwerda has a moated castle
with a keep
known as the Lubwartturm. The first mention as Liebenwerda as a city is from 1304. Liebenwerda was part of the Electorate of Saxony
and Kingdom of Saxony
until 1815; as a result of the Congress of Vienna
the area became a district
in the Kingdom of Prussia
. The town has had a health spa since 1905, and in 1925 the word Bad
was prefixed to its name.
church of St. Nikolai. The tower of the church was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century after lightning struck the tower and caused a fire.
The Lubwartturm is the oldest building in town. The tower was built around 1207 as part of the moated castle. Next to this tower is the museum with an exhibition on the composer Carl Heinrich Graun
and his brothers. Also is there an exhibition on Marionette
s, other puppets and puppeteers of south-east Germany.
Bad Liebenwerda has a beautiful little park.
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
in the Elbe-Elster
Elbe-Elster
Elbe-Elster is a Kreis in the southern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Teltow-Fläming, Dahme-Spreewald, Oberspreewald-Lausitz, Meißen,Nordsachsen and Wittenberg...
district, in southwestern Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, 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 situated on the river Schwarze Elster
Schwarze Elster
The Black Elster or Schwarze Elster is a 179 km long river in eastern Germany, in the states Saxony, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, right tributary of the Elbe. Its source is in the Upper Lusatia region, near Elstra....
, 57 km northwest of 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....
, and 28 km east of 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...
.
History
The first written mention is from 1231 as Lievenwerde. The meaning of the name is Live, or Lieb for life or lovely, and -werde from werda meaning island, high place in water. The document of 1231 mentions an Otto of Ileburg, VogtVogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
of Lievenwerde, and Plebanus Walterus, a priest. Liebenwerda has a moated castle
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
with a keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
known as the Lubwartturm. The first mention as Liebenwerda as a city is from 1304. Liebenwerda was part of the Electorate of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
and Kingdom of Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
until 1815; as a result of the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
the area became a district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
in the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. The town has had a health spa since 1905, and in 1925 the word Bad
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
was prefixed to its name.
Culture and architecture
Bad Liebenwerda is home of the GothicGothic architecture
Gothic 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 of St. Nikolai. The tower of the church was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century after lightning struck the tower and caused a fire.
The Lubwartturm is the oldest building in town. The tower was built around 1207 as part of the moated castle. Next to this tower is the museum with an exhibition on the composer Carl Heinrich Graun
Carl Heinrich Graun
Carl Heinrich Graun was a German composer and tenor singer. Along with Johann Adolf Hasse, he is considered to be the most important German composer of Italian opera of his time.-Biography:...
and his brothers. Also is there an exhibition on Marionette
Marionette
A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms...
s, other puppets and puppeteers of south-east Germany.
Bad Liebenwerda has a beautiful little park.