Geithain
Encyclopedia
Geithain is a town in the Leipzig
district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany
.
, and 40 km southeast of Leipzig
. It lies in hilly country by the wooded area Wickershain and the river Eula.
The name of the town has its origins in the Old Sorbian word "Chytan" (Chyten) and describes the place of Chyten, where "Chyt" (Chit) is a Sorbian first name.
In 1209 there was another documented mention of Geithain and the already established Nicolai Church. In this year the establishment of a hospital and a chapel (of St. James) was ordered by Konrad II of Groitzsch(1190-1210), the Margrave of Lausitz. Also, although Geithain is described as a town in this document, a charter with the first Mayor (Silvester Phil) is first evident for the year 1335. From 1346 cisterns and wooden water conduits were constructed in Geithain, which were used until 1904.
Gaithain was administered in the Middle Ages by a Vogt
, who had his seat in the Freihof, first mentioned in 1349. The Geithain powder-tower, today one of the sights of the town, was part of the Freihof and was inserted with this into the town's fortifications.
In World War II the town had 219 dead. On the 13 April 1945 alone 13 people were killed in a single air raid on the town. The target of the low flying aircraft was the railway station. On the 14 April the second World War ended for Geithain with the arrival of the American troops.
Leipzig (district)
Leipzig is a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after the city Leipzig, which is surrounded by the district, but not part of it...
district, in the Free State of Saxony, 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...
.
Geography
Geithain is situated 30 km northwest of ChemnitzChemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
, and 40 km southeast of Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
. It lies in hilly country by the wooded area Wickershain and the river Eula.
Development of the town
The first documented mention of the town was in the year 1186 in a document, which described the donation of earnings from the Wickershainer Marion Church to the Bishop of Merseburg through the Duke Dedo von Rochlitz.The name of the town has its origins in the Old Sorbian word "Chytan" (Chyten) and describes the place of Chyten, where "Chyt" (Chit) is a Sorbian first name.
In 1209 there was another documented mention of Geithain and the already established Nicolai Church. In this year the establishment of a hospital and a chapel (of St. James) was ordered by Konrad II of Groitzsch(1190-1210), the Margrave of Lausitz. Also, although Geithain is described as a town in this document, a charter with the first Mayor (Silvester Phil) is first evident for the year 1335. From 1346 cisterns and wooden water conduits were constructed in Geithain, which were used until 1904.
Gaithain was administered in the Middle Ages by a Vogt
Vogt
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...
, who had his seat in the Freihof, first mentioned in 1349. The Geithain powder-tower, today one of the sights of the town, was part of the Freihof and was inserted with this into the town's fortifications.
In World War II the town had 219 dead. On the 13 April 1945 alone 13 people were killed in a single air raid on the town. The target of the low flying aircraft was the railway station. On the 14 April the second World War ended for Geithain with the arrival of the American troops.