Leipzig-Schönefeld
Encyclopedia
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...
. Concerning administrative matters Schönefeld-Ost is a district of Leipzig, while the rest of Schönefeld, together with Abtnaundorf forms a district called Schönefeld-Abtnaundorf.
History
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
the village belonged to the Canons Regular of St. Augustine cloister St Thomas in Leipzig. In 1527 the village church was rebuilt after being destroyed by a fire. After devastation in the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
the former owner Georg H. von Thümmel ordered the rebuilding of the manor-house in baroque style. On May 27, 1738 the writer Moritz August von Thümmel was born. During the Battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
in October 1813 the village was completely destroyed, but already in 1820 was the new building of the Protestant church Gedächtniskirche opened. This was where Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
and Clara Wieck
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
married on September 12, 1840.
During the second part of the 19th century the village turned into a suburb inhabited mainly by workers. The number of inhabitants increased from 889 in 1834 to 14,879 in 1910. Schönefeld was connected to the tram network in 1896 and was suburbanised into Leipzig in 1915.
The first catholic service after the reformation took place in 1921 and auxiliary church was built in 1928, which is still used nowadays.
In the years 1974/76 the tower block area Schönefeld-Ost, containing more than 4,000 GDR apartments, was constructed.