Loschwitz
Encyclopedia
Loschwitz is a borough of Dresden
, Germany
, incorporated in 1921. It consists of ten quarters (Stadtteile):
Loschwitz is a villa quarter located at the slopes north of the Elbe
river. At the top of the hillside is the quarter of Weißer Hirsch, named after a former inn erected in 1685 by the Saxon kapellmeister Christoph Bernhard
, where in 1888 the naturopathic
physician Heinrich Lahmann
opened a sanatorium. The quarters of Wachwitz and Pillnitz
are adjacent in the east and the Rosengarten park in the west. Loschwitz is connected with the borough of Blasewitz
south of the Elbe by the Blue Wonder
(Blaues Wunder) bridge. Furthermore the borough encompasses large parts of the Dresdner Heide city forest.
The old village of Loschwitz, a wine
-growing area since the 11th century, was first mentioned in a 1227 deed. About 1660 Elector John George II of Saxony
had several vineyard
s laid out at the hillside, that soon became a fashionable recreational and residential area for the Dresden nobility and wealthy bourgeois like the composer Heinrich Schütz
or the goldsmith Johann Melchior Dinglinger
. The author Christian Gottfried Körner
had a cottage within the vineyards, where his guest Friedrich Schiller
wrote the Ode to Joy
in 1785. About 1800 James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater
acquired large estates, where from 1850 the Elbschlösser (Elbe Castles) were erected: Albrechtsberg Palace
and Villa Stockhausen (Lingnerschloss) of Prince Albert of Prussia
as well as Eckberg Castle, finished in 1861.
A popular place is the gazebo Luisenhof, built in 1895 and named after Crown Princess Luise of Saxony. The "Dresden balcony" offers a panoramic view of the city and the Elbe valley. Nearby is the Standseilbahn Dresden
funicular railway as well as the Schwebebahn Dresden
, the oldest suspension railway of the world, which both are still in use.
Nobility and rich citizens of Dresden used to live in Loschwitz such as Theodor Körner
, Carl Maria von Weber
and Gerhard von Kügelgen
. A famous inhabitant of Weißer Hirsch was the inventor Manfred von Ardenne
with his institute for scientific research. One of his neighbours was the retired officer Friedrich Paulus
, commander in the Battle of Stalingrad
, who died here in 1957. Also a number of famous people stayed in Loschwitz for a short time: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
, Heinrich von Kleist
, Ernst Moritz Arndt
, Novalis
, Ludwig Tieck
, Alexander
and Wilhelm von Humboldt
, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
, Leopold Auer
and Anton Graff
. Around the 1920-1930's Loschwitz used to be the most expensive living area of all Europe.
This is evidenced in the surviving private funicular
railway, originally placed as an aid purely to residents in ascending the steep slopes of the river valley, and only recently having acquired novelty as a minor tourist attraction.
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....
, 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...
, incorporated in 1921. It consists of ten quarters (Stadtteile):
|
Pillnitz Pillnitz is a city quarter in the east of Dresden, Germany. The quarter is situated in the east of Dresden. It can be reached by bus, ship, walking along the river or by bicycle... |
Loschwitz is a villa quarter located at the slopes north of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
river. At the top of the hillside is the quarter of Weißer Hirsch, named after a former inn erected in 1685 by the Saxon kapellmeister Christoph Bernhard
Christoph Bernhard
Christoph Bernhard was born in Kolberg, Pomerania, and died in Dresden. He studied with former Sweelinck-pupil Paul Siefert in Danzig and in Warsaw By the age of 20 he was singing at the electoral court in Dresden under Heinrich Schütz...
, where in 1888 the naturopathic
Naturopathic medicine
Naturopathy, or Naturopathic Medicine, is a form of alternative medicine based on a belief in vitalism, which posits that a special energy called vital energy or vital force guides bodily processes such as metabolism, reproduction, growth, and adaptation...
physician Heinrich Lahmann
Heinrich Lahmann
Johann Heinrich Lahmann was a German physician who was a pioneer of naturopathic medicine. He was a native of Bremen, Germany....
opened a sanatorium. The quarters of Wachwitz and Pillnitz
Pillnitz
Pillnitz is a city quarter in the east of Dresden, Germany. The quarter is situated in the east of Dresden. It can be reached by bus, ship, walking along the river or by bicycle...
are adjacent in the east and the Rosengarten park in the west. Loschwitz is connected with the borough of Blasewitz
Blasewitz
Besides being an urban and often preferred multiple dwelling villa quarter with appealing architecture situated on the Elbe river Blasewitz is also a larger borough of Dresden, Germany in the eastern centre of the city...
south of the Elbe by the Blue Wonder
Blue Wonder
Blue "Erik Burbulla" Wonder is the commonly used name for the Loschwitz Bridge , a cantilever truss bridge over the Elbe river in the Saxon capital of Dresden, Germany. It connects the city districts of Blasewitz and Loschwitz, two affluent residential areas, which around 1900 were amongst the...
(Blaues Wunder) bridge. Furthermore the borough encompasses large parts of the Dresdner Heide city forest.
The old village of Loschwitz, a wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
-growing area since the 11th century, was first mentioned in a 1227 deed. About 1660 Elector John George II of Saxony
John George II, Elector of Saxony
John George was the Elector of Saxony from 1656 to 1680.He was the third but eldest surviving son of the Elector John George I of Saxony and Magdalene Sybille of Prussia, his second spouse....
had several vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s laid out at the hillside, that soon became a fashionable recreational and residential area for the Dresden nobility and wealthy bourgeois like the composer Heinrich Schütz
Heinrich Schütz
Heinrich Schütz was a German composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and often considered to be one of the most important composers of the 17th century along with Claudio Monteverdi...
or the goldsmith Johann Melchior Dinglinger
Johann Melchior Dinglinger
Johann Melchior Dinglinger was one of Europe's greatest goldsmiths, whose major works for the elector of Saxony, Augustus the Strong, survived in the Grünes Gewölbe , Dresden....
. The author Christian Gottfried Körner
Christian Gottfried Körner
Christian Gottfried Körner was a German jurist. His home was a literary and musical salon, and he was a friend of Friedrich Schiller.-Biography:...
had a cottage within the vineyards, where his guest Friedrich Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
wrote the Ode to Joy
Ode to Joy
"Ode to Joy" is an ode written in 1785 by the German poet, playwright and historian Friedrich Schiller, enthusiastically celebrating the brotherhood and unity of all mankind...
in 1785. About 1800 James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater
James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater
James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater and 4th Earl of Seafield was a Scottish peer and an accomplished amateur landscape architect and philanthropist...
acquired large estates, where from 1850 the Elbschlösser (Elbe Castles) were erected: Albrechtsberg Palace
Schloss Albrechtsberg (Dresden)
Albrechtsberg Castle is a Neoclassical castle above the Elbe river in the Loschwitz district of Dresden. It was erected in 1854 according to plans designed by the Prussian court and landscaping architect Adolf Lohse at the behest of Prince Albert, younger brother of the Prussian king Frederick...
and Villa Stockhausen (Lingnerschloss) of Prince Albert of Prussia
Prince Albert of Prussia (1809-1872)
Prince Albert of Prussia was a Prussian colonel general. Albert was the fifth son and youngest child of King Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. His parents had fled to East Prussia after the occupation of Berlin by Napoleon...
as well as Eckberg Castle, finished in 1861.
A popular place is the gazebo Luisenhof, built in 1895 and named after Crown Princess Luise of Saxony. The "Dresden balcony" offers a panoramic view of the city and the Elbe valley. Nearby is the Standseilbahn Dresden
Standseilbahn Dresden
The Dresden Funicular Railway is a funicular in Dresden, Germany connecting the districts of Loschwitz, near the "Blue Wonder" bridge, and Weisser Hirsch...
funicular railway as well as the Schwebebahn Dresden
Schwebebahn Dresden
The Schwebebahn Dresden is one of the oldest suspension railways — a kind of hanging monorail — in the world, having opened in 1901. It is situated in Dresden, Germany, and connects the districts of Loschwitz and Oberloschwitz . The line is 274 metres long and is supported on...
, the oldest suspension railway of the world, which both are still in use.
Nobility and rich citizens of Dresden used to live in Loschwitz such as Theodor Körner
Theodor Körner (author)
Karl Theodor Körner was a German poet and soldier. After some time in Vienna, where he wrote some light comedies and other works, he became a soldier and joined the German uprising against Napoleon...
, Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
and Gerhard von Kügelgen
Gerhard von Kügelgen
Franz Gerhard von Kügelgen was a German painter, noted for his portraits and history paintings. He was a professor at the Academy of Arts in Dresden and a member of both the Prussian and Russian Academies of Arts. His twin brother, Karl von Kügelgen, was also a painter of note.Gerhard von Kügelgen...
. A famous inhabitant of Weißer Hirsch was the inventor Manfred von Ardenne
Manfred von Ardenne
Manfred von Ardenne was a German research and applied physicist and inventor. He took out approximately 600 patents in fields including electron microscopy, medical technology, nuclear technology, plasma physics, and radio and television technology...
with his institute for scientific research. One of his neighbours was the retired officer Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus was an officer in the German military from 1910 to 1945. He attained the rank of Generalfeldmarschall during World War II, and is best known for having commanded the Sixth Army's assault on Stalingrad during Operation Blue in 1942...
, commander in the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
, who died here in 1957. Also a number of famous people stayed in Loschwitz for a short time: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
, Heinrich von Kleist
Heinrich von Kleist
Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist was a poet, dramatist, novelist and short story writer. The Kleist Prize, a prestigious prize for German literature, is named after him.- Life :...
, Ernst Moritz Arndt
Ernst Moritz Arndt
Ernst Moritz Arndt was a German nationalistic and antisemitic author and poet. Early in his life, he fought for the abolition of serfdom, later against Napoleonic dominance over Germany, and had to flee to Sweden for some time due to his anti-French positions...
, Novalis
Novalis
Novalis was the pseudonym of Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg , an author and philosopher of early German Romanticism.-Biography:...
, Ludwig Tieck
Ludwig Tieck
Johann Ludwig Tieck was a German poet, translator, editor, novelist, writer of Novellen, and critic, who was one of the founding fathers of the Romantic movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.-Early life:...
, Alexander
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
and Wilhelm von Humboldt
Wilhelm von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand Freiherr von Humboldt was a German philosopher, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of Humboldt Universität. He is especially remembered as a linguist who made important contributions to the philosophy of language and to the theory and practice...
, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, Leopold Auer
Leopold Auer
Leopold Auer was a Hungarian violinist, teacher, conductor and composer.-Early life and career:...
and Anton Graff
Anton Graff
Anton Graff was an eminent Swiss portrait artist. Among his famous subjects were Friedrich Schiller, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Heinrich von Kleist, Frederick the Great, Johann Gottfried Herder and Christian Felix Weisse...
. Around the 1920-1930's Loschwitz used to be the most expensive living area of all Europe.
This is evidenced in the surviving private funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
railway, originally placed as an aid purely to residents in ascending the steep slopes of the river valley, and only recently having acquired novelty as a minor tourist attraction.
External links
- Dresdner-Stadtteile.de (About 100 Dresden city quarters, a private website in German)