Schirgiswalde
Encyclopedia
Schirgiswalde is a town and a former municipality in the district of Bautzen
in Saxony
in Germany
. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau
. It is located on the river Spree
, 15 km south of Bautzen
. The small town is an official place of relaxation (staatlich anerkannter Erholungsort). Together with the villages of Crostau
and Kirschau
it is representing the administrative community of Schirgiswalde. some smaller parts of the town are "Neuschirgiswalde" upon a hill and "Petersbach".
In 1635 the upper Lusatia
became part of Saxony, but Schirgiswalde still belonged to Bohemia
as a kind of an exclave. Therefore it became again catholic like whole Bohamia after the thirty years war. The situation as a kind of a bohemian island in Saxony rested until 1809 - the next 35 years the official status of the towns stayed unclear. Long diplomatic arguments between Saxony and Austria
stayed without any success on either side. In 1810 the Saxon army took control of Schirgiswalde. Since then Austria has had no more political power in the city but it still regards itself as the rightful owner. An official handing over to the kingdom of Saxony also became impossible because of the restating war in 1813. It lasted until 1845 - in that year the town became officially a part of the kingdom of Saxony. The time of no political power in the town has been widely used by robbers, thieves and political refugees.
Bautzen (district)
Bautzen is a district in the Free State of Saxony in Germany including the former districts of Bischofswerda and Kamenz. It is bounded by the Czech Republic, the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, the district-free city Dresden and the districts of Meißen and Görlitz...
in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
in 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...
. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau
Schirgiswalde-Kirschau
Schirgiswalde-Kirschau is a town in the district of Bautzen, in Saxony, Germany. It was formed on 1 January 2011 by the merger of the former municipalities Schirgiswalde, Kirschau and Crostau....
. It is located on the river Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
, 15 km south of Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
. The small town is an official place of relaxation (staatlich anerkannter Erholungsort). Together with the villages of Crostau
Crostau
Crostau is a village and a former municipality in the upper Lusatia in the district of Bautzen in eastern Saxony in Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau...
and Kirschau
Kirschau
Kirschau is a village and a former municipality in Upper Lusatia in the district of Bautzen in Saxony in Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau...
it is representing the administrative community of Schirgiswalde. some smaller parts of the town are "Neuschirgiswalde" upon a hill and "Petersbach".
History
The village of Schirgiswalde first has been mentioned in a document from the year 1346. In the thirty years war most of the settlement was destroyed and most of its population died. To enforce the rebuilding and the economic reconstruction of the community the owner of Schirgiswalde made it a town in 1665. Later the small town became part of the land owned by the "domstift" in Bautzen - it means it belonged to the church. Until the midst of the 19th century it stayed under the regime and the right of the domstift.In 1635 the upper Lusatia
Lusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
became part of Saxony, but Schirgiswalde still belonged to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
as a kind of an exclave. Therefore it became again catholic like whole Bohamia after the thirty years war. The situation as a kind of a bohemian island in Saxony rested until 1809 - the next 35 years the official status of the towns stayed unclear. Long diplomatic arguments between Saxony and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
stayed without any success on either side. In 1810 the Saxon army took control of Schirgiswalde. Since then Austria has had no more political power in the city but it still regards itself as the rightful owner. An official handing over to the kingdom of Saxony also became impossible because of the restating war in 1813. It lasted until 1845 - in that year the town became officially a part of the kingdom of Saxony. The time of no political power in the town has been widely used by robbers, thieves and political refugees.