Schwarzheide
Encyclopedia
Schwarzheide is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz
district, in southern Brandenburg
, Germany
. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster
, 11 km southwest of Senftenberg
, 110 km south of Berlin
and 40 km north of Dresden
. The little river Pössnitz runs through the eastern part of Schwarzheide.
(south), Lauchhammer
(west), Schipkau
(north) and Senftenberg
with the district Brieske (east).
name, "Zschornegosda", (corny = black, gozd = heath, wood).
The date of foundation of this community is unknown. Zschornegosda and Naundorf were founded in the 12th or the 13th century after the Christianization of the Sorbs.
The first written evidence of Naundorf (as Nuwendorff) came from a pledge deed from 1421. Zschornegosda was first written in 1449 (as Cschörnegast) in feudal deed of Duke Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
. Naundorf is a typical street village
. Zschornegosda is a rotunde called okolnica. The chapel was on the highest point of a sandy knoll.
The development of both villages was retarded by wars, fires, and epidemics. Until the 18th century, the villages had no more than 100 inhabitants.
In 1780, the discovery of lignite
coal west of Zschornegosda in Bockwitz lead to mining and the foundation of briquette factories (Ferdinand, Victoria, Victoria II). The river, Schwarze Elster
, was drained and converted to a canal, so it was no longer possible to live from fishing. Highway A13 was built in 1936.
World War II: In 1937, Brabag completed the Brabag II facility in Ruhland-Schwarlheide (the 4th Nazi Germany
Fischer-Tropsch plant) to produce gasoline and diesel fuel from lignite
coal. The plant was a target of the Oil Campaign of World War II
, used Sachsenhausen concentration camp
forced labor, and became a post-war
Soviet Joint Stock Company
. The factory became VEB
Synthesewerk Schwarzheide on January 1, 1954.
When the village's population reached eight-thousand inhabitants, the village became a town on January 11, 1967.
After 1990, Synthesewerk Schwarzheide became a part of BASF AG
, which manufactures polyurethane
.
.
From 1635, both Zschornegosda and Naundorf were part of Saxony
. In 1815 both villages came to Prussia because of the Congress of Vienna
.
Between 1818 and 1952, Zschornegosda and Naundorf were part of Kreis Calau.
From 1952 to 1990, Schwarzheide was a part of Kreis Senftenberg in Bezirk Cottbus.
In 1990, town was annexed to Brandenburg
, and, on December 6, 1993, to Oberspreewald-Lausitz
.
The turnout stood at 56,9 percent.
in eastern Germany is Freizeitpark Wandelhof and there is also a cinema with four sals and 650 places.
and Spreewald
are also near Schwarzheide.
: Falkenberg (Elster)–Bad Liebenwerda–Lauchhammer–Ruhland–Schwarzheide-Ost–Senftenberg–Drebkau–Cottbus
Schwarzheide GmbH. Other companies include Fränkische Rohrwerke and PeinigerRöRo.
), a division of Oberstufenzentrums Lausitz (OSZ) to train laboratory technicians and chemistss, and a music school.
Oberspreewald-Lausitz
Oberspreewald-Lausitz is a Kreis in the southern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Dahme-Spreewald, Spree-Neiße, the districts Kamenz and Riesa-Großenhain in Saxony, and the district Elbe-Elster....
district, in southern 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....
, 11 km southwest of Senftenberg
Senftenberg
Senftenberg is a town in southern Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district.-Geography:Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at the border with Saxony...
, 110 km south of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and 40 km north 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....
. The little river Pössnitz runs through the eastern part of Schwarzheide.
Neighbouring communities
Immediate neighbors of the town are the towns RuhlandRuhland
Ruhland is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in southern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 12 km southwest of Senftenberg....
(south), Lauchhammer
Lauchhammer
Lauchhammer is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in southern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, approx. 17 km west of Senftenberg, and 50 km north of Dresden....
(west), Schipkau
Schipkau
Schipkau is a municipality in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in southern Brandenburg, Germany.-Geography:The municipality is located in the north of the historical region of Lusatia, close to the motorway A13, connecting Berlin with Dresden....
(north) and Senftenberg
Senftenberg
Senftenberg is a town in southern Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district.-Geography:Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at the border with Saxony...
with the district Brieske (east).
Districts
Schwarzheide has the following districts- Schwarzheide-West (former Zschornegosda)
- Wandelhof
- Schwarzheide-Mitte
- Schwarzheide-Ost, consisting of Victoria and Naundorf
History
The town's landmark is the watertower. Today´s industrial town, Schwarzheide, was created on October 1, 1936, from the independent communities, Zschornegosda (today Schwarzheide-West) and Naundorf (now part of Schwarzheide-Ost). The name was translated from the SorbianSorbian languages
The Sorbian languages are classified under the Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. They are the native languages of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority in the Lusatia region of eastern Germany. Historically the language has also been known as Wendish or Lusatian. Their collective ISO 639-2 code...
name, "Zschornegosda", (corny = black, gozd = heath, wood).
The date of foundation of this community is unknown. Zschornegosda and Naundorf were founded in the 12th or the 13th century after the Christianization of the Sorbs.
The first written evidence of Naundorf (as Nuwendorff) came from a pledge deed from 1421. Zschornegosda was first written in 1449 (as Cschörnegast) in feudal deed of Duke Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
Frederick II was Elector of Saxony and was Landgrave of Thuringia .-Biography:...
. Naundorf is a typical street village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
. Zschornegosda is a rotunde called okolnica. The chapel was on the highest point of a sandy knoll.
The development of both villages was retarded by wars, fires, and epidemics. Until the 18th century, the villages had no more than 100 inhabitants.
In 1780, the discovery of lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
coal west of Zschornegosda in Bockwitz lead to mining and the foundation of briquette factories (Ferdinand, Victoria, Victoria II). 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....
, was drained and converted to a canal, so it was no longer possible to live from fishing. Highway A13 was built in 1936.
World War II: In 1937, Brabag completed the Brabag II facility in Ruhland-Schwarlheide (the 4th Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Fischer-Tropsch plant) to produce gasoline and diesel fuel from lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
coal. The plant was a target of the Oil Campaign of World War II
Oil Campaign chronology of World War II
The Oil Campaign chronology of World War II lists bombing missions and related events regarding the petroleum/oil/lubrication facilities that supplied Nazi Germany.-Legend:...
, used Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
forced labor, and became a post-war
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
Soviet Joint Stock Company
Joint stock company
A joint-stock company is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more individuals that own shares of stock in the company...
. The factory became VEB
Volkseigener Betrieb
The Volkseigener Betrieb was the legal form of industrial enterprise in East Germany...
Synthesewerk Schwarzheide on January 1, 1954.
When the village's population reached eight-thousand inhabitants, the village became a town on January 11, 1967.
After 1990, Synthesewerk Schwarzheide became a part of BASF AG
BASF
BASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
, which manufactures polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
.
Political affinity
The river, Schwarze Elster, forms the border between lower and upper LusatiaLusatia
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...
.
From 1635, both Zschornegosda and Naundorf were part of 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 1815 both villages came to Prussia because 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,...
.
Between 1818 and 1952, Zschornegosda and Naundorf were part of Kreis Calau.
From 1952 to 1990, Schwarzheide was a part of Kreis Senftenberg in Bezirk Cottbus.
In 1990, town was annexed to 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...
, and, on December 6, 1993, to Oberspreewald-Lausitz
Oberspreewald-Lausitz
Oberspreewald-Lausitz is a Kreis in the southern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Dahme-Spreewald, Spree-Neiße, the districts Kamenz and Riesa-Großenhain in Saxony, and the district Elbe-Elster....
.
Population development
Schwarzheide has a total population of 6,540 (Märch 1, 2006), 3,193 men and 3,347 women. This is a density of 197 inhabitants per km².| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 0–18 years | 463 | 455 |
| 19–45 years | 1.232 | 1.085 |
| 46–60 years | 787 | 824 |
| Over 60 years | 711 | 983 |
Altersstruktur der Stadt Schwarzheide am 1. März 2006
Parliament
The town parliament of Schwarzheide comprises the mayor and 18 members.- CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
5 seats (27,3%) - FWS 4 seats (22,3 %)
- SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
3 Sitze (18,2 %) - the Left (Germany)The Left (Germany)The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag....
3 seats (17,0 %) - FDPFree Democratic Party (Germany)The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
3 Sitze (15,2 %)
The turnout stood at 56,9 percent.
Partnerships
- Krosno OdrzańskieKrosno OdrzanskieKrosno Odrzańskie is a city on the east bank of Oder River, at the confluence with the Bóbr. The town in Western Poland with 12,500 inhabitants is the capital of Krosno County...
(Poland) - KarcagKarcagKarcag is a large town in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary.Karcag has its own railway station, but InterCity trains do not stop here...
(Hungary) - Piano di SorrentoPiano di SorrentoPiano di Sorrento is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 25 km southeast of Naples.Piano di Sorrento borders the following municipalities: Meta, Sant'Agnello, Vico Equense....
(Italy)
Culture and art
Symbol is the 36 m high watertower built in 1943/44 by French prisoners of war.Lutherkirche from 1754 is also located in the center. The oldest nightclubNightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in eastern Germany is Freizeitpark Wandelhof and there is also a cinema with four sals and 650 places.
Historical monuments
- Memorial for the victims of the concentration camp
- Monument from 1965 on cemetery Schwarzheide-West for more than 23 unfree workersUnfree labourUnfree labour includes all forms of slavery as well as all other related institutions .-Payment for unfree labour:If payment occurs, it may be in one or more of the following forms:...
Brabagvictims
Buildings
- Evangelical church (1953 first new church in the GDR, Otto-Nuschke-Straße)
- Luther church (Schwarzheide)
- Evangelical chapel (Parkstraße)
- Catholic Holy Cross church (Otto-Nuschke-Straße)
Natur and recreation areas
Pine forests, lakes, meadows, and pastures surround Schwarzheide.Lausitzer SeenlandLausitzer Seenland
The Lausitzer Seenland is a chain of artificial lakes in Germany, situated across the north-eastern part of Saxony and the southern part of Brandenburg...
and Spreewald
Spreewald
The Spreewald is situated about 100 km south-east of Berlin. It was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1991. It is known for its traditional irrigation system which consists of more than 200 small channels within the area. The landscape was shaped during the ice-age...
are also near Schwarzheide.
Transport
federal highway 13 Bundesautobahn 13 from Berlin to Dresden, in south B 169. There is a rail way point in Schwarzheide-Ost.Street
A 13 (E 55): Berlin–Dresden (Anschlussstelle (16) Schwarzheide and Anschlussstelle (17) Ruhland)Railway
RE 18RegionalExpress
The term Regional-Express denotes a type of regional train in Germany and Austria .It is best compared to a semi-fast train, as it calls at fewer stations than Regionalbahn or S-Bahn trains, but stops more often than InterCity services...
: Falkenberg (Elster)–Bad Liebenwerda–Lauchhammer–Ruhland–Schwarzheide-Ost–Senftenberg–Drebkau–Cottbus
Companies
The largest employer is BASFBASF
BASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
Schwarzheide GmbH. Other companies include Fränkische Rohrwerke and PeinigerRöRo.
Education
In Schwarzheide exist a secondary school (Schwarzheide-Wandelhof), a high school(Emil-FischerHermann Emil Fischer
Hermann Emil Fischer, Emil Fischer was a German chemist and 1902 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He discovered the Fischer esterification. He developed the Fischer projection, a symbolic way of drawing asymmetric carbon atoms.-Early years:Fischer was born in Euskirchen, near Cologne,...
), a division of Oberstufenzentrums Lausitz (OSZ) to train laboratory technicians and chemistss, and a music school.
Honored
- 2002: Hans-Herman Dehmel (CEO of BASF Schwarzheide from 1990 to 1995)
- 2004: Sokratis Giapapas (chief of Fränkisch Rohrwerke in Schwarzheide)