Wermsdorf
Encyclopedia
Landscape
Wermsdorf is situated within Wermsdorf ForestWermsdorf Forest
Wermsdorf Forest is a forested area of 13,000 hectares, some of which is a natural park, in the state of Saxony, Germany. It is located near the towns Oschatz, Collm, Wermsdorf, Sachsendorf, Dornreichenbach and Luppa and bisected by Bundesstraße 6....
a wooded area of some 30 km/sq, less than 7.0 km to the north-west of Mugeln
Mügeln
Mügeln is a town in the district Nordsachsen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is located 9 km southwest of Oschatz and 14 km northwest of Döbeln. The town has a population of approximately 4700 people.- Geography :...
. The south side of Wermsdorf is deforested and looks out over a fairly flat landscape (being at the southerly end of the North German Plain
North German plain
The North German Plain or Northern Lowland is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain...
) of agricultural land set out in crops. There are a number of man-made lakes suitable for recreation in the vicinity. A quarry lies to the north-east of Wermsdorf.
Sights
There are well maintained historical buildings to go visit, some of which have been refurbished in the last few years. The most prominent is HubertusburgHubertusburg
thumb|right|300px|Hubertusburg, WermsdorfHubertusburg is a palace in Saxony, in the village of Wermsdorf and midway 6 m. between the towns Oschatz and Grimma. It was built in 1721-1724 by Frederick Augustus I, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, and is given to his son Augustus III in 1724, as a...
, which, in spite of its more modest size, and bereft of the grand sweep of terraces-cum-steps of Sanssouci
Sanssouci
Sanssouci is the name of the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is...
in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, does have a recognizably similar layout to Sanssouci, with the main building overlooking formal gardens, graveled walkways, outbuildings and a wooded area.
History
Nothing is known about the 638 ha large WaldhufendorfWaldhufendorf
The Waldhufendorf is a form of rural settlement established in areas of forest clearing with the farms arranged in a series along a road or stream, like beads on a chain...
settlement as seat of Henricus de Weenboldisdorf mentioned in a document dating from 1206.
The first documented mention of Wermsdorf was in 1215.
Additional early mentions include:
- 1241 as Burchardus de Werenboldestorp
- 1282 as Wermoldesdorf
- 1403 as Wermelsdorf
- 1440 as Wermesdorff
In 1350 the place was recognised as an oppidum
Oppidum
Oppidum is a Latin word meaning the main settlement in any administrative area of ancient Rome. The word is derived from the earlier Latin ob-pedum, "enclosed space," possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *pedóm-, "occupied space" or "footprint."Julius Caesar described the larger Celtic Iron Age...
for the first time.
In 1721 construction began on a large Jagdschloss
Jagdschloss
A Jagdschloss is a palace or a castle in a zoo or a hunting zone such as a forest, field or lake and served primarily as the accommodation for a ruler, and the court, on the occasion of the hunt in the area....
(hunting lodge), the Hubertusburg
Hubertusburg
thumb|right|300px|Hubertusburg, WermsdorfHubertusburg is a palace in Saxony, in the village of Wermsdorf and midway 6 m. between the towns Oschatz and Grimma. It was built in 1721-1724 by Frederick Augustus I, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, and is given to his son Augustus III in 1724, as a...
.
Elector Friedrich August II
Augustus III of Poland
Augustus III, known as the Saxon ; ; also Prince-elector Friedrich August II was the Elector of Saxony in 1733-1763, as Frederick Augustus II , King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1734-1763.-Biography:Augustus was the only legitimate son of Augustus II the Strong, Imperial Prince-Elector...
of Saxony extended the palace in 1743 and it became one of the largest baroque hunting lodges in Europe. The Saxonian post station was founded in Wermsdorf in 1722. In 1756 the Seven Year War
Seven Year War
Seven Year War may refer to:*Seven Years' War , among European powers and their colonies, encompassing the French and Indian War**Great Britain in the Seven Years War**France in the Seven Years War...
broke out and in 1761 the Hubertusburg was plundered by the Prussians and has never recovered since. In 1763 the Hubertusburg Peace Treaty was signed, so-called even though it may have been signed in nearby Schloss Dahlen.
The Hubertusburg was used as an academy for Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
officers from 1941.
On 25th April 1945 the U.S. Army arrived in Wermsdorf. On the 5th May 1945 the Soviet army took over.
King Albert Monument
In May 1907 the Saxon Military Fraternity of Wermsdorf proposed building a monument for King Albert. To this end, Emperor Wilhelm II gifted the fraternity a bronze cannon barrel. The sculptor was Georg Bernkopf. One year later, the statue of King Albert as a huntsman in a hunting cap and with a double barrel shotgun was unveiled in the presence of Frederick Augustus III of SaxonyFrederick Augustus III of Saxony
This article is about King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony. For the elector Frederick Augustus III, see Frederick Augustus I of Saxony.Frederick Augustus III was the last King of Saxony and a member of the House of Wettin.Born in Dresden, Frederick Augustus was the son of King George of Saxony...
.
Death March Memorial
At the Old Hunting Lodge, there is a monument stone to commemorate ten unknown concentration camp prisoners who died in the vicinity on a death marchDeath march
A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees. Those marching must walk over long distances for an extremely long period of time and are not supplied with food or water...
in Spring 1945 from Stalag
Stalag
In Germany, stalag was a term used for prisoner-of-war camps. Stalag is a contraction of "Stammlager", itself short for Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager.- Legal definitions :...
VIIIC in Zagan
Zagan
Zagan may refer to:*Zagan - a demon in the Ars Goetia*Żagań - a town in west Poland...
/Poland and were buried in the Anstaltsfriedhof.
Zeppelin Stone
Monument to commemorate the landing of a ZeppelinZeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
airship in Wermsdorf on 12th July 1914.