Döbeln

For the Swedish war hero, see Georg Carl von Döbeln.

Döbeln
Town hall Town hall
Coat of arms of Döbeln Coat of arms
Döbeln
Location of Döbeln within Mittelsachsen district 250px
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Mittelsachsen
Government
• Mayor	Hans-Joachim Egerer (CDU)
Area
• Total	39.47 km2 (15.24 sq mi)
Population (2014-12-31)
• Total	21,516
• Density	550/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	04720
Dialling codes	03431
Vehicle registration	FG, BED, DL, FLÖ, HC, MW, RL
Website	www.doebeln.de

Döbeln is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, part of the Mittelsachsen district, on both banks of the river Freiberger Mulde.

History

• 981: First written proof that Döbeln existed.
• Around 1220: Döbeln got the official status of a town.
• 1293: Church of St. Nicholas was first mentioned.
• 1296: Castle and town are occupied by Adolf of Nassau.
• 1330: Monastery buildings are completed.
• 1333: A serious fire incinerates the entire town.
• 1360: Knight Ulmann of Staupitz builds castle Reichenstein.
• 1429: Looting of the town and destruction of the castle by the Hussites.
• 1450: Döbeln is raided by the Bohemians, severely damaging the castle. After that, the castle declined in its importance.
• 1567: Döbeln was mentioned as "deserted palace" and afterwards only used as a quarry.
• 1637: Plundered by the Swedes
• 1730: Another serious fire hit Döbel. As a result, the remains of the castle were used as building material for rebuilding. In this fire, 266 homeowners and 400 renters lost their homes.
• 12 May 1762 (during the Seven Years' War): Battle between the Prussians and the Austrians. The troops of Prince Henry of Prussia defeated the Austrian troops and took prisoners including the commander General von Zedtwitz.
• 1754–1810: Döbeln is a garrison of the infantry regiment Lubomirsky.
• 1847: Döbeln was connected to the railway from Riesa.
• 1857: The railway was extended to Chemnitz.
• 1868: The Dresden-Döbeln-Leipzig railway line was opened.
• 1945: Döbeln was occupied by the Soviet Army without a shot being fired.

Population history

From 31 December 1960 unless otherwise noted: Population History

1694 to 1946 1694: 1,300 1834: 5,677 1859: 10,078 1875: 10,969 1880: 11,802 1890: 13,892 1910: 19,627 1925: 22,508 1933: 24,714 1939: 25,339 1946: 28.841

1950 to 1998 1950: 31,037 1960: 28,904 1964: 28,641 1981: 26,812 1984: 26,998 1986: 27,706 1990: 27,112 1995: 25,046 1997: 24,396 1998: 24,045

1999 to 2006 1999: 23,610 2000: 23,128 2001: 22,653 2002: 22,201 2003: 21,816 2004: 21,365 2005: 21,236 2006: 20,943

2007 to 2014 2007: 20,726 2008: 20,527 2009: 20,337 2010: 20,242 2011: 21,077 2012: 21,016 (May)

Note that the town of Ebersbach, Mittelsachsen, with its population of approximately 1,000 was merged into Döbeln in 2011.

Memorials

• Memorial in front of the Crematorium in the graveyard for 21 Polish and Russian men and women who were transported to Germany during World War II and died as slave laborers.
• Memorial at Wettinplatz for all victims of fascism.
• Memorial in front of the Lessing School for the victims of war and dictatorship between the years 1933 and 1989.

Transport

Döbeln Central Station is on the Borsdorf–Coswig and Riesa–Chemnitz lines.

It has two connections to the A14 motorway (Autobahn).

Döbeln has the last remaining horse-drawn tram line in Germany, in the form of the Döbeln Tramway. This line originally ran from 1892 to 1926, and was reopened in 2007.

File:Schlegelbrunnen Döbeln.jpg

Schlegelbrunnen (fountain) with St Nicholas's Church in background

Twin towns

Döbeln is twinned with:

• Vyškov, Czech Republic
• Givors, France
• Unna, Germany
• Heidenheim an der Brenz, Germany

External links

• Döbeln-Wiki (German)
•