Kamenz

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Kamenz


Country	Germany
State	Saxony
Administrative region	Dresden
District	Kamenz
Population	18,236 source (2005)
Area	53.15 km²
Population density	343 /km²
Elevation	173 m
Coordinates	51°16′ N 14°6′ E
Postal code	01917
Area code	03578
Licence plate code	KM
Mayor	Roland Dantz
Website	kamenz.de

Kamenz (Sorbian Kamjenc) is a Lusatian town in eastern Saxony, Germany, with a population of 18,243, and is the capital of the Kamenz district. The town is located about 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Dresden and about 30 km (19 miles) northwest of Bautzen. The philosopher and poet Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was born in Kamenz, as was convicted criminal Bruno Hauptmann.

1 History
2 Sights and Culture
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

At the location of today's old town a castle has been build to secure the crossing of route Via Regia and river Schwarze Elster at the end of the 12th century. The Via Regia was an important trade route between Belgium and Silesia. In 1225 the town was mentioned the first time and in 1319 it became independent. The League of six towns of Upper Lusatia has been founded by Kamenz and five other lusatian towns for protection against robber barons in 1346. In 1707 a fire destroyed large parts of the old town. The philosopher and poet Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was born in Kamenz in 1729.

[edit] Sights and Culture

View over city centre of Kamenz.

[edit] Theater

Stadttheater (City theater)
Hutbergbühne Kamenz (an open-air stage for up to 10,000 visitors)

[edit] Museums

Museum der Westlausitz (Museum of Western Lusatia)
Lessingmuseum (Museum of Lessing)

[edit] Buildings

Town hall of Kamenz (build 1848 to 1849, italien Neorenaissance)
Andreasbrunnen (Andreas Fountain), on the market square
Red Tower, Mönchsmauer (monk wall), Pichschuppen (parts of the mediaeval town battlement)
protestant main church St. Marien (build 1275 - 1479, late gothic architecture)
minster St. Annen (1499)
catechism church (1358)
Lessing memorial (place where birth house of Lessing was situated)
Lessing-Haus

[edit] Nature

Hutberg (294 m) - mountain with park, with Rhododendron
about 32% of the nature of the District is under protection
there is a good network of routes for riding by bicycle and hiking

[edit] Events

Blütenlauf auf dem Hutberg (Run on the Hutberg)
Lessing Days (every year, January and February)
Fete de la Musique every year on June, 21st
Forstfest (Forest Festival), every year in the week of August, 24th (St Bartholomew's Day)
Kamenzer Nasenfest (Nose Festival), Festival with the so called nose market every year on October, 3rd
carnival