Weißwasser

Weißwasser

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Coat of arms
Weißwasser

Coordinates: 51°30′N 14°38′E / 51.500°N 14.633°E / 51.500; 14.633Coordinates: 51°30′N 14°38′E / 51.500°N 14.633°E / 51.500; 14.633
Country Germany
State Saxony
District Görlitz
Municipal assoc. Weißwasser
Government
 • Mayor Torsten Pötzsch (Klartext)
Area
 • Total 63.60 km2 (24.56 sq mi)
Elevation 140 m (460 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
 • Total 16,851
 • Density 260/km2 (690/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 02943
Dialling codes 03576
Vehicle registration GR
Website www.weisswasser.de

Weißwasser (Upper Sorbian: Běła Woda) is a town in Upper Lusatia in eastern Saxony, Germany.

Weißwasser is the third largest town in the Görlitz district after Görlitz and Zittau. The town's landmark is its water tower.

History

Weißwasser was mentioned for the first time on 8 June 1552; the town's name means "white water". It became part of Prussian Silesia in 1815. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Weißwasser was the European centre of glass production. It became part of Prussian Lower Silesia in 1919.

Weißwasser received its town charter on 28 August 1935. In the Second World War, 40% of the town was destroyed. With the dissolution of Prussia resulting from the war, the town became part of Saxony from 1945–52. It was then part of communist East Germany from 1952–90 and administered within Bezirk Cottbus. Many enterprises had to close during the communist regime. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, only a few enterprises were left. It was included within a restored Saxony after German reunification.

Weißwasser now struggles with the after-effects of German reunification, as the fall of the Berlin Wall has had a devastating effect on the local economy. Many people have since lost their jobs and the town's population continues to suffers from a high percentage of unemployment. Consequently, many have left the area in the hope of finding a new job elsewhere in a reunited Germany.

In September 2005, Weißwasser hosted the "Tag der Sachsen." The event was a success with more than 300,000 visitors, which left some believing that the town could reinvent itself as a tourist attraction.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was allotted on 31 January 1927. The two green glasses symbolise the glass industry of the town, which was one of the largest in former East Germany. The tools are a reference to coal mining, which is carried out close to the city. Blue and yellow are the traditional colours of Upper Lusatia and the white waves in the bottom part of the coat of arms symbolise the name of the city.

Population development

Development of the population figure since 31 December 1960

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1825 390—    
1933 13,494+3.34%
1939 14,388+1.07%
1946 12,940−1.50%
1950 13,844+1.70%
1960 14,028+0.13%
1981 32,799+4.13%
1984 34,994+2.18%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1988 38,288+2.27%
1995 31,745−2.64%
1997 30,300−2.30%
1998 28,605−5.59%
1999 27,315−4.51%
2000 26,107−4.42%
2001 24,815−4.95%
2002 23,862−3.84%
YearPop.±% p.a.
2003 22,966−3.75%
2004 22,758−0.91%
2005 21,912−3.72%
2006 20,823−4.97%
2007 20,298−2.52%
2008 19,927−1.83%
2009 19,615−1.57%
2010 19,416−1.01%

Source from 1998 on: Statistics office Saxony

Politics

A new city council was elected on the 13 June 2004. Out of 18,653 eligible voters, 29.36% participated in the vote. The results were as following:

Twin cities

Sights

Sport

The local ice hockey club Eissport Weißwasser, also known as "The Foxes", has been the most successful club in the ice hockey Premier League of former East Germany.

Sons and daughters of the town

References

  1. ↑ "Aktuelle Einwohnerzahlen nach Gemeinden 2015] (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011)" (PDF). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen (in German). July 2016.
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