Dessau

For other uses, see Dessau (disambiguation).
Dessau
Stadtteil of Dessau-Roßlau

Market square with fountain

Coat of arms
Dessau
Coordinates: 51°50′N 12°15′E / 51.833°N 12.250°E / 51.833; 12.250Coordinates: 51°50′N 12°15′E / 51.833°N 12.250°E / 51.833; 12.250
Country Germany
State Saxony-Anhalt
District Urban districts of Germany
Town Dessau-Roßlau
Area
 • Total 182.81 km2 (70.58 sq mi)
Population (2006-12-31)
 • Total 77,394
 • Density 420/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 06811-06849
Dialling codes 0340
Vehicle registration DE
Website www.dessau.de

Dessau is a city in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the new city of Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 (June 2006).

Geography

The river Mulde near Dessau

Dessau is situated on a floodplain where the Mulde flows into the Elbe. This causes yearly floods. The worst flood took place in the year 2002, when the Waldersee district was nearly completely flooded. The south of Dessau touches a well-wooded area called Mosigkauer Heide. The highest elevation is a 110m high former rubbish dump called Scherbelberg in the southwest of Dessau. Dessau is surrounded by numerous parks and palaces that ranks Dessau as one of the greenest towns in Germany.

History

Dessau was first mentioned in 1213. It became an important centre in 1570, when the Principality of Anhalt was founded. Dessau became the capital of this state within the Holy Roman Empire. Anhalt was dissolved In 1603 it was split into four – later five – Anhalts, Dessau becoming the capital of the mini-state of Anhalt-Dessau in 1918. In 1863 two of the noble line died out, and became reunited.

Cavalierstrasse in 1900

Dessau is famous for its college of architecture Bauhaus. It moved here in 1925 after it had been forced to close in Weimar. Many famous artists were lecturers in Dessau in the following years, among them Walter Gropius, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. The Nazis forced the closure of the Bauhaus in 1931, and it was not reopened until 1986.

The city was almost completely destroyed by Allied air raids in World War II on March 7, 1945, six weeks before American troops occupied the town. Afterwards it was rebuilt with typical GDR concrete slab architecture (Plattenbau) and became a major industrial centre of East Germany. Since German reunification in 1990 many historic buildings have been restored.

The composer Kurt Weill was born in Dessau. Since 1993 the city has hosted an annual Kurt Weill Festival. Dessau was also the birthplace of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn (in 1729), and Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (der alte Dessauer) (on 3 July 1676), a lauded field marshal for the Kingdom of Prussia.

Since January 7, 2005, Dessau has gained notoriety for the mysterious death of Sierra Leonean convicted drug trafficker and failed asylum seeker Oury Jalloh in his cell at a Dessau police station. According to local police, Jalloh, who was drunk and had been tied to his bed because he was volatile and violent, set his own mattress on fire, causing his own death as he burned alive. A number of contradictions and inconsistencies as well as the disappearance of key evidence such as video tapes have led to allegations that the police and maybe even the local court may have been involved in Jalloh's death and subsequent cover-up efforts. A local court acquitted officers in 2008. In 2010, however, a higher federal court declared the ruling null and void, and ordered a new investigation and trial be launched.

Sights

Georgium Castle

Castles and gardens

Bauhaus College in Dessau

The Bauhaus

There are several examples of Bauhaus architecture in Dessau, some of them included in the UNESCO World Heritage. The Bauhaus College itself was constructed based on designs by Walter Adolph Georg Gropius.

St. Peter and Paul

Churches

Umweltbundesamt (UBA)

Other sights

Culture

Theatres and museums

Luisium

Regional media

Transport

Public transport

The Dessau tramway network has three lines and is supplemented by numerous bus lines. Dessau's public transport is operated by Dessauer Verkehrsgesellschaft (DVG), which transports around 6 million people each year.

The "Dessau-Wörlitzer-Eisenbahn" (DWE)

Railway stations

Dessau Hauptbahnhof (main station) has connections to Magdeburg, Berlin, Leipzig, Halle, Bitterfeld and Lutherstadt Wittenberg. The line from Berlin was opened on 1 September 1840. The Dessau-Bitterfeld line (opened on 17 August 1857) was electrified in 1911, the first fully electrified long-distance railway in Germany. Dessau was part of the InterCity long distance network until the year 2002. Regional trains also stop at the stations Dessau-Süd, Dessau-Alten, Dessau-Mosigkau and Rodleben. The Dessau-Wörlitzer-Eisenbahn (railway) connects Dessau to Wörlitz, a town situated 15 km to the east, and the Wörlitzer Park. Starting point of this railway is the main station. This train also stops at the stations Dessau-Waldersee and Dessau-Adria.

Roads

Bridge of the A9 near Dessau crossing the river Elbe

In 1938 the autobahn A9 (Munich-Berlin) was built southeast of the town area. The two exits to Dessau on the A9 are called "Dessau-Ost" and "Dessau-Süd". Dessau is also crossed by the "Bundesstrassen" (federal roads) B 184 and B 185.

The airfield

The airfield of Dessau is situated northwest of the town between the districts Kleinkühnau, Alten and Siedlung. A destination with a charter airplane is possible. The runway has a length of 1000m. The Hugo Junkers Technical Museum is situated in the neighbourhood (directly east) of the airfield, which has the eastern end of the modern runway almost directly abutting the historical World War II Junkers factory airstrip's western end.

Water

Today the “Leopoldshafen” (harbour) is used for the annual international motorboat racings. The “Wallwitzhafen” is used as a private sportboat harbour and the “Elbehafen” near the Grain House is used for cruisers. The next harbour for goods is situated in Rosslau.

Bikes

Dessau, with its flat landscape in the Saxon Lowland is very appropriate for biking. The bike roads have a length of about 146 km and lead to all the parks and sights.

Sports

Sports like soccer, cycling, handball, volleyball, gymnastics, table tennis and tennis have a long tradition and are very popular in Dessau. The former soccer team "SG Waggonbau Dessau" won the GDR soccer cup in 1949. The handball team played in the GDR "Oberliga" and since 1990 they are playing in the 1st and 2nd "Bundesliga". Currently, Dessau has around 80 sport clubs with over 13,500 members. Next to the traditional sports, Dessau has active sport clubs in the following disciplines: aikido, badminton, basketball, canoeing, chess, climbing, cycling, dancing, fishing, horse riding, karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, motorboat, rowing, speedskating, sailing, skittles, skydiving, squash, swimming, table tennis, water polo, wrestling and a few more.

Facilities

Politics

Town Hall

The borough of Dessau is mentioned first in 1372. The Head of the Town called "Schultheiss" was constituted by the Earl. Together with a few assessors the "Schultheiss" formed the Town Council. As of 1372 the Town Council was divided in 2 agencies. As of 1600 in three agencies and as of 1785 again in two agencies. The "Schultheiss" of Dessau changed nearly every year until the Town Council Constitution was cancelled in 1832. Afterwards Dessau became a Town Council and a Town Delegation Constitution. Since 1852 the Head of the Town is called Mayor. During the National Socialist period the Mayor was constituted by the party (NSDAP). After World War II the Soviets formed an Executive Council with a Mayor. The Town Council Constitution was elected by the people. Since the German reunification this committee is elected free. And since 1994 it's called "Stadtrat" (Town Council). The Mayor is directly elected by the people since 1994.

The Town Council (Stadtrat)

Consists of the following parties: (Local Elections from April 22, 2007) [5]

Sister Cities

Education

European subsidies

Dessau is part of the EU-URBAN programme. This programme is based on the integrated approach that is used for tackling the environmental, economical and social problems, affecting the deprived urban areas. There are several projects in Dessau sponsored via this subsidy.

Notable People

More notable people

Born in Dessau before 1900

Wilhelm Rust 1885
Ludwig Philippson

After 1900, born in Dessau

References

  1. ↑ , Anhalt Theatre (German)
  2. ↑ , Gregor Seyffert Company (English and German)]
  3. ↑ , Kiez Cinema Website (German)
  4. ↑ , leo Magazine (German)
  5. ↑ , Results of Local Elections from www.dessau.de
  6. ↑ , Twin Towns from www.dessau.de
  7. ↑ , Anhalt University Website
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