Mittelsachsen | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Saxony |
| Capital | Freiberg |
| Government | |
| • District admin. | Dirk Neubauer |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,112 km2 (815 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2021) [1] | |
| • Total | 299,329 |
| • Density | 140/km2 (370/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Vehicle registration | FG, BED, DL, FLÖ, HC, MW, RL |
| Website | www |
Mittelsachsen ("Central Saxony") is a district ( Kreis ) in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.
The district was established by merging the former districts of Döbeln, Freiberg and Mittweida as part of the district reform of August 2008.
The district stretches from the Ore Mountains on the Czech Republic–Germany border to the plains between Leipzig and Dresden. The district borders (from the west and clockwise) the state Thuringia, the districts of Leipzig, Nordsachsen, Meißen, Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, the Czech Republic, Erzgebirgskreis, the urban district Chemnitz, and the district of Zwickau.
The geography of the district varies considerably, stretching from the northern part which almost reaches the North German Plain, to the southern part in the Ore Mountains region. The lowest point is at 140 metres above sea level, in the valley of the Freiberger Mulde near Leisnig. The highest point is 855 metres above sea level on the Czech border.
The most important rivers in Mittelsachsen are the Zwickauer and Freiberger Mulde, and the Zschopau river. Other notable rivers include Bobritzsch, Striegis, Gimmlitz and Flöha. The district also contains the reservoirs Kriebstein, Lichtenberg and Rauschenbach. Part of the Erzgebirge/Vogtland national park is located in the southern part of Mittelsachsen.
In 2008, upon the creation of the Mittelsachsen district, the heraldic society "Schwarzer Löwe" in Leipzig, in collaboration with graphics studio Eberhard Heinicker, put forward several proposals for a new coat of arms. Six proposals in total were put to the district council. The district council eventually chose the current design on 10 June 2009. The coat of arms shows the lion of Meißen, representing the Margravate of Meissen, and a hammer and pick representing the local mining heritage. The blue waves are derived from the coat of arms of Mittweida, and the three black lozenges from the former arms of Döbeln.
The elections for the Mittelsachsen district happened on 7 June 2015. The former mayor of Mittweida, Matthias Damm (CDU), won with an absolute majority (65.74% of votes).
The district is served by three motorways, the A4 being the main east-west route, with the A14 branching off to the north-west. In the far west, the A72 runs through the district. The district is also served by the B7, B101, B107, B169, B171, B173, B175, B176, and B180 federal roads and major state roads.
Four main railway lines run through the district: Dresden-Freiberg-Chemnitz-Werdau, Riesa-Döbeln-Chemnitz, Neukieritzsch-Chemnitz and Borsdorf-Döbeln-Coswig.
Long-distance passenger trains do not run through the district and can only be reached by changing trains at Dresden Hbf, Riesa, Elsterwerda or Leipzig Hbf. The interregional Dresden-Nuremberg connection via Freiberg and Flöha, which existed until 2014 and was most recently marketed as the Franken-Sachsen-Express, was interrupted at Hof in order to be able to run between Dresden, Freiberg, Flöha and Hof with electric traction and barrier-free vehicles in the future. In addition to the mainline stations mentioned above, regional centres such as Chemnitz, Zwickau, Plauen and Hof, but also regional destinations such as Olbernhau, Annaberg-Buchholz and Grimma can be reached by local trains. The district town of Freiberg is also integrated into the Dresden S-Bahn network. Burgstädt, Mittweida, Frankenberg and Hainichen are integrated into the Chemnitz model and served by the City-Bahn Chemnitz.
The once dense rail network had already been severely thinned out by Deutsche Bahn before the district reform in 2008. Entire junctions such as Rochlitz with the Glauchau-Rochlitz-Wurzen, Rochlitz-Penig and Waldheim-Rochlitz lines were closed. Other junctions such as Nossen and Freiberg lost considerable importance. Today, the Nossen-Holzhau, Berthelsdorf-Brand-Erbisdorf, Flöha-Marienberg, Pockau-Lengefeld-Neuhausen, Hainichen-Niederwiesa and Hartmannsdorf-Wittgensdorf branch lines in the Ore Mountains are still in operation, although not all sections have regular passenger services. Some of these lines are operated by non-federal railway infrastructure companies.
The entire district belongs to the Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen.
The closest airports for commercial travel are Leipzig–Altenburg Airport (15 km), Dresden Airport (28 km), and Leipzig/Halle Airport (58 km). However, there is an airfield at Langhennersdorf which is used for recreational flight.
The Landkreis is home to two universities, the TU Bergakademie in Freiberg (focused on Geo-science) and the University of Applied Sciences in Mittweida (MINT, Social, Media). [2]
| Towns | Municipalities | |
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Döbeln is a former district in Saxony, Germany. It was bounded by the districts of Torgau-Oschatz, Riesa-Großenhain, Meißen, Mittweida and Muldentalkreis.
Freiberg is a former district in Saxony, Germany. It was bounded by the district of Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis, the city of Chemnitz, the districts of Mittweida, Meißen and Weißeritzkreis, and by the Czech Republic.
Meissen is a district (Kreis) in Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the state of Brandenburg, the district of Bautzen, the urban district Dresden, the districts Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, Mittelsachsen and Nordsachsen.
Mittweida is a former district in Saxony, Germany. It was bounded by the districts Muldentalkreis, Döbeln, Freiberg, the district-free city Chemnitz and the district Chemnitzer Land, the district Altenburger Land in Thuringia and the district Leipziger Land.
Döbeln is a town in Saxony, Germany, part of the Mittelsachsen district, on both banks of the river Freiberger Mulde.
Mittweida is a town in Saxony, Germany, in the Mittelsachsen district.
Rochlitz is a major district town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. Rochlitz is the head of the "municipal partnership Rochlitz" with its other members being the municipalities of Königsfeld, Seelitz and Zettlitz.
Chemnitz Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in Chemnitz in Germany.
The Zschopau is a 130-kilometre-long river in Saxony, Germany, and a left tributary of the Freiberger Mulde. The origin of the name is not precisely documented, possibly Slavic skapp; rock, cliff or sorb. Šučici; the rushing, roaring). The Zschopau drains a catchment area of 1847 km².
Halsbrücke is a municipality and village in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated just north of Freiberg, on the banks of the Freiberger Mulde river.
Seelitz is a municipality in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is part of the administrative partnership Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Rochlitz based in the eponymous town.
The Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt, also known as Bezirk Chemnitz, was a district (Bezirk) of East Germany. The district would last from 1952 up to the Reunification of Germany in 1990. The administrative seat and the main town was Karl-Marx-Stadt, renamed back to Chemnitz during the reunification of Germany.
The Chemnitz–Riesa railway is a two-track and electrified mainline railway in the German state of Saxony, originally built and operated by the Chemnitz-Riesa Railway Company. The line was opened between 1847 and 1852 and is one of the oldest railways in Germany. The line runs from Riesa via Döbeln to Chemnitz and is part of the Berlin–Chemnitz route.
The Dresden–Werdau railway is an electrified, double-track main line in the German state of Saxony. It runs from Dresden via Freiberg, Chemnitz and Zwickau to Werdau wye, where it joins the Leipzig-Hof railway.
The Borsdorf–Coswig railway is a mainline railway in the German state of Saxony, originally built and operated by the Leipzig-Dresden Railway Company. It runs mostly along the Freiberger Mulde from Borsdorf via Döbeln and Meissen to Coswig near Dresden. It is part of a long-distance connection from Leipzig to Dresden, but is now used for local traffic only.
The Central Saxon Hills, is a region of Hügelland with indistinct boundaries in the centre of the German state of Saxony.
Schweikershain is a village in Landkreis Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany. It is part of Erlau municipality.
Siebenlehn is a district of the town Großschirma in Landkreis Mittelsachsen. Until 2003 it was a separate town. Upon fusion with the neighbouring rural municipality Großschirma on 1 September 2003, the town privileges were transferred to the joint municipality.
Media related to Landkreis Mittelsachsen at Wikimedia Commons
 Urban and rural districts in Saxony, Germany | |
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50°55′N13°11′E / 50.917°N 13.183°E
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