Waldheim, Saxony

Last updated
Waldheim
Town
Waldheim.jpg
Town center
Wappen Waldheim.png
Coat of arms
Location of Waldheim within Mittelsachsen district
Waldheim in FG.pngEppendorfFrankenbergFrauensteinHainichenHartmannsdorfKönigsfeldLeubsdorfLichtenauLichtenbergMühlauMuldaNeuhausenReinsbergRossauSaydaWaldheimWeißenborn
Germany adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Waldheim
Saxony location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Waldheim
Coordinates: 51°4′N13°1′E / 51.067°N 13.017°E / 51.067; 13.017
Country Germany
State Saxony
District Mittelsachsen
Municipal assoc. Waldheim  [ de ]
Subdivisions5
Government
 •  Mayor (2022–29) Steffen Ernst [1]
Area
 • Total41.62 km2 (16.07 sq mi)
Elevation
266 m (873 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31) [2]
 • Total8,932
 • Density210/km2 (560/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
04736
Dialling codes 034327
Vehicle registration FG
Website www.stadt-waldheim.de

Waldheim is a town in Mittelsachsen district, in Saxony, Germany.

Contents

Geography

Zschopau River Zschopau Waldheim Brucke.JPG
Zschopau River

It is situated in the valley of the river Zschopau, 9 km (5.6 mi) southwest of Döbeln, and 28 km (17 mi) north of Chemnitz. The municipal area comprises Waldheim proper, the localities of Reinsdorf, Massanei, Heiligenborn, and Schönberg, as well as parts of the former Ziegra-Knobelsdorf municipality with the localities of Gebersbach, Heyda, Knobelsdorf, Meinsberg, Neuhausen, and Rudelsdorf, which were incorporated in 2013.

Neighbouring towns are Hartha, Döbeln and Geringswalde as well as the municipality of Kriebstein.

Waldheim station is a stop on the Riesa–Chemnitz railway, served by Regionalbahn trains of Deutsche Bahn and the private Vogtlandbahn railway company.

History

Waldheim in the Margraviate of Meissen was first mentioned in 1198. Waldheim Castle first appeared in a 1271 deed, the surrounding settlement received town privileges in 1286. The castle was turned into an Augustinian monastery in 1404. The population turned Protestant in 1537.

Waldheim Prison Waldheim Zuchthaus.JPG
Waldheim Prison

In 1588 Waldheim Castle was again rebuilt as a hunting lodge by Elector Christian I of Saxony. In 1716 Augustus II the Strong inaugurated a penitentiary, almshouse and orphanage in the castle, which is used as a prison (Justizvollzugsanstalt) up to today. The hospital ‘Chur-Sächisches Zucht-Waysen und Armen-Haus’ in Waldheim was the first state institution dedicated to the care of the mentally ill on the German territory. [3] The later author Karl May served a sentence here from 1870 to 1874. In the Nazi era, Waldheim Prison became notorious as a detention centre for political opponents, convicted for preparation of high treason, undermining military morale or just listening to banned Feindsender radio stations. Among the inmates were several resistance fighters like Eva Schulze-Knabe, who was convicted by the People's Court in 1942 and freed at the end of World War II.

When the NKVD special camps were handed over from the Soviet Military Administration to the East German government in 1950, numerous NKVD detainees were transferred to Waldheim for further detention and for trial. From April to June 1950, the Communist authorities put about 3,400 alleged war and Nazi criminals to the Waldheim Trials, ending with prison terms and 32 death sentences.

Notable people

Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim Fischer von Waldheim 1771-1853.jpg
Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim

Politics

The current city council of Waldheim was elected in 2009 and has 18 seats:

Twin towns

Town hall Waldheim-Rathaus2.jpg
Town hall

Waldheim is twinned with:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zschopau</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Zschopau, is a town in the Erzgebirgskreis district of Saxony, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Döbeln</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meerane</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Meerane is a town in the Zwickau district of Saxony, Germany. It lies midway between the towns of Altenburg and Zwickau, west of Chemnitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oschatz</span> Municipality in Saxony, Germany

Oschatz is a town in the district Nordsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is located 60 km east of Leipzig and 60 km west of Dresden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glauchau</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Glauchau is a town in the German federal state of Saxony, on the right bank of the Mulde, 7 miles north of Zwickau and 17 miles west of Chemnitz by rail. It is part of the Zwickau district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limbach-Oberfrohna</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Limbach-Oberfrohna is a town in the district of Zwickau in Saxony, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartmannsdorf, Mittelsachsen</span> Municipality in Saxony, Germany

Hartmannsdorf is a small municipality in the district Mittweida, Saxony, Germany, near the town Chemnitz. As of 2020 it has a population of 4,421.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oelsnitz, Erzgebirge</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Oelsnitz is a town in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 14 km east of Zwickau, and 20 km southwest of Chemnitz. Between 1844 and 1971 hardcoal was mined in Oelsnitz and the surrounding towns. The major mine "Karl-Liebknecht" became a mining museum in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochlitz</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burgstädt</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Burgstädt is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 12 km northwest of Chemnitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flöha</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Flöha is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. Flöha is situated on the confluence of the rivers Zschopau and Flöha, 10 km (6.21 mi) east of Chemnitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augustusburg</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Augustusburg is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 12 km east of Chemnitz. Augustusburg is known for its Jagdschloss, the hunting lodge of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ehrenfriedersdorf</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Ehrenfriedersdorf is a town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 8 km northwest of Annaberg-Buchholz, and 21 km south of Chemnitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geringswalde</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Geringswalde is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 12 km northwest of Mittweida, and 27 km north of Chemnitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartha</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Hartha is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 11 km west of Döbeln, and 12 km north of Mittweida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunzenau</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Lunzenau is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Zwickauer Mulde, 16 km west of Mittweida, and 18 km northwest of Chemnitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mügeln</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Mügeln is a town in the district Nordsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is located 9 km southwest of Oschatz and 14 km northwest of Döbeln. The town has a population of approximately 5,808 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lichtenstein, Saxony</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

Lichtenstein is a town in the Zwickau district, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 11 km northeast of Zwickau, and 22 km southwest of Chemnitz. It was owned by the House of Schönburg from 1286 until 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seelitz</span> Municipality in Saxony, Germany

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.

Mittelsachsen is a district (Kreis) in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.

References

  1. ↑ Gewählte Bürgermeisterinnen und Bürgermeister im Freistaat Sachsen, Stand: 17. Juli 2022, Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen.
  2. ↑ "Bevölkerung des Freistaates Sachsen nach Gemeinden am 31. Dezember 2021" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen. 2022.
  3. ↑ Tillack-Graf, Anne-Kathleen (2015). "Thomas R. Müller: Wahn und Sinn. Patienten, Ärzte, Personal und Institutionen der Psychiatrie in Sachsen vom Mittelalter bis zum Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts". History of Psychiatry (book review). 26 (4): 498–499. ISSN   0957-154X.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Waldheim at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.