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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Lößnitz

The Weigel line that the family of Erick Karl Weigel Jr. is descended from originated in Lößnitz, Saxony, Germany.

Lößnitz is in the Erzgebirgskreis (Ore Mountains District) of Saxony.  The name Lößnitz originates from the Slavic word lesnice, which means "forest place", and is referred to as Bergstadt Lößnitz, which means "Mining town of Lößnitz".

Lößnitz, Saxony, Germany

Lößnitz was founded by the Burggraffen (Viscount) in Meißen in 1170.  It is first named in a historic document in 1238 and is referred to as a Civitas in another in 1284.  This makes Lößnitz one of the oldest towns in the Erzgebirge District.


Seal of Lößnitz from around 1920


Little detail of the early history of Lößnitz is known.  However, there is a mention of a grammar school in 1304 and it's first known mayor, Hermann von Buten in 1372.  In 1382, a mining office was established in the town.  In 1406 the Count of Schönburg made Lößnitz his capital.

A convenient intersection of two commerce routes, one from the salt mines and the other from the iron mines, allowed industry and commerce in Lößnitz to develop rapidly.  As a result, there were at least fifteen trade guilds established in Lößnitz by 1600.

Unfortunately over the centuries, Lößnitz has fallen victim to several devastating fires which have destroyed nearly all of the original structures in the town.  The first documented fire was in 1383 and destroyed the entire city up to the gate.  In the early 1600s several fires once again leveled the city.  In 1806 the entire city burned again and after being rebuilt, again three years later in 1809.  Many subsequent fires occurred since then, thereby ensuring most of the original medieval buildings did not survive into modern times.

Lößnitz and surrounding area

Lößnitz has many long standing cultural traditions such as the Salt Market held during the third weekend of June, which has been held for at least 600 years and the Christmas Market, which has been held for at least 300 years.

In modern Lößnitz, the majority of the the population, which is just under 10,000, resides in the lands surrounding the historic town called constituent communities.  Important sectors of commerce in Lößnitz include:  shoe-making, machining, slate mining, textiles, and metal ware.

Lößnitz Coat of Arms

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