WEIßWASSER

'Weißwasser' (Sorbian 'Běła Woda') is a small town in Upper Lusatia in eastern Saxony, Germany. The town has been mentioned for the first time in 1552 and received its town charter in 1935. There are currently approximately 21,000 people living in Weißwasser.
Weißwasser is the biggest town within its district, the Niederschlesischer Oberlausitzkreis. The town's landmark is its water tower and it was host to the Day of the Saxons in 2005.

Contents

History

Coat of Arms

Population development

Politics

Twin Cities

Sights

Sport

External links

History

Weißwasser was mentioned for the first time on 8 June 1552, but it did not receive its town charter until 28 August 1935. In the Second World War, 40% of the town had been destroyed.
In the 19th and 20th century, Weißwasser was the European centre of glass production. However, many enterprises had to close during the communist regime of the GDR. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, only a few enterprises were left.
Nowadays, Weißwasser struggles with the aftereffects of 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. Recently, in September 2005, Weißwasser hosted the "Day of the Saxons." 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 has been allotted on 31 January 1927. The two green glasses symbolise the glass industry of the town, which has been one of the largest in former East Germany. The tools are a reference to the coal mining, which is being 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 are symbolising the name of the city.

Population development

Development of the population figure since 31 December 1960

1825 - 390 1933 - 13,494 1939 - 14,388 1946 - 12,940 1950 - 13,844 1960 - 14,028

1981 - 32,799 1984 - 34,994 1988 - 38,288 1995 - 31,745 1997 - 30,300 1998 - 28,605

1999 - 27,315 2000 - 26,107 2001 - 24,815 2002 - 23,862 2003 - 22,966 2004 - 22,758

2005 - 21,912

Source from 1998 on: Statistics office Saxony

Politics

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

★ 27.68 % PDS

★ 27.01 % CDU

★ 18.54 % Wir für Hier e.V.

★ 12.70 % SPD

★ 6.96 % Klartext

★ 3.84 % FDP

★ 3.26 % NPD

Twin Cities

★ Brühl (North Rhine-Westphalia)

★ Żary (Poland)

Sights

★ Water Tower

★ Ice Hockey Stadium "Fuchsbau" (fox's den)

★ Glass makers museum

★ Zoo

★ Pückler - Park in Bad Muskau

★ Rhododendron - Park in Kromlau

★ Forest Railway Muskau

★ Braunsteich - Lake

★ Erratic Rock - Park in Nochten

★ Opencast pit in Nochten

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.

External links

★ Official website