Grimma

Grimma (Upper Sorbian: Grima) is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Central Germany, on the left bank of the Mulde, 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of Leipzig. Founded in c. 1170, it is part of the Leipzig district.

Grimma
Coat of arms
Location of Grimma within Leipzig district
Grimma
Grimma
Coordinates: 51°14′19″N 12°43′31″E
CountryGermany
StateSaxony
DistrictLeipzig
Government
 • MayorMatthias Berger
Area
 • Total217.38 km2 (83.93 sq mi)
Elevation
128 m (420 ft)
Population
 (2019-12-31)[1]
 • Total28,173
 • Density130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
04668
Dialling codes03437
Vehicle registrationL, BNA, GHA, GRM, MTL, WUR
Websitewww.grimma.de

Location

The town is in northern Saxony, 25 kilometres (16 miles) southeast of Leipzig and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south of Wurzen.

Flooding

The river Mulde flows through the town, a significant section of which is situated in a floodplain. Massive floods in 2002 washed away the old Pöppelmannbrücke bridge and caused significant damage to buildings in the town. In the summer of 2013 there was further flood damage.

Destroyed Pöppelmannbrücke

Suburbs
  • Großbardau (merged with Grimma January 2006)
  • Döben
  • Hohnstädt
  • Höfgen
  • Beiersdorf
  • Kaditzsch
  • Schkortitz
  • Naundorf
  • Neunitz
  • Grechwitz
  • Dorna
  • Kleinbardau (merged with Grimma January 2006)
  • Bernbruch (merged with Grimma 2006)
  • Waldbardau (merged with Grimma 2006)
  • Nerchau (merged with Grimma 2011)
  • Thümmlitzwalde (merged with Grimma 2011)
  • Großbothen (merged with Grimma 2011)
  • Mutzschen (merged with Grimma 1 January 2012)

History

Grimma is of Sorbian origin and was first documented in 1065. The Margraves of Meissen and the Electors of Saxony often resided at the castle in the town.

The city was chosen as one of three government elite boarding schools, the 'Princely Schools of Saxony', in 1550. The purpose of these schools was to educate future civil servants and to prepare them for further studies at universities which is why a number of historical personalities are biographically related to this rather small city. The Gymnasium St. Augustine still exists today as one of only a few public boarding schools in Saxony.

Grimma was the scene of witch trials between 1494–1701. At least two women were executed as witches.[2]

Due to the city being located at the second main railway line between Leipzig and Dresden (via Meissen), the city developed well in the 19th century.

By 1890 the population had reached 8,957.[3]

The city was affected by heavy flooding in 2013. Work had by this time started on the construction of flood barriers, but their completion had been delayed by local opposition [4]

In 2017, the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference held their international, triennial convention in Grimma.[5]

Culture

Grimma has been the site of many historic structures, including a town hall dating from 1442, a famous school (the Fürstenschule) erected on the site of a former Augustinian monastery in 1550, and a school of brewing.[6]

Notable people

Miscellaneous

Grimma is the sister city to Devon, Alberta, Canada. in 2008, a group of students and dignitaries from Devon travelled to Grimma to perform in an international music festival. In 2010, members of the Grimma Jugendblasorchester (Youth Orchestra) travelled to Devon to perform and to tour Alberta.[7]

Notes
  1. "Bevölkerung des Freistaates Sachsen nach Gemeinden am 31. Dezember 2019". Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen (in German). July 2020.
  2. Manfred Wilde: Die Zauberei- und Hexenprozesse in Kursachsen. Köln, Weimar, Wien 2003, S. 508f.
  3. The Century Cyclopaedia of Names, coordinated by Benjamin E Smith and published by the De Vinne Press, New York 1894
  4. spiegel.de 2013: Versäumter Hochwasserschutz: "Diese Flut kommt vier Jahre zu früh"
  5. "REFORMATION - then and now" (PDF). Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  6. The latter has been claimed in Encyclopædia Britannica 1911: Grimma as follows: "There are also a modern school, a teachers' seminary, a commercial school and a school of brewing." The following three sources are given: "See Lorenz, Die Stadt Grimma, historisch beschrieben (Leipzig, 1871); Rössler, Geschichte der königlich sächsischen Fürsten- und Landesschule Grimma (Leipzig, 1891); L. Schmidt, Urkundenbuch der Stadt Grimma (Leipzig, 1895); and Fraustadt, Grimmenser Stammbuch (Grimma, 1900)." (all three German language)
  7. nurun.com. "Funding for Grimma visitors secured, itinerary ..." Devon Dispatch. Retrieved 2017-09-07.

References
  • The High School St. Augustine of Grimma
  • Frauenkirche
  • Sawmill Höfgen
  • Old city as seen from the Mulde river
  • The bank of the Mulde
  • Armorial bearings on a bridge over Mulde in Grimma
  • Destroyed bridge over Mulde in Grimma
  • Memorial to the flood disaster 2002 in Grimma
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