Weißwasser

Infobox Ort in Deutschland
name = Weißwasser
Běła Woda
Art = Stadt
image_photo =
Wappen = Wsw_wappen.svg
lat_deg = 51 |lat_min = 30
lon_deg = 14 |lon_min = 38
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Sachsen
Regierungsbezirk = Dresden
Landkreis = Görlitz
Verwaltungsgemeinschaft = Weißwasser
Höhe = 140
Fläche = 63.60
Einwohner = 20823
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 02943
Vorwahl = 03576
Kfz = GR
Gemeindeschlüssel = 14 2 84 470
Adresse = Am Marktplatz
02943 Weißwasser
Adresse-Verband = Marktplatz
02943 Weißwasser
Website = [http://www.weisswasser.de/ www.weisswasser.de]
Bürgermeister = Hartwig Rauh
Partei =

Weißwasser (Sorbian: "Běła Woda") is a town in Upper Lusatia in eastern Saxony, Germany.

Weißwasser is the biggest town in its district, the Görlitz district. The town's landmark is its water tower and it was host to the Day of the Saxons in 2005.

History

Weißwasser was mentioned for the first time on 8 June 1552; the town's name means "white water". It became part of Prussian Silesia in 1815. In the 19th and 20th century, Weißwasser was the European centre of glass production. It became part of Prussian Lower Silesia in 1919.

Weißwasser received its town charter on 28 August 1935. In the Second World War, 40% of the town had been destroyed. With the dissolution of Prussia resulting from the war, the town became part of Saxony from 1945–52. It was then part of communist East Germany from 1952–90 and administered within Bezirk Cottbus. Many enterprises had to close during the communist regime. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, only a few enterprises were left. It was included within a restored Saxony after German reunification.

Weißwasser now struggles with the aftereffects of German 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.

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 was 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 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 symbolise 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 was 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)

ights

* 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

port

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

* [http://www.weisswasser.de Official website]