Großenhain


Großenhain is a Große Kreisstadt in the district of Meißen, Saxony, Germany. It was originally known as Hayne. The current name simply means "big Hayne"

History

Großenhain was originally a Sorbian settlement, and remains an area where this language is spoken.
It was first mentioned in 1205. It was for a time occupied by the Bohemians, by whom it was strongly fortified. It afterwards came into the possession of the margraves of Meißen, from whom it was taken in 1312 by the margraves of Brandenburg. In the middle-ages, Großenhain was one of the most powerful towns in Saxony.
It suffered considerably in all the great German wars, and in 1744 was nearly destroyed by fire. The fire destroyed the church which was then replaced by the current Marienkirche, which echoes internally echoes the Frauenkirche in nearby Dresden.
On May 16, 1813, a battle took place here between the French and the Russians.
A military airfield was created near the town, opening in February 1914.
Kulturzentrum Grossenhain was recently created, cleverly converting the ruined fragments of Schloss Grossenhain into a modern building.

Geography

Großenhain is located on the river Röder, northwest of Dresden, and east of Riesa.
It is also situated on Via Regia from Görlitz to Santiago de Compostela.

Localities

Infrastructure

There are two train stations in Großenhain. The Großenhain Berliner Bahnhof had been out of service since 2002, leaving only the Großenhain Cottbusser Bahnhof, served by trains from Dresden to Elsterwerda, Cottbus and Hoyerswerda.
Großenhain is accessible by car via Bundesstraße 98 and Bundesstraße 101.

Famous people