listen)) is a hill-top town in easternSaxony,Germany, and the administrative centre of thedistrict of Bautzen. It is located on theSpree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, itsGermanname wasBudissin.
Bautzen is often regarded as the unofficial, but historical capital ofUpper Lusatia. The town is also the most important cultural centre of theSorbian minority, which constitutes about 10 percent of Bautzen's population.[3]Asteroid11580 Bautzenis named in honour of the city.[4]
The town on the River Spree is situated about 50 km (31 mi) east ofDresdenbetween theLusatian highlandand the lowlands in the north, amidst the region ofUpper Lusatia. To the north stretches theBautzen Reservoir, which was flooded in 1974. This is the former location of the villages of Malsissy (Małšecy) and Nimschütz (Hněwsecy).[5]
The old part of Bautzen is located on the plateau above the Spree, whose top is marked by theOrtenburg(de) castle. It is bordered by the city walls. The later-built more recent quarters in the east were enclosed by the city ramparts. After their removal, the city expanded further east and to the left bank of the river. However, there has only been a small urban area west of the Spree until today. In the 1970s, the development areas of "Gesundbrunnen" and "Allendeviertel" were erected. After 1990, several neighbouring villages were incorporated.
In the 3rd century AD an eastern Germanic settlement existed here, but excavations have proved that the region was already inhabited as early as the lateStone Age.Sorbsarrived in the area during the Migration period in the 6h century AD.
In 1429 and 1431 the town was unsuccessfully besieged by theHussites.[6]In 1634 it was destroyed by theSwedesduring theThirty Years' War.[6]It was the site of one of the battlefields of theNapoleonic WarBattle of Bautzenin 1813. In 1868 the name was officially changed fromBudissinto the more Germanized formBautzen.[6]
In 1839 the Sorbian student organizationSocietas Slavica Budissenensiswas founded in the city. In 1845 theSorbian national anthemwas publicly performed for the first time in the city. TheSorbian House(Upper Sorbian:Serbski Dom), a Sorbian cultural centre, was opened in the city in 1904.
After theNazi Partycame to power in Germany in 1933, many political prisoners were held in the Bautzen I and Bautzen II prisons, built in 1904 and 1906, respectively.[6]During theKristallnachtin 1938, localJewswere persecuted and Jewish-owned businesses were destroyed.[6]DuringWorld War II, theAL Bautzensubcampof theGroß-Rosen concentration campoperated in Bautzen.[8]At least 600 men, mostlyPoles, but also of other nationalities, were imprisoned there, about 310 of whom died.[8]Ernst Thälmannwas imprisoned there before being deported toBuchenwald. In April 1945, the Germans evacuated many prisoners on foot toMikulášovice, where they were liberated by Polish troops on May 8, 1945, while the remaining prisoners were liberated in Bautzen by the Soviets on April 20, 1945.[8]Between 21 April and 30 April 1945, theBattle of Bautzenwas fought.
Bautzen was infamous throughoutEast Germanyfor its two penitentiaries. "Bautzen I" was used as an official prison, soon to be nicknamedGelbes Elend("Yellow Misery") due to its outer colour, whereas the more secretive "Bautzen II" was used as a facility to hold political prisoners, dissidents and prisoners of conscience. Today, Bautzen I is known as the Bautzen Correctional Institution and is used to hold prisoners who are awaiting trial.[9]Bautzen II which was also operated by the GDR'sMinistry for State Security, has served as an open memorial since 1993, operated by the Saxon Memorials Foundation. It is accessible to the public. Guided tours are provided and occasionally, films are screened.[10]A permanent exhibition depicts the misery suffered by occupants; visitors may tour detention cells, the isolation area and the yards where prisoners were allowed to exercise.[11]
In 2002 the city commemorated its 1000th birthday. In 2010 it was hit by a flood.[6]
The Bautzen City Council consists of 34 members. It meets either in theTown Hall [de;hsb]or in theGewandhaus [de]. There are also four local councils (Niederkaina, Stiebitz, Kleinwelka, and Salzenforst-Bolbritz), whose honorary members are elected for five years.
Bautzen has a very compact and well-preserved medieval town centre with numerous churches and towers and a city wall on the steep embankment to the river Spree, with one of the oldest preserved waterworks in central Europe (built 1558).
Sites of interest include:
TheReichenturm, one of the steepest leaning and still passable towers north of the Alps
Ortenburg Castle
The Old Waterworks, an architectural monument and museum
Hexenhaus (Witch's House), oldest preserved residential building (built in 1604)
There are six museums in Bautzen, including theStadtmuseum Bautzen("Bautzen city Museum"), theSorbisches Museum("Sorbian Museum", Sorbian:Serbski muzej) and the Senfmuseum (Mustard Museum).
Bautzen is the seat of several institutions of the cultural self-administration of theSorbian people:
Foundation for the Sorbian People (Stiftung für das sorbische Volk, Załožba za serbski lud)
Domowina (poet. Sorbic for „Homeland“, actually: Zwjazk Łužiskich Serbow z. t., Bund Lausitzer Sorben e. V.) - the umbrella organisation of Sorbian cultural associations and institutions
Bombardier Transportation, having taken over the former VEB Waggonbau Bautzen, operates a large factory on Fabrikstraße making railway locomotives, carriages and trams. The mustardBautz'ner Senfis produced in Bautzen. It is the market leader in thenew states of Germanywith a market share of 65 percent.[14]
