Wittenberg district (1815–1952)

The district of Wittenberg , until 1922 Kreis Wittenberg , was a district that existed in Prussia , the Soviet occupation zone and the GDR from 1815 to 1952. It belonged to the Prussian province of Saxony and later to the state of Saxony-Anhalt and was located in the north-eastern part of the administrative district of Merseburg . Its greatest length was 45 kilometers (6 miles) and the greatest width was 26 kilometers (3½ miles). It was bordered in the north by the Zauch-Belzig and Jüterbog-Luckenwalde districts of the Brandenburg province , in the east by the Schweinitz district (since 1950: Herzberg), in the south by the Torgau and Bitterfeld districts and in the west by the Anhalt districts of Dessau and Zerbst . The seat of the district administration was the city of Wittenberg .

history

After the united Prussian-Saxon army had been defeated by Emperor Napoleon in the battle of Jena and Auerstedt on October 14, 1806 , the Saxon Elector Friedrich August Napoleon paid homage to and submitted to Napoleon. He made peace with Napoleon on December 11, 1806 and joined the Confederation of the Rhine . As a result, Napoleon elevated Friedrich August to King of Saxony and Poland and expanded his territory to include the Prussian district of Cottbus . From now on the Saxon King Friedrich August was an ally of Napoleon and supported the French emperor militarily.

When the war of liberation was decided by the Battle of Leipzig , Friedrich August was taken prisoner. The Kingdom of Saxony was administered by the Prussians from November 8, 1813 . After Napoleon was finally defeated, Prussia and the other allied powers demanded their compensation for the war victims. The borders of Europe were rearranged at the Congress of Vienna . As a result of this congress, Prussia was awarded 378 square miles with 864,404 inhabitants, Saxony retained 272 square miles with 1,182,744 inhabitants.

The Kurkreis went over to Prussia. Prussia divided the newly acquired part of the country according to the “Ordinance on the Improved Establishment of Provincial Authorities” of April 30, 1815. The Prussian state should consist of ten provinces, each divided into two or more administrative districts. The area around Wittenberg was assigned to the province of Saxony and was part of its administrative district Merseburg . On October 1, 1816, a division into districts was ordered, and the district of Wittenberg was created. The following parts of the spa district were assigned to the district:

• the Wittenberg office without the town of Zellendorf
• the Pretzsch office without the villages of Düßnitz , Gehmen , Kleindröben and Mauken
• the places Bleddin and Leetza of the Schweinitz office
• the place Labetz of the office Seyda

The new district covered 15 ¼ square miles with five cities and 102 villages. The population was 26,757.

• In 1819 the area allocation was corrected, with the Wittenberg district receiving the deserted Mark Gablenz.
• In 1827 15 district booths were created, whose deputies were from the ranks of the towns and communities and whose meetings took place in the Wittenberg town hall.
• In 1872 the district was divided into 12 administrative districts.
• In 1873 the first district assembly with 29 members met in the Wittenberg town hall. On January 1, 1874, the newly elected district committee and district council began its work, whose meetings took place in the boardroom of the district restaurant.
• In 1878, the district building was built on what was then Grünstraße / corner of Lindenstraße (today Melanchthonstraße / corner of Breitscheidstraße).
• In 1902 the old district of Wittenberg was around 15 square miles in size, with 60,700 inhabitants in 5 cities and 101 rural communities in 22 manor districts.
• 1922 Wittenberg was spun off into a separate urban district and from the circle Wittenberg, who since the district was called.
• In 1934, the district acquired 400 acres of forest in the municipality of Leetza .
• In 1937 the boundary of the former community of Trajuhn was corrected .
• In 1939 there was an exchange of territory in the Trajuhn manor district . By decree of the Prussian State Ministry, the old district of Wittenberg received the coat of arms with the two red crossed swords on a shield divided in black and silver.
• On July 1, 1944, the province of Saxony was dissolved and the district of Wittenberg was assigned to the province of Halle-Merseburg .
• On July 23, 1945, the provinces of Magdeburg and Halle-Merseburg merged to form the province of Saxony.
• In 1947, the state of Saxony-Anhalt was formed from the province of Saxony and the state of Anhalt .
• On October 10, 1949, the Soviet military administration under General Tschuikow handed over the exercised administrative functions to the organs of the GDR , which was founded on October 7, 1949 .
• With the ordinance for the implementation of the law on changing the borders of the states of July 13, 1950, the municipality of Boßdorf came from the district of Zauch-Belzig in the state of Brandenburg to the district of Wittenberg.
• With the law to change the district and community boundaries of April 27, 1950, the Wittenberg district was dissolved on August 1, 1950 and incorporated into the old district of Wittenberg.

With the formation of districts according to the law on the further democratization of the structure and functioning of state organs in the GDR countries, 14 districts with 217 districts were formed instead of the five GDR states . The district of Wittenberg was divided up:

• The communities Bergwitz , Gniest, Klitzschena , Radis , Reuden , Rotta , Schleesen , Selbitz and Uthausen came to the Graefenhainichen district in the Halle district .
• The communities of Elster (with Gielsdorf and Iserbegka) and Listerfehrda came to the Jessen district in the Cottbus district .
• The communities Blönsdorf , Danna , Eckmannsdorf , Feldheim , Kurzlipsdorf , Marzahna , Mellnsdorf , Schmögelsdorf, Schönefeld, Schwabeck and Wergzahna came to the Jüterbog district in the Potsdam district .
• The communities Dahlenberg , Greudnitz , Proschwitz and Wörblitz came to the Torgau district in the Leipzig district .
• The remaining cities and communities formed the Wittenberg district in the Halle district .

Population development

year	Residents	source
1816	26,910
1843	41,657
1871	50,525
1890	54,846
1900	60,687
1910	69,579
1925	53,228
1933	56,820
1939	66,225
1946	89,381

The district administrators of the Wittenberg district 1816–1952

• 1816–1821 Friedrich Wilhelm Curt von Leipziger
• 1821–1840 Karl von Jasmund
• 1841–1873 Otto Heinrich von Jagow
• 1873–1889 Kurt von Koseritz
• 1889–1911 Bodo von Bodenhausen
• 1911–1916 Wolf Dietrich von Trotha
• 1916–1932 Kurt von Trebra
• 1932–1945 Otto Holtz
• 1945 Peter Florin-9999
• 1945–1948 Franz Stammer
• 1948–1950 Otto Plättner
• 1950–1952 Albrecht Holzschuh
• 1952 -9999Albin Fleischmann

cities and communes

Status 1945

In 1945 the district of Wittenberg comprised the following cities and municipalities:

Apollensdorf Ateritz Bad Schmiedeberg , city Bergwitz Berkau Bidding guest Bleddin Blönsdorf Evil Braunsdorf Bülzig Dabrun Dahlenberg Danna Dietrichsdorf Dorna Eckmannsdorf magpie Euper Eutzsch Feldheim Gaditz Gallin Gielsdorf Globig Gniest

Gommlo Grabo Greudnitz Großkorgau Großwig Iserbegka Jahmo Kemberg , city Candle village Klebitz Kleinkorgau Kleinwittenberg Small autumn Klitzschena Köpnick Kropstädt Külso Kurzlipsdorf Lamb Village Leetza Listerfehrda Lubast Marzahna Mellnsdorf Melzwig Merkwitz

Merschwitz Meuro Mochau Moschwig Mühlanger Naderkau Nudersdorf Ogkel Österitz Pannigkau Patzschwig Piesteritz Pratau Pretzsch (Elbe) , city Priesitz Proschwitz Rackith Radis Rahnsdorf Pure resin Reinsdorf Regrets Rotta Sachau Sackwitz Schleesen

Schmilkendorf Schmögelsdorf Fast Scholis Schönefeld Schwabeck Seegrehna Selbitz Splau Straach Thießen Trajuhn Trebitz Uthausen Wartenburg Weddin Wergzahna Wiesigk Woltersdorf Wörblitz Zahna , city Zallmsdorf Zörnigall

The municipality-free manor district of Dübener Heide was also located in the district .

Incorporation before 1945

• Dobien , 1937 in Reinsdorf
• Labetz , in 1938 in Wittenberg
• Teuchel , 1938 in Wittenberg
• Hohndorf and Prühlitz , merged in 1939 to form the new municipality of Mühlanger

• Wüstemark , to Kropstädt in the 1930s

literature

• Richard Erfurth: Local history of the district of Wittenberg , Herrose Verlag Wittenberg, 1902.
• Wittenberg district (Ed.): Perspectives at a historic address - Festschrift for the inauguration of the new district building , April 29, 2005.
• The division of the Saxon country and the army after the wars of liberation , article in the newspaper for local history in March 1935, supplement to the Wittenberger newspaper

Web links

Commons : Landkreis Wittenberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ Official Journal of the Royal Government of Merseburg 1816, p. 334
2. ^ Christian Gottfried Daniel Stein: Handbook of Geography and Statistics of the Prussian State . Vossische Buchhandlung, Berlin 1819, The administrative region of Merseburg, p. 343 ( digitized version [accessed on May 5, 2016]).
3. ^ Handbook of the Province of Saxony . Rubachsche Buchhandlung, Magdeburg 1843, Neustadt-Magdeburg, p. 270 ( digitized version [accessed June 6, 2016]).
4. ↑ Royal Statistical Office of Prussia (ed.): The municipalities and manor districts of the Prussian state and their population . The municipalities and manor districts of the Province of Saxony. Publishing house d. Royal Extra Bureaus, Berlin 1873 ( digitized version [accessed on May 5, 2016]).
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Michael Rademacher: German administrative history from the unification of the empire in 1871 to the reunification in 1990. Wittenberg district. (Online material for the dissertation, Osnabrück 2006). 
6. ↑ 1946 census