Rötha, Stadt
Contact
- Person
- Stadtverwaltung Rötha
- Street
- Rathausstraße 4
- Zip
- 04571 Rötha
- Country
- Germany
- Phone
- 034206 600-0
- Web
- https://www.roetha.de
- stadtverwaltung@stadt-roetha.de
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About
Our Landmarks
Rötha originated from a Slavic settlement on the right bank of the Pleiße and on the old trade route from Altenburg to Leipzig.
It was first documented in 1127. The St. George’s Church, dedicated to Saint George in 1255, and St. Mary’s Church, consecrated as a pilgrimage site in 1518, still shape the townscape today.
From 1592 to 1945, the manor estate and the castle were owned by the Barons von Friesen, who held high military and state offices at the Dresden court.
The castle, completed in 1669, was distinguished by its elaborate furnishings and a valuable library. It existed for exactly 300 years until it was blown up in 1969. The castle gained particular significance through its role in Saxon politics in 1813. During the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig, the monarchs allied against Napoleon I—Emperor Francis I of Austria, Tsar Alexander I, and King Frederick William III of Prussia—set up their headquarters in the Baron von Friesen Castle in Rötha between 16 and 19 October 1813.
For the two churches, Christian August Baron von Friesen donated an organ in 1718 and 1721 respectively from the Saxon workshop of Gottfried Silbermann, which to this day delight performers and guests from Germany and the international music world.
With the takeover of the manor estate, the Friesens took over the viticulture previously begun by monks, expanded it, and soon operated it no longer solely for their own needs.
Because of its significant sheep breeding, Rötha was given the name “Schafsrede” in the 17th century. During this time, the furrier’s trade emerged.
The fruit growing operated by the Friesens brought the owners an abundant fruit blessing, for the processing of which the Rötha large cider press was founded in 1883. Only a few years later, in 1888, the fruit-wine tavern opened, which also became a popular excursion destination for many people from Leipzig. During this time, Rötha also gained a reputation as the “Pearl of the Pleiße floodplain” and a garden city.
With the land reform and expropriation of the Friesens, the last chapter in the history of the castle was opened in 1945, which ended in 1969 with its demolition by blasting.
The district court and prison built in 1910 were used as such until 1953. While the district court, after various interim uses, was renovated from 2009 and converted into a multi-generation house with a daycare center, city library, and council chamber, the former prison houses the local history museum.
A landmark of the town visible from far away is the 35-meter-high water tower built in 1913, which still serves the water supply today and is currently being renovated. Immediately next to it is the Volkshaus built in 1926 with a restaurant and event hall.
On the southern edge of town is the reservoir built in the 1940s, from which one can reach further south to Lake Kahnsdorf and Lake Hainer and to the northwest through the riparian forest and across the Rötha “Koppel” to the former castle grounds and the adjacent castle park. The castle park has been redesigned in recent years based on historical documents. A castle pond and trees more than one hundred years old invite visitors to linger here.
Since 01/08/2015, Espenhain and its districts of Mölbis, Oelzschau, and Pötzschau have belonged to Rötha, which now has around 6,300 inhabitants.
Rötha lies on Federal Highway 95 and the A72 motorway currently under construction. From the former mining-shaped industrial area between Bitterfeld, Delitzsch, Leipzig, and Borna, a network of flowing waters and lakes has emerged and is still emerging, which in the future will comprise around 200 km of navigable waterways.
All of this—its convenient transport connections, proximity to the major city of Leipzig, and location in the middle of the Leipzig New Lake District—makes both central Rötha and its rural districts attractive as a place to live.
Sightseeing
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