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50-476: Sonnenstein castle, located at Pirna near Dresden , above the river Elbe , was built after 1460 (564 years ago)  ( 1460 ) on the site of a former medieval castle. Sonnenstein castle was used as a mental home since 1811. Among other patients, Sonnenstein was the asylum in which Daniel Paul Schreber wrote his Denkwürdigkeiten eines Nervenkranken in 1900–2. Because of the advanced methods practiced there, it received worldwide acclaim and served as

100-510: A district quite worth seeing with shops, bars and cafes, as well as other cultural offerings (including the Tom-Pauls-Theater). The renovation of the old town repeatedly brought historical features to light. During the renovation of a house on the market square, for example, an approx. 500-year-old wall painting was uncovered that shows a "wrong" type of wild animal hunting - animals hunting and devouring humans - and which, according to

150-438: A high hoarding (billboard) was erected on the other sides. Four buildings were located inside the shielding. They were used for offices, living rooms for the personnel etc. Sleeping quarters for the men who burned the bodies were provided for in the attic of building C 16. It is possible that other sections of the buildings were also used by T4. From end of June 1940 until September 1942, approximately 15,000 persons were killed in

200-484: A model for other institutions. Sonnenstein Asylum was one of the first 'therapeutic asylums'; activity rooms included billiards and music rooms. From early 1940 until the end of June 1942, a part of the castle was converted into a killing centre. A gas chamber and crematorium were installed in the cellar of the former men's sanitary (building C 16). A high brick-wall on two sides of the complex shielded it from outside while

250-660: A part of the large mental asylum within Sonnenstein Castle was converted into a euthanasia killing center: the Sonnenstein Nazi Death Institute . It was a testing ground for initial development of certain methods, later generally adopted and refined for usage associated with the Final Solution . A gas chamber and crematorium were installed in the cellar of the former men's sanitary (building C 16). A high brick-wall on two sides of

300-672: A quorum of 30,000, however, in 1998 the historic imperial cities of Dinkelsbühl and Donauwörth were elevated by Bavarian state law, though they did not reach the necessary number of inhabitants. Currently, there are 93 Große Kreisstädte in Baden-Württemberg, 29 in Bavaria, and 50 in Saxony. In some German states other terms are used, for example Große selbständige Stadt in Lower Saxony , conclusively assigned by law to

350-593: A town can obtain this status but they do not differ very much. The mayor of a Große Kreisstadt usually bears the title of an Oberbürgermeister (Lord Mayor). At the moment reforms are being discussed in some states. It is not a main goal of these reforms to make the rules more similar; on the contrary, the district towns are thought to be important in order to preserve the existing regional diversity. In Germany federal states have very similar administration rules, so they are not always comparable to U.S. states for example. District-affiliated municipalities may apply for

400-642: A very large mental hospital in Castle Sonnenstein. But when on September 14, 1813, French troops occupied the Sonnenstein, they forced the evacuation of 275 patients, seized supplies and tore the roof trusses out to remove a fire threat. In September 1813, emperor Napoleon temporarily lived at the Marienhaus, located at the market. Until Dresden 's surrender on November 11 the French defended

450-886: A workshop for disabled people was opened in 1991. Bilfinger Berger worked on the refurbishment of Sonnenstein Castle in a project completed in 2011. The small Saxon Psychiatric Museum in Leipzig , established in 2000, is also giving attention to the history of Sonnenstein castle. Stiftung Sächsische Gedenkstätten zur Erinnerung an die Opfer politischer Gewaltherrschaft (ed.), Pirna-Sonnenstein : Von einer Heilanstalt zu einem Ort nationalsozialistischer Tötungsverbrechen (2001). ISBN   3-934382-02-9 50°57′39″N 13°56′52″E  /  50.96083°N 13.94778°E  / 50.96083; 13.94778 Pirna Pirna ( German: [ˈpɪʁna] ; Upper Sorbian : Pěrno , pronounced [ˈpʲɪʁnɔ] )

500-1045: Is Südostmeißenisch , which is part of the Upper Saxon German group of regiolects . ⎈ Samo’s Empire 631-658 [REDACTED] Margraviate of Meissen 1233-1293 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Bohemia 1293-1405 [REDACTED]   Electorate of Saxony 1405-1485 [REDACTED] Albertine Duchy of Saxony 1485-1547 [REDACTED]   Electorate of Saxony 1547-1697 [REDACTED] Poland - Saxony 1697-1706 [REDACTED]   Electorate of Saxony 1706-1709 [REDACTED] Poland - Saxony 1709-1763 [REDACTED]   Electorate of Saxony 1763-1806 [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Saxony 1806-1918 [REDACTED]   German Empire 1871-1918 [REDACTED]   Weimar Republic 1918-1933 [REDACTED]   Nazi Germany 1933-1945 [REDACTED]   Allied-occupied Germany 1945-1949 [REDACTED]   East Germany 1949-1990 [REDACTED] 1990-present Tools made of flint from

550-554: Is 17,500 (until 2008: 20,000). Usually, the motion is accepted. The status of a Große Kreisstadt was first implemented by the Baden-Württemberg Gemeindeordnung on 1 April 1956, followed by Bavaria, where in the course of a 1972 administrative reform, the status was conferred to 23 former independent cities regardless of the population. The smallest Große Kreisstadt is Rothenburg ob der Tauber with about 10,900 inhabitants. Further conferments require

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600-541: Is a town in Saxony , Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge . The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a Große Kreisstadt . Pirna is located in the vicinity of the Sandstone Mountains in the upper Elbe valley , where two nearby tributaries, Wesenitz from the north and Gottleuba from

650-670: The Dresden S-Bahn and the Dresden to Prague railway, is located to the west of the town centre, and is the junction point for the line to Neustadt in Sachsen and Sebnitz . Besides the town's main station, it is also served by Obervogelgesang , Pirna-Copitz and Pirna-Copitz Nord stations. Pirna is also a stop for the Sächsische Dampfschiffahrt ships, including historic paddle steamers , operating on

700-773: The Perun cult, covered up by a fanciful, German-language notion about the town's name ("pear" is Birne in German , which sounds rather like "Pirna" Latin : "Pyrus" ). With the conquest of the Slavic communities and the founding of the Mark by the Germans ( Henry the Fowler founded the castle of Meissen in 929), settlement in the Pirna area is again verifiable. The castle in Pirna, which

750-594: The Prussians , who had invaded without declaring war, to the levels between Königstein Fortress and Sonnenstein Castle and capitulated there on October 16, two days after Sonnenstein surrendered . In 1758, Austrian troops and the Imperial Army besieged the fortress. A Kattundruck manufactory for cotton printing opened as the first of its kind in 1774. In 1811 the physician Ernst Gottlob Pienitz opened

800-625: The Elbe between Dresden and the Czech border. Local and regional bus services are operated by the Regionalverkehr Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge . Pirna is twinned with: Gro%C3%9Fe Kreisstadt Große Kreisstadt ( German: [ˈɡʁoːsə ˈkʁaɪsˌʃtat] , "major district town") is a term in the municipal law ( Gemeindeordnung ) of several German states . In some federal states

850-642: The Germanic tribes in the Elbe Valley, who had lived in the area for a couple of centuries from the 4th century BC on. The name Pirna derives from the Sorbian phrase, na pernem , meaning on the hard (stone) and is also related to the Slavic deity Perun , whose cult was present in all Slavic and Baltic territories. The representation of a pear tree in the coat of arms was a later cryptic representation of

900-535: The Saxon State Office for Monument Protection, is unique in this form in Saxony. In addition, valuable wooden beam ceilings were exposed in numerous houses. In August 2002, the town suffered great damage during the widespread flooding in Europe , reaching its apex on 16 August. Two factors greatly worsened the effect: First, the large earthen structure supporting the railway line acted as a dam, retaining

950-408: The beginning of the 1990s with intensive funding from the urban development funding programs. In the meantime, over 90% of the 300 buildings in the historic old town have been renovated. The number of inhabitants in the redevelopment area of the old town has doubled since the end of the 1990s, from almost 1,000 to almost 2,000 (as of 2013). The market square and the surrounding alleys have developed into

1000-610: The bridge over the Elbe. Though there were only strategic targets most of the over 200 dead were civilians. During the existence of the GDR and its economic model, a so-called planned economy , people mostly worked in publicly owned enterprises : Among other things, Pirna 014 turbines for the 152 jet aircraft developed in the GDR were built at VEB Strömungsmaschinen. All these businesses did not continue to exist for long after reunification, because they were not competitive. The Elbe river

1050-565: The buildings were used as a military hospital. In the summer of 1947 some Action T4 members appeared as accused in the Dresdner Ärzteprozess ( Doctor's Trial in Dresden). Professor Paul Nitsche , medical chief of T4, and two male nurses from Sonnenstein were sentenced to death. It took about 40 years to recognise the part Sonnenstein played in the T4 program, and in 1989 the public commemorated

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1100-458: The complex shielded it from outside view. Four buildings were located inside this brick-wall shielding. They were used as offices, living rooms for the personnel, etc. Sleeping quarters for the men responsible for incinerating the bodies were provided in the attic of building C 16. It is possible that other sections of the buildings were also used by Action T4 . From end of June 1940 until September 1942, approximately 15,000 persons were killed in

1150-491: The end futile, the town was greatly devastated. About 600 people were murdered ( Pirnaisches Elend , lit. "Misery of Pirna"). In around 1670, based upon recent military developments, the Sonnenstein fortress was built. Only the powerful stonework still exists today. In 1707, Pirna had debts that related to the Great Northern War of more than 100,000 Thalers . On August 29, 1756, the small Saxon army fled before

1200-473: The engineer battalions 12 and 5 of the Royal Saxon field artillery regiment No. 64 were billeted on Rottwerndorfer Straße. In 1922/23, the town incorporated several municipalities including Posta , Niedervogelgesang , Obervogelgesang , Copitz , Hinterjessen , Neundorf , Zuschendorf , Rottwerndorf and Zehista . The population totaled about 30,000 inhabitants. From early 1940 until end of June 1942,

1250-470: The fall of the Berlin Wall . The de-industrialization in the course of German reunification , unprecedented in the history of the town, was formative. The immediate transition to a market economy led to the shutdown of a considerable part of the structure-determining industrial companies. In the three largest factories of silk, fluid machinery and cellulose fiber alone, more than 5,000 jobs were lost by

1300-614: The fortress. Only in February 1814 the hospital for the mentally ill was able to open again. In 1837, steamship travel began on the upper Elbe. A few years later, in 1848, a railway line connecting Dresden and Pirna opened. In 1880, the first section of the Sekundärbahn -type railway line from Pirna to Gottleuba, the Gottleuba Valley railway was opened. The line was closed in 1976. In 1894, another railway line opened

1350-611: The history of the centre. On 9 June 2000 a memorial center for the T-4 Program was opened in the house. It is managed by the Stiftung Sächsische Gedenkstätten zur Erinnerung an die Opfer politischer Gewaltherrschaft (Foundation for Memorial Institutions in Saxony for the Victims of Tyranny). Since 1970, the building has again housed disabled people. After the establishment of a rehabilitation center,

1400-585: The late Paleolithic (about 12,000-8000 BC), at the end of the last ice age , are evidence for the earliest human settlement in the area. Later on, people belonging to the Linear Pottery culture , who farmed grain and cattle, lived here during the Neolithic (5500-4000 BC) because of a good climate and Loess soil. Around 600 AD a Slavic group called the Sorbs , who were fishermen and farmers, succeeded

1450-624: The market square and the so-called Kern’sche Haus in the Burgstraße . When in 1989 the Teufelserkerhaus was to be torn down as part of demolition measures in the old town, public demonstrations happened with people shouting “Save Pirna”. From this circle, the Kuratorium Altstadt (literally Old Town Board of Trustees ) was formed, which provided outstanding services during the period of reconstruction which began after

1500-500: The mid-1990s as a result of closure and liquidation by the Treuhandanstalt . It is true that new jobs were created in the service industry; however, these alone could not compensate for such a huge loss. The establishment of new jobs in the manufacturing industry turned out to be difficult, not least because of the lack of a federal highway connection. The reconstruction of the inner town has been advanced considerably since

1550-553: The scope of the mass murder by involuntary euthanasia program and the Sonderbehandlung Action 14f13 . The personnel list consisted of about 100 persons. One third of them were reassigned to the extermination camps in occupied Poland, because of their recent experiences in deception, killing, gassing and incinerating of people. There, they were trained by the detachments responsible for organized killing in camps like Treblinka . These killings ceased after pressure

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1600-521: The scope of the programme and the Sonderbehandlung 14f13 . The staff consisted of about 100 persons. One third of them were ordered to the extermination camps in occupied Poland, because of their experiences in deception, killing, gassing and disposing of prisoners. During August / September 1942 the Sonnenstein killing centre was liquidated and incriminating installations such as gas chambers and crematorium ovens dismantled. From October 1942

1650-647: The second round. In 2017, Hanke was re-elected with 60.5% of the vote in the first round. In December 2023, Tim Lochner was elected Mayor of Prina. Lochner is independent of a party, but was nominated as a candidate by the right-wing party AfD . It is the first mayor of a city with more than 20,000 inhabitants to be appointed by the AfD. Villages and other municipalities that were incorporated into Pirna: Change of population (from 1960, all figures for December 31) : 1834 until 1946 1950 until 1997 1998 until 2003 1 October 29 2 August 31 Pirna station , on

1700-719: The south, flow into the Elbe . It is also called the "gate to the Saxon Switzerland " ( Ger: Tor zur Sächsischen Schweiz ). The Saxon wine region ( Ger: Sächsische Weinstraße ), which was established in 1992, stretches from Pirna via Pillnitz , Dresden , and Meissen to Diesbar-Seußlitz . Pirna is located southeast of Dresden . Neighboring municipalities are Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel (town), Bahretal , Dohma , Dohna (town), Dürrröhrsdorf-Dittersbach , Heidenau (town), Königstein (town), Lohmen , Stadt Wehlen (town), and Struppen . The regiolect spoken in Pirna

1750-421: The status of a Große Kreisstadt , conferred by decree of the state's interior ministry. Assuming certain sovereign functions of the district, the municipal authorities have to ensure they are able to carry out the assigned responsibilities. In the state of Baden-Württemberg , the necessary population to obtain this status is 20,000. In Bavaria 30,000 inhabitants are necessary; in Saxony , the minimum population

1800-468: The status of a Große kreisangehörige Stadt is conferred by the state government to municipalities with a certain population (Brandenburg: 35,000; North Rhine-Westphalia: 60,000; Rhineland-Palatinate: 25,000). In Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, there are also Mittlere kreisangehörige Städte with a population of more than 25,000. In Thuringia , a district-affiliated local authority ensuring adequate administrative and financial parameters may apply for

1850-794: The status. In 2005 the Schleswig-Holstein government declared Norderstedt in Segeberg District (part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region ) a Große kreisangehörige Stadt . In Saarland , the towns of Sankt Ingbert and Völklingen hold the comparable status of a district-affiliated Mittelstadt . In Hesse , seven towns with a population of more than 50,000 obtained the status of a Sonderstatusstadt : Bad Homburg vor der Höhe , Fulda , Giessen , Hanau , Marburg , Rüsselsheim and Wetzlar . Saxony-Anhalt has no Große Kreisstädte and instead provides

1900-522: The strategically important castle was upgraded to a fortress by Maurice, Elector of Saxony . Three years later, it withstood the siege by elector John Frederick, Elector of Saxony in the Schmalkaldic War . On April 23, 1639, the town was invaded by Swedish troops under the commander in chief of the Swedish army , Johan Banér . During the five-month long siege of the fortress, which was in

1950-434: The term is used as a special legal status for a district -affiliated town —as distinct from an independent city —with additional competences in comparison with other municipalities of the district. The title is based on sovereign conferment by the state government. The term is officially used and quoted. In different German federal states ( Bundesländer ) there are different laws and administration rules about when exactly

2000-529: The towns of Celle , Cuxhaven , Goslar , Hameln , Hildesheim , Lingen and Lüneburg in the course of the 1970s administrative reform. District-affiliated municipalities with a population of more than 30,000 hold the status of a Selbständige Gemeinde , territorial authorities with more than 20,000 inhabitants could apply for conferment by the Lower Saxon state government. In the states of Brandenburg , North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate ,

2050-464: The water built up height and thus pressure equally on both sides. Whilst international media mainly concentrated on the impact upon Dresden the impact upon Pirna was proportionately much worse. Schöna and Bad Schandau were also affected heavily. In July 2005, Pirna finally received federal highway access via its own connection, when a section from Dresden to Pirna of the Bundesautobahn 17

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2100-415: The water. The mayor in Pirna is elected every seven years. Markus Ulbig (CDU) held this position from 2001 to 2009. He was last confirmed in office on June 8, 2008 with 64.87 percent of the vote. Ulbig was appointed Saxon Interior Minister and the post went to the non-party mayor Christian Flörke. In January 2010 there were new elections in which Klaus-Peter Hanke ( Free Voters ) was elected with 60% in

2150-463: The waters both longer and higher on the towns' side. Second, all the shop-fronts which had been renovated post-unification were practically all kind of sealed in terms of water-tightness: the floodwaters rose outside whilst the shops themselves stayed dry inside; but when reaching certain critical points, the weight of the water then suddenly destroyed these shop-fronts when the windows broke. Ironically, older "leaky" shopfronts did not suffer this fate, as

2200-611: Was completed. The extension to the Czech border was opened to traffic in December 2006. The inner town and the areas close to the Elbe in Pirna were again affected by severe flooding by the Elbe in June 2013, while still being severe, it failed to meet the record levels of the 2002 flood: The water level of the Elbe reached a height of 9.66 metres (31.7 ft) (2002: 10.58 metres (34.7 ft)). By June 5, 2013, around 7,700 people had to be evacuated, and about 1000 buildings were affected by

2250-470: Was exerted on the authorities by the local population. During August and September 1942, the Sonnenstein killing center was closed and incriminating installations such as gas chamber installations and crematorium ovens dismantled. After October 1942, the buildings were used as a military hospital. This part of the town's history was largely unrecognized in Germany until 1989, but after the regime change which

2300-588: Was happening during this period, efforts to remember these catastrophic events began. In June 2000 a permanent exhibition opened, and today a small plaque at the base of Sonnenstein Castle together with the Sonnenstein Memorial provide remembrance. At the end of the war several air raids took place mainly targeting the railway station in Pirna and the Děčín–Dresden Railway . The air raid on April 19, 1945, destroyed all railway tracks and also

2350-410: Was heavily polluted by industry wastewater, especially from the cellulose fiber factory; swimming in the river was no longer possible without dangers to health. In the mid-1980s, around 1,700 un-renovated apartments stood empty in Pirna, 400 of them in the old town. Individual particularly badly dilapidated houses were demolished in the period that followed, for example a house on the southeast corner of

2400-415: Was mentioned for the first time in 1269, probably already existed in the 11th century. In the context of the second Eastern German colonization the town was founded by Henry III , Margrave of Meissen . The streets are aligned from east to west and north to south forming a chessboard-like system. Only the streets east of the church are not aligned in this form, caused by the nearby Burgberg . In 1233, Pirna

2450-624: Was mentioned officially for the first time in a document. In 1293, King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia acquired both town and castle from the Bishop of Meissen . Therefore Pirna belonged to Bohemia until 1405. In 1502, the construction of the new church was begun under Meister Peter Ulrich von Pirna. With the introduction of the Reformation into Saxony in 1539, Anton Lauterbach , a friend of Martin Luther , became pastor and superintendent. In 1544

2500-586: Was the Pirna–Großcotta railway , connecting Pirna with the Lohmgrund , a major location of Saxonian sandstone quarries. It closed in 1999. Pirna became an industrial town in 1862 with the building of factories. Mechanical engineering, glass, cellulose and rayon production also expanded. In 1875, the sandstone Elbbrücke was completed. During the First World War Pirna became a garrison and

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