104-732: The Leipzig–Hof railway is a two-track main line in the German states of Saxony , Thuringia and Bavaria , originally built and operated by the Saxon-Bavarian Railway Company. It runs from Leipzig through Altenburg , the Werdau wye junction, Reichenbach and Plauen to Hof . The Werdau–Hof section is part of the Saxon-Franconian trunk line ( Sachsen-Franken-Magistrale ), the line connecting Dresden and Nuremberg . Its first section opened in 1842 and it
208-543: A Bohemian exclave until 1809. Eastern parts were also ruled by Poland between 1002 and 1032, by the Duchy of Jawor , the southwesternmost duchy of fragmented Piast -ruled Poland, from 1319 to 1346, and by Hungary from 1469 to 1490, and Pechern (Upper Sorbian: Pěchč ) was part of the Duchy of Żagań , one of the Lower Silesian duchies formed in the course of the medieval fragmentation of Poland, remaining under
312-831: A coalition of Austria, France and Russia against Prussia. Frederick II of Prussia chose to attack preemptively and invaded Saxony in August 1756, precipitating the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War ). The Prussians quickly defeated Saxony and incorporated the Saxon army into the Prussian Army . At the end of the Seven Years' War, Saxony recovered its independence in the 1763 Treaty of Hubertusburg . In 1806, French Emperor Napoleon abolished
416-635: A constitution for the Kingdom of Saxony that served as the basis for its government until 1918. During the 1848–49 constitutionalist revolutions in Germany , Saxony became a hotbed of revolutionaries, with anarchists such as Mikhail Bakunin and democrats including Richard Wagner and Gottfried Semper taking part in the May Uprising in Dresden in 1849. (Scenes of Richard Wagner's participation in
520-477: A cutting in the run-up to the electrification in 1958/59 because its roof was too low for the installation of overhead wire and because its damaged roof allowed surface water to penetrate. Electrification was completed on the line from Leipzig Hauptbahnhof and Leipzig Bavarian station to Böhlen on 2 October 1961. Several more sections of electrification were opened, finally reaching Reichenbach on 20 December 1963. The only local service between Hof and Feilitzsch
624-636: A federalistic and pro-Austrian policy throughout the early 1860s until the outbreak of the Austro-Prussian War . During that war, Prussian troops overran Saxony without resistance and then invaded Austrian Bohemia . After the war, Saxony was forced to pay an indemnity and to join the North German Confederation in 1867. Under the terms of the North German Confederation, Prussia took over control of
728-696: A millennium. It was used for the medieval Duchy of Saxony , the Electorate of Saxony of the Holy Roman Empire , the Kingdom of Saxony , and twice for a republic. The first Free State of Saxony was established in 1918 as a constituent state of the Weimar Republic . After World War II , it was under Soviet occupation before it became part of communist East Germany and was abolished by the government in 1952. Following German reunification ,
832-670: A minority of 3.8%. About 0.9% of the Saxons belonged to an Evangelical free church ( Evangelische Freikirche , i.e. various Protestants outside the EKD), 0.3% to Orthodox churches and 1% to other religious communities, while 72.6% did not belong to any public-law religious society. The Moravian Church (see above) still maintains its religious centre in Herrnhut and it is there where 'The Daily Watchwords ' (Losungen) are selected each year which are in use in many churches worldwide. In particular in
936-534: A new line between Plauen and Hof since 1874. All proposals have assumed that the new line would start at Weischlitz on the Plauen–Cheb railway . The route would then have run via Wiedersberg and reconnected with the existing line at Hof. From 1884 onwards the community of Plauen sent a petition to the Saxon Landtag (parliament) every year, but the request was not implemented. A second serious attempt to promote
1040-582: A new track was laid parallel to the two existing ones and opened on the 19 May of the following year. It was nationalised in 1876 and it became part of the Saxon-Bavarian Railway. It was closed in 1999. On 14 January 1867, a 6.8 km-long branch line was opened from Neukieritzsch to Borna . On 8 April 1872 this was extended by 55.7 km to become the direct Leipzig–Chemnitz line . The inconvenient terminal station in Altenburg
1144-476: A shortening of the route was made in 1913 and a third was made at the end of the 1930s. Preliminary work actually began, but it was stopped in favour of other projects with more military significance. The Werdau wye–Plauen section would have been upgraded to four tracks at the same time; the new section would have begun at Weischlitz and tunnelled under the heights of the Vogtland. The new line would have re-entered
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#17327758470161248-527: Is a significant Buddhist community, which mainly caters to the population of Vietnamese origin, with one Buddhist temple built in 2008 and another one currently under construction. The Sikh faith also maintains a presence in Saxony's three largest cities with three (though small) Gurdwara . The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the state was 124.6 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 3.7% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power
1352-525: Is dominated by coal mining and mining landscapes composed of lakes in abandoned open cuts and slag heaps. There are four tracks as far as Gaschwitz and then three tracks to Böhlen. In Altenburg , the landscape becomes hilly and the line then follows the valley of the Pleiße . In Gößnitz the line intersects with the Mid-Germany connection and then passes through Crimmitschau and Werdau before reaching
1456-558: Is exercised through the Domowina . Former Minister President Stanislaw Tillich is of Sorbian ancestry and has been the first leader of a German state from a national minority. As of 2011, 72.6% of people are not affiliated with any religion. The Protestant Church in Germany represents the largest Christian denomination in the state, adhered to by 21.4% of the population. Members of the Roman Catholic Church formed
1560-435: Is located just across the border of Saxony-Anhalt . Leipzig shares, for instance, an S-train system (known as S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland ) and an airport with Halle. Saxony is a parliamentary democracy. A Minister President heads the government of Saxony. Michael Kretschmer has been Minister President since 13 December 2017. Gisela Reetz Ines Fröhlich Gesine Märtens Conrad Clemens Authorized representative of
1664-530: Is one of the oldest railways in Germany . As a result of the division of Germany after the Second World War, the line lost considerable importance. Even after German reunification in 1989/90, the line has not been able to regain its former importance, especially as government policy gave preference to the extensive upgrade of the parallel Großheringen–Saalfeld railway . The remaining long-distance services ended In 2006. After its founding in 1835,
1768-404: Is reached at kilometre 164.7. Leipzig Bayer Bf ( 51°19′38″N 12°22′57″E / 51.3272°N 12.3824°E / 51.3272; 12.3824 ) The station was built to the plans of Eduard Pötzsch. Although the section of the line to Altenburg was commissioned in 1842, the station was not completed to 1844. In the following decades the station was expanded several times to cope with
1872-722: Is the former border station of Gutenfürst , where only three main tracks remain. At the 151.699 km mark (from the Leipzig Bavarian station) the line leaves Saxony. In Bavaria the line crosses the A72 autobahn and passes through the village of Feilitzsch . The station was closed in June 1973, but re-opened on 15 September 2006; it is only served by the Vogtlandbahn and the Erfurter Bahn on request. Hof Hauptbahnhof
1976-519: Is the lowest with 1.49. Dresden's fertility rate of 1.58 is the highest of all German cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants. Saxony is home to the Sorbs . There are currently between 45,000 and 60,000 Sorbs living in Saxony (Upper Lusatia region). Today's Sorb minority is the remainder of the Slavic population that settled throughout Saxony in the early Middle Ages and over time slowly assimilated into
2080-615: Is unrelated to present-day Saxony but the name moved southwards due to certain historical events (see below). The territory of the Free State of Saxony became part of the Holy Roman Empire by the 10th century, when the dukes of Saxony were also kings (or emperors) of the Holy Roman Empire, comprising the Ottonian , or Saxon, dynasty. The Margravate of Meissen was founded in 985 as a frontier march , that soon extended to
2184-663: The Landesdirektion Sachsen [ de ] . Saxony is a densely populated state if compared with more rural German states such as Bavaria or Lower Saxony . However, the population has declined over time. The population of Saxony began declining in the 1950s due to emigration, a process which accelerated after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. After bottoming out in 2013, the population has stabilized due to increased immigration and higher fertility rates. The cities of Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz, and
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#17327758470162288-468: The Bundestag . Saxony is divided into 10 districts: 1. Bautzen (BZ) 2. Erzgebirgskreis (ERZ) 3. Görlitz (GR) 4. Leipzig (L) 5. Meissen (MEI) (Meissen) 6. Mittelsachsen (FG) 7. Nordsachsen (TDO) 8. Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge (PIR) 9. Vogtlandkreis (V) 10. Zwickau (Z) In addition, three cities have
2392-573: The City Tunnel . At Leipzig-Connewitz station , it connects with the former Verbindungsbahn ("connecting line") from Leipzig Hbf , over which all traffic ran until November 2012 and the Leipzig freight ring ( Leipziger Güterring ). Since the closure of the connecting line, the Leipzig–Hof line is no longer directly accessible from Leipzig Hbf. The line then runs through southern Leipzig, which
2496-540: The Cottbus Bezirk . The Free State of Saxony was reconstituted with slightly altered borders in 1990, following German reunification . Besides the formerly Silesian area of Saxony, which was mostly included in the territory of the new Saxony, the free state gained further areas north of Leipzig that had belonged to Saxony-Anhalt until 1952. The highest mountain in Saxony is the Fichtelberg (1,215 m) in
2600-582: The Duchy of Magdeburg , the Altmark and some smaller territories to become the Prussian Province of Saxony , a predecessor of the modern state of Saxony-Anhalt . Lower Lusatia and part of the former Saxe-Wittenberg territory became part of the Province of Brandenburg and the northeastern part of Upper Lusatia became part of the Province of Silesia . The rump Kingdom of Saxony had roughly
2704-630: The Elster valley would have made the major bridges (the Göltzsch and Elster Viaducts ) in Vogtland unnecessary. Saxony also had no interest in a subsequent railway in the Elster valley, because it did not want any competition with its own lines. In 1855, an Eisenbahn-Bauverein (railway building association) was established in Greiz to build a rail connection to the Saxon-Bavarian Railway. A treaty between
2808-669: The Engelsdorf–Leipzig-Connewitz railway (which was opened in 1906) between the former Tabakmühle junction and Leipzig-Connewitz was closed in 2012 and dismantled with the opening of the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland in 2013. Leipzig-Connewitz was the starting point of the Leipzig–Hof line during the reconstruction of the line to connect with the new City Tunnel. The remaining part of the Leipzig Hbf–Leipzig-Connewitz route from Stötteritz runs past
2912-668: The Großheringen–Saalfeld railway , the projection has not been implemented. In the course of the construction of the Leipzig City Tunnel , work was carried out on the Leipzig–Hof to integrate in the network. This work enabled the City-Tunnel to be integrated into the existing network, as part of the creation of the new S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland network. Since the end of 2011, the S-Bahn line has been moved from
3016-462: The Holy Roman Empire and established the Electorate of Saxony as a kingdom in exchange for military support. The Elector Frederick Augustus III accordingly became King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony . Frederick Augustus remained loyal to Napoleon during the wars that swept Europe in the following years; he was taken prisoner and his territories were declared forfeit by the allies in 1813, after
3120-570: The Kwisa (Queis) river to the east and as far as the Ore Mountains. In the process of Ostsiedlung , settlement of German farmers in the sparsely populated area was promoted. Around this time, the Billungs , a Saxon noble family, received extensive lands in Saxony. The emperor eventually gave them the title of dukes of Saxony . After Duke Magnus died in 1106, causing the extinction of
3224-409: The Leipzig City Tunnel , but still in the cutting leading to its southern ramp. It is part of the southern connection from the city tunnel to the existing network. Its planning name was Semmelweisstraße . Two 140 metre-long side platforms were built, which are located directly south of Semmelweisstraße, a street that was recently built to connect Kurt-Eisner-Strasse with Zwickauer Straße. Access to
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3328-550: The Leipzig–Dresden Railway Company ( Leipzig-Dresdner Eisenbahn-Compagnie , LDE) received a concession to build a railway on the Leipzig–Hof route, but the company waived its right due to the difficulties that were to be expected. Thereupon a railway committee formed in Leipzig, and other cities such as Plauen, Altenburg and Bamberg also expressed interest in a railway connection. However, the financing as well as
3432-596: The Oder-Neisse line was annexed by Poland and the Soviet Union, and, unlike in the aftermath of World War I , the annexing powers were allowed to expel the inhabitants. During the following three years, Poland and Czechoslovakia expelled German-speaking people from their territories, and some of these expellees came to Saxony. Only a small area of Saxony lying east of the Neisse River and centred around
3536-460: The Province of Schleswig-Holstein ). Saxe-Wittenberg, mostly in modern Saxony-Anhalt , became subject to the margravate of Meissen , ruled by the Wettin dynasty in 1423. This established a new and powerful state, occupying large portions of the present Free State of Saxony, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Bavaria (Coburg and its environs). Although the centre of this state was far to the southeast of
3640-642: The Saxons emerged, from which the subsequent state(s) draw their name. The territory of modern day Saxony and partly of Thuringia since the late 6th century became populated by Polabian Slavs (most prominently tribe of Sorbs ), being conquered by Francia which organized Sorbian March . A legacy of this period is the modern ethnic group of Sorbs in Saxony. Eastern and western parts of present Saxony were ruled by Bohemia at various times between 1075 and 1635 (with some intermissions), and Schirgiswalde (Upper Sorbian: Šěrachów ; Czech : Šerachov ) remained
3744-628: The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). The new minister-president Rudolf Friedrichs (SED), had been a member of the SPD until April 1946. He met his Bavarian counterparts in the U.S. zone of occupation in October 1946 and May 1947, but died suddenly in mysterious circumstances the following month. He was succeeded by Max Seydewitz , a loyal follower of Joseph Stalin . The German Democratic Republic (East Germany), including Saxony,
3848-609: The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SVAG) merged this territory into Saxony. This former Silesian territory broadly corresponded with the Upper Lusatian territory annexed by Prussia in 1815. On 20 October 1946, SVAG organised elections for the Saxon state parliament ( Landtag ), but many people were arbitrarily excluded from candidacy and suffrage, and the Soviet Union openly supported
3952-609: The Werdau wye , where it connects with the line from Dresden to Werdau . It then enters northern Vogtland . Two kilometres west of Neumark the line to Greiz branched off until it was closed in 1999. Electrification of the line currently ends at Reichenbach , where a section with interesting structures begins, including the Göltzsch Viaduct at Netzschkau and the Elster Viaduct at Jocketa. The route then reaches Plauen , which has seven stations, but trains on
4056-602: The Western Ore Mountains . There are numerous rivers in Saxony. The Elbe is the most dominant one. The Neisse defines the border between Saxony and Poland. Other rivers include the Mulde and the White Elster . The largest cities and towns in Saxony according to the 31 July 2022 estimate are listed below. Leipzig forms a conurbation with Halle , known as Ballungsraum Leipzig/Halle . The latter city
4160-459: The 18th and 19th centuries Saxe-Lauenburg was colloquially called the Duchy of Lauenburg , which was held in a personal union by the Electorate of Hanover from the 18th century to the Napoleonic wars, and in a personal union with Denmark (along with neighbouring Holstein and Schleswig ) for much the 19th century. In 1876 it was absorbed into Prussia as the Duchy of Lauenburg district of
4264-540: The Altenburg–Paditz section, which is about four kilometers long, was completed on 25 November 2013 after more than two years of construction; this work included the restoration of operations on two tracks. Since the summer of 2011, around €36 m have been invested and at the same time about 8 kilometres of track have been renewed; 11 kilometres were fully reconstructed and four railway overpasses and one road overpass as well as two culverts were built. In
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4368-918: The Elster Viaduct was partly blown up by the Wehrmacht , and the Saale viaduct (near Unterkotzau) was significantly damaged by air raids. Rail traffic came to a standstill and was resumed only after the end of the war. After the Second World War, no trains initially operated across the line of demarcation between the Russian and the American occupation zones at Gutenfürst. All the trains terminated in Gutenfürst and Feilitzsch. Interzonal freight traffic recommenced in 1946, passenger services only recommenced in 1947. The Altenburg tunnel had to be converted into
4472-678: The Free State of Saxony under a new constitution enacted on 1 November 1920. In October 1923, when the Communist Party of Germany entered the Social Democratic -led government in Dresden with hidden revolutionary intentions , the Reich government under Chancellor Gustav Stresemann used a Reichsexekution to send troops into Saxony to remove the Communists from the government. The state retained its name and borders during
4576-428: The Free State of Saxony was reconstituted with enlarged borders in 1990 and became one of the five new states of the Federal Republic of Germany. The area of the modern state of Saxony should not be confused with Old Saxony , the area inhabited by Saxons . Old Saxony corresponds roughly to the modern German states of Lower Saxony , Saxony-Anhalt , and the Westphalian portion of North Rhine-Westphalia . Historically
4680-476: The German speaking society. Many geographic names in Saxony are of Sorbic origin (including the three largest cities Chemnitz , Dresden and Leipzig ). The Sorbic language and culture are protected by special laws and cities and villages in eastern Saxony that are inhabited by a significant number of Sorbian inhabitants have bilingual street signs and administrative offices provide service in both, German and Sorbian. The Sorbs enjoy cultural self-administration which
4784-422: The Greiz-Brunn Railway Company was nationalised and the Neumark–Greiz line became part of the Royal Saxon State Railways . Immediately thereafter, construction began on a short connecting line to the Elster Valley Railway . A 200 metre long tunnel was excavated immediately west of Greiz-Aubachtal station in order to connect with the Elster Valley Railway running from the south into Greiz station. On 15 October 1879,
4888-399: The May 1849 uprising in Dresden are depicted in the 1983 movie Wagner starring Richard Burton as Richard Wagner.) The May uprising in Dresden forced King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to concede further reforms to the Saxon government. In 1854 Frederick Augustus II's brother, King John of Saxony , succeeded to the throne. A scholar, King John translated Dante . King John followed
4992-497: The Nazi era as a Gau ( Gau Saxony ), but lost its quasi-autonomous status and its parliamentary democracy. During World War II , under the secret Nazi programme Aktion T4 , an estimated 15,000 people suffering from mental and physical disabilities, as well as a number of concentration camp inmates, were murdered at Sonnenstein killing centre near Pirna . Numerous subcamps of the Buchenwald , Flossenburg and Gross-Rosen concentration camps were operated in Saxony. As
5096-513: The Piast dynasty until 1472. The first medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages " Carolingian stem duchy ", which emerged around the start of the 8th century AD and grew to include the greater part of Northern Germany , what are now the modern German states of Bremen , Hamburg , Lower Saxony , North Rhine-Westphalia , Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony-Anhalt . Saxons converted to Christianity during this period, with Charlemagne outlawing pagan practices. This geographical region
5200-404: The Principality of Reuss Elder Line and the Kingdom of Saxony was signed on 3 November 1863 as the basis for its construction. On 30 June 1864, the Greiz-Brunn Railway Company ( German : Greiz-Brunner Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft ) was formed. On 17 September 1864, construction began on the line. The starting point of the new line was Neumark station and initially the line ran along the tracks of
5304-427: The S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland since 15 December 2013. Line S3 services also run from Leipzig Bayerischer Bahnhof to Neukieritzsch and line S2 services also run to Markkleeberg-Gaschwitz. The services on lines S1 and S4 running towards Leipzig-Stötteritz use the short section between Leipzig Bayerischer Bahnhof and Leipzig MDR. The route starts at the Bayerischen Bahnhof (Bavarian station) in Leipzig, where it connects to
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#17327758470165408-404: The S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland. The halt is served by lines S2, S3, S5 and S5X. Since 2013, there have been no platforms on the main line. Markkleeberg-Großstädteln ( 51°15′45″N 12°22′34″E / 51.262387°N 12.376184°E / 51.262387; 12.376184 ) Saxony Saxony , officially the Free State of Saxony , is a landlocked state of Germany , bordering
5512-411: The Saxon coat of arms, in many towns of Thuringia, the coat of arms can still be found in historical buildings. The remaining Saxon state became still more powerful, receiving Upper and Lower Lusatia in the Peace of Prague (1635) . It also became known in the 18th century for its cultural achievements, although it was politically weaker than Prussia and Austria , states which oppressed Saxony from
5616-445: The Saxon duchies. However, Sigismund , King of the Romans , had already granted Margrave Frederick IV the Warlike of Meissen ( House of Wettin ) an expectancy of the Saxon electorate in order to remunerate his military support. On 1 August 1425 Sigismund enfeoffed the Wettinian Frederick as Prince-Elector of Saxony, despite the protests of Eric V. Thus the Saxon territories remained permanently separated. The Electorate of Saxony
5720-402: The Saxon postal system, railroads, military and foreign affairs. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Saxon troops fought together with Prussian and other German troops against France. In 1871, Saxony joined the newly formed German Empire . After King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony abdicated on 13 November 1918, Saxony, remaining a constituent state of Germany ( Weimar Republic ), became
5824-510: The Saxon-Bavarian Railway only stop at Plauen upper station and Jößnitz. After Plauen station, the line turns back to the north, while the line to Bad Bramstedt and Cheb turns off to the south. After Syrau the line turns back to the west and in Mehltheuer it connects with the line from Gera . At Schönberg after connecting with the line to Schleiz and the closed line to Hirschberg , it turns south and runs over three very short sections that cross Thuringian territory. The last station in Saxony
5928-426: The Saxon-Bavarian Railway. The line branched off from the main line to the newly built Brunn station in order to continue through the Aubach valley to Greiz-Aubachtal station, which was the end of the line. The line was built fairly quickly, so that the line was completed in October 1865. On 21 October 1865 the line was opened with a procession; regular train services were recorded on 23 October 1865. On 1 January 1876,
6032-408: The Weser and the Elbe remained with the Guelphs, becoming later the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg . The remaining eastern lands, together with the title of Duke of Saxony, passed to an Ascanian dynasty (descended from Eilika Billung , Wulfhild's younger sister) and were divided in 1260 into the two small states of Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg . The former state was also named Lower Saxony ,
6136-407: The area of the former Altenburg tunnel, about 1000 metres of support wall and 500 metres of trough construction were built. In the future trains in this section will be able to operate at up to 150 km/h. The line between Plauen and Hof is almost twice as long as the straight line distance, which is around 26 kilometres, considerably increasing travel time. There have been plans for
6240-436: The close political and cultural relationship persisted well into the 19th century, with Saxony being the place of preparations for the Polish Kościuszko Uprising against the partitioning powers, and one of the chief destinations for Polish refugees from partitioned Poland, including the artistic and political elite, such as composer Frédéric Chopin , war hero Józef Bem and writer Adam Mickiewicz . In 1756, Saxony joined
6344-445: The company. Two large viaducts were needed to cross the Göltzsch or Elster valleys. Since no experience had been acquired in building such large bridges, the two viaducts were ultimately twice as expensive as originally planned. The double-line construction as well as the complicated route surveyed between Plauen and Hof cost more than had been planned. On 21 September 1846, the Saxon-Bavarian Railway Company had to cease financing
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#17327758470166448-416: The construction work and asked the Kingdom of Saxony for help. On 1 April 1847, the Kingdom of Saxony purchased the company and operated it as the Saxon-Bavarian State Railways ( Sächsisch-Bayerische Staatseisenbahn ). The private railway company had begun construction work on the Plauen–Hof section to obtain further revenue to finance the expensive bridge structures as quickly as possible. This section
6552-437: The defeat of Napoleon. Prussia intended the annexation of Saxony but the opposition of Austria , France, and the United Kingdom to this plan resulted in the restoration of Frederick Augustus to his throne at the Congress of Vienna although he was forced to cede the northern part of the kingdom to Prussia, which led to the loss of nearly 60% of the Saxon territory, and 40% of its population. Most of these lands were merged with
6656-403: The east side (route 6362) to the west side (route 6377) of Leipzig as a result of this work. Markkleeberg Nord station was rebuilt and Leipzig-Connewitz , Markkleeberg and Markkleeberg-Großstädteln stations were adapted. Several bridges were replaced and the track infrastructure were rebuilt with new overhead, turnouts and noise barriers. One track of line 6362 between Connewitz and Gaschwitz
6760-400: The electrification started on 21 July 2010. The Reichenbach–Herlasgrün section was completed in December 2011. In addition to this, extensive work had to be carried out on the Göltzsch Viaduct and several road bridges with too little clearance for electrification were replaced. The electrification of the Herlasgrün–Plauen section took place between February and December 2012. This included
6864-407: The existing railway network in Feilitzsch. At the beginning of the 1990s, there were again discussions on the construction of a new route between Weischlitz on the Plauen–Cheb railway and Feilitzsch, which would have shortened the Plauen–Hof section from 49 to no more than 32 kilometres. Because of the high costs and the routing of interregional long-distance traffic between Berlin and Munich via
6968-399: The fifth century BC. Notable archaeological sites have been discovered in Dresden and the villages of Eythra and Zwenkau near Leipzig. The Germanic presence in the territory of today's Saxony is thought to have begun in the first century BC. Parts of Saxony were possibly under the control of the Germanic King Marobod during the Roman era. By the late Roman period, several tribes known as
7072-466: The former Saxony, it came to be referred to as Upper Saxony and then simply Saxony , while the former Saxon territories in the north were now known as Lower Saxony (the modern term Niedersachsen deriving from this). In 1485, Saxony was split in the Treaty of Leipzig . A collateral line of the Wettin princes received what later became Thuringia and founded several small states there (see Ernestine duchies ). Since these princes were allowed to use
7176-403: The free state Saxony to the federal government of Germany In the 2024 European Parliament election , AfD received the highest percentage of votes in Saxony, winning 31.8% of the ballots. The other states where AfD has become the strongest party are Thuringia , Saxony-Anhalt , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , and Brandenburg . These four states were part of East Germany like Saxony. Compared to
7280-428: The larger cities, there are numerous smaller religious communities. The international Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a presence in the Freiberg Germany Temple which was the first of its kind in Germany, opened in 1985 even before its counterpart in Western Germany. It now also serves as a religious center for the church members in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia , and Hungary . In Leipzig, there
7384-458: The last election, AfD increased their votes in Saxony which was 25.3% in the 2019 European Parliament election . CDU/CSU received 21.8% of the votes in Saxony and became the second strongest party in the 2024 EP election. BSW was in the third place by receiving 12.6% of the votes. The Left lost a significant proportion of their votes compared to the 2019 election. Their votes regressed from 11.7% to 4.9%. Saxony has 16 constituencies for
7488-612: The latter Upper Saxony , thence the later names of the two Imperial Circles Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg. Both claimed the Saxon electoral privilege for themselves, but the Golden Bull of 1356 accepted only Wittenberg's claim, with Lauenburg nevertheless continuing to maintain its claim. In 1422, when the Saxon electoral line of the Ascanians became extinct, the Ascanian Eric V of Saxe-Lauenburg tried to reunite
7592-421: The line within two years, and the rest within another four years. Railway construction began on 1 July 1841 under the leadership of Karl Theodor Kunz, and initially work was carried out on the easily built section of the line from Leipzig to Reichenbach. The Leipzig–Altenburg section was already completed in 1842. Test runs took place on the section on 6 September 1842 and it was opened on 19 September of
7696-580: The male line of Billungs, oversight of the duchy was given to Lothar of Supplinburg , who also became emperor for a short time. In 1137, control of Saxony passed to the Guelph dynasty, descendants of Wulfhild Billung, eldest daughter of the last Billung duke, and the daughter of Lothar of Supplinburg. In 1180 large portions west of the Weser were ceded to the Bishops of Cologne , while some central parts between
7800-565: The north and south, respectively. Between 1697 and 1763, two successive Electors of Saxony were also elected Kings of Poland in personal union . Many landmarks in Saxony date from this period and contain remnants of the former close Polish-Saxon relation, such as the coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on the facades and in the interiors of palaces, churches, edifices, etc. (e.g. Zwinger , Dresden Cathedral , Moritzburg Castle ), and on numerous mileposts, and
7904-455: The platforms is by stairs and ramps. Leipzig-Connewitz ( 51°18′01″N 12°23′09″E / 51.300251°N 12.385743°E / 51.300251; 12.385743 ) Leipzig-Connewitz station opened on 10 July 1889 as Connewitz loading point ( Ladestelle ). The connection from Connewitz to Leipzig was opened in 1891. The station was opened on 1 November 1893 as a halt ( Haltestelle ) and renamed Leipzig-Connewitz in 1897. The halt
8008-556: The region of Saxony has sometimes been referred to as Upper Saxony or Obersachsen in German to distinguish it from Lower Saxony. The state is also home to a minority of Sorbs , a West Slavic ethnic group native to the area, numbering an estimated 80,000 people. Saxony has a long history as a duchy , an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire (the Electorate of Saxony ), and finally as a kingdom (the Kingdom of Saxony ). In 1918, after Germany's defeat in World War I , its monarchy
8112-717: The renewal of three road overbridges. A frequency changer was set up in Hof for the production of railway power . The power between Plauen (Vogtland) and Hof was connected on 9 November 2013 and regular electric train services commenced to Hof on 15 December 2013. Restoration and other residual work were expected to continue until 2014. The cost of the whole works was expected to be around €120 million. RE 3 Regional-Express services have been operated between Dresden and Hof since then using double-deck carriages and electric haulage. The Leipzig Bayerischer Bahnhof–Werdau wye section has been served by services on lines S5 and S5X of
8216-529: The route of the line and the Hof border station was signed between the three states of Saxony , Saxe-Altenburg and Bavaria on 14 January 1841. However, the final route also touched the territory of Reuss Elder Line and Reuss Junior Line . On 12 June 1841, the Sächsisch-Baierische Eisenbahn-Compagnie (Saxon-Bavarian Railway Company) was founded in Leipzig, which, according to the concession, had to finish one-third of
8320-642: The same extent as the present state, albeit slightly smaller. Meanwhile, in 1815, the Kingdom of Saxony joined the German Confederation . In the politics of the Confederation, Saxony was overshadowed by Prussia and Austria. King Anthony of Saxony came to the throne of Saxony in 1827. Shortly thereafter, liberal pressures in Saxony mounted and broke out in revolt during 1830—a year of revolution in Europe. The revolution in Saxony resulted in
8424-571: The same year. The Altenburg–Crimmitschau section was put into operation on 15 March 1844. A branch was also opened to the remote town of Zwickau . The Crimmitschau–Werdau and Werdau–Zwickau sections were inaugurated on 6 September 1845. With the opening of the Werdau–Reichenbach section on 31 May 1846, a connection was also opened to the Vogtland . The building of the viaducts at Werdau had already caused financial difficulties for
8528-505: The states of Brandenburg , Saxony-Anhalt , Thuringia , and Bavaria , as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic . Its capital is Dresden , and its largest city is Leipzig . Saxony is the tenth largest of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of 18,413 square kilometres (7,109 sq mi), and the sixth most populous , with more than 4 million inhabitants. The term Saxony has been in use for more than
8632-415: The station. The S-Bahn trains run between Connewitz and Gaschwitz over the suburban tracks, line number 6377. There are platforms on the suburban tracks only, which were built on the location of the former long-distance tracks and opened in 2013. Markkleeberg-Nord ( 51°17′17″N 12°22′20″E / 51.288136°N 12.372136°E / 51.288136; 12.372136 ) Markkleeberg-Nord halt
8736-422: The status of an urban district ( German : kreisfreie Städte ): Between 1990 and 2008, Saxony was divided into the three regions ( Regierungsbezirke ) of Chemnitz , Dresden , and Leipzig . After the 2008 Saxony district reform , these regions – with some alterations of their respective areas – were called Direktionsbezirke . In 2012, the authorities of these regions were merged into one central authority,
8840-405: The strongly growing traffic. With the opening of Leipzig Hauptbahnhof , the station lost considerable importance since all long-distance traffic was now handled at the main station. Leipzig MDR ( 51°19′12″N 12°23′11″E / 51.319935°N 12.386346°E / 51.319935; 12.386346 ) The above-ground Leipzig MDR station, which opened on 15 December 2013, is outside
8944-476: The technical feasibility were not yet assured. Investors wanted to wait to see if the LDE and its Leipzig–Dresden railway would succeed and the Saxon state gave the project little support; only surveys of route for the line were carried out 1837. Railway construction was finally approved on 20 June 1840, but railway construction was to be undertaken by a private company with interest-free state loans. A treaty covering
9048-471: The town of Reichenau (Bogatynia) was annexed by Poland. Traditional close relations of Saxony with neighbouring German-speaking Egerland were thus completely destroyed, making the border of Saxony along the Ore Mountains a linguistic border. Part of the former Prussian province of Lower Silesia lay west of the Oder-Neisse line and therefore was separated from the bulk of its former province;
9152-469: The towns of Radebeul and Markkleeberg in their vicinity, have seen their populations increase since 2000. The following tables illustrate the foreign resident populations and the population of Saxony from 1816 to 2022: The average number of children per woman in Saxony was 1.60 in 2018, the fourth-highest rate of all German states. Within Saxony, the highest is the Bautzen district with 1.77, while Leipzig
9256-413: The two kilometre long rail link was put into operation. The last development of the line was the building of a separate track between Neumark and Brunn, which was opened on 19 May 1886. In 1924, the line was officially reclassified from a main line to a branch line. After the political changes in 1989/1990 the number of passengers on the line continued to fall. Passenger services were finally close at
9360-785: The war drew to its end, U.S. troops under General George Patton occupied the western part of Saxony in April 1945, while Soviet troops occupied the eastern part. That summer, the entire state was handed over to Soviet forces as agreed in the London Protocol of September 1944 . Britain, the US, and the USSR then negotiated Germany's future at the Potsdam Conference . Under the Potsdam Agreement , all German territory East of
9464-571: Was 28,100 euros or 93% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 85% of the EU average. The GDP per capita was the highest of the states of the former GDR. Saxony has a "very high" Human Development Index value of 0.930 (2018), which is at the same level as Denmark. Within Germany Saxony is ranked 9th . Neumark%E2%80%93Greiz railway The Neumark–Greiz railway
9568-594: Was a branch line in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia , which was built by the Greiz-Brunn Railway Company . It ran from Neumark in the Vogtland district of Saxony to Greiz in Thuringia, but was closed in 1999. As early as 1839, manufacturers in Greiz had sought a connection to the then projected Saxon-Bavarian Railway ( Leipzig–Hof railway ). Ultimately, this line was built entirely on Saxon territory, although an alignment through
9672-634: Was converted into a through station between 1876 and 1878. This required a new alignment with a tunnel through a ridge south of the town. On 1 September 1879, a 9.9 km-long branch line was opened from Gaschwitz (now in Markkleeberg ) on the main line, running via Gautzsch (now Markkleeberg West) to the Plagwitz-Lindenau station of the Saxon State Railways on the southern outskirts of Leipzig. The terminal station in Hof
9776-609: Was discontinued in 1972. On 30 October 1972 there was a serious railway accident in Schweinsburg-Culten when two express trains collided and 28 people died. In the 1990s, the Planungsgesellschaft Bahnbau Deutsche Einheit ("planning corporation for German unity railway construction") developed plans for an upgrade of the railway lines between Leipzig and Zwickau, which had not been implemented by 2011. The renovation of
9880-529: Was dismantled to make space for the Markkleeberg Nord platform. Gaschwitz station was renamed Markkleeberg-Gaschwitz with the start-up of the new S-Bahn network. The electrification of the roughly 73 km-long section between Reichenbach and Hof made it possible to run electric trains between Leipzig and Dresden and Hof. This made the integration of Plauen and Hof into the electrically operated S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland possible. Construction of
9984-591: Was established in 1949 out of the Soviet zone of Occupied Germany , becoming a constitutionally socialist state , part of COMECON and the Warsaw Pact , under the leadership of the SED . In 1952 the government abolished the Free State of Saxony, and divided its territory into three Bezirke : Leipzig , Dresden , and Karl-Marx-Stadt (formerly and currently Chemnitz ). Areas around Hoyerswerda were also part of
10088-487: Was opened on 1 July 1889 under the name of Oetzsch . It has had the following names: After Oetzsch and Markkleeberg had united to form Oetzsch-Markkleeberg in 1915, the station retained the name of Oetzsch . It was only with the incorporation of the new town of Markkleeberg that it was renamed to Markkleeberg . In 1969, the station was integrated in the Leipzig S-Bahn network , which since 2013 has formed part of
10192-568: Was opened on 20 November 1848 and the state railways started operations on the last section from Reichenbach to Plauen on 15 July 1851. The Neumark–Greiz line was opened in 1865; it was later extended to Neumark and connected to the Saxon-Bavarian railway. Trains on this line used the Neumark–Brunn section of the Leipzig–Hof line between 1865 and 1886. With increasing traffic, this section became congested, so from 1885 onwards
10296-488: Was opened with the commissioning of the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland on 15 December 2013. It is served by lines S2, S3, S5 and S5X. It is located on the suburban tracks, line number 6377, and because of the space needed for the platform, the main line between Leipzig-Connewitz and Gaschwitz has been reduced to one track since 2013. Markkleeberg ( 51°16′45″N 12°22′21″E / 51.279117°N 12.372490°E / 51.279117; 12.372490 ) Markkleeberg halt
10400-422: Was overthrown and a republican form of government was established under the current name. The state was broken up into smaller units during communist rule (1949–1989), but was re-established on 3 October 1990 on the reunification of East and West Germany . In prehistoric times, the territory of present-day Saxony was the site of some of the largest of the ancient central European monumental temples , dating from
10504-680: Was reclassified as a station in 1905. The station is a railway junction in southern Leipzig. Between 1888 and 1925, the Leipzig-Connewitz–Plagwitz railway connected the industrial area of Plagwitz to the Saxon State Railways network. Between 1876 and 2012, the Leipzig Hbf–Leipzig-Connewitz railway (known as the Zweite Verbindungsbahn —"second connecting railway") ran from Leipzig Hauptbahnhof (called Leipzig-Dresdener Bahnhof until 1915). The section of
10608-555: Was replaced by a through station in 1880. From 1888 to 1925, the Leipzig-Connewitz–Plagwitz railway branched off the Leipzig–Hof railway to the south of Connewitz station to connect the Leipzig Bavarian station with the Plagwitz-Lindenau station of the Saxon State Railways. On 1 April 1920, the Royal Saxon State Railways was absorbed into the Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR). The Leipzig–Hof line
10712-417: Was then administered by the Dresden railway division ( Reichsbahndirektion Dresden ). Although the line was one of the most important railways in Germany, it was long spared from Allied air raids. Thus, although some stations in the southern section of the line became the target of air raids in 1944, in contrast to other routes, largely scheduled operations continued until 1945. It was only in April 1945 that
10816-517: Was then merged with the much larger Wettinian Margraviate of Meissen ; however, it used the higher-ranking title Electorate of Saxony and even the Ascanian coat-of-arms for the entire monarchy. Thus Saxony came to include Dresden and Meissen . Hence, the territory of the modern Free State of Saxony shares the name with the old Saxon stem duchy for historical and dynastic reasons rather than any significant ethnic, linguistic or cultural connection. In
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