Großenhain

Großenhain (also written as Grossenhain) is a Große Kreisstadt (German for major district town) in the district of Meißen, Saxony, Germany.

History

Großenhain was originally a Sorb settlement. It was first mentioned in 1205. It was for a time occupied by the Bohemians, by whom it was strongly fortified. It afterwards came into the possession of the margraves of Meißen, from whom it was taken in 1312 by the margraves of Brandenburg. In the middle-ages, Großenhain was one of the most powerful towns in Saxony. It suffered considerably in all the great German wars, and in 1744 was nearly destroyed by fire. On May 16, 1813, a battle took place here between the French and the Russians.

Geography

Großenhain is located on the river Röder, 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Dresden, and 17 km (11 mi) east of Riesa. It is also situated on Via Regia from Görlitz to Santiago de Compostela.

Localities

Infrastructure

There are two train stations in Großenhain. As Großenhain Berliner Bahnhof is out of service since 2002, only Großenhain Cottbusser Bahnhof is served by trains from Dresden to Elsterwerda, Cottbus and Hoyerswerda.