Markkleeberg

Markkleeberg
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Coat of arms of Markkleeberg Coat of arms
Markkleeberg
Location of Markkleeberg within Leipzig district
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Leipzig
Government
• Mayor	Karsten Schütze (SPD)
Area
• Total	31.36 km2 (12.11 sq mi)
Population (2014-12-31)
• Total	24,110
• Density	770/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	04416
Dialling codes	0341, 034297, 034299
Vehicle registration	L
Website	www.markkleeberg.de

Markkleeberg is a town in the Leipzig district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is on the river Pleiße, approximately 7 km south of Leipzig.

History

The town now called Markkleeberg has its origins in several towns that have been merged over the years. The center of modern-day Markkleeberg used to be called Oetzsch. It was merged with the smaller outlying district Markkleeberg in 1911 and renamed Oetzsch-Markkleeberg. Oetzsch-Markkleeberg was in turn merged with Gautzsch and the whole town was called "Markkleeberg", although Markkleeberg was the smallest, because it sounded most Germanic at a time of Nazi-led Germanisation.

The etymology of Markkleeberg may be 'clover hill market town '.

The name of Oetzsch has most likely a Wendish origin. In 1316 it was mentioned in a document as "Euschiz". The village originally had the form of a Rundling.

In 1813 much of the Battle of Leipzig took place where today's Markkleeberg is situated.

During 1944-1945, a forced labor camp for women was established in the town, initially a subcamp of the Ravensbrück concentration camp and later of Buchenwald. In early April 1945 the surviving inmates were transferred to the Mauthausen-Gusen camp in Austria.

File:Wachau-Mai-2009 065.jpg

Ruined church in Wachau

Historical population

(Source since 1998: Statistical bureau of Saxony)

Year Population 1946 20,517 1950 20,130 1960 20,545 1981 20,622 1984 19,811 1995 20,415 1997 20,264

Year Population 1998 22,728 1999 23,157 2000 23,157 2001 23,087 2002 23,139 2003 23,306 2004 23,639

Year Population 2005 23,806 2006 23,913 2007 24,021 2008 24,020 2009 24,254 2010 24,338 2011 24,402

File:Oetzsch-Mai-2009 007.jpg

Grunderzeit house in Markkleeberg

Culture

Markkleeberg has five twinned towns: Pierre-Benite (France), Zarensti (Romania), Neusäß (Germany), Hemmingen (Germany) and Boville Ernica (Italy).