Bad Lausick

Bad Lausick
Coat of arms
Bad Lausick
Location of Bad Lausick within Leipzig district
Coordinates: 51°8′41″N 12°38′43″E / 51.14472°N 12.64528°E / 51.14472; 12.64528Coordinates: 51°8′41″N 12°38′43″E / 51.14472°N 12.64528°E / 51.14472; 12.64528
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Leipzig
Municipal assoc.	Bad Lausick
Government
• Mayor	Michael Hultsch
Area
• Total	69.79 km2 (26.95 sq mi)
Elevation	164 m (538 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	8,090
• Density	120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	04651
Dialling codes	034345
Vehicle registration	L, BNA, GHA, GRM, MTL, WUR
Website	www.bad-lausick.de

Bad Lausick (German pronun­cia­tion: [ˈbaːt ˈlaʊzɪk]) is a town in the Leipzig district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated 12 km southwest of Grimma, and 29 km southeast of Leipzig.

In 1096 Bad Lausick was mentioned for the first time as Luzke. In later documents the names Luzic (1181), Luzich (1219) and Lußigk (1414) were used. In 1497 the place was described as Laussigk for the first time.

In 1106 the construction of the St. Kilian church was begun under the supervision of Pegau monastery, which like the church had been founded by Wiprecht von Groitzsch. It is known as the oldest preserved church in Saxony. In 1158 Luzeche was mentioned as a fortified place with market rights. Following the Treaty of Leipzig, Laussigk became part of the Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg.

A school started work in 1529. In 1605 the place was awarded town privileges, but was destroyed in a fire in the same year. More fires causing major damages occurred in 1649, 1667, 1693, and 1719. During the Thirty Years' War the plague caused the death of the larger part of the population in 1633. The old schoolhouse near the church was first mentioned in 1736. In 1739 the old town hall and the current church tower were built. A crop failure in 1772 caused a famine in the town.

Lignite mining in the vicinity of the town started in 1813, supplying fuel for lime kilns. In the course of the mining operations, a medicinal spring was discovered in 1820. One year later, the first spa opened, named Hermannsbad after its founder. In 1840 a new school with four classrooms and four teachers' quarters was built, serving 500 pupils. 1878 can be considered as the zenith of the lignite mining and lime burning industries, with 36 pits and 20 kilns in Köllsdorf alone. In 1882 the spa was acquired by the town, and textile merchant Johann Gottfried Becker established his business in the town centre. Construction of the Bügerschule (civic school) for 900 pupils started in 1886, and in 1887 the Leipzig–Geithain railway via Lausick opened. A fire in the town hall in 1890 destroyed a large inventory of documents. 25 felt-making businesses in the town in 1890 signified the heyday of this industry. At this time, there were also 11 lignite mines, five lime kilns, 30 agricultural businesses, 20 bakers, 25 shoemakers, 25 tailors, 17 weavers, 10 butchers and 43 other craftsman's establishments as well as 23 restaurants and inns. Starting around 1895, clay processing developed and gave later rise to the silicate factory. A new town hall and a post office were built in 1897, and a court of law in 1898.