Eilenburg | ||
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Coordinates: 51°27′39″N 12°38′09″E / 51.46083°N 12.63583°ECoordinates: 51°27′39″N 12°38′09″E / 51.46083°N 12.63583°E | ||
Country | Germany | |
State | Saxony | |
District | Nordsachsen | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Hubertus Wacker (Ind.) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 46.84 km2 (18.09 sq mi) | |
Population (2015-12-31) | ||
• Total | 15,452 | |
• Density | 330/km2 (850/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
Postal codes | 04838 | |
Dialling codes | 03423 | |
Vehicle registration | TDO, DZ, EB, OZ, TG, TO | |
Website | www.eilenburg.de |
Eilenburg (German pronunciation: [ˈaɪlənbʊɐ̯k]) is a town in Germany. It lies in the district of Nordsachsen in the Free State of Saxony, approximately 20 km northeast of the city of Leipzig.
Eilenburg lies at the banks of the river Mulde at the southwestern edge of the Düben Heath wildlife park. The town is subdivided into three urban districts: Berg, Mitte and Ost and six rural districts named Behlitz, Hainichen, Kospa, Pressen, Wedelwitz and Zschettgau.
Neighbouring towns and cities are Leipzig (20 kilometres distant), Delitzsch (21), Bad Düben (16), Torgau (25) and Wurzen (12).
Eilenburg Castle was first mentioned on 29 July 961 in a document by Otto I. as civitas Ilburg. The name has Slavic origin and means town with clay deposits. A settlement of tradespeople probably developed from the 11th century in the vicinity of the castle.
In the 16th century Eilenburg was central to several events of the Protestant Reformation. Even George, Duke of Saxony, called this town a nominated place ("namhaftigen Ort"). Martin Luther was in Eilenburg seven times and called it a blessed lard pit ("gesegnete Schmalzgrube").
The Thirty Years' War left its mark on Eilenburg. The town was initially spared fighting, but it suffered from the catastrophic economic effects of the war. From 1631 the town was directly involved in the war. In 1632 the body of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden was laid out in the Red Deer Inn ("Gasthof Roter Hirsch") after he had been killed in the Battle of Lützen (1632). In 1639 Eilenburg was conquered by the troops of Georg von Derfflinger. In 1646 peace negotiations between Saxony and Sweden began in Eilenburg to extend the expiring Armistice of Kötzschenbroda. On 14 September 1648 the Treaty of Eilenburg was signed and meant the end of the Thirty Years' War for Saxony. Subsequently the town recovered.