Architecture
The eastside of the marketplace in Werdau in a linear panorama. The prominent building towering above everything else is Werdau’s town hall. The neo-baroque building by Wilhelm Kretzschmar was inaugurated in april 1911 with attendance of the saxon king and is regarded one of saxony’s finest town halls. The whole ensemble of buildings around the market square is a listed area for conservation. Unfortunately that cannot cover the fact that the economic and demographic development of recent years has not been only positive, a fact that most small towns in eastern germany had to suffer from. Hence even at the market square in the centre of the old town you can find empty shop fronts.
History and Industry
Werdau was first mentioned in 1304 and developed into a regional textile production centre along the axis Reichenbach – Altenburg – Leipzig. Being situated along the river Pleiße and next to the Werdau forest another important economic factor was the rafting of timber towards Leipzig. In the course of industrialization, mechanical engineering, precision metrology and vehicle manufacturing companies also settled in Werdau. In addition, the former “Hof-Harmoniumfabrik” in Werdau was the largest of its kind in Europe at the time. Werdau has been connected to the railroad system since 1845 and is located at the intersection of the Leipzig-Hof and Dresden-Werdau railroad lines.
