Pulsnitz

Town in Saxony, Germany

Coat of arms

Location of Pulsnitz/Połčnica within Bautzen district

(2023–30) Barbara Lüke^[1] (Ind.)Area

• Total26.72 km² (10.32 sq mi)Elevation

290 m (950 ft)Population

(2022-12-31)^[2]

• Total7,359 • Density280/km² (710/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Postal codes

01896

Dialling codes035955Vehicle registrationBZWebsitewww.pulsnitz.de

Pulsnitz (German: [ˈpʊls.nɪt͡s] ^ⓘ) or Połčnica (Upper Sorbian, pronounced [ˈpɔwtʃnʲitsa]) is a town in the district of Bautzen, in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. It is situated on the small river Pulsnitz, 11 km southwest of Kamenz, and 24 km northeast of the centre of Dresden.

History

Initially a Sorbian stronghold and settlement, it was first mentioned in 1225.^[3] It was granted town rights in 1375.^[3] It was raided by the Hussites in 1429.^[3]

Pulsnitz became famous for its Pfefferkuchen, a type of Christmas cookie, when in 1558 the bakers of Pulsnitz received permission to bake them. Today there are still eight Pfefferküchlereien bakeries. In 1745 the Pfefferküchler Tobias Thomas was known to be practising his craft in Pulsnitz as well as in Toruń, Poland, where the famous Toruń gingerbread were made. Pulsnitz is informally known as Pfefferkuchenstadt meaning "Gingerbread Town".

Other crafts also developed, with a linen weavers' guild founded in 1597, and the first local potter mentioned in 1653.^[3]

During the Thirty Years' War of 1618–1648 the town suffered four fires, and in 1633 and 1680 it was hit by epidemics.^[3]

The first Protestant missionary to arrive in India, Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg was born in Pulsnitz on July 10, 1682.^[4]

During the final stages of World War II, in April 1945, the Polish Second Army captured the town.^[5]

The town Pulsnitz absorbed the former municipality Friedersdorf in 1994, and Oberlichtenau in 2009.^[6]

Gallery

Market square with old town hall
Pepper Cake Museum Pulsnitz - House of the Guest - Market Square
Town hall
Memorial for Ernst Rietschel
Pulsnitzer Spitzen
Pulsnitzer Pfefferkuchen
Post milestone from 1731

Notable people

Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg (1682-1719), first Protestant missionary and Indian linguist
Ernst Rietschel, one of the most important sculptors of his time
Julius Kühn, an important agricultural scientist, he founded the first agricultural institute to be taken seriously at a German university
Curt Haase, politician (NSDAP)
Klaus Staeck, graphic artist
Linda Wenzel

References

^ Wahlergebnisse 2023, Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
^ "Einwohnerzahlen nach Gemeinden als Excel-Arbeitsmappe" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen. 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Historie 1200 - 1700". Stadt Pulsnitz. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
^ Bautz.de
^ Ganzel, Karol (1955). "Wyzwolenie Śląska". Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka (in Polish). Vol. 10, no. 1–2. Wrocław: Ossolineum. p. 79.
^ Pulsnitz in the Digital Historic Index of Places in Saxony (Digitales Historisches Ortsverzeichnis von Sachsen)