Borna (German pronunciation:[ˈbɔʁna]ⓘ) is a town in Saxony, Germany, capital of the Leipzig district. It is situated approximately 30 km southeast of Leipzig city. It has approx. 19,000 inhabitants. The town is the district seat of the district of Leipzig.
Geography
Borna is located about 30 km (19 mi) south of Leipzig. The river Wyhra flows through the town. The surrounding landscape has been influenced by open-cast coal mining.
The town lies in the middle of Central German Metropolitan Region, with Leipzig 33 km (21 mi) distant, Gera 50 km (31 mi), Chemnitz 58 km (36 mi), Halle 67 km (42 mi), and Dresden 113 km (70 mi). Neighboring large towns are Altenburg, 17 km (11 mi) away, Grimma, 24 km (15 mi) and Zeitz 35 km (22 mi).
History
Pre-history and Middle Ages
The current site of Borna town was originally two settlements; Altstadt (the old town) and Wenigborn. Before the foundation of the town, there had been a water castle since the 9th Century. The first written mention of the town of Borna was recorded in 1251. Borna was burnt to the ground five times during the wars of the Middle Ages.
19th Century Onwards
Borna and its buildings 1840
Since the early 19th century the landscape around Borna has been shaped by open-cast mining of brown coal (lignite) with an apex in the 1980s. For the last 20 years there have been huge efforts to revegetate this landscape e. g. by flooding opencast pits and creating new lakes as well as planting thousands of trees.
The industrialization of the town coincided with the start of lignite mining around 1800. The lignite industry was predominant in the region until recently.
Population
(December 31 each year)
Year
Inhabitants
Year
Inhabitants
Year
Inhabitants
1900
12,000
1998
20,598
2005
22,428
2012
19,.424
1999
20,365
2006
22,561
2013
19,259
2000
20,010
2007
21,539
2014
19,381
2001
19,616
2008
21,211
2015
19,672
2002
19,240
2009
20,920
2016
19,319
2003
23,200
2010
20,680
2004
22,850
2011
20,405
Railway
On January 14, 1867, with the completion of the Borna-Neukieritzsch line, Borna joined the German railway network. From Neukieritszch the line connected with the Saxon-Bavarian railway line between Leipzig and Hof. This rail connection was financed by a partnership between private concerns and the town and was the only municipal railway in the Kingdom of Saxony. On April 8, 1872 the link was extended via Geithain to Chemnitz, creating the Neukieritzsch–Chemnitz railway.
In October 2007 the 14th century romanesque building of Emmaus Church in Heuersdorf (12 km (7.5 mi) from Borna) was cut from the ground and relocated in Martin Luther Square of Borna [1]. The church's journey took a number of days.
Main sights
Kunigunden Church
Emmaus Church on Luther square (moved from nearby Heuersdorf, which was resettled because of an open coal mine in 2008)
