Löbau

Löbau (Upper Sorbian: Lubij) is a city in the east of Saxony, Germany, in the traditional region of Upper Lusatia. It is situated between the slopes of the Löbauer Berg and the fertile hilly area of the Upper Lusatian Mountains. It is the gateway to this volcanic mountainous area and is situated halfway between the cities of Bautzen, Görlitz and Zittau.

Löbau Town hall.
King Friedrich-August tower
Löbau
Coat of arms
Location of Löbau within Görlitz district
Löbau
Löbau
Coordinates: 51°05′40″N 14°40′0″E
CountryGermany
StateSaxony
DistrictGörlitz
Municipal assoc.Löbau
Government
 • MayorDietmar Buchholz
Area
 • Total78.74 km2 (30.40 sq mi)
Elevation
260 m (850 ft)
Population
 (2018-12-31)[1]
 • Total14,643
 • Density190/km2 (480/sq mi)
Time zoneCET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes
02708
Dialling codes03585
Vehicle registrationGR, LÖB, NOL, NY, WSW, ZI
Websiteloebau.de

History

Löbau was first mentioned in 1221 as "Oppidum Lubaw". During the Middle Ages the city was a member of the Lusatian League, consisting of the six cities Bautzen, Görlitz, Kamenz, Lauban, Löbau and Zittau. The regional alliance was first established in 1346 and disbanded in 1815. The league was revived in 1991, though it no longer holds political power and mostly acts as a tourism promotion board.

The town is widely known for the piano manufacturing company August Förster.

Main sights

The town hall of the city is a noteworthy mixture of several architectural styles. Another famous building is the Schminke House by German architect Hans Scharoun, one of the most important exponents of organic and expressionist architecture. The building dates from the 1930s, anticipating the architecture of the 1950s. It is regarded as one of Scharoun's greatest works.[2]

The King-Friedrich-August-Tower is Löbau's main landmark; the tower made of cast iron was built in 1854 on the Löbauer Berg, and is 28 m tall. It is the biggest cast-iron tower in Europe and offers magnificent views of the Lusatian Highlands.[3]

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Twin towns — Sister cities

Löbau is twinned with:[4]

People

References
  1. "Bevölkerung des Freistaates Sachsen jeweils am Monatsende ausgewählter Berichtsmonate nach Gemeinden" (PDF). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen (in German). July 2019.
  2. "Willkommen im Haus der Moderne". loebau.de (in German). Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  3. "Wahrzeichen König-Friedrich-August-Turm". loebau.de (in German). Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  4. "Löbaus Partnerstädte". loebau.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-05-27. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
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