Markersdorf

Municipality in Saxony, Germany

Coat of arms

Location of Markersdorf within Görlitz district

(2022–29) Silvio Renger^[1]Area

• Total62.39 km² (24.09 sq mi)Elevation

242 m (794 ft)Population

(2022-12-31)^[2]

• Total3,848 • Density62/km² (160/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Postal codes

02829

Dialling codes035829Vehicle registrationGR, LÖB, NOL, NY, WSW, ZIWebsitewww.markersdorf.de

Markersdorf (Upper Sorbian: Markoćicy) is a municipality in the district of Görlitz in Saxony, Germany, near to the eastern border with Poland.

About 25 kilometres directly to the south, Markersdorf is also the former German name of Markocice, a small township in Gmina Bogatynia, Poland.

The current Großgemeinde (large municipality) of Markersdorf came into being in 1994, when the municipalities of Markersdorf, Deutsch-Paulsdorf (Upper Sorbian: Němske Pawlice), Friedersdorf, Gersdorf, Holtendorf, Jauernick-Buschbach (Jawernik-Nechow) and Pfaffendorf were adjoined in the course of Saxon municipal reforms. The former seven municipalities still exist as equal districts within the municipality, which is symbolized by its coat of arms – seven identical leaves on a tree.

Geography

Markersdorf lies at the foot of the Landeskrone, bordering the town of Görlitz to the east. The Weißer Schöps flows through the municipality. In the south-east of the municipality is the Berzdorfer See (Berzdorf Lake).

History

The municipality of Markersdorf was first mentioned in print in 1360, in a foundation certificate in the Görlitz city book. The first church is said to have been built in Jauernick as early as 980.

The proximity of the city of Görlitz brought the surrounding area not only economic boom, but also suffering in times of war. Thus, the community was affected during the Hussite Wars, the Thirty Years' War, the Seven Years' War and the Wars of Liberation. Markersdorf is often also called "Napoleonsdorf".^[3] In the village, marshal Géraud Duroc, wounded in the Battle of Bautzen (1813), died.

Monument to marshal Géraud Duroc in Markersdorf
Deutsch-Paulsdorf manor house
Baroque Church of St Ursula in Friedersdorf
Gersdorf Church [de]
Jauernick, seen from the Neuberzdorfer Höhe Viewing Tower [de]
Markersdorf village museum

References

^ Gewählte Bürgermeisterinnen und Bürgermeister im Freistaat Sachsen, Stand: 17. Juli 2022, Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen.
^ "Einwohnerzahlen nach Gemeinden als Excel-Arbeitsmappe" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen. 2024.
^ "Altes und Neues aus dem Napoleonsdorf Markersdorf : zum 22. Mai 1813 [Görlitzer Nachrichten und Anzeiger]". SLUB. 1926.