View source for Falkenau

{{for|the town in Bohemia|Sokolov, Czech Republic}}
{{Infobox German location
|type = Ortsteil
|Town = Flöha
|name              = Falkenau
|image_photo       = Falkenau as seen from north-west (aka).jpg
|image_caption     = Falkenau
|image_coa            = Wappen Falkenau.png
|coordinates       = {{coord|50|51|19|N|13|6|57|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|state        = Sachsen
|district         = Mittelsachsen
|elevation              = 321
|area            = 9.08
|population         = 2040
|Stand             = 2006-12-31
|postal_code               = 09557
|area_code           = 03726
|licence               = FG
|website           = [https://www.floeha.de/untersete/ortsteil-falkenau/allgemeine-infos Ortschaft Falkenau]
}}

'''Falkenau''' is a village and a former municipality in the district of [[Mittelsachsen]], in [[Saxony]], [[Germany]]. On 1 October 2011, Falkenau joined the town of [[Flöha]].<ref>Freie Presse Online: [http://www.freiepresse.de/LOKALES/REGIOTICKER/Falkenau-Zusammenschluss-Falkenau-und-Floeha-ab-1-Oktober-vereint-artikel7761011.php Falkenau: Zusammenschluss - Falkenau und Flöha ab 1. Oktober vereint.]</ref>

==Geography==
===Location===
Located in the [[Ore Mountain Basin]], the village of Falkenau stands on the shores of the river [[Flöha (river)|Flöha]]. 

Falkenau and its sole district [[Hetzdorf]] is located north of [[Augustusburg]], east of [[Flöha]] and west of [[Oederan]].

== History ==
Until the middle of the 12th century, the region lay in the primeval forest known as the [[Miriquidi]], which covered large parts of what is now southern Saxony and stretched across the ridge of the [[Ore Mountains]] to northern Bohemia. 

Falkenau was first mentioned in 1378 in a tax register of the socalled "Castrum Schellenberg" district, but the first settlers probably arrived as early as the late 12th century in the course of the Medieval {{lang|de|[[Ostsiedlung]]|italic=yes}}. The settlers founded the village as [[Waldhufendorf]] with 15 farms<ref>H. Seifert (1938). ''Die Ortsgeschichte des Dorfes Falkenau in Sachsen''. Flöha i. Sa, pp. 95-102.</ref> arranged along both sides of the river. The oldest family names of these farmers were Richter (1546), Rudolph (1563), Ruttluff (1563), Schubert (1563), Kunz (1564), Teufel (1566), Wächtler (1567), Hartwig (1580), Förster (1583), Aßmann (1586), Ranfeld (1585), Becker (1585), Schnorr (1589), Naumann (1599), Fintzel (1593), and Barthel (1595).

Small ore mining endeavours were undertaken in the northern forests of Falkenau along the {{lang|de|[[Zechengrundbach]]|italic=yes}} with a first phase during the late 16th century and a second one from 1674 till 1842.

Since the beginning of the 19th century and during the 20th century, the village was a small, but supraregional centre of the textile industry with business connections to major cities in Germany and Europe.

===Population===
Falkenau had a population of around 140 people during the mid-16th century,<ref>A. Magnus (2024). [https://falkenauernetz.blogspot.com/p/bevolkerung.html ''Bevölkerung''], in: ''Falkenauer Netz''.</ref> with only 20 more in 1688.<ref>H. Seifert (1938). ''Die Ortsgeschichte des Dorfes Falkenau in Sachsen''. Flöha i. Sa, p. 47.</ref> 

Falkenau reached its highest peak of population in the year 1950 with a total of 2921 people. The population has slowly declined since then.


{| class="wikitable"
| valign="top" width="25%" |
'''1980 - 1989'''
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982: 2153
* 1983: 2154
* 1984: 2160
* 1985: 2135
* 1986: 2171
* 1987: 2154
* 1988: 2139
* 1989: 2078
| valign="top" width="25%" |
'''1990 - 1999'''
* 1990: 2060
* 1991: 2025
* 1992: 2024
* 1993: 2068
* 1994: 2062
* 1995: 2133
* 1996: 2238
* 1997: 2272
* 1998: 2233
* 1999: 2228
| valign="top" width="25%" |
'''2000 - 2009'''
* 2000: 2218
* 2001: 2204
* 2002: 2134
* 2003: 2127
* 2004: 2100
* 2005: 2046
* 2006: 2040
* 2007: 2008
* 2008: 1966
* 2009: 1957
| valign="top" width="25%" |
'''2010 - 2019'''
* 2010: 1951
* 6/2011: 1902
|}
:<small>Source: Official Statistical Office of the Free State of Saxony, Date: 30. Juni 2011</small>

=== Languages ===
* [[German language|Standard German]]
* a variety of [[Upper Saxon German]]

==Infrastructure==
===Roads===
Falkenau is connected to the {{lang|de|[[Bundestraße 173 (B173)]]|italic=yes}}. Between [[Hof, Bavaria|Hof]] and [[Zwickau]], the course of this road largely corresponds to the old [[Via Imperii]]. Further on to Dresden, it follows the historic {{lang|de|[[Frankenstraße]]|italic=yes}}, which  leads eastwards via Chemnitz, Oederan, and Freiberg, towards [[Upper Lusatia]] and on to [[Silesia]].

===Public transport===
The village has two small train stations and is connected by one bus line to Chemnitz. The upper station [[Falkenau (Sachs) Süd]] connects the village to Dresden, Chemnitz, and Freiberg ([[Dresden–Werdau railway]]). The lower station [[Falkenau (Sachs) HP]] connects to Chemnitz and [[Olbernhau]] ([[Pockau-Lengefeld–Neuhausen railway]]). Until 1968, the socalled Lößnitz Valley railway branched off to [[Großwaltersdorf]] in the neighbouring district of [[Hetzdorf]]. 

===Bridges===
* {{lang|de|[[Hetzdorfer Viaduct]]|italic=yes}}, a 43 metre high and 328 metre long former railway bridge built 1866-1868. It is now part of a hiking trail.

==Culture and sights==
In 1722, the post office of [[Electoral Saxony]] erected on behalf of [[Augustus II the Strong]] a numbered [[milestone]] along the historic {{lang|de|[[Frankenstraße]]|italic=yes}}. The quarter milestone rests on a low plinth and consists of a rectangular ca 1.7 metres high slab. It only bears the monogram ‘AR’, a post horn, the year of manufacture and, on the narrow side the odd row number "25".<ref>Forschungsgruppe Kursächsische Postmeilensäulen (1989). ''Lexikon Kursächsische Postmeilensäulen''. Berlin: transpress-Verlag, p. 211.</ref>  

The school, built 1913, was designed by the Saxonian architect [[Curt Herfurth]].

==Sports==
* {{lang|de|[[TSV 1888 Falkenau]]|italic=yes}} (football, table tennis, athletics, volleyball)
* {{lang|de|[[Skiclub Falkenau e. V.]]|italic=yes}} (skiing)
* {{lang|de|[[Angelverein Falkenau e. V.]]|italic=yes}} (fishing)

==Notable people==
===Sons and daughters of Falkenau===
{{colbegin|colwidth=30em}}<!-- Please respect alphabetical order -->
* [[Karl Nendel]] (* 1933 in Falkenau; † 2019 in Frankfurt (Oder)), engineer in microelectronics
{{colend}}

===Active in Falkenau===
{{colbegin|colwidth=30em}}<!-- Please respect alphabetical order -->
* [[Carl Ludwig Beaumont]] (* 1791, † 3. March 1840 in Falkenau), French soldier in the Napoleon army and entrepreneur in textile industry in Falkenau<ref>H. Seifert (1938). ''Die Ortsgeschichte des Dorfes Falkenau in Sachsen''. Flöha i. Sa, p. 46, 119, 121, 127, 163, 178.</ref>
* [[Adolf Gottlieb Fiedler]] (* 1771 in Dresden, † 2. August 1850), entrepreneur in Saxony and Poland
* [[Max Hauschild]] (* 28. December 1804 in Dresden, † 20. July 1877 in Dresden), Saxonian entrepreneur in textile industry and mechanical engineering
* [[Abraham Kluge]] († 1654), Captain of a [[Dragoon]] Unit during the [[Thirty Years' War]]<ref>A. Magnus (2024). [https://falkenauernetz.blogspot.com/2024/05/abrahamkluge.html ''Abraham Kluge (gest. 1654)''], in: ''Falkenauer Netz'', June 10, 2024.</ref>
* [[Georg Liebermann]] (* 5. July 1844 in Berlin; † 15. April 1926 in Berlin), German [[Philanthropy|philanthropist]] and entrepreneur in textile industry and mechanical engineering, brother of the artist [[Max Liebermann]]
{{colend}}

==Bibliography==
===In German===
* {{cite book
|author=Geographisches Institut, Arbeitsgruppe Heimatforschung
|title=Das mittlere Zschopaugebiet : Ergebnisse der heimatkundlichen Bestandsaufnahme in den Gebieten von Flöha - Augustusburg und Zschopau
|year=1977
|location=Berlin
|publisher=Akademie-Verlag
|pages=79-82}} 
* {{cite book
|author=H. Hänsch
|title=625 Jahre Falkenau. Beiträge zur Geschichte
|year=2002
|location=Falkenau i. Sa.}}
* {{cite book
|author=H. Seifert
|title=Die Ortsgeschichte des Dorfes Falkenau in Sachsen
|year=1938
|location=Flöha i. Sa.}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
{{Wikisource|Tuchfabrik von Adolph Gottlob Fiedler in Falkenau}}
* [https://falkenauernetz.blogspot.com/ Falkenauer Netz]
* [https://www.floeha.de/untersete/ortsteil-falkenau/allgemeine-infos Falkenau]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}


[[Category:Former municipalities in Saxony]]
[[Category:Flöha]]
[[Category:Mittelsachsen]]


{{Ore-mountains-stub}}
{{Mittelsachsen-geo-stub}}