Schwarzheide

Schwarzheide (Carny Gózd) is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 11 km southwest of Senftenberg, 110 km south of Berlin and 40 km north of Dresden. The little river Pössnitz runs through the eastern part of Schwarzheide.

Neighbouring communities
Immediate neighbors of the town are the towns Ruhland (south), Lauchhammer (west), Schipkau (north) and Senftenberg with the district Brieske (east).

Districts
Schwarzheide has the following districts
 * Schwarzheide-West (former Zschornegosda)
 * Wandelhof
 * Schwarzheide-Mitte
 * Schwarzheide-Ost, consisting of Victoria and Naundorf

History
The town's landmark is the watertower. Today´s industrial town, Schwarzheide, was created on October 1, 1936, from the independent communities, Zschornegosda (today Schwarzheide-West) and Naundorf (now part of Schwarzheide-Ost). The name was translated from the Sorbian name, "Zschornegosda", (corny = black, gozd = heath, wood). The date of foundation of this community is unknown. Zschornegosda and Naundorf were founded in the 12th or the 13th century after the Christianization of the Sorbs.

The first written evidence of Naundorf (as Nuwendorff) came from a pledge deed from 1421. Zschornegosda was first written in 1449 (as Cschörnegast) in feudal deed of Duke Frederick II, Elector of Saxony. Naundorf is a typical street village. Zschornegosda is a rotunde called okolnica. The chapel was on the highest point of a sandy knoll.

The development of both villages was retarded by wars, fires, and epidemics. Until the 18th century, the villages had no more than 100 inhabitants.

In 1780, the discovery of lignite coal west of Zschornegosda in Bockwitz lead to mining and the foundation of briquette factories (Ferdinand, Victoria, Victoria II). The river, Schwarze Elster, was drained and converted to a canal, so it was no longer possible to live from fishing. Highway A13 was built in 1936.


 * World War II: In 1937, Brabag (Braunkohlen Benzin AG) completed the Brabag II facility in Ruhland-Schwarlheide (the 4th Nazi Germany Fischer-Tropsch plant) to produce gasoline and diesel fuel from lignite coal. The plant was a target of the Oil Campaign of World War II, used Sachsenhausen concentration camp forced labor, and became a post-war Soviet Joint Stock Company.  The factory became VEB Synthesewerk Schwarzheide on January 1, 1954.

When the village's population reached eight-thousand inhabitants, the village became a town on January 11, 1967.

After 1990, Synthesewerk Schwarzheide became a part of BASF AG, which manufactures polyurethane.

Political affinity
The river, Schwarze Elster, forms the border between lower and upper Lusatia. From 1635, both Zschornegosda and Naundorf were part of the Electorate of Saxony. In 1815 both villages came to Prussia because of the Congress of Vienna. From 1815 to 1947, they were part of the Prussian Province of Brandenburg. Between 1818 and 1952, Zschornegosda and Naundorf were part of Kreis Calau. From 1952 to 1990, Schwarzheide was a part of Kreis Senftenberg in the Bezirk Cottbus of East Germany.

In 1990, town was annexed to Brandenburg, and, on December 6, 1993, to Oberspreewald-Lausitz.

Parliament
The town parliament of Schwarzheide comprises the mayor and 18 members.
 * Christian Democratic Union 5 seats (27.3%)
 * Freie Wählergruppe Schwarzheide 4 seats (22.3%)
 * Social Democratic Party 3 seats (18.2%)
 * The Left 3 seats (17.0%)
 * Free Democratic Party 3 seats (15.2%)

The turnout stood at 56,9 percent.

Partnerships

 * Krosno Odrzańskie (Poland)
 * Karcag (Hungary)
 * Piano di Sorrento (Italy)

Culture and art
Symbol is the 36 m high water tower built in 1943/44 by French prisoners of war. Lutherkirche from 1754 is also located in the center. The oldest nightclub in eastern Germany is Freizeitpark Wandelhof and there is also a cinema with four sals and 650 places.

Museums

 * Kulturhaus of BASF (Schipkauer Straße)
 * Museum of Schwarzheide (Dorfaue)

Historical monuments

 * Memorial for the victims of the concentration camp
 * Monument from 1965 on cemetery Schwarzheide-West for more than 23 unfree workers Brabagvictims

Buildings

 * Evangelical church (1953 first new church in the GDR, Otto-Nuschke-Straße)
 * Lutheran church (Schwarzheide)
 * Evangelical chapel (Parkstraße)
 * Catholic Holy Cross church (Otto-Nuschke-Straße)

Natur and recreation areas
Pine forests, lakes, meadows, and pastures surround Schwarzheide. The Lusatian Lake District and Spreewald are also near Schwarzheide.

Sports
Eurospeedway Lausitz is near.

Transport
federal highway 13 Bundesautobahn 13 from Berlin to Dresden, in south B 169. There is a rail way point in Schwarzheide-Ost.

Street
A 13 (E 55): Berlin–Dresden (Anschlussstelle (16) Schwarzheide and Anschlussstelle (17) Ruhland)

Railway
RE 18: Falkenberg (Elster)–Bad Liebenwerda–Lauchhammer–Ruhland–Schwarzheide-Ost–Senftenberg–Drebkau–Cottbus

Companies
The largest employer is BASF Schwarzheide GmbH, and the company is building a battery supply plant. Other companies include Fränkische Rohrwerke and PeinigerRöRo.

Media

 * Local broadcasting Schwarzheide & Ruhland

Education
In Schwarzheide exist a secondary school (Schwarzheide-Wandelhof), a high school (Emil-Fischer), a division of Oberstufenzentrums Lausitz (OSZ) to train laboratory technicians and chemistss, and a music school.

Honored

 * 2002: Hans-Herman Dehmel (chief executive officer of BASF Schwarzheide from 1990 to 1995)
 * 2004: Sokratis Giapapas (chief of Fränkisch Rohrwerke in Schwarzheide)