page_title: Hoyerswerda
section_title: Early history
hierarchical_section_title: Hoyerswerda / History / Early history
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Schloss Hoyerswerda, gezeichnet von Johann Gottfried Schultz (1734–1819)
context_page_description: Hoyerswerda is a major district town in the district of Bautzen in the German state of Saxony. It is located in the Sorbian settlement area of Upper Lusatia, a region where some people speak the Sorbian language in addition to German.
  Hoyerswerda is divided into the Old Town and the New Town surrounded by village areas. The Old Town is the historical centre with many old houses and sight-seeing attractions, the New Town is more modern and varicoloured. Prior to the renovation of the town, prefabricated apartment blocks predominated in this area.
  The town has many lakes, marshes and waterways in its surrounding area, because of its situation in Lusatia. This brings many tourists to spend their holidays there. It is attractive for cyclists and inline skaters who use recently created paths meandering among the lakes.
context_section_description: The first settlers arrived in this area in 700 AD. They were Milceni Slavs. Many artifacts from this old culture have been found in the Hoyerswerda area.
  1000 AD saw the construction of the first church in the town; the Heilige Familie ('Holy Family') which is still standing today in the historic centre of Hoyerswerda.
  In 1150, Hoyerswerda first appeared on a map of Lusatia.
  The city was first mentioned in 1268. At the time the mayor was Hoyer von Vredeberg.
  In 1371 it was designated an official market town. Before this Hoyerswerda was a very little town with few structures, but the city then grew under the leadership of the new mayor Karl IV.
  It received municipal rights from Freiherr von Duba on 19 December 1423, as well as the right to elect its own council.
  In the 17th century, the city experienced many problems due to the 30 Years War. The Number of inhabitants dropped drastically, but recovered by the end of the century.
  In 1624, Hoyerswerda became the capital of the Spremberg district. A few years later the district took the name Hoyerswerda because of the growing importance of the city.
  In the middle of this century Hoyerswerda had become the largest town in the Lusatian region.
  In the 18th century the Polish King and Elector of Saxony, Augustus II the Strong, gave the Duchy of Hoyerswerda to Ursula Katharina Lubomirska, who helped the town develop trade and manufacturing. In 1737, King Augustus III of Poland bought the town from Lubomirska. The King used to stop in the Hoyerswerda Castle during his travels from Dresden to Warsaw. The Battle of Hoyerswerda occurred nearby in 1759 during the Seven Years' War.
  In 1815, Hoyerswerda became part of the Prussian Province of Silesia. In 1871, with Prussia it became part of the German Empire. In 1873 a new railway between Hoyerswerda and Ruhland opened. It had a positive effect on the economic development of the city. In 1912, the Domowina, the organisation of the Sorbs, was founded in the city. In 1918, the Sorbs protested here against the policy of Germanisation. The town became part of the Prussian Province of Lower Silesia in 1919.
caption: Hoyerswerda Castle in the 18th century
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