Bitterfeld-Wolfen () is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated in south-eastern Saxony-Anhalt, west of the river Mulde, in an area dominated by heavy industry and lignite mining. The town was formed by merger of the towns of Bitterfeld and Wolfen and the municipalities of Greppin, Holzweißig and Thalheim on 1 July 2007.
Geography Bitterfeld-Wolfen is northeast of Halle (Saale) and about north of Leipzig. Eastward lies the Muldestausee lake, southward the Goitzsche lake with docks and westwards the lido of Sandersdorf. The town lies in a nature reserve, Bitterfelder Bergbaurevier.
Neighbouring municipalities Adjoining municipalities are from the north and clockwise Raguhn-Jeßnitz, Muldestausee, Delitzsch, Sandersdorf-Brehna and Zörbig.
Climate
The average air temperature in Bitterfeld is and the yearly rainfall .
History
Town fusion On 1 July 2007 the independent towns of Wolfen and Bitterfeld and the municipalities of Greppin, Thalheim and Holzweißig were merged to form the present-day town of Bitterfeld-Wolfen. Bobbau was absorbed in September 2009.Gebietsänderungen vom 02. Januar bis 31. Dezember 2009, Statistisches Bundesamt
Historical Population (of the present-day town) Year/Date Inhabitants 1964 ¹ 74,747 1971 ¹ 74,369 1981 ¹ 73,719 31 December 1985 75,274 31 December 1989 76,147 3 October 1990 72,218 31 December 1990 71,916 31 December 1995 67,060 Date Inhabitants 31 December 2000 57,435 31 December 2001 55,200 31 December 2002 53,457 31 December 2003 52,013 31 December 2004 50,779 31 December 2005 49,899 31 December 2006 49,030 31 December 2007 47,928 31 December 2008 46,971 31 December 2009 45,968 Date Inhabitants 31 December 2010 45,171 31 December 2011 ² 42,800 31 December 2014 ³ 41,793 ¹ Census results ² 2011 Census ³ Source: Bitterfeld-Wolfen Town Hall
Source: Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt
Bitterfeld
Bitterfeld has approximately 15,000 inhabitants (2006). It was first documented in 1224. Part of the Electorate of Saxony, it came to the Prussian Province of Saxony in 1815. Until the administrative reform of 2007 it was the capital of the district of Bitterfeld.
Wolfen
Wolfen has approximately 24,000 inhabitants (2006). It is located north of Bitterfeld. Wolfen was first documented around 1400. The discovery of lignite in 1846 and the construction of an Agfa dye factory in 1895 brought industry and population growth.
Twin towns – sister cities
Bitterfeld-Wolfen is twinned with:
Vierzon, France (1959) Villefontaine, France (1990) Witten, Germany (1994) Dzerzhinsk, Russia (1996) Kamienna Góra, Poland (2006) Marl, Germany (2007)
See also Bitterfeld-Wolfen (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft)
References