Radebeul

Radebeul
Spitzhaus above the vineyards of Radebeul
Radebeul
Location of the town of Radebeul within Meißen district
Coordinates	51°06′N 13°39′E
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
Admin. region	Dresden
District	Meißen
Mayor	Bert Wendsche
Basic statistics
Area	26.06 km2 (10.06 sq mi)
Elevation	101 - 256 m
Population	33,769 (31 December 2011)
- Density	1,296 /km2 (3,356 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	MEI
Postal codes	01435-01445
Area code	0351
Website	www.radebeul.de

Radebeul is a town (große Kreisstadt) in the Elbe valley in the district of Meißen in Saxony, Germany, a suburb of Dresden. It is well known for its viticulture, a museum dedicated to writer Karl May and a narrow gauge railway connecting Radebeul with the castle of Moritzburg and the town of Radeburg. The Meißen area, where Radebeul is located, is one of the northeasternmost areas where wine is grown today.

It is sometimes called "Saxon Nice" for its pleasant landscape and mild climate.

History

A village Radebeul was first mentioned in 1349. In 1905 it absorbed the neighboring village of Serkowitz. On April 1, 1924 Radebeul became a town. Meanwhile, the neighboring village of Kötzschenbroda had taken over Lindenau in 1920 and Naundorf, Zitzschewig und Niederlößnitz by 1924, when it was made a town as well. In 1934 Wahnsdorf and Oberlößnitz joined Radebeul, and on January 1, 1935 the towns of Kötzschenbroda and Radebeul were united under the name of Radebeul ("Kötzschenbroda" having a Slavic root, this name was considered too "ungermanic" at the time). In 1947 Radebeul was made part of the district of Dresden. In 1995 it received the status of a major town inside the rural district (große Kreisstadt); when the rural district of Dresden (Dresden-Land) was dissolved, Radebeul became part of the district of Meißen.

Transportation

The town can be reached by Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe tram route 4 or by Dresden S-Bahn line S1, which serves four stations in Radebeul. Deutsche Bahn regional trains 18 and 50 also stop at Radebeul Ost station. Radebeul Ost is also the terminus of the historic Radebeul–Radeburg narrow-gauge steam railway and the station closest to the Karl May Museum.

Main sights

Antique wine press at the Hoflössnitz Castle in Radebeul

Radebeul has been renowned for its vineyards since 1324. It lies on the Saxon Wine Road.

Theatre

• Landesbühnen Sachsen

Museums

• Karl May Museum
• Stadtgalerie Radebeul
• Hoflössnitz Stiftung Weingutmuseum
• Volkssternwarte „Adolph Diesterweg“
• "Zeitreise" Interessantes zur DDR-Zeit

Edifices

• Karl-May-Museum (Villa Shatterhand and Villa Bärenfett)
• Grave of Karl May
• the Bilzbad (named after Friedrich Eduard Bilz 1842-1922)
• the Sorgenfrei House, a Weingut, built 1785/1788 in the so-called Dresdner Zopfstil (between Rokoko and Classicism)
• the Lößnitzdackel, a narrow gauge railway from Radebeul-Ost via Moritzburg to Radeburg
• the distinctive Watertower
• Friedensburg
• Bismarckturm
• Spitzhaus
• Spitzhaustreppen
• the Krapenburg

Regular events

• the annual Karl-May-Fest on Ascension weekend
• the annual Radebeuler Grafikmarkt which takes place each autumn - patronised by many well-known artists
• the annual Spitzhaustreppenlauf - a race up 397 steps of the Spitzhaus
• the annual Mt. Everest double-marathon - this involves going up and down the steps 100 times - a total of 39,700 steps: twice the standard marathon-distance, and the height of Mount Everest (can be entered by individuals, or teams of 3 or 100)

Famous People

• Julian Wolf (1998), Guitarist and Composer
• Johannes Kellig (1998), Bassplayer

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Radebeul is twinned with:

• Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA
• Cananea, Sonora, México
• Obukhiv, Ukraine
• St. Ingbert, Germany