1002 |
First written mention of Bautzen * as civitas
Budusin in the Chronicle of Bishop Thietmar von Merseburg |
1018 |
Peace of Bautzen concluded after sixteen years of military
conflict between the Polish duchy and the early-feudal German city, which remains under
Polish occupation until 1031 |
1158 |
After being an object of horse-trading among German kings,
counts and dukes, King Barbarossa grants Bohemia the city in fee |
1213 |
First town hall built of stone * |
1215 |
At the point of today's St. Peter's Cathedral, which becomes
an interdenominational church over 300 years later, starts construction of the Church of
St. John |
1284 |
Brandenburg's Margraves grant Bautzen, which is pledged as a
fief to them those days, the priviledge of establishing the first bazaar in the
Upper Lusatia |
1319 |
Annexed by the Kingdom of Bohemia once again |
1346 |
Foundation of the "Six-City League of Upper
Lusatia" for giving robber barons as good as one gets. The members are Bautzen
(secretary), Goerlitz, Loebau, Zittau, Kamenz and Lauben (Luban) |
1400 |
Bautzen is one of the biggest cities of th region with its
some 5000 inhabitants - bigger than Dresden those days |
1408 |
After several craftsmen's rebellions at the beginning of the
century the King of Bohemia finishes the riots in Bautzen. 14 of the 100 craftsmen
sentenced to death executed in public at the Main Market *. |
1429/31 |
The "Six-City League of Upper Lusatia"refuses to
join the Hussites. Consequently they try to conquer Bautzen, but fail - also because
of the almost completed inner and outer city walls * |
1469 |
21 years of political allegiance to the Hungary under
Matthias Corvinus, whose sculpture on the east side of the Matthiasturm bears a great
resemblance to him, start * |
1507 |
Since the "Stapelrecht" (the right to hold fairs)
goes to the city of Leipzig, the Upper Lusatia loses its economic importance |
1547 |
Ostensibly because of refusing to provide assistance in the
Schmalkaldic War (Battle of Muehlberg), the six cities of the Upper Lusatian League
forfeit all of their privileges and holdings to the Emperor, Bohemia |
1552 |
Michael Wohlrab founded the first printing office in the town |
1558 |
The Old Waterworks built of stone |
1596 |
First town library founded |
1618 |
The Thirty Year's War begins with the Defenestration of
Prague and ends with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. During the war Bautzen is besieged
by Saxon troops (1620) and Swedish troops (1639), Wallenstein's troops march through this
region (1633), Colonel von der Golz conquers Bautzen and on his orders it is set on fire
(1634) |
1635 |
Peace of Prague. The City goes as "Mannlehen" (a
kind of fief) to Saxony |
1709, 1720 |
Devastating city fires |
1813 |
Battle around Bautzen against Napoleon's army |
1846 |
Railway station erected and railway line between Dresden and
Bautzen opened |
1868 |
The city is renamed to its final German designation Bautzen
(Sorbian: Budysin) |
1900 |
They begin to build the Royal Saxon Prison, which determines
the image of the town during several periods of time in this century |
1909 |
The "Crown Prince Bridge" over the valley of the
river Spree is built |
1937/1938 |
The motorway to Bautzen is completed |
1939-1945 |
World War II - in February 1945 the first streams with
refugees arrive the town. On 18th April, 1945, the "Red Army" and
Polish troops try to conquer the city, Bautzen is declared a fortress and capitulation
refused. The city is left with the bridges blown up and heavily damaged buildings |
1949 |
On 21st December, Stalin's birthday, the biggest
bridge of Bautzen (renamed to Friedensbruecke) is presented to the public |
1974 |
Completion of the Bautzen Spree Dam and creation of an
recreation area |
1989 |
Meetings in churches and demonstrations for political change
in "East Germany". |
1990 |
German Reunification - On the one hand the inner city
is renewed, on the other hand for some factories start economically difficult times, which
cause a high unemployment rate in this region |
1995 |
Bautzen becomes a major regional administrative centre with
about 46 thousand inhabitants |
1999 |
A big shopping centre is being built in the city. Almost at
the same time they began to pull down the tower block with 168 flats erected in 1968,
which has always been a matter of contest * |