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Oberrothenbach is a village and former municipality in Saxony, Germany. It was incorporated into the municipality of Zwickau in 1999.

History

Oberrothenbach was probably first established sometime in the Early Middle Ages. Local legend tells that a small village and bishopric was first attempted by a disciple of Saint Boniface. The disciple saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary appear on the local lake and speak to him, "Here you will build a haven for laborers." However, the settlement was later overrun by migrating pagan Slavic tribes around the 9th century Template:AnDom. Nevertheless, the settlement would later flourish under industry such as mining by the Late Middle Ages. During the Industrial Revolution in the German Empire, industrial mineral mining would be established in the town and many moved to Oberrothenbach for the job opportunities.

After the end of World War II, the Soviet Union secretly set up an industrial operation in Occupied Germany and later East Germany, particularly in the villages of the region such as Wismut and Oberrothenbach. Until the end of the Cold War and fall of the communist regime, over 20,000 workers died from harsh labor, radiation, and other pollution. Conditions were so bad, the local saying of the region was "Kumpels sterben früher", German for "miners die young".

Although the operation is now abandoned, the effects last to this day. About 450,000 people worked in the factories and mines in the village's history. Exposed to radon, arsenic, radioactive dust, lead, and other toxic compounds, it is estimated there will be around 10,000 - 15,000 deaths from illnesses such as cancer. A barbed-wire fence was built around the local polluted lake in the 1980's, which no longer supports most life.

Today

In the modern day, Oberrothenbach is a quiet village with approximately 700 inhabitants, mainly working-class citizens who decided to stay when most moved out after the mines were closed (although the population was only less than 400 in 1993). The village hosts several events and attractions for tourists.

References

1. Statistisches Bundesamt, Gebietsänderungen vom 01.01. - 31.12.1999
2. ^ Bernstein 1996.
3. ^ Marshall 1993.

• Bernstein, Leonard (1996). Environmental Science: Ecology and Human Impact (2nd ed.). Addison-Wesley Longman. ISBN 978-0201468885. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Marshall, Eliot (22 January 1993). "A Grisly Archive of Key Cancer Data" (PDF). {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• Oberrothenbach im Digitalen Historischen Ortsverzeichnis von Sachsen

50°46′05″N 12°28′26″E / 50.768°N 12.474°E / 50.768; 12.474

• Villages in Saxony
• Zwickau
• Former municipalities in Saxony