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Dessau-Roßlau

Coordinates: 51°50′N 12°15′E / 51.833°N 12.250°E / 51.833; 12.250
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Dessau-Roßlau
Aerial view of Dessau
Flag of Dessau-Roßlau
Coat of arms of Dessau-Roßlau
Location of Dessau-Roßlau
Map
Dessau-Roßlau is located in Germany
Dessau-Roßlau
Dessau-Roßlau
Dessau-Roßlau is located in Saxony-Anhalt
Dessau-Roßlau
Dessau-Roßlau
Coordinates: 51°50′N 12°15′E / 51.833°N 12.250°E / 51.833; 12.250
CountryGermany
StateSaxony-Anhalt
DistrictUrban district
Government
 • Lord mayor (2021–28) Robert Reck[1]
Area
 • Total245.0 km2 (94.6 sq mi)
Elevation
61 m (200 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total79,655
 • Density330/km2 (840/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
06811-06849
06861, 06862
Dialling codes0340 (Dessau)
034901(Roßlau)
Vehicle registrationDE, RSL
Websitewww.dessau-rosslau.de

Dessau-Roßlau (German pronunciation: [ˈdɛsaʊ̯ ˈʁɔslaʊ̯] ) is a kreisfreie Stadt (urban district) in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Mulde. The town was formed by merger of the towns of Dessau and Roßlau as part of the 2007 regional boundary reform of Saxony-Anhalt (Kreisreform Sachsen-Anhalt). The reform involved a reduction in the number of rural districts in Sachsen-Anhalt from 21 to 11, in anticipation of a continued population decline.

Dessau-Roßlau is the third largest town of Saxony-Anhalt by population, after Magdeburg and Halle. Its area is 245.0 km2 (94.6 sq mi).[3]

Dessau

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The river Mulde with the Dessau Palace, St. Maries church and town hall
Georgium, Dessau

Dessau is the largest population centre within Dessau-Roßlau, with approximately 79,000 inhabitants (2021). Most of the town is located on the left bank of the river Mulde, south of its confluence with the river Elbe. Dessau was first mentioned in 1213, and became the capital of a small state (Anhalt-Dessau) in the 14th century. Between 1863 and 1918, it was the capital of Anhalt. Since the second half of the 19th century, Dessau has been an industrial town. With the famous art and architecture school Bauhaus, located in Dessau between 1925 and 1932, and the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm, the town features two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The town could be referred to as one of the birthplaces of the "Jet Age" because the Junkers factory that designed the Jumo 004 jet engine for the German Me 262 jet fighter (operational from mid-1944) was designed there. As the western shore of the Elbe-Mulde rivers was the stopping point for U.S. troops in World War II, the capture of the town allowed the U.S. Army to evacuate Junkers employees to the west before Russia occupied the area on 1 July 1945. Several engineers of the jet engine development team at Junkers ended up at the Lycoming engine plant in Stratford, Conn., building gas turbine engines for the U.S. Army from 1952 on.

Roßlau

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Roßlau has approximately 13,000 inhabitants (2006). It is located on the right bank of the Elbe, near its confluence with the Mulde, about 7 kilometers north of the centre of Dessau. Roßlau was first mentioned in 1215. Before it merged with Dessau, it was part of the district Anhalt-Zerbst.

Governance

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Mayor and city council

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The current mayor of Magdeburg is independent politician Robert Reck since 2021. The most recent mayoral election was held on 6 June 2021, with a runoff held on 27 June, and the results were as follows:

Candidate Party First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Robert Reck Independent 10,548 28.4 14,856 73.9
Eiko Adamek Christian Democratic Union 7,913 21.3 5,255 26.1
Ralf-Peter Weber Alliance 90/The Greens 6,119 16.5
Sebastian Rumberg Independent 4,229 11.4
Lutz Büttner Alternative for Germany 3,906 10.5
Frank Lehmann Independent 2,823 7.6
Jakob Uwe Weber Independent 1,209 3.3
Karsten Rudolf Lückemeyer Independent 417 1.1
Valid votes 37,164 100.0 20,111 100.0
Invalid votes 563 1.5 82 0.4
Total 37,727 100.0 20,193 100.0
Electorate/voter turnout 66,811 56.5 66,752 30.3
Source: City of Magdeburg

The most recent city council election was held on 9 June 2024, and the results were as follows:

Party Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Alternative for Germany (AfD) 29,028 25.5 Increase 8.7 13 Increase 5
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 25,112 22.0 Decrease 0.8 11 Decrease 1
Pro Dessau-Roßlau (Pro DE) 14,308 12.6 Increase 4.0 6 Increase 2
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 10,649 9.3 Increase 0.2 5 Steady 0
The Left (Die Linke) 9,096 8.0 Decrease 6.6 4 Decrease 3
New Forum–Citizens' List (Forum-BL) 8,092 7.1 Decrease 1.3 4 Steady 0
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 6,243 5.5 Decrease 4.6 3 Decrease 2
Free Faction Dessau-Roßlau 5,634 4.9 Steady 0.0 2 Decrease 1
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 3,276 2.9 Decrease 1.8 1 Decrease 1
Weber (Independent) 1,885 1.7 New 1 New
Ribbecke (Independent) 648 0.6 New 0 New
Valid votes 113,971 100.0
Invalid ballots 717 0.2
Total ballots 39,413 100.0 50 ±0
Electorate/voter turnout 64,726 60.9 Increase 7.1
Source: City of Magdeburg

Twin towns – sister cities

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Dessau-Roßlau is twinned with:[4]

References

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  1. ^ Bürgermeisterwahlen in den Gemeinden, Endgültige Ergebnisse, Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt, accessed 8 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden – Stand: 31. Dezember 2022" (PDF) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt. June 2023.
  3. ^ "Tabellen Bodenfläche". Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Unsere Städtepartnerschaften". dessau-rosslau.de (in German). Dessau-Roßlau. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
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