The town is located 33 km to the east of Dresden at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country, district of Bautzen. The town is 18 km west of Bautzen itself. The town is known as the "Gateway to Upper Lusatia" - "Tor zur Oberlausitz" in German. Großdrebnitz is among its quarters. The river Wesenitz flows through Bischofswerda.

 

The first documentary evidence of the existence of Bischofswerda dates from 1227. Nominally the town was founded by the Bishops of Meissen, though it may have existed before that point. In 1288 city walls were constructed. The first mention of Bischofswerda as a city is in a document dating from 1361. The town remained under the authority of the Bishops of Meissen until 1559 when power was transferred to Augustus, Elector of Saxony. The city arms are based on a 14th century seal and consist of two crossed bishop's croziers and four stars. The significance of the stars is not known.

 

Like many late medieval towns, Bischofswerda suffered from periodic fires that damaged the town. Fires are recorded in 1429, 1469, 1528, 1583, 1596, 1641, 1671 and 1813. The last fire was the worst. During the War of the Sixth Coalition, Napoleonic forces had occupied Bischofswerda when a fire broke out within the town walls on the 12th of May 1813, destroying most of the medieval town. However the town was rebuilt in a manner closely following the earlier layout, and this remains to this day. The town hall (Rathaus) was constructed soon after in 1818, just off the Altmarkt, the centre of the town. Together with the Christuskirche it is an example of neo-classical architecture, designed by Gottlob Friedrich Thormeyer.

During the increased tensions of the 1980s between the Western democracies and the Eastern Communist Bloc, Bischofswerda became a base for Soviet SS-12 nuclear missiles. A depot for the missiles and their launchers was built just outside of town. The missiles were withdrawn in 1988.

 

The following table indicates Bischofwerda's population at different times:

 

Until the German reunification in 1990, Bischofswerda was a significant industrial location. The textile industry has a centuries-long tradition in the town, which is still alive today. In Bischofswerda, the company Fortschritt produced agricultural machines. This manufacture as well as the glass fabrication had to be closed in the meanwhile.

New industries began to settle in Bischofswerda in recent years. Roth Industries, a German enterprise from the environmental technology sector, as well as the Canadian producer of solar cells ARISE Technologies have dependancies here.

 

 

 

The town is situated at the Bundesstraße 6, which connects Dresden and Görlitz at the Polish border. The Bundesautobahn 4 takes course 6 km north, enabling easy access to the Dresden Airport. Via railway, direct access is possible to Dresden, Görlitz, Zittau as well as to Czech Liberec.

 

 

 

The little town was nation-wide known when the local football club, sponsored by Fortschritt. The club reached two times the DDR-Oberliga, the highest football league in East Germany. Today, a modern open air bath and Saxony's littlest zoo can be noted. Regularly, the local festival Schiebocker Tage and a Karl May festival are organized.

 

 

 

Christian Adolph Klotz (1738–1771), Philologist

Karl Friedrich Bahrdt (1741–1792), Theologian

Walther Hesse (1846–1911), Microbiologist

Johannes Pache (1857–1897), Composer

Oskar Ernst Bernhardt (1875–1941), Writer

Arthur Biram (1878–1967), Philosopher