In total, 23 connections lead over the Mulde in Döbeln. This makes Döbeln one of the cities in Saxony with the most bridges.
The nickname "Boot Town" refers to a giant boot with a height of 3,70 meters that is displayed in the council chamber of the town hall. The Döbeln shoemakers' guild made it in 1925 to mark its 600th anniversary. Seven master shoemakers were involved in it. In addition to this special feature, the town, which has around 24.000 inhabitants, can boast other attractions of national importance, such as the Mirakelmann, the Eule organ in St. Nicolai Church, the Heckelhaus or the historic horse-drawn tram.
Over 1000 years of history full of ups and downs
The present-day town of Döbeln was first mentioned in a deed of gift from Emperor Otto II in 981, when he donated the castle and the town of Doblin to the monastery. This marked the birth of Döbeln. By the 13th century, the Slavic settlement in the present-day town area had developed into an open market town.
The establishment of craft guilds at the end of the 13th century further boosted economic life, so that a lively medieval town developed on the Mulde Island, the basic structure of which is still recognizable today. In 1330, however, a devastating fire destroyed the town and St. Nicolai Church, which had been consecrated in 1293.
In 1539, the town of Döbeln became Protestant during the Reformation under Duke Henry the Pious. Döbeln is a stop on the Luther Trail Saxony. The 550-kilometer-long circular hiking trail allows visitors to experience historically significant stops on Luther's journey and those on his journey.
The town experienced a huge economic boom due to the development of a textile and cigar industry in the middle of the 19th century and the continuous operation of the Riesa-Chemnitz railway line in 1852. In 1886, Döbeln also became a garrison town and received a royal district court in 1901.
After the devastating Mulde floods in 2002 and 2013, considerable funds were invested in the reconstruction and renovation of the affected districts, so that Döbeln is now an attractive small town with a lively and historical flair.
Unique and worth seeing in the Muldestadt
The towers of the town hall and the church of St. Nicolai in the historic city center are visible from afar. The origins of the church of St. Nicolai date back to the 13th century. The double-transformable winged altar is one of the largest late Gothic carved altars preserved in Saxony. It was created in 1515/16. It is 12 meters high and is attributed to the Cranach school. The late Romantic Eule organ delights music connoisseurs with its excellent sound.
Just as unique - and one of the few of its kind preserved - is the Mirakelmann from the 16th century. The movable, life-sized figure of Christ is housed in St. Nicolai Church, as is the eleven-meter-high altar and the late-romantic Eule organ. The 1,80-meter-tall Mirakelmann from 1510 was made from linden wood to resemble a human with movable limbs and was used in passion plays. A vessel containing a red liquid that was sealed in the chest was opened with a lance so that the "blood" flowed out of the wound. It is one of the special rarities in Europe.
The town hall, built in 1912, has housed the town museum and the small gallery on four floors of the tower since 1997. The town's more than 1000-year history is vividly explained through documents and detailed exhibits, for example with a model of Doblin Castle. From the balconies of the town hall tower, you can explore the town and its surroundings at a height of 40 metres. Below the castle hill are the dyer's houses, which, along with Zwingergasse and the monastery quarter, are among the oldest settlement areas in the town. Also worth seeing is the Martin Luther monument on Lutherplatz in Döbeln, which was erected in 1902. It was supposed to be melted down during the Second World War, but was discovered in a Hamburg scrap yard after 1945 and re-erected in the same place in Döbeln in 1962.
Döbeln offers its visitors a very special kind of living museum: rides on the historic horse-drawn tram through the beautifully restored town centre. Since 2007, this historic vehicle has been travelling between Niederwerder and the town hall according to a seasonal timetable, on special occasions and on request. In 2009, the German Horse-Drawn Tram Museum in Döbeln opened, which is the starting point for the very popular horse-drawn tram rides. The development and history of the world's first means of local transport is presented here in a museum setting.
Also worth seeing is the birthplace of the expressionist Brücke artist Erich Heckel on the Obermarkt. It houses a permanent exhibition with a remarkable collection of the artist's works. The Döbeln City Theater was built in 1872 and, along with the Freiberg Theater, has been the headquarters of the Mittelsächsischen Theater und Philharmonie gGmbH since 1993. Plays, operas and symphony concerts are performed in the lavishly renovated theater building. Since 2007, a "studio stage" has been available directly next to the theater for smaller projects and productions.
Bustling life and activity entices you to stroll
The lively and bustling city center with its streets and alleys, small shops and regional weekly markets invites you to stroll. The modern premiere cinema CID with four screens and over 600 seats, the Staupitzbad disco or the "Welcome Wellness" sports and leisure center with fitness, sauna, bowling alleys, mini golf course and caravan pitches offer numerous leisure options.
The public swimming pool, inaugurated in the Olympic year of 1936 and modernized a few years ago, has an indoor 25-meter competition track as well as a Finnish sauna, a bio sauna, a fireplace sauna and a steam bath. A large outdoor swimming pool and sunbathing lawns can be used in summer.
Famous Sons of Döbeln
The most famous son of the town of Döbeln is the painter and graphic artist Erich Heckel (1883-1970), who was self-taught and became a painter and graphic artist and founded the artist group "Brücke" in Dresden in 1905 with Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. His birthplace is now a museum and gallery. The painter, draftsman and graphic artist Bernhard Kretzschmar (1889-1972), who is one of the most important German representatives of New Objectivity, also comes from Döbeln. Another well-known personality is the architect of historicism and Art Nouveau, Emil Franz Hänsel (1870-1943). He left many traces in the Leipzig city center, for example the König-Albert-Haus on the market square.
Celebrate as they come
Every five years, the three-day town festival attracts thousands of visitors to the town centre. The town festival becomes a local festival, with a large parade and a local festival play on the castle hill. Around 80 amateur actors present scenes from Döbeln's town history.
Every year in September, at the “Wine Festival of a Special Kind”, winemakers and traders invite you to Lutherplatz with fine wines and matching culinary specialties. It is a pleasant place to linger in the cozy atmosphere. The highlight is the crowning of the “Döbelner Reblaus”.
The Döbeln Dance Festival in November is unrivalled in central Saxony. Around 600 dancers from Döbeln and the region dance in different age groups for the coveted trophies. The Döbeln Christmas market in the backdrop of the historic city center looks back on a tradition spanning over 150 years. Tasty items, useful items and gifts, a supporting program for young and old, and the Stadtwerke-EISARENA make the visit an experience.
On tour left and right of the Mulde
There is a well-signposted network of paths around Döbeln for hiking and cycling. You can explore the immediate surroundings of the town and discover idyllic spots and "insider tips" in the districts on the Mulde, Zschopau or Jahnatal cycle paths with connections to the Elbe cycle path. Just before the Zschopau flows into the Freiberger Mulde in the district of Töpeln, you will find the Töpelwinkel nature and leisure center with games and activities for the whole family.
The sexton's house with its local history museum is located about five kilometers from Döbeln in the direction of Lommatzsch, in the center of the Döbeln district of Mochau. It takes visitors back to life in the 19th century and offers a unique insight into the living and working conditions of the time, the regional customs and the rural cultural and social history. The school museum in the Ebersbach district provides interesting insights into school days gone by.
Important facts at one glance
The town of Döbeln is located in the district of Mittelsachsen and is crossed by the Freiberger Mulde. In the district of Technitz, the Zschopau flows into the Freiberger Mulde. Around 24.000 residents live in Döbeln and its 38 districts. The town is connected to the rest of the region by the A 14 Dresden-Magdeburg, the A4 Eisenach-Görlitz, the B 169 Riesa-Chemnitz-Erzgebirge (north-south connection) and the B 175 Zwickau-Nossen (west-east connection). Public transport is well positioned with the Chemnitz-Döbeln-Elsterwerda and Leipzig-Döbeln railway connections and the REGIOBUS Mittelsachsen GmbH bus service with 167 routes.