Böhlen

Böhlen
Coat of arms
Böhlen
Location of Böhlen within Leipzig district
Coordinates: 51°12′9″N 12°23′9″E / 51.20250°N 12.38583°ECoordinates: 51°12′9″N 12°23′9″E / 51.20250°N 12.38583°E
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Leipzig
Government
• Mayor	Maria Gangloff (Die Linke)
Area
• Total	24.55 km^2 (9.48 sq mi)
Population (2014-12-31)[1]
• Total	6,627
• Density	270/km^2 (700/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	04564
Dialling codes	034206, 034299 (Großdeuben)
Vehicle registration	L, BNA, GHA, GRM, MTL, WUR
Website	www.stadt-boehlen.de

Böhlen (German pronunciation: [ˈbøːlən]) is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, south of Leipzig. Its main features are a small airport and a power-plant. It is located in the newly built Neuseenland, the lakes created in the former open-pit mining areas.

History

The first documented mention of Böhlen dates to 1353. The character of the place was rural for a long time. Only from the 1920s did the then village develop into an industrial area, mainly due to the lignite found in the area. The first lignite mine in the area was opened in 1924.

Towards the end of World War II a subcamp of Buchenwald concentration camp was established, where 800 prisoners worked as forced labor in a Braunkohle-Benzin AG ("Brabag") plant.

References

1. "Aktuelle Einwohnerzahlen nach Gemeinden 2014] (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011)" (PDF). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen (in German). 7 September 2015.