Crossen an der Elster

Crossen an der Elster is a village and municipality in the district Saale-Holzland, in Thuringia, in east-central Germany. The White Elster is the name of the small river which flows through the municipality, so 'Crossen on the Elster' would be the English equivalent.

Crossen an der Elster
Municipality
View of Crossen with the Crossen Palace in background
Location of Crossen an der Elster within Saale-Holzland-Kreis district
Crossen an der Elster Show map of Germany Crossen an der Elster Show map of Thuringia
Coordinates: 50°58′35″N 11°58′40″E
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Saale-Holzland-Kreis
Municipal assoc.	Heideland-Elstertal-Schkölen
Subdivisions	3
Government
• Mayor (2023–29)	Hebert Zimmermann[1]
Area
• Total	10.74 km2 (4.15 sq mi)
Elevation	176 m (577 ft)
Population  (2024-12-31)[2]
• Total	1,568
• Density	150/km2 (380/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	07613
Dialling codes	036693
Vehicle registration	SHK, EIS, SRO
Website	www.crossen.de

It is home to the Crossen Palace, a Baroque building with an Italian-style decorated ballroom.

History

The first documented mention of Crossen was from 31 March 995.^[3]

In 1937 the name of the town was changed to Krossen/Elster. From 1st January 1991 it was officially renamed to Crossen an der Elster.

Culture and sights

The main attraction is the baroque castle; however it is not open to the public.

In addition, there is the revamped church Michaelis's Church, which was first documented in 1320.

• 
  Crossen castle (2008)
• 
  Crossen castle with bergfried
• 
  St. Michaelis's Church

Monuments

Memorial at the graveyard for the revolutionaries of 1848

There is a monument in the graveyard by an old linden tree in memory of the revolutionaries of 1848. It was erected in the year 1948.

Beside the school there is a memorial for the victims of fascism. It commemorates the resistance fighters of the area, including Communist Party member Willy Graumüller, who was murdered in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The Teisker-Siedlung street name is also named for him.^[4]

In November 2016 a 'stumbling block' memorial was laid for Willy Graumüller.

Historical Population

1994: 2222 1995: 2204 1996: 2176 1997: 2219 1998: 2167 1999: 2150

2000: 2077 2001: 2049 2002: 2007 2003: 1957 2004: 1941 2005: 1923

2006: 1892 2007: 1851 2008: 1828 2009: 1810 2010: 1753 2011: 1723

2012: 1710 2013: 1685 2014: 1623 2015: 1581 2016: 1564 2017: 1528

2018: 1510 2019: 1515 2020: 1545 2021: 1541

Source: Central Statistics Office of Thuringia

Mayor

The honorary mayor Uwe Berndt (The Left) was elected in June 2014.^[5]