Ever wonder about a place named after someone walking on stilts? Stelzendorf. That’s the place. We are standing in Stelzendorf. It is a district of Chemnitz with a story that goes back centuries. This area, now a quiet residential suburb, has witnessed quite some changes.
Stelzendorf was founded around 1150 during the German Ostkolonisation. It was established by farmers from Thuringia. This makes it one of the oldest monastery villages between the Kappelbach and the Zwönitz rivers.
The first documented mention of Stelzendorf appeared in 1168. The Chemnitz Benedictine monastery listed it in its register of dues as “Stelcindorf”. By 1518, it was known as “Steltzendorff”. The name possibly means “village of a Stelcin”. This Stelcin may have been Heinrich von Wartha’s man who allocated the land. Perhaps he lived “auf hohen Füssen” – on high feet, or stilts.
After the Chemnitz Benedictine monastery dissolved, Stelzendorf became an Amtsdorf. In 1662, it fell under the control of the Barons von Taube in Neukirchen. They turned it into a Rittergutsdorf or manor village. Stelzendorf remained part of the Neukirchen parish until 1925. But it only got its own chapel on July 24, 1954.
Stelzendorf became a rural community in 1839. On January 1, 1920, it was incorporated into Siegmar. Later, on July 1, 1950, it became part of Chemnitz.
Let’s talk about something refreshing. Near the old Jagdschänke or hunting lodge, a bathing pond became Siegmar-Schönau’s largest and most modern outdoor pool in 1936. It had been in use since the 1920s. The pool was renovated between 1968 and 1972. Unfortunately, it closed in 1991. While other outdoor pools were flattened, Stelzendorf’s pool remains. It is overgrown with shrubs.
The Jagdschänke itself has its own story. It was built in 1845/46. Before that, a simple Jagdhütte or hunting hut stood there. The lodge was originally in the woods. The Schänke closed in 1958. The building was used as storage. It was torn down in 1980.
Here is an interesting fact about trees. To mark the 400th birthday of Martin Luther, a Luthereiche or Luther oak was planted on November 10, 1883, by the innkeeper August Wägner. It was near the Schaftreibe at today’s Luthereichenhöhe. Because the Galgenberg was partly covered with oaks until 1860, the oak was chosen as a symbol.
Stelzendorf used to be dominated by agriculture and some glove making. Today, much of the area is still fields. Many farmhouses remain well-preserved. You can see some along Gutsweg.
In the original village center, Stelzendorfer Straße connects Stelzendorf to Schönau. The transition is hardly noticeable anymore. The school building, built in 1910, now houses the Freie Montessori-Grundschule.
Several small settlements were built before the war. The Steinbergsiedlung and the settlement near the Luthereiche have since expanded. The Steinbergsiedlung has a Catholic church. The Franziskuskirche was consecrated in 1983.
By the way, the houses on Kolonie and the Südrandsiedlung, originally part of Markersdorf, now belong to Stelzendorf. The Südrandsiedlung was once called “Saurand”. Was there a pig farm? Or was it slander? No one knows for sure.
And finally, the Schönauer ponds are also part of Stelzendorf. Stelzendorf. From its early days as a monastery village to its modern residential character, it shows how much a place can evolve while keeping parts of its past alive.