Chronological overview of the history of Coswig

approx. 3000 BC	People settled in the area that is today the town of Coswig as long ago as the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) and Neolithic (New Stone Age) periods. Cup as sacrificial offering, about 3,500 years old (found in Coswig)
approx. 1500 BC	Numerous finds from the Bronze and Iron Ages bear witness to our area being very densely populated.
approx. 750 BC	Migrating West Germanic tribes (Hermunduri) settle in our region (though only in low numbers) until AD 600.
around 600	Slavs settle in our part of the Elbe Valley.
around 900	Otto the Illustrious sends his son Henry to fight the Slavs living in the Elbe valley. Henry I is victorious and thus brings Christianity and German customs into the Elbe Valley.
1013	Brockwitz is mentioned for the first time as “Brochotinacethla” in a deed of ownership by King Henry II at the cathedral chapter of Meissen.
1203	Kötitz is first mentioned, under the name “villa Chottenwiz”, as part of a gift by the Margrave Theodorich to Altzella Abbey.
1205	Sörnewitz is first mentioned in writing in a document about Sörnewitz’s obligation to pay interest to the canons of St. Afra.
1350	The first proven mention of Coswig, as Koczwicz, can be found in the fief records kept by Frederick the Strict.
1421	The noble Karras family is mentioned for the first time in connection with Coswig. Historical view of Karrasburg Castle
1451	First recorded mention of viticulture for Coswig.
1497	The construction of the Old Church in Coswig is completed, made possible by a donation of 750 Rhenish guilder by Nikol von Karras. It is today considered one of the loveliest surviving Saxon village churches. The old church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Coswig (2002)
1500	First recorded evidence of beer being brewed in Coswig. A hard-won right. The “Meissen beer dispute” occupied the judiciary of the time for many years.
1557	The Karras family sell Coswig to the Prince Electors of Saxony to extend their hunting grounds. Prince Elector August uses Karrasburg Castle as a forester’s lodge.
1571	Brockwitz burns down to the ground leaving nothing but the church tower.
1595	The vineyard community now known as Neucoswig is first mentioned in the Coswig church records, in the following entry: “Talkenberg lives in the new village”.
1637	Coswig is set on fire by the Swedes. The plague engulfs more than a tenth of the population.
1661	First mention of a foot ferry in Kötitz. From 1875, a vehicle ferry also crossed the Elbe in Kötitz.
1737	Brockwitz Church is given its modern appearance. Now known as Brockwitz Baroque Church, it is still the village’s most famous landmark.
1812	Retreating from his Russian campaign, Napoleon passes through Coswig in a horse-drawn sleigh. On 25 July of the following year, Napoleon travels through Coswig again on the way from Dresden to Mainz to visit his wife Marie Louise.
1838	Until 1839: construction of the first long-distance German railway line from Dresden to Leipzig, passing through Coswig. Coswig Station is opened on 16 September 1838.
1845	At the end of March, the Elbe floods Coswig almost completely. The highest flood ever measured at that time.
1853	Mole population explodes in Brockwitz. For six whole years, a trapper is employed to deal with the pests.
1865	Coswig’s first school officially opens.
1886	Phylloxera, vine pest, strikes the wine-growing areas in our region.
1900	Emil Nacke builds the first motorcar in Saxony. The following year, he starts production under the name COSWIGA. 35 H.P. Nacke Double Phaeton
1903	The construction of the new Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is completed. The new church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Coswig (2008)
1912	Kaiser Wilhelm II and King Friedrich August of Saxony meet in Coswig for a military manoeuvre.
1920	On 1 March, Neucoswig is incorporated into Coswig
1925	The Catholic parish of Coswig is given its own church.
1929	Connection to the tram route to Dresden Historical tram in front of Coswig Town Hall
1933	A Zeppelin, popularly known as a “flying cigar”, crosses Coswig for the May Day celebrations.
1935	On 1 April, the municipality of Kötitz is united with Coswig.
1939	On 21 September Coswig receives its town charter. The Coswig municipal coat of arms
1950	On 1 July, the villages of Brockwitz and Sörnewitz are incorporated into Coswig through an administrative reform.
1968	Start of construction work on the “Am Spitzgrund” residential estate.
1976	In January construction starts on the Dresdner Strasse residential estate.
1990	On 29 September, the town-twinning agreement between Ravensburg and Coswig is signed. Blaserturm Panorama (Ravensburg) ⇒ Partner towns
1996	After being closed for 12 years, Coswig Museum opens in Karrasburg.
1997	On 1 April, Coswig is named the District Town. 500-year anniversary of Coswig’s Old Church
1998	Coswig and the Czech town of Lovosice sign a town-twinning agreement. ⇒ Partner towns
2000	On 1 April, the newly built Coswig town hall is officially opened.
2002	Large parts of Coswig are severely affected by the catastrophic August floods. The street of Niederseite in Brockwitz during the 2002 floods
2003	Celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the first recorded mention of Kötitz.
2005	Only two years later, Sörnewitz celebrates its 800th anniversary.
2008	Start of the urban redevelopment in the Dresdner Strasse residential
2013	Our town once again falls victim to a “hundred-year flood”. Because of the flooding, the millennial celebrations planned in Brockwitz are cancelled at short notice; they take place a year later.