Dessau
city in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany; since 2007 district of Dessau-Roßlau
Dessau (German pronunciation: [ˈdɛsaʊ]) is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent city. The population of Dessau is 67,747 (Dec. 2020).
Geography
Dessau is situated on a floodplain where the Mulde flows into the Elbe. This causes yearly floods. The worst flood took place in the year 2002, when the Waldersee district was nearly completely flooded. The south of Dessau touches a well-wooded area called Mosigkauer Heide. The highest elevation is a 110 m high former rubbish dump called Scherbelberg in the southwest of Dessau. Dessau is surrounded by numerous parks and palaces that make it one of the greenest towns in Germany.
“Dessau” enters the record as city in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany; since 2007 district of Dessau-Roßlau. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Dessau, city and Saxony-Anhalt can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Dessau” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Dessau, city and Saxony-Anhalt provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q487070. VIAF identifies the subject as 155934610. The Library of Congress control number is n80043512. Authority coordinates are 51.834, 12.246. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2007, 2020 and 2002.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Dessau”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Dessau primary sources, Dessau archive and Dessau research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Dessau”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Dessau” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.