Dessau is the largest population centre within Dessau-Roßlau, with approximately 79,000 inhabitants (2021). Most of the town is located on the left bank of the riverMulde, south of its confluence with the riverElbe. Dessau was first mentioned in 1213, and became the capital of a small state (Anhalt-Dessau) in the 14th century. Between 1863 and 1918, it was the capital ofAnhalt. Since the second half of the 19th century, Dessau has been an industrial town. With the famous art and architecture schoolBauhaus, located in Dessau between 1925 and 1932, and theDessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm, the town features two UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites.The town could be referred to as one of the birthplaces of the "Jet Age" because the Junkers factory that designed theJumo 004 jet engine for the GermanMe 262 jet fighter (operational from mid-1944) was designed there. As the western shore of the Elbe-Mulde rivers was the stopping point for U.S. troops in World War II, the capture of the town allowed the U.S. Army to evacuate Junkers employees to the west before Russia occupied the area on 1 July 1945. Several engineers of the jet engine development team at Junkers ended up at the Lycoming engine plant in Stratford, Conn., building gas turbine engines for the U.S. Army from 1952 on.
Roßlau has approximately 13,000 inhabitants (2006). It is located on the right bank of the Elbe, near its confluence with the Mulde, about 7 kilometers north of the centre of Dessau. Roßlau was first mentioned in 1215. Before it merged with Dessau, it was part of the districtAnhalt-Zerbst.
The current mayor of Magdeburg isindependent politician Robert Reck since 2021. The most recent mayoral election was held on 6 June 2021, with a runoff held on 27 June, and the results were as follows:
.png)
.svg)
