Pirna

Town in the Land (administrative region) of Saxony, Germany, on the River Elbe, 18 km/11 mi southeast of Dresden; population (2001 est) 38,000. Pirna is situated on an important nexus of rivers, roads, and railroads. The town is a health resort, and has paper and textile industries.

Pirna was first mentioned in a document by Bishop Heinrich Von Meissen in 1233. There was extensive flood damage to the city in 1897, 1927, and 1957. The city also suffered destruction through Allied bombing of the town in World War II. The Nazis ran a state euthanasia programme in Pirna, where 15,000 people were killed.