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Vogtland.] GERMANY. 6ir
Duke Maurice William^ came again together with his other countries to
the eledoral houfe. To it belong the three following prefedurates : viz.
I, The prefedurate of Voigtsberg, containing in it ten immediate,
fifty-four mediate vaflals, and one hundred and twenty-feven villages. In
this
prefedurate is
1. Voigtjbergy in fome ancient records written Foigtßurg, a mountaincitadel,
concerning which it is falfely pretended that it was built long before
the birth of Chriß, and after the manner of the Romans, whereas
it is wholly Gothick. According to the conjedlure of fome it was fir(t
built, as was alfo Oclfiiitz, by the Sorben-Wends, and obtained its prefent
name from the vogts of the Empire. Ina writing of 1349, which was
addreffed to the Emperor Charles IV. by all
the vogts of Weyda and Plauen^
it is faid that both they and their predeceiTors had been in polTeffion of the
citadel of Voigtjherg as an Imperial fief In 1356 they loft the feigniory
of Voigtjhrg in the war with the Landgraves of Thuringia, but obtained
it again in 1547; though together with Plauen it was again mortgaged in
1560, and alfo fully ceded in 1569 to the eledoral houfe of Saxony. At
the citadel is the feat of the amt-office. Beneath it lies
2. Oeljhitz, a town, under immediate vaflalage, and having both feat
and voice at the Land-Diets. This place ftands on the Eljier, and contains
in it about three hundred and eighty fire-places and two fuburbs, exclufive
of the principal church, as alfo of a hofpital church, and another fmall
one for interments, and is likewife the feat of a fuperintendency, the fpiritual
jurifdidion belonging to which is divided into the upper and lower circle,
and comprizes in it five towns, together with twenty mother churches in the
country, and three fihals. In the years 1430, 1519, 1632, and 172c,
it was wholly deftroyed by fire. Oelfnitz has always belonged to the
feigniory of the Voigtjherg^ and near it in the Elßer is a pearl-fifliery.
3. Adorfs a fmall town, having both feat and voice at the Land-Diets,
and likewife lying on the El/hr. This place too has always belonged to
the feigniory of the Fo/^g-^/Z-r?-^. In 171 1 it was almoft wholly dellroyed
by fire.
4. Mark-Neuhrchen, oi fimply Keukirchen, in ancient records ftiled in
Latin 'Neofanum, a fmall town, under mediate valfalage, and having both
feat and voice at the Land-Diets. The dealers in fiddles here travel far and
jiear with their wares. The Barons of Schlick have been for fome time pall
pofTefi^ed of this place.
5. Schoneck, a finall free town under immediate vafialage, and which
only with refpect to its woods and the rents arifing from what was formerly
the Hof-felde, belongs to the prefedurate of the Voigtjberg. It ftands on
an eminence, and contains about one hundred and