The surrounding landscape belongs to the Leipzig Bay and is drained by the river Lober, a tributary of the Mulde.

The lakes Schladitzer See and Werbeliner See, which were created from disused open-cast mines, are situated nearby.

Rackwitz municipality contains the following villages with populations in brackets: Also within the municipality's area are the footprints of the now demolished villages Schladitz with Kömmlitz, Kattersnaundorf and Werbelin, on the sites of which are now lakes, formerly open-cast lignite mines.

The oldest part of the present day municipality is Podelwitz, which was documented in 1250.

[3] On 21 June 1871 a train crash killed 19 and injured 56 in the vicinity of Rackwitz.