(Redirected from Free State of Saxony)
The 'Free State of Saxony' ( ; ) is the easternmost
federal state of
Germany. Located in the country's southeast, it is the tenth-largest in area and sixth-largest in population among Germany's sixteen states, and has a land area of 18,413 km² and a population of 4.3 million.
Saxony has a long history as a
duchy, an
electorate of the
Holy Roman Empire (the
Electorate of Saxony), and eventually as a
kingdom (the
Kingdom of Saxony). Its monarchy was overthrown in
1918 and a republican form of government was established under its current name subsequent to Germany's defeat in
World War I. Abolished during communist rule, it was re-established at
3 October 1990 during the re-unification of
East and
West Germany.
During the early
Middle Ages the term ''Saxony'' referred to the region occupied by today's states of
Lower Saxony and northern
North Rhine-Westphalia. The
Saxons had migrated there from the area of present-day
Schleswig-Holstein between
250 and
500; ''see
History below''.
The term ''Saxon'' does not always correlate with Saxony; a Saxon is not necessarily an inhabitant of Saxony (e.g.
Saxon people,
Anglo-Saxons or
Transylvanian Saxons); ''see
Saxon (disambiguation)''.
Geography
--2006AD--en01.gif)
The climate of
Dresden, the capital of Saxony and situated on the
Elbe in eastern middle Germany, as measured and recorded in Klotzsche (altitude 227 m).
Borders and cities
Saxony shares borders with, from the east and clockwise,
Poland, the
Czech Republic and the German states of
Bavaria,
Thuringia,
Saxony-Anhalt and
Brandenburg. Its capital is
Dresden, and the other principal cities are
Leipzig and
Chemnitz.
Landscape and topography
The main axis of Saxony is the
Elbe river, crossing the state from southeast to northwest. Another important river, west of the Elbe, is the
Mulde. The
Lusatian Neisse river forms the Polish border. The portions in the east of Saxony are the southern parts of the historical region of
Lusatia (''Lausitz / Łužica'') and are called 'Upper Lusatia' (''Oberlausitz / Horna Łužica''); the minority
Sorbs live in the region, which is partially (for example around Bautzen / Budyšin, Hoyerswerda / Wojerecy and Kamenz / Kamjenc but not around Zittau and Görlitz) bilingual today.
The countryside rises gradually from north to south, culminating in the mountain ranges along the Czech border. The
Ore Mountains (''Erzgebirge'') extend from Bavaria to the Elbe river. The Elbe itself has cut a majestic gorge to pass the mountains of the
Elbsandsteingebirge, better known as
Saxon Switzerland. Further east the mountains are less high and form a hilly countryside called the
Lausitzer Bergland; ''see also
List of places in Saxony''.
Administration
Saxony is divided into 3
Regierungsbezirke —
Chemnitz,
Dresden,
Leipzig — which are subdivided into 22 districts:
Landkreise_Sachsen.png
Furthermore there are seven
independent cities (), which don't belong to any district:
#
Chemnitz (C)
#
Dresden (DD)
#
Görlitz (GR)
#
Hoyerswerda (HY)
#
Leipzig (L)
#
Plauen (PL)
#
Zwickau (Z)
Economy
Saxony has been observed to have the most vibrant economy among the former
GDR states. Its economy grew by 4.0% in 2006, making it the fastest growing region in Germany, which is among other things due to the establishment of a chip producing economy near Dresden. As a result of this the region was given the nickname "Silicon Saxony". Nonetheless, unemployment remains high and investment is scarce. Because of these factors, Saxony, along with the rest of the east (excluding
Berlin) qualifies as an "Objective 1" development region within the
European Union, and thus can receive investment subsidies of up to 30% until 2013. In the interests of encouraging growth, the state government has attempted to develop tourism in the region, notably in the lake district of Lausitz
[2]. The publishing industry and porcelain factories are well known but in total not so important contributors to Saxony's economy.
History
Main articles: History of Saxony
Prehistoric Saxony was the site of some of the largest of the ancient Central European
monumental temples, dating from the
5th millennium BC. Notable archaeological sites have been discovered in
Dresden and the villages of
Eythra and
Zwenkau near
Leipzig. ''For the origins of the Saxon tribes see
Saxons''.
Foundation of the first Saxon state
The first
Duchy of Saxony emerged about AD
700 in today's
Lower Saxony and
North Rhine-Westphalia. In the
10th century the dukes of Saxony were at the same time kings (or emperors) of the
Holy Roman Empire (
Ottonian or Saxon Dynasty). At that time, a
Saxon noble family of
Billungs received extensive fiefs in Saxony, and the Emperor eventually gave them the title of
Duke of Saxony. After the extinction of the male line of Billungs, the duchy was given to
Lothar of Supplinburg, who then also became Emperor for a short time.
In
1137 Saxony was passed to the
Welfen dynasty, who were descendants (1) of Wulfhild Billung, eldest daughter of the last Billung duke, and (2) of the daughter of Lothar of Supplinburg. It reached its peak under Duke
Henry the Lion, and after his death it began to decline (Henry had declined to participate in the later Italian wars of his liege lord, Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa, and those expeditions to Italy ended in disasters. The furious emperor retaliated and sent his troops to end Duke Henry's dominion). In
1180 large portions west of the Weser were ceded to the
Bishops of Cologne, while some central parts between the Weser and the Elbe remained to the Welfs, later forming the Duchy of
Brunswick-Lüneburg). The remaining Eastern lands, together with the title of Duke of Saxony, were passed to an
Ascanian dynasty (who descended from Eilika Billung, Wulfhild's younger sister) and divided in
1260 into the two small states of Saxony-Lauenburg and
Saxony-Wittenberg. Saxony-Lauenburg was later renamed
Lauenburg and was no longer part of Saxony or its history. Saxe-Wittenberg was confirmed to have inherited the "main" ducal title of the Saxons and as such was recognized as an
Elector of the Empire in
14th century.
Foundation of the second Saxon state
Saxony-Wittenberg, in present
Saxony-Anhalt, became subject to the
margravate of
Meißen and ruled by the
Wettin dynasty in
1423. A new powerful state was established, occupying large portions of present Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. Although the center of this state was far southeast of the former Saxony, it came to be referred to as 'Upper Saxony' and then simply 'Saxony', while the former Saxon territories were now known as 'Lower Saxony'.
In
1485, Saxony was split as a collateral line of the Wettin princes received what later became
Thuringia and founded several small states there; ''see
Ernestine duchies''. The remaining Saxon state became even more powerful, becoming known in the
18th century for its cultural achievements, although it was politically inferior to
Prussia and
Austria, which pressed Saxony from either side.
Saxony in the 19th and 20th centuries
Following the abolition of the
Holy Roman Empire in
1806, the
Electorate of Saxony became a kingdom by decree of the
French Emperor
Napoleon, and
Elector Frederick Augustus III became King
Frederick Augustus I. Frederick Augustus made the mistake of remaining loyal for too long to Napoleon, and he was taken prisoner and his territories declared forfeit by the allies in
1813, with the intention of their being annexed by
Prussia. Ultimately, the opposition of
Austria,
France, and the
United Kingdom resulted in Frederick Augustus being restored to his throne at the
Congress of Vienna, but Saxony was forced to cede the northern part of the kingdom to Prussia. These lands became the Prussian
province of Saxony, which is today incorporated in Saxony-Anhalt. What was left of the
Kingdom of Saxony was roughly identical with the present federal state.
During the
1848–49 constitutionalist revolutions in Germany, Saxony became a hotbed for revolutionaries, with anarchists such as
Mikhail Bakunin and democrats including
Richard Wagner and
Gottfried Semper taking part in the
May Uprising in Dresden in 1849.
After the
Austro-Prussian war Saxony joined the
North German Federation in
1867. In
1871 it became part of the
German Empire.
After
1918 Saxony was a state in the
Weimar Republic and was the scene of
Gustav Stresemann's overthrow of the KPD/SPD led government in 1923, during the
Nazi era and under
Soviet occupation. It was dissolved in
1952, and divided into three smaller ''Bezirke'' based on
Leipzig,
Dresden and
Karl-Marx-Stadt, but reestablished within slightly altered borders in
1990 upon
German reunification. Saxony also includes a small part of previous
Silesia west of the town of
Görlitz which remained German after the war and which for obvious reasons of unviability as a separate state was incorporated into Saxony. This part has been part of Silesia only after 1815 and belonged as part of Upper Lusatia to
Bohemia before 1623 and thereafter to Saxony between 1623 and 1815.
Culture
Languages
The most important patoises that are spoken in Saxony are combined in the group of "
Thuringian and Upper Saxon dialects". Due to the incorrect name of "Saxon dialects" in colloquial language the Upper Saxon attribute has been added to distinguish from
Old Saxon and
Low Saxon. Other German dialects spoken in Saxony are the dialects in the
Ore Mountains which has been affected by Upper Saxon dialects and the dialects of the Vogtland which is more affected by the east
Frankish languages.
Upper Sorbian (a
Slavic language) is still actively spoken in the parts of
Upper Lusatia that are occupied by the
Sorbian minority. The Germans in Upper Lusatia speak also distinct dialects of their own (Lusatian dialects).
Tourism
Apart from
Dresden and perhaps
Leipzig international tourism is not well developed in Saxony, but some regions and cities are national, and potentially international touristic targets. Some attractive regions are the ones shared with
Czech Republic, including the
Lusatian Mountains,
Ore Mountains,
Saxon Switzerland, and
Vogtland. In Germany Saxony offers an above-average number of very well preserved historic little towns, for example
Meißen,
Freiberg,
Pirna,
Bautzen,
Görlitz and others; thus tourism from within Germany is important for Saxony.
Politics
A
Minister-President heads the government of Saxony; ''see
List of Ministers-President of Saxony for a full list''.
===
September 19,
2004 state election ===
Georg Milbradt (CDU), losing his absolute majority, had to form a
grand coalition with the SPD to remain in office as Minister-President.
| Party | Party List votes | Total seats |
|---|
| | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 855,203 | 41.1% | 55 | 44.4% |
|---|---|
| | Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) | 490,488 | 23.6% | 31 | 25.0% |
|---|
| | Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 204,438 | 9.8% | 13 | 10.5% |
|---|
| | Alliance '90/The Greens | 106,771 | 5.1% | 6 | 4.8% |
|---|
| | National Democratic Party (NPD) | 190,909 | 9.2% | 12 | 9.7% |
|---|
| | Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 122,605 | 5.9% | 7 | 5.6% |
|---|
| | ''Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz''
(Humans, the Environment, Animal Protection) | 34,068 | 1.6% | 0 | 0.0% |
|---|
| All others | 75,653 | 3.7% | 0 | 0.0% |
|---|
| Totals | 2,080,135 | 100.0% | 124 | 100.0% |
|---|
Notably, the far-right NPD received two more votes in the ballot for Minister-President than it had members. It is presumed that two CDU Landtag members must have backed the NPD leadership.
By November 2006, the NPD only holds 8 seats after 4 MPs have left the party or were expelled.
References
1. State population
2. ''The Economist'', August 27, 2005
★ "Still Troubled", ''
The Economist'',
August 27 –
September 2,
2005.
External links
★
Official governmental portal
★
Christmas time in Saxony
★
some facts about Saxony
★
some stories about Dresden Neustadt - The Capital of Saxony
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