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Saxony
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The Free State of Saxony ( ; ) is a federal state of Germany. Located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area (18,413 km²) and the sixth largest in population (4.3 million), of Germany's sixteen states.
Long in the heart of , Saxony became one of the new easternmost German regions after the border-changes of 1945, which were under communist rule to 1989.
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Encyclopedia
The Free State of Saxony ( ; ) is a federal state of Germany. Located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area (18,413 km²) and the sixth largest in population (4.3 million), of Germany's sixteen states.
Long in the heart of , Saxony became one of the new easternmost German regions after the border-changes of 1945, which were under communist rule to 1989. The legacy of the state under the communist German Democratic Republic still largely defines present-day Saxony.
Usage Notes: 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. 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). For other uses, see Saxon (disambiguation).
Geography
, the capital of Saxony and situated on the Elbe in eastern middle Germany, as measured and recorded in Klotzsche (altitude 227 m).]]
Administration
Sachsen is divided into three Direktionsbezirke — Chemnitz, Dresden, Leipzig — which are subdivided into 10 districts:
- Bautzen (BZ)
- Erzgebirgskreis (ERZ)
- Görlitz (GR)
- Leipzig (L)
- Meißen (MEI)
- Mittelsachsen (FG)
- Nordsachsen (TDO)
- Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge (PIR)
- Vogtlandkreis (V)
- Zwickau (Z)
Furthermore there are three urban districts , which don't belong to any district:
- Chemnitz (C)
- Dresden (DD)
- Leipzig (L)
Economy
Saxony has 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. Nonetheless, unemployment remains high, and investment is scarce. The eastern part of Germany, excluding Berlin, qualifies as an "Objective 1" development region within the European Union, and is eligible to receive investment subsidies of up to 30% until 2013.
Microchip makers near Dresden gave the region a nickname of "Silicon Saxony". The publishing and porcelain industry are well known, although their contribution to the regional economy is not significant. The state government attempts to develop tourism, notably in the lake district of Lausitz.
History
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). In 1918, subsequent to Germany's defeat in World War I, its monarchy was overthrown and a republican form of government was established under its current name. The state was broken up into smaller units during communist rule (1949-1989), but was re-established on 3 October 1990 during the re-unification of East and West Germany.
Prehistory and Foundation of the first Saxon state
In prehistoric times, the territory of 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. The first Germanic presence in the territory of today's Saxony is thought to be in the first Milennium B.C. Parts of Saxony were possibly under the control of Germanic King Marobod during the Roman era. By the late Roman period, several tribes known as the Saxons emerged, from which the subsequent state(s) draw their name. For the origins of the Saxon tribes see Saxons.
The first mediæval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" and emerged about AD 700 covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Saxony-Anhalt. The Saxons were converted to Christianity during this period by Charlemagne, despite much resistance by the Saxon chieftans.
At the same time that the Saxons were facing pressure from the post-Roman Latin-Christian world in the form of Charlemagne, they were facing a westward push by Slavs emanating from the east. The territory of the Free State of Saxony was briefly occupied by Slavs, before being regermanized. A legacy of this period is the small Serb population in Saxony.
The territory of the Free State of Saxony became part of the Holy Roman Empire by the 900s AD. In the 10th century the dukes of Saxony were at the same time kings (or emperors) of the Holy Roman Empire's (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 Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-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 the present Free state of 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 Confederation 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 [communist-]KPD/[socialdemocrat-]SPD-led government in 1923. The state maintained its name and borders during the National Socialist era (now as a Gau), but lost any quasi-autonomous status. In April 1945, American troops under General Patton conquered the western part of the Free State while Soviet troops conquered the eastern part. That summer, the entire state was handed over to the Soviet Union as part of the Potsdam Conference agreement on post-war occupation zones.
The Soviet Union set up the communist GDR government in 1949, giving them a satellite in the heart of Europe. The communist government officially dissolved the Free State in 1952, and divided it into three smaller Bezirke based on Leipzig, Dresden and Karl-Marx-Stadt. The state was reconstituted with slightly altered borders in 1990 upon German reunification. The border alterations revolve around the Oder-Neisse line: present-day Saxony includes a small part of Prussian province of Lower Silesia that was located to the west of the 1945 (west of the town of Görlitz) but excludes all the former territory of Saxony east of the same line, which -- like the majority of Silesia -- was incorporated into post-war Poland.
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 Erzgebirge Mountains which has been affected by Upper Saxon dialects and the dialects of the Vogtland which is more affected by the East Franconian 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
Except for Dresden and perhaps Leipzig, Saxony is not known as a hot spot for foreign tourists. However, there are areas along the border of Czech Republic such as the Lusatian Mountains, Ore Mountains, Saxon Switzerland, and Vogtland, which attract visitors, largely other Germans. More so than other regions in Germany, Saxony offers well preserved historic towns such as Meißen, Freiberg, Pirna, Bautzen, and Görlitz.
Politics
A minister-president heads the government of Saxony; see the List of Ministers-President of Saxony for a full listing.
2004 state election
The center-right CDU lost its absolute majority and formed a grand coalition with the SPD. The election gained international headlines at the time because the nationalist NPD-- whose members and leaders allegedly sympathize with the National-Socialist government and its policies -- gained enough voted to enter a Landtag for the first time. It won 12 seats.
By November 2006, the NPD held only eight seats, after four members left or were expelled in the aftermath of internal disputes.
See also
External links
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