Saxony-Anhalt Group 5

1. How long has the State existed, and which historical changes are important?

The state 1st materialized between 1947 and 1952. It comprised of the former Prussian province of Saxony, the state of Anhalt and a few smaller territories, which previously belonged to Brunswick and Thuringia. Saxony-Anhalt was disbanded in the GDR era and the districts Halle and Magdeburg took its place. Since Germany's reunification its current form was established as one of the new East German federal states in 1990.

2. How many people live in the State? Which bigger cities or areas are worth noting?

The total population as of 2011 was slightly over 2.3 million. The three largest districts are (as of 2011) 1) Halle (Saale) with 233,705 people 2) Magdeburg with 232,364 people 3) Dessau-Roblau with 85,838 people. The state capital and seat of government is Magdeburg.

3. What is the political affiliation? Religious and cultural heritage?

The majority of parliamentary seats belong to the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) 41, the Die Linke (former PDS / Party of Democratic Socialism) 29, and the SPD (Social Democratic Party) 26. The current president of the state parliament is Detlef Gurth (CDU). The government has been formed by a coalition of CDU and SPD with the Minister-President being Reiner Haseloff (CDU). Culture: Musicians such as George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach lived and worked for many years in the present day Saxony-Anhalt. There are prestigious music festivals that honor their works.

4. Which UNESCO World heritage sites are in the State?

1) The Old Town of Quedlinburg. 2) Sites associated with Martin Luther (Wittenberg and Eisleben). 3) Dessau-Worlitz Garden Kingdom. 4) Bauhaus in Dessau.

*All information was retrieved from http://www.sachsen-anhalt.de/index.php?id=20916 on 1/26/2014

5. Which industries are worth noting today - in the past?

Some of the current industries located in Saxony-Anhalt are automotive, biotechnology, paper/wood/packaging, renewable energy, and mechanical engineering.  The automotive industry makes parts for the following cars: Porsche, BMW, and VW.  The paper/wood/packaging industry is growing, and the renewable energy industry is the national leader in renewable energy sources.  The mining industry started in the 19th century.

6. Any famous Germans you came across researching the State?

Martin Luther made his public speech against the Catholic church in 1517 in Wittengurg.  Also, George Frideric Handel was born here.

7. Any and all topics you find worth noting.

http://www.sachsen-anhalt.de/index.php?id=21182

( German110MarshallSs14)

Saxony!

History

The term Saxony came from the conquered territory by the German Saxon tribe. This was between the years of AD 200 and AD 700. The land that they conquered was in the area of Holstein and the area west Elbe River, which is now the current territory of Lower Saxony. After the Saxons expanded westward they were themselves conquered in the eight century by the Frankish ruler of Charlemagne. After the Charlemagne captured the area and turned it into a Christian area the land of Saxony became part of the German kingdom. During the years between 1180 and 1423 there were two areas of Saxony that were being controlled by many different rulers in different amounts of time. One region was on the lower east bank of lower Elbe and the other region was in middle Elbe. Between 1423 and 1952 the region of Saxony was very large, from Thuringia to Lusatia and bordering what is now the Czech Republic. That large space of land was Saxony. In 1990 the state of Saxony is what we see today on maps.

                   http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/526055/Saxony       Jan. 27, 2014

Geography

 As of 2006 the population of Saxony was 4,249,774. The land of Saxony is 7,109 square miles and the capital is Dresden. The present Saxony is mainly composed of hills and mountains The Ore Mountains are located in Saxony and they run for over 100 miles. The Ore Mountains also used to be mined for uranium before it was all mined out. South of this region and along the Elbe River is a region of hills and deep gorges with is called the Saxon Switzerland National park. This a major landscape that attracts many tourists. The northern part of Saxony is a very fertile region on the eastern part of Saxony. The temperature in most of Saxony is fairly temperate which should make it easier to farm. Dresden Elbe valley is in fact one of the new UNESCO world heritage sites. It is 20 kilometers and runs from the southeast to the northwest fringes of Dresden.

              http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/526083/Saxony    Jan. 28, 2014
              http://www.saxonytourism.com/new-unesco-world-heritage-sites   Jan. 28, 2014

Culture

After the unification, Saxony's economy has been in a little bit of a struggle. Even though the states economy may think it is in a struggle the economy is still one of the largest economies in Eastern Germany. Some of the industries that Saxony has may help with the economy a little. Some of this industries include producing things like electronics, machinery, auto parts and bodies, and along with food processing. There was one the chief factory of a textile production, however because of the high unemployment is Saxony it is no longer a top industry. Miessen is a big industry know for making porcelain, other ceramics, and even some Christmas decorations. Because Dresden is the capital and a very large one, these industries are mainly located in Dresden, along with the parliament. The state of Saxony right now is governed by a national demographic party. Along with many industries, Dresden also values their historic sites like museums and their music groups and opera house. Even though he was not born into current Saxony's state, an important musician that was born in Saxony was John Fredrick Lampe. Another thing that is interesting about Saxony is their religion. They are mainly either protestant, catholic, or non-religious. Saxony is filled with history and culture, some dating back to over a thousand years ago, some history from WW II, and the way that Saxons value history is all very mind opening and hopefully this state continues to grow.

                 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/526083/Saxony      Jan. 28, 2014

( German110haleycs14 )

Thuringia!

The state of Thuringia lies in the eastern-central part of Germany. It is bordered by the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Hessen , and Bavaria, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt. Thuringia wasnt officially established in 1990 after the German Reunification, it is one of Germany's newest states founded. Thurungia is known as the "green heart of Germany" because much of it, especially in the south, is covered by forest. This, along with its mountain range found in the east, makes Thuringia a popular recreation area. It offers hundreds of miles of walking and hiking paths, as well as great winter sports facilities. The industries found most in Thuringia include the glass, ceramic, toy, lumber, textile, and metal industries, but predominantly machine and automobile production. The largest companies in the region include Opel (automobile manufacturer), Bosch (supplier of auto and machine parts), and Karl Zeiss (optics) (germanfoodguide.com Jan 28, 2014).

History

The Germanic Thuringians appeared after about ad 350 and were conquered by the Huns in the second quarter of the 5th century, but by 500 they had established a large kingdom stretching from the Harz mountains to the Danube. After many invasions and take overs, and all other sorts of land disputes, the Thuringians land was greatly reduced from its original state.. In 1920, under the Weimar Republic, several old Thuringian territories were merged into a new Thuringia, a state of republican Germany, with Weimar as its capital. After World War II all Thuringia fell to the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany. With the administrative dissolution of Prussia, an enlarged Thuringia state was constituted within East Germany, with rationalized frontiers, including the southwestern part of the former province of Saxony and all the former enclaves; the capital was Erfurt. In 1952, however, when the East German states were dissolved, Thuringia was divided between the Bezirke (districts) of Erfurt, Suhl, Gera, Halle, and Leipzig. Following the reunification of Germany, Thuringia was reconstituted as a state with boundaries similar to those of its post-World War II predecessor from the former East German districts of Suhl, Erfurt, and Gera and from small parts of Leipzig and Halle districts (britannica.com Jan 28, 2014).

The Populous

Thuringia has gone through many diplomatic changes with the rise and fall of leaders and as a result of Germany being the center of two world wars. As a result the current Thuringia now resides as a Free Democratic Party. Religious views also went under similar changes, but maybe not at the same time. Thuringia today is mostly made up of citizens that have no religious affiliations what-so-ever.  2.718 million is the population of Thuringia as of 2012. The biggest city in this German state would easily be Erfurt with a population of 200,000+, followed by Jena with only have the population (nationsonline.org Jan 27, 2014).

The Culture

Thuringia is just as much of a cultural hub as any other pert of the world. One of the most noteable places that this takes place is in Weimer. Some of the protected sights include: Goethe House, Schiller House, Goethe’s Garden House, the Duchess Anna Amalia Library, the Bauhaus Museum and the three palaces – Belvedere, Ettersburg and Tiefurt with their unique grounds (thuringia-tourism.com Jan 28, 2014).