Everything about Baden Germany totally explained
Baden is a historical state in the southwest of
Germany, on the right bank of the
Rhine.
It came into existence in the
12th century as the
Margraviate of Baden and subsequently split into different lines, which were unified in 1771. It became the much-enlarged
Grand Duchy of Baden through the dissolution of the
Holy Roman Empire in 1803–06 and remained a sovereign country until it joined the
German Empire in 1871, remaining a Grand Duchy until 1918 when it became part of the
Weimar Republic as the
Republic of Baden. Baden was bounded to the north by the Kingdom of
Bavaria and the
Grand Duchy of Hessen-Darmstadt; to the west and practically throughout its whole length by the River
Rhine, which separated it from the
Bavarian
Rhenish Palatinate and
Alsace in
modern France ; to the south by
Switzerland, and to the east by the Kingdom of
Württemberg, the Principality of
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and partly by Bavaria.
After
World War II in 1945, the French military government created the state of
Baden (originally known as "South Baden") out of the southern half of the former Baden, with
Freiburg as capital. This southern half of Baden was declared in its 1947 constitution to be the true successor of the old Baden. The northern half of the old Baden was combined with northern
Württemberg as part of the
American military zone and formed the state of
Württemberg-Baden. Both states became states of
West Germany upon its formation in 1949.
In 1952 Baden merged with Württemberg-Baden and
Württemberg-Hohenzollern (southern Württemberg and the former
Prussian
exclave of
Hohenzollern) to form
Baden-Württemberg. This is the only merger of states that has taken place in the history of the
Federal Republic of Germany.
The anthem of Baden is called
Badnerlied ("song of the people of Baden") and consists of usually four or five traditional verses. However, over the years, many more verses have been added - there are collections with up to 591 verses of the anthem.
Population
At the beginning of the 19th century, Baden was only a
margravate, with an area of barely 1300 sq mi (3,400 km²) and a population of 210,000. Since then, the grand duchy acquired more territory so that, by 1905, it had 5823 sq mi (15,082 km²) and its population is 2,009,320, of whom 60% are
Roman Catholics, 37%
Protestants, 1.5%
Jews, and the remainder of other confessions. Of the population about half may have been said, at that time, to be rural, living in communities of less than 2,000, while the density of the rest is about 330 to the sq. mi (127/km²).
The country was divided into the following districts:
The capital of the duchy was Karlsruhe, and among important towns other than the above, there are
Rastatt,
Baden-Baden,
Bruchsal,
Lahr and
Offenburg. The population is most thickly clustered in the north and near the Swiss town of
Basel. The inhabitants of Baden are of various origins, those to the south of
Murg being descended from the
Alemanni and those to the north from the
Franks, while the
Swabian Plateau derives its name from the adjacent German tribe (
Schwaben) living in
Württemberg.
Due to the traditional rivalry between the populations of Baden and
Württemberg, there was a strong opposition in Baden (predominantly in the South) against the unification of the two initially independent
Länder. In recent years patriotism in Baden has increased again, mainly due to discontent with the politics of the government in
Stuttgart (situated in Württemberg).
Geography
The Grand Duchy had an area of 15,081 km² (5823 mi²) and consisted of a considerable portion of the eastern half of the fertile
valley of the
Rhine and of the
mountains which form its boundary.
The mountainous part was by far the most extensive, forming, indeed, nearly 80% of the whole area. From the
Lake of Constance in the south to the river
Neckar in the north is a portion of the
Black Forest, which is divided by the valley of the
Kinzig into two districts of different elevation. To the south of the Kinzig the mean height is 945 m (3100 ft), and the loftiest summit, the
Feldberg, reaches about 1493 m (4898 ft), while to the north the mean height is only 640 m (2100 ft), and the
Belchen, the culminating point of the whole, doesn't exceed 1365 m (4480 ft). To the north of the Neckar is the
Odenwald Range, with a mean of 439 m (1440 ft), and in the
Katzenbuckel, an extreme of 603 m (1980 ft). Lying between the Rhine and the
Dreisam is the
Kaiserstuhl, an independent
volcanic group, nearly 16 km in length and 8 in breadth, the highest point of which is 536 m (1760 ft).
The greater part of Baden belongs to the basin of the Rhine, which receives upwards of twenty tributaries from the highlands; the north-eastern portion of the territory is also watered by the
Main and the Neckar. A part, however, of the eastern slope of the Black Forest belongs to the basin of the
Danube, which there takes its rise in a number of mountain streams. Among the numerous lakes which belonged to the duchy are the
Mummelsee,
Wildersee,
Eichenersee and
Schluchsee, but none of them is of any size. The
Lake Constance (
Bodensee) belongs partly to Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria (being
German federal states:
Länder), furthermore to
Austria and Switzerland.
Owing to its physical configuration Baden presents great extremes of heat and cold. The Rhine valley is the warmest district in Germany, but the higher elevations of the Black Forest record the greatest degrees of cold experienced in the South. The mean temperature of the Rhine valley is approximately 10
°C and that, of the high table-land, 6°C. July is the hottest and January the coldest month.
The
mineral wealth of Baden wasn't great, but
iron,
coal,
lead and
zinc of excellent quality were produced, and
silver,
copper,
gold,
cobalt,
vitriol and
sulfur were obtained in small quantities.
Peat was found in abundance, as well as
gypsum, china
clay,
potter's earth and
salt. The
mineral springs of Baden are still very numerous and have acquired great celebrity, those of
Baden-Baden,
Badenweiler,
Antogast,
Griesbach,
Friersbach and
Peterthal being the most frequented.
In the valleys the soil is particularly fertile, yielding luxuriant crops of
wheat,
maize,
barley,
spelt,
rye,
beans,
potatoes,
flax,
hemp,
hops,
beetroot, and
tobacco; and even in the more montainous part,
rye, wheat and
oats are extensively cultivated. There is a considerable extent of pasture-land, and the rearing of
cattle,
sheep,
pigs, and
goats is extensively practised. Of
game,
deer,
boar,
snipe and wild
partridges are fairly abundant, while the mountain streams yield
trout of excellent quality. The growing of vines increases, and the
wines, are in good demand. The
Baden wine region is Germany's third largest in terms of vineyard surface. The
gardens and the
orchards supply an abundance of fruit, especially
almonds and
walnuts, and
bee-keeping is practised throughout the country. A greater proportion of Baden than any other south German state is occupied by forests. In these the predominant trees are
fir and
pine, but many others, such as the
chestnut, are well-represented. A third, at least, of the annual
timber production is exported.
Industries
Of the area, 56.8% is cultivated and 38% is
forest, but the
agricultural sector, which before 1870 yielded the bulk of the wealth, has been superseded by industrial production. The chief manufactures are
machinery,
woollen and
cotton goods,
silk ribbons,
paper,
tobacco,
china,
leather,
glass,
clocks,
jewelry, and
chemicals.
Beet sugar is also largely manufactured, as are wooden
ornaments and
toys,
music boxes and
organs.
The
exports of Baden consisted mostly of the above goods, and were considerable, but the bulk of its trade consisted of transit. The country had many
railways and roads, as well as the
Rhine for transporting good vis ship. Railways were run by the state. A rail-line ran mostly parallel with the Rhine, with oblique branches from East to West.
Mannheim was the great emporium for export down the Rhine and has much river traffic. It was also the chief manufacturing town for the duchy, and an important administrative centre for the northern part of the country.
Note that the above info describes Baden industry ca. 1910.
Education and religion
The educational institutions of Baden are numerous and flourishing, and public education is entirely in the hands of the government. There are five universities, one traditionally
Protestant in
Heidelberg, one traditionally
Roman Catholic in
Freiburg im Breisgau, one each in
Konstanz and
Mannheim, and a well-known technical university in
Karlsruhe. The grand-duke was a Protestant; under him, the
Evangelical Church was governed by a nominated council and a
synod consisting of a "prelate", 48 elected and 7 nominated lay and clerical members. The Roman Catholic
Archbishop of
Freiburg is
Metropolitan of the Upper Rhine.
History
The Lords of Baden benefited from the break-up of
Swabia and, raised to the dignity of Margrave in 1112, were able to take their place as one of the four most important dynasts in southern Germany (along with
Habsburg,
Wittelsbach and
Württemberg). Baden was fragmented from 1190–1503, 1515–1620 and 1622–1771, though the eras of 1415–1503, 1604–20 and 1666–1771 saw only two active branches each.
After 1771 the only surviving branch retained full authority and in return for compliance with Napoleon, was raised to Electoral dignity in 1803, and then Grand Ducal status in 1806.
Notable people
Karl Benz, inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile
Karl Drais, inventor of velocipede, draisine, typewriter and stenograph machine
Friedrich Ebert, first President of Germany during the Weimar period
Franz Joseph Gall, neuroanatomist and physiologist
Kaspar Hauser, mysterious foundling
Friedrich Hecker, revolutionary
Oliver Kahn, Football goalkeeper in the German national team
Berthold Schwarz, alchemist, inventor of gunpowder
Franz Sigel, revolutionary, Union general in the American Civil War
Felix Wankel, inventor of the Wankel engine » See also Rulers of Baden.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Baden Germany'.
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