German110EllaBs14: January 2014

Ella Bresson

State of Hesse, Germany

1. Existence and History of Hesse

I. Early History

a. People lived in the area about 50,000 years ago because of favorable climate

b. Mid 5^th century B.C. Celtic presence was found. Later was settled by the Germanic Chatti tribe in 1^st century B.C.

i. Name Hesse derived from name

c. Middle Ages was under Franconian rule, and later passed to Thuringia in the 12^th century

d. Hesse gained independence in the War of the Thuringian Succession (1247-64) and was part of Holy Roman Empire. Under the control of Philip the Magnanimous Hesse became important. After his death in 1567 it was divided into four.

e. 1866 annexed by Prussia with Free City of Frankfurt, Hesse-Homburg and the duchy of Nassau

i. Province of Hesse-Nassau

f. Hesse-Darmstadt became Grand Duchy in 1806

g. Fought with Austria against Prussia in War of 1866 but retained autonomy

h. France was defeated in Franco-Prussian War in 1871. The rest of the Grand Duchy joined German Empire.

i. Revolution of 1918 went from monarchy to republic. Renamed as Volksstaat Hessen (People’s State of Hesse).

j. Area on west of Rhine was occupied by France until 1930 after WWI and the Treaty of Versailles. After WWII again was occupied by France, and the rest was under US rule. French part became part of new state of Rhineland-Palatinate. US declared their area the state of Greater Hesse on 19 Sept 1945.

k. 4 December 1945 Groß-Hessen was officially renamed Hessen

II. Later history

l. The original 26 states of Germany made up the German Empire: Bundesstaaten (federal states)

m. Hesse was a Grand Duchy

n. Today Germany has 16 states (Bundesland). Hesse is known as Flächenland, or area state as are 12 other states.

o. The Federal Republic of Germany was established in 1949 after World War II when the western states united.

p. Germany today was established in 1990 with the unification of Western Germany and Eastern Germany.

2. Cities and Population

a. Hesse is a state as well as a cultural region

i. State of Hesse and area called Rhenish Hesse in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate

ii. Oldest city in this region is Mainz, which is in Rhineland-Palatinate

iii. Area is 21,110km2 (8,150mi2)

iv. Over 6 million people (6,016,481)

b. Darmstadt

i. Population of 147, 927

ii. Sandy soil prevented larger settlement from forming because it was not suited for agriculture

iii. 3 major universities and many associated institutions

iv. One of the only cities that is not near a water source

c. Frankfurt am Main

i. Largest city in Hesse (687,775)

ii. Part of Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region (5,600,000)

1. Germany’s second-largest metro area

iii. Largest financial center in continental Europe

1. 63 national and 152 international banks had registered offices in Frankfurt as of 2010

iv. Central location allows major air, rail, and highway transportation

1. One of the world’s busiest international airport

2. Hub for Lufthansa airline (largest airline in Europe)

3. Frankfurt Central Station is one of the largest in Europe

4. Frankfurter Kreuz is the most heavily used interchange in EU with 320,000 cars/day

v. Many educational and cultural institutions

1. Johann Wolfgang Goethe University and Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, museums, botanical gardens

2. 4.3 million tourists in 2012

vi. Unique skyline of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings

d. Kassel

i. Located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse

ii. 195,000 people

iii. Former capital of Hesse-Kassel

iv. Many palaces and parks

1. Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe: UNESCO World Heritage Site

2. Known for contemporary art

e. Offenbach am Main

i. Located on southern side of Main river, next to Frankfurt

ii. 118,770 people

iii. Center of leather industry

f. Wiesbaden

i. Capital of state of Hesse

ii. 273,000 people

1. Additional 19,000 US citizens associated with US Army

iii. Name means “meadow baths:” 14 hot springs in the area

3. Religious, political, and cultural affiliations

a. Religion

i. 16^th century split between Calvinism and Lutheran

ii. 40.8% of the people belong to either Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau or Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck

iii. 25.4% are Roman Catholic

iv. 33.8% belong to other religions or are unaffiliated

1. Islam, Buddhism

b. Political Affiliation

i. Federal Parliamentary Representative Democratic Republic

1. Federal Government of Germany allows sovereign rights and powers to the individual states

ii. Multi-party system

1. Center-Right: Christian Democratic Union (CDU)

2. Center-Left: Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)

c. Cultural Heritage

i. Southern and Western Germany heavily populated by Celtic peoples

ii. Many names represent Celtic and also Slavic origins

iii. End of 16^th century: French Huguenots, end of 19^th: Polish mine workers, after communist revolution of 1917: White Russians in Berlin, after WWII: countless displaced peoples

iv. Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region

1. 5.8 million Hessians and others:

a. Turks, Italians, Dutch, Arabs, Iranians, Bosnians, Greeks, Russians, Israelis, Koreans, Afghans, Pakistanis

4. Interesting Facts:

a. Person living in Hesse is called a Hesse (male) and Hessin (female)

b. One of the largest and healthiest economies in Germany, and 38^th largest in the world.

i. 2012 GDP exceeded 230 billion Euros (296 billion US$)

ii. Wealthiest state after Hamburg and Bremen

c. One of the best transportation systems in Europe.

i. motorways, high-speed train, waterways

d. Frankfurt International Airport is largest in Germany and 3^rd largest in Europe

e. Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof is 2^nd busiest in Germany