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
5th century B.C. Celtic presence was found. Later was settled by the
Germanic Chatti tribe in 1st century B.C.
i.
Name Hesse derived from name
c. Middle
Ages was under Franconian rule, and later passed to Thuringia in the 12th
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.
16th 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 16th century: French
Huguenots, end of 19th: 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 38th 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 3rd largest in Europe
e. Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof is
2nd busiest in Germany
Resources:
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