Erlangen
Encyclopedia
Middle Franconia
Middle Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is in the west of Bavaria and adjoins the state of Baden-Württemberg...
n city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz
Regnitz
The Regnitz is a river in Bavaria, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Main and is in length.The river is formed by the confluence of the rivers Rednitz and Pegnitz, which meet in the city of Fürth. From there the Regnitz runs northwards through the cities of Erlangen and Forchheim...
and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.
Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants.
Erlangen is today dominated by the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and the numerous branch offices of Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
, as well as a large research Institute of the Fraunhofer Society
Fraunhofer Society
The Fraunhofer Society is a German research organization with 60 institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science . It employs around 18,000, mainly scientists and engineers, with an annual research budget of about €1.65 billion...
and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light. An event that left its mark on the city was the settlement of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s after the withdrawal of the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
in 1685.
Felix Klein
Felix Klein
Christian Felix Klein was a German mathematician, known for his work in group theory, function theory, non-Euclidean geometry, and on the connections between geometry and group theory...
's Erlangen program
Erlangen program
An influential research program and manifesto was published in 1872 by Felix Klein, under the title Vergleichende Betrachtungen über neuere geometrische Forschungen...
, considering the future of research in mathematics, is so called because Klein was then at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
History
Erlangen was first mentioned in official records in 1002 under the name of Villa Erlangon. In 1361, the village was sold to EmperorEmperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Karl IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
. Three years later, a city was built close to the village, which in 1374 got its own coining
Coining
Coining may refer to:*Coining , metalworking process*Coining , production of money*Counterfeiting of coins*The creation of a neologism...
station (mint). In 1398, the municipal rights were confirmed. In 1402, the city came into the possession of the House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
as part of the principality of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (from 1603 on Brandenburg-Bayreuth), remaining under their rule until 1806. During the four year Napoleonic occupation, Erlangen was the capital of the so-called "Low County" (Unterland) of the principality, encompassing the area until Neustadt an der Aisch
Neustadt an der Aisch
Neustadt an der Aisch is a small town in the northern part of Bavaria , within the Franconian administrative region Middle Franconia,...
and separated from the "High County" (Oberland) by a land corridor. In 1810 it became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
, together with the rest of former Brandenburg-Bayreuth.
While it was still part of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, the first French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s arrived in Erlangen in 1686. Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Christian Ernst of Brandenburg-Bayreuth was a member of the House of Hohenzollern and Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth....
, built a "new town" (Neustadt) for them. In 1706, the old town (just below the site of the annual Bergkirchweih
Bergkirchweih
The Bergkirchweih is an annual fair and beer festival in Erlangen, Germany.Locals nickname it Berch, which is the Franconian pronunciation of the German word Berg, meaning mountain or hill....
) was almost completely destroyed by a fire, but soon rebuilt. In 1812, the old and new towns were merged into one.
In 1742, Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth , was a member of the House of Hohenzollern and Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth....
, founded a university for his royal seat of Bayreuth, but due to the rebelliousness of the local students, the university was transferred to Erlangen. Only later did it obtain the name of "Friedrich-Alexander-University" and become a Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n state university. Famous students of these times were Johann Ludwig Tieck and Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder
Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder
Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder was a German jurist and writer. With Ludwig Tieck, he was a co-founder of German Romanticism....
.
Already during the Bavarian municipal reform of 1818, the city was endowed with its own administration. In 1862, the canton administration Erlangen was founded, from which later arose the administrative district of Erlangen. In 1972, this district was merged with the administrative district of Höchstadt. Erlangen became the capital of this newly founded district Erlangen-Höchstadt
Erlangen-Höchstadt
Erlangen-Höchstadt is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Fürth, Neustadt -Bad Windsheim, Bamberg, Forchheim and Nürnberger Land, and by the cities of Nuremberg and Erlangen...
. During this municipal reform, Erlangen was effectively enlarged considerably, thus in 1974 it had more than 100,000 inhabitants.
Points of interest
- The University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, http://www.uni-erlangen.org) was founded in 1742 by Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-BayreuthFrederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-BayreuthFrederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth , was a member of the House of Hohenzollern and Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth....
, in the city of Bayreuth, but was relocated to Erlangen the next year. Today, it features 11 departments (German "Fakultäten"), two of which (Economics and Education) are located in NurembergNurembergNuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. About 24,000 students study at this university, of which about 20,000 are located in Erlangen. - The Botanischer Garten ErlangenBotanischer Garten ErlangenThe Botanischer Garten Erlangen , also known as the Botanischer Garten der Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, is a botanical garden maintained by the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and located on the north side of the castle garden in the city center at Loschgestraße 3, Erlangen, Franconia, Germany...
is a botanical gardenBotanical gardenA botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
maintained by the university.
Bergkirchweih
The BergkirchweihBergkirchweih
The Bergkirchweih is an annual fair and beer festival in Erlangen, Germany.Locals nickname it Berch, which is the Franconian pronunciation of the German word Berg, meaning mountain or hill....
is an annual beer festival, similar to the Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
but smaller in scope, therefore rather intimate. It takes place during the twelve days before and after Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
; this period is called the "fifth season" by the locals. The beer is served at wooden tables in one-litre stoneware jugs under the trees of the "Berg", a small, craggy, and wooded hill with old caves (beer cellars) owned by local breweries. The cellars extend for 21 km (14 miles) throughout the hill (the "Berg") and maintain a constant cool underground temperature. Until Carl von Linde
Carl von Linde
Professor Doctor Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde was a German engineer who developed refrigeration and gas separation technologies...
invented the electric fridge in 1871, this was considered to be the biggest fridge in Southern Germany.
The beer festival draws more than one million visitors annually. It features carnival rides of high tech quality, food stalls of every imaginable franconian dish like bratwurst, suckling pig, burnt almonds, and giant pretzels.
It is commonly known by local residents as the "Berchkärwa" or simply the "Berch", like in "Gehma auf'n Berch!" ("Let's go up the mountain!").
This is an outdoor event, packed with Franconians in various states of enjoyment. Despite the relatively high number of visitors it is practically unknown by tourists and outside Bavaria.
Districts
- Am Anger
- Alterlangen
- Bruck, pop. 20,000
- Büchenbach
- Burgberg
- Dechsendorf
- Eltersdorf, pop. around 3,200
- Frauenaurach
- Häusling
- Hüttendorf
- Innenstadt
- KosbachKosbachKosbach is a village on the outskirts of Erlangen, Germany. The village is known locally for its own Kirchweih festival, the Kosbacher Karpfen Kirchweih, which is a celebration at which carp is consumed en masse. The village is surrounded by carp ponds...
- Kriegenbrunn
- Neusses
- Röthelheim
- Schallershof
- Siedlung Sonnenblick
- Sieglitzhof/Buckenhofer Siedlung
- Steudach
- TennenloheTennenloheTennenlohe is a district of the city of Erlangen in Middle Franconia, Germany, located about 6 km south of the city centre at the motorway A 3. Tennenlohe was amalgamated into the city on July 1, 1972. It has 4,439 inhabitants ....
http://www.fen-net.de/er/stadtteile/tennenlohe/tennenlohe.htm
Historical population
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1495 | 292 |
| 1630 | 550 |
| 1752 | 7,939 |
| 1830 | 9,800 |
| December 1, 1871¹ | 12,500 |
| December 1, 1890¹ | 17,559 |
| December 1, 1900¹ | 22,953 |
| December 1, 1910¹ | 24,877 |
| June 16, 1925¹ | 29,597 |
| June 16, 1933¹ | 32,348 |
| May 17, 1939¹ | 35,964 |
| September 13, 1950¹ | 50,690 |
| June 16, 1961¹ | 69,552 |
| May 27, 1970¹ | 84,110 |
| June 20, 1975 | 100,700 |
| June 30, 1980 | 100,900 |
| June 30, 1985 | 100,000 |
| May 27, 1987¹ | 99,808 |
| June 30, 1997 | 100,700 |
| December 31, 1997 | 100,330 |
| December 31, 1998 | 100,775 |
| December 31, 1999 | 100,750 |
| December 31, 2000 | 100,778 |
| December 31, 2001 | 101,912 |
| December 31, 2002 | 102,198 |
| December 31, 2003 | 102,449 |
| December 31, 2004 | 102,627 |
| December 31, 2005 | 103,426 |
Historical mayors of Erlangen
- 1818–1827: Johann Sigmund Lindner
- 1828–1855: Johann Wolfgang Ferdinand Lammers
- 1855–1865: Carl Wolfgang Knoch
- 1866–1872: Heinrich August Papellier
- 1872–1877: Johann Edmund Reichold
- 1878–1880: Friedrich Scharf
- 1881–1892: Georg Ritter von Schuh
- 1892–1929: Theodor Klippel
- 1929–1934: Hans Flierl
- 1934–1944: Alfred Groß (NSDAP)
- 1944–1945: Herbert Ohly (NSDAP)
- 1945–1946: Anton Hammerbacher (SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
) - 1946–1959: Michael Poeschke (SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
) - 1959–1972: Heinrich Lades (CSU)
- 1972–1996: Dietmar Hahlweg (SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
) - 1996–present: Siegfried BalleisSiegfried BalleisSiegfried Balleis is a German politician, representative of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria.In 1996 he was elected Oberbürgermeister for the town of Erlangen.-References:...
(CSU)
International relations
Erlangen is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with several cities: Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, since 1961. Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, since 1964. Vladimir, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, since 1983. Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, since 1987. Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, since 1989. San Carlos, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, since 1989. Beşiktaş
Besiktas
Beşiktaş is a municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and on the east by the Bosphorus...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, since 2004. Riverside
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA, since 2011.
Further partnerships
VenzoneVenzone
thumb|250px|The Communal Palace.Venzone is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 90 km northwest of Trieste and about 30 km north of Udine.-History:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, USA Cumiana
Cumiana
Cumiana is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 30 km southwest of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 7,327 and an area of 60.8 km²....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...