Offenburg
Encyclopedia
Offenburg is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg
, Germany
. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city and the capital of the Ortenaukreis
.
Offenburg also houses University of Applied Sciences Offenburg
. Offenburg has a station
on the Rhine Valley Railway between Karlsruhe
and Basel
.
and Freiburg
. The French city of Strasbourg
lies directly west across the Rhine. Offenburg lies at the mouth of the Kinzig river valley. The Kinzig flows out of the Black Forest
and meets the Rhine near Kehl
.
. The city was nearly totally destroyed in the Nine Years War. In 1803 Offenburg lost its status as a Free City and fell under the rulership of the Grand Duchy of Baden
.
During the outbreak of the Revolutions of 1848, the "Offenburger Program" which contained thirteen demands "in the name of the people of Baden" was announced at the Salmen Inn on 12 September 1847. This was the first democratic demand in Germany. Along with the Karlsbad Resolves, the Offenburger Program demanded basic and human rights as well as freedom of the press and a progressive income tax structure. On 19 March 1848 the demands were confirmed by the 20,000 member Offenburg Peoples' Assembly.
with: Borehamwood
, United Kingdom
Pietra Ligure
, Italy
Altenburg
, Germany
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, 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...
. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city and the capital of the Ortenaukreis
Ortenaukreis
Ortenaukreis is a district in the west of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rastatt, Freudenstadt, Rottweil, Schwarzwald-Baar and Emmendingen...
.
Offenburg also houses University of Applied Sciences Offenburg
University of Applied Sciences Offenburg
The University of Applied Sciences Offenburg, with its head office in Offenburg and a branch in Gengenbach, is a German university owned by the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. It is one of the most important educational institutions in the southern Upper Rhine area...
. Offenburg has a station
Offenburg station
Offenburg station is in Baden-Wurttemberg and has seven tracks on four platforms. Offenburg used to be railway town and the station was of major economic importance to it. In recent years the maintenance facilities and much of the rail freight yards have been closed...
on the Rhine Valley Railway between Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof
is the central railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as one of the major Category 1 stations in Germany, due to its function as a hub connecting several railway lines with each other.- History :...
and Basel
Basel Badischer Bahnhof
Basel Badischer Bahnhof is a railway station situated in the Swiss city of Basel. Whilst the station is situated on Swiss soil, the platforms and part of the entrance hall are extraterritorial, belonging to Germany, and the station is operated by the German railway company Deutsche Bahn...
.
Geography
Offenburg is located near the Rhine between KarlsruheKarlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
and Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
. The French city of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
lies directly west across the Rhine. Offenburg lies at the mouth of the Kinzig river valley. The Kinzig flows out of the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
and meets the Rhine near Kehl
Kehl
Kehl is a town in southwestern Germany in the Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the river Rhine, directly opposite the French city of Strasbourg.-History:...
.
History
The city is first mentioned in historical documents dating from 1148. By 1240 Offenburg had already been declared a Free Imperial CityFree Imperial City
In the Holy Roman Empire, a free imperial city was a city formally ruled by the emperor only — as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which were governed by one of the many princes of the Empire, such as dukes or prince-bishops...
. The city was nearly totally destroyed in the Nine Years War. In 1803 Offenburg lost its status as a Free City and fell under the rulership of the Grand Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
.
During the outbreak of the Revolutions of 1848, the "Offenburger Program" which contained thirteen demands "in the name of the people of Baden" was announced at the Salmen Inn on 12 September 1847. This was the first democratic demand in Germany. Along with the Karlsbad Resolves, the Offenburger Program demanded basic and human rights as well as freedom of the press and a progressive income tax structure. On 19 March 1848 the demands were confirmed by the 20,000 member Offenburg Peoples' Assembly.
Mayors
- Gustav Rée (1945–49)
- Karl Heitz (1949–75)
- Martin GrüberMartin GruberMartin Gruber is an Italian luger who has competed since 1992. A natural track luger, he won the men's singles silver medal at the 1998 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships in Rautavaara, Finland....
(1975–92) - Dr Wolfgang Bruder (1992–2002)
- Edith Schreiner (since 2003)
Representatives to the Federal Parliament
- Dr Wolfgang SchäubleWolfgang SchäubleWolfgang Schäuble is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union , currently serving as the Federal Minister of Finance in the Second Cabinet Merkel....
(CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
)
Culture and attractions
There are several historical attractions in Offenburg including:- The Salmen Inn
- The CapuchinOrder of Friars Minor CapuchinThe Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
Monastery - The Ritterhaus, a 1784 manor-house that has been converted into the city archives and museum
- The Jewish Bath (Mikwe): a bathhouse belonging to the city's historical Jewish community; it was held to be medieval, but recent research suggests it may be from the 16th or 17th century
- The former Royal Palace (Königshof) built by Michael Ludwig Rohrer, now the Police station
People
- Kurt BaschwitzKurt BaschwitzSiegfried Kurt Baschwitz , was a journalist and researcher for newspapers.Baschwitz, who, as customary in German middle class, was not called by his first name but always his second name Kurt, was a German Jew and a friend of Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank...
, Jewish journalist - Atika BouagaaAtika BouagaaAtika Bouagaa is a female volleyball player from Germany, who represented her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics, finishing in ninth place...
, female volleyball player - BurdaHubert Burda MediaHubert Burda Media is a German privately held, family-owned global media company with its origins in printing and magazine publishing. The company is headquartered in Offenburg and Munich, has additional main offices in Berlin and Hamburg and has more than 7400 employees...
family- Aenne BurdaAenne BurdaAenne Burda , born Anna Magdalene Lemminger, was a German publisher of the Burda Group, a media group based in Offenburg and Munich, Germany. She was one of the symbols of German economic miracle.- Biography :...
, an honorary citizen - Franz Burda I. (Franz Burda), founder of the Hubert Burda MediaHubert Burda MediaHubert Burda Media is a German privately held, family-owned global media company with its origins in printing and magazine publishing. The company is headquartered in Offenburg and Munich, has additional main offices in Berlin and Hamburg and has more than 7400 employees...
, an honorary citizen - Hubert BurdaHubert BurdaHubert Burda is a German art historian and publisher. Hubert Burda is CEO and owner of Hubert Burda Media, publishing more than 250 magazines inside and outside Germany...
, an honorary citizen
- Aenne Burda
- Artur DinterArtur DinterArtur Dinter was a German writer and Nazi politician.- Biography :Dinter was born in Mulhouse, in Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire to Josef Dinter, a customs adviser, and his wife Berta, née Hoffmann, and he was baptized in the Catholic Church.After doing his school-leaving examination, Dinter...
, lived here - Hans FurlerHans FurlerHans Furler was a German christian-democrat politician.He was the president of the European Parliament from 1956 to 1958 and from 1960 to 1962.-Early life:...
, lived here - Johann HoferJohann HoferJohann Hofer was a German lawyer.He and his wife Amalie Hofer, née Weissenrieder were agitators and revolutionaries in the 1848 Revolution. Afterwards, he and his wife sought refuge first in Switzerland, and then from July 1851 in Hoboken, New Jersey...
, lawyer, lived here - Michael KaeshammerMichael KaeshammerMichael Kaeshammer is a Canadian boogie-woogie pianist, vocalist, composer, and arranger.After studying classical piano for seven years in his German homeland, a 13-year-old Kaeshammer discovered boogie-woogie and stride piano as played by Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson, Pinetop...
, boogie-woogie pianist, vocalist, composer, arranger - Otto KummOtto KummOtto Kumm, was an SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
, lived here - Dirk von LowtzowDirk von LowtzowDirk von Lowtzow is a German musician. He is the singer and guitarist with the German rock band Tocotronic since 1994. Since 2001 he is also active in the German electronic music project Phantom/Ghost....
- Georg Monsch, an honorary citizen
- Lorenz OkenLorenz OkenLorenz Oken was a German naturalist.Oken was born Lorenz Okenfuss in Bohlsbach in Baden and studied natural history and medicine at the universities of Freiburg and Würzburg. He went on to the University of Göttingen, where he became a Privatdozent , and shortened his name to Oken...
- Franz von Roggenbach, an honorary citizen
- Felix RothFelix RothFelix Roth is a German footballer playing for SC Austria Lustenau in the Austrian Football First League.-External links:*...
, football player - Hanns-Martin Schleyer, manager, employer and industry representative
- Emil SutorEmil SutorEmil Sutor was a German sculptor.He was born in Offenburg and died in Karlsruhe.In 1936 he won a gold medal in the art competitions of the Olympic Games for his "Hürdenläufer" .-External links:...
, sculptor - Jürgen TodenhöferJürgen TodenhöferJürgen Todenhöfer is a German executive, author and former politician.Todenhöfer studied law at the universities of Munich, Paris, Bonn and Freiburg. He graduated as a doctor of law in 1969 and worked as a judge from 1972 on...
, former judge, author, business executive, and former MP - Hermann Vallendor, WWI German Ace, Jagdstaffel Boelcke
- Martin WagnerMartin Wagner (footballer)Martin Wagner is a former German football player who is currently running player agency MaWa Consult.- Honours :* Bundesliga champion: 1998* Bundesliga runner-up: 1994* DFB-Pokal winner: 1996- External links :*...
, football player
International relations
Offenburg 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: Borehamwood
Borehamwood
-Film industry:Since the 1920s, the town has been home to several film studios and many shots of its streets are included in final cuts of 20th century British films. This earned it the nickname of the "British Hollywood"...
, 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...
Pietra Ligure
Pietra Ligure
Pietra Ligure is a comune in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about 60 km southwest of Genoa and about 20 km southwest of Savona...
, 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...
Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
, 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...
- for more see http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offenburg#St.C3.A4dtepartnerschaften