SACHSEN - Geography and history
Situated in the eastern part of the Federal Republic of Germany, Freistaat Sachsen [the Free State of Saxony] borders on Poland to the east and the Czech Republic to the south. This makes Sachsen an important base for trade with eastern Europe. The neighbouring Länder are Bayern, Thüringen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Brandenburg. Sachsen's border is 1 320 km long in total. Sachsen forms four Euroregions with its neighbouring countries: Neisse-Nisa-Nysa, Elbe/Labe, Erzgebirge/Krusnohori and Euregio Egrensis.
The highest peaks in the south are those of the Erzgebirge (where the Fichtelberg rises to 1 215m), the Elbsandsteingebirge and the Zittauer Gebirge. To the north lie the hills and mountains of Mittelsachsen and the Lausitzer Bergland, which gradually give way to the north German plain. The Elbe is Sachsen's longest river and a crucial inland waterway link between the Czech Republic and the North Sea port of Hamburg.
With a total of 18 413 km, Sachsen is one of the smaller Länder. At the end of 2003 it had 4 322 000 inhabitants. Until 1970, the population was around five and a half million. Since the seventies, the population has been decreasing. However, its population density of 235 inhabitants per km² is around twice the EU average.
Sachsen is divided into 22 Landkreise [rural districts] and seven kreisfreie Städte [towns constituting districts in their own right]. At the start of 2004, Sachsen had 522 Gemeinden [municipalities]. The regional capital, Dresden, is currently home to 484 000 people, whilst Sachsen's largest city is Leipzig, which has 497 000 inhabitants.
A magnet for tourists and investors alike
In the Middle Ages, Sachsen was one of the richest regions in the Holy Roman Empire. Its unique rise to economic and political prominence was based on the mining of silver and other metals (copper, lead, iron, tin, bismuth and others). Mining was followed by the metal and timber-processing industry, textiles and glass. The legacy of these can be seen in the region's many tourist attractions - mine workings that can be visited, mediaeval town centres and churches, or reclaimed spoil heaps. At the beginning of the 20th century, Sachsen had the densest railway network in Europe. In addition to the standard-gauge lines, a number of narrow-gauge lines opened up the region, and some of these still run today.
The unification of Germany in 1990 spelt the end for many traditional centres of business and industries. However, Sachsen's good infrastructure and the high level of educational achievement of its inhabitants have encouraged new and modern industrial branches to become established - vehicle construction, microelectronics and biotechnologies to name but a few. The existing universities, institutes of tertiary education and scientific foundations were joined in 1990 by major national research institutes.
Differences geographical rather than social
Modern-day Sachsen is very much a product of natural conditions and historical development. The areas around Chemnitz, Zwickau, Dresden, Leipzig, together with the Vogtland and the Lausitz, are regions that were industrialized early on, and have continued to expand economically since 1990, though in different ways. Almost half the population lives in towns of over 20 000 inhabitants, and more than three-quarters in municipalities of 5 000 inhabitants or more. Urbanisation began very early in Sachsen. Whilst Sachsen as a whole is currently losing inhabitants, the conurbations of Dresden and Leipzig are showing slight gains in relation to the surrounding areas.
These geographical differences have not, however, led to any real disparities in terms of quality of life. Standard-of-living disparities between urban and rural areas have continued to shrink. Indeed, many town dwellers are now moving to the countryside. Trends in suburban development are now comparable with those seen in western Germany. Rail connections link Sachsen's larger and many medium-sized towns with each other and with other parts of the Federal Republic. The region has a comprehensive public bus transport network. The airports in Dresden and Leipzig/Halle link Sachsen not just with Germany's other major centres of population, but also with numerous European destinations. Increasing numbers of vehicles ensure greater mobility. At the beginning of 2003, there were 516 cars per 1 000 inhabitants.
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