Saxony (Sachsen) History

Saxony, in German: Freistaat Sachsen, is the most populated of the new federal states of Germany. 4.9 million citizens live on 18,337 square kilometers, which means there are 267 persons per square kilometers. To further illustrate the importance of the region, Saxony produced one third of the national gross product while it was part of the German Democratic Republic from 1946 to 1990.

Freistaat Sachsen's most important cities are Leipzig (important trade center which became a city in 1165), Dresden (capitol of Saxony with many famous buildings from the Baroque period), Chemnitz (known for its textile industry in the early 19th century), Plauen (famous for lace products and embroidery), Bautzen (cultural center for the Sorbs/Wenden) and Meissen (world renowned porcelain industry).

Many important people were born, worked or died in Saxony. Musicians such as Johann Sebastian Bach, who came from Leipzig or Robert Schumann who was from Zwickau, come readily to mind. Lucas Cranach the older was a painter at the court of Wittenberg. He is remembered for the portraits he painted during the Reformation era. Further, the poets Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Theodor Koerner and Novalis all came from Saxony. Other famous sons of Saxony worth mentioning are Adam Riese (mathematics) and Gottfried Silbermann (outstanding organ builder). The choirs of the Thomas Church in Leipzig and the Kreuzkirche in Dresden provide world class performances down to the present day. It may not be so well known that the artists Heinrich Zille, Emil Nolde and Max Pechstein all came from Saxony.