Baden Württemberg, Germany

(photo credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Deutschland_Lage_von_Baden-Württemberg.svg) 

1. begin clip-After World War II, Allied forces established three federal states: Württemberg-Hohenzollern, Baden (both occupied by France), and Württemberg-Baden (US-occupied). In 1949, these three states became founding members of the Federal Republic of Germany. Article 118 of the new German constitution, however, had already prepared a procedure for those states to merge. After a referendum held on 16 December 1951, Württemberg-Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern and Badenvoted in favor of a merger.[3] Baden-Württemberg officially became a state on 25 April 1952

The state parliament of Baden-Württemberg is the Landtag (Eng. state assembly). The politics of Baden-Württemberg have traditionally been dominated by the conservative Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), who until 2011 had led all but one government since the establishment of the state in 1952. In the Landtagelections held on 27 March 2011 voters replaced the Christian Democrats and centre-right Free Democrats coalition by a Greens-led alliance with the Social Democrats which secured a four seat majority in the state parliament.
From 1992 to 2001, the anti-immigration Republicans party had seats in the Landtag.

Although Baden-Württemberg has relatively few natural resources compared to other regions of Germany,[3] the state is among the most prosperous[4] and wealthiest regions in Europe with a generally low unemployment rate historically.- end clip. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg)

2.The population is 10, 569, 111. Stuttgart is the capital of Baden Württenberg.  Schlossplatz is the largest square in Stuttgart and has two castles and major museums.

3.There are currently 4 political parties in Baden-Württemberg. The largest party is CDU or Christian Democratic Union of Germany which until 2011 had held all but one government in the state since it was established in 1952. The next party is the FDP or Free Democrats which are in close collaboration with the CDU, but have lost popularity in the state by doing so. Then there are the SDP or Social Democrats, which have secured 4 seat majorities in the state parliament since 2011. The SDP are aligned with The Greens and are the only socialist party in Baden-Württemberg. The third party is The Greens who are aligned with the SDP and are slowly losing popularity in the region. The fourth party is The Republicans which hasn’t held a seat since 2001, they are mostly anti-immigration.

Baden-Württemberg has a great diversity in religion. The largest are the Roman Catholics with 36.9% of the population. The next largest is the Lutherans, which is the traditional religion of the state. The Lutherans make up 33.3% of the population. Next are the Muslims with 5.6% of the populations as followers. Then there are the Buddhists with 0.23%, the Hindu with 0.14%, and the Jews with 0.08% of the population as followers. Then there are the non-religious with 22.3% of the population.

Baden-Württemberg has a rich heritage that can still be seen in the region today. They have an assortment of castles like Ludwigsburg Palace, Hohenzollern Castle, Heidelberg Castle, and Schwetzingen Palace. They also have other cultural hubs like the Stuttgart State Opera, Baden-Baden Theater, Maulbronn Monastery, Limes Roman Defences, and Reichenau Island.   

4. The Maulbronn Monastry is the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery complex in Europe. It includes an extensive water-management system of reservoirs and channels. It is situated on the outskirts of Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The monastery was founded in 1147. It further developed from the 12th to the 17th century. It has a style transitional from Romanesque to Gothic and surrounded by fortified walls. The removing its political quasi-independence was in the course of the German Mediatisation in 1807. The seminary merged with that of Bebenhausen the following year, now known as the Evangelical Seminaries of Maulbronn and Blaubeuren. Since 1993 the monastery is part of the Unesco World Heritage.

5. -Daimler AG, Daimler is a German multinational automotive company established in 1883. The company owns many shares of many other automotive companies such as Mercedes-Benz. Daimler's headquarters are located in Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemburg.

- Porsche Automobil Holding SE, The Porsche company was established in 1931. Porsche automobiles are still being manufactured to this day but by Volkswagen. Porsche Headquarters are based in Zuffenhousen, Baden-Wurttemburg.

- Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes brand originated in 1886 in and is headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemburg. Mercedes-Benz is is a German luxury automobile manufacturer. Much like Porsche Mercedes is owned by Daimler but still to this day Mercedes-Benz automobiles are still being produced. Mercedes-Benz's logo is "Das beste oder nichts", translated to english (The best or nothing). 

- Robert Bosch GmbH, Robert Bosch is the largest supplier of automotive components in the world as of 2011. Robert Bosch was established in 1886 in Stuttgart and is headquartered in Gerlingen, Baden-Wurttemburg.

- SAP AG, SAP is the largest software enterprise in Europe. The SAP headquarters are located in Waldorf, Baden-Wurtremburg and was established in 1972.

6. One of the most famous people from this state is Roland Emmerich. He is a director, originally from Stuggart. He is known for his film Independence Day (2006). He has also directed The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and 2012 (2009). He specializes in disaster films with action. 

A famous actress from this state is Nina Hoss. She is known for her somber attitude while playing often a tragic, tormented woman.  She is known for her movies in Barbara (2012), Yella (2007), and The Downfall of Berlin: Anonyma (2008). 

Natalia Wörner is an actress from this area. She played a main role in the 1995 TV series 'Um die DreiBig', which was a hit across the country. She has received many awards, including one for her performance in 'Perfect Mind'. She received Best Leading Actress in 2000 for her performance in 'Bella Block'. In this episode, she wrote the screenplay. 

7. This state has relatively few natural resources compared to other parts of Germany, however, it is the most prosperous and wealthiest regions. There is very low unemployment. There are many manufacturing enterprises here. In 2003, there was almost 8,800 of them. Nearly 43 percent of the people in this state work for manufacturing enterprises. 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg 

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/546

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maulbronn_Monastery

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/maulbronnmonastery.html

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000386/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396125/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0944255/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Bavaria Presentation

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1IsjLpwD7iBuRyF5Se89PgoGVrB7jX5h0SA5k2Ld-9Is/edit?usp=sharing 

Presentation Review

• The task our group had was to present information on the German states of Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg.
• My group consisted of myself Brianne Stamer, Talimatou Peniata, Nicole Hughes, Natahaniel Kleene, Brian Richter and Sam Chung.
• We split up the research questions and each were assigned 1 or 2. Then we created 2 seperate blogs on these states then a presentation (above) focusing on Bavaria, Germany.
• Suggestions? Perhaps make sure every group is aware the key was to focus on 1 state in particular so the information can be processed better by the audience rather than every group presenting on all 3 or 2 of their states and the listeners are kind of blown away with information. Perhaps make this a 2 week assignment so all groups really collaborate and put their best product forward.

Bavaria, Germany

(photo credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Deutschland_Lage_von_Bayern.svg)

1. begin clip-The Kingdom of Bavaria existed from 1806 to 1918, and Bavaria has since been a free state (republic). Modern Bavaria also includes parts of the historical regions of Franconia, Upper Palatinate and Swabia.

IMPORTANT HISTORICAL CHANGES

Saint Boniface completed the people's conversion to Christianity in the early-8th century. Bavaria was, for the most part, unaffected by the Protestant Reformation that happened centuries later. Bavarians have often emphasized a separate national identity and considered themselves as "Bavarians" first, "Germans" second. Bavaria has a unicameral Landtag, or state parliament, elected by universal suffrage. Until December 1999, there was also a Senat, orSenate, whose members were chosen by social and economic groups in Bavaria, but following a referendum in 1998, this institution was abolished.

The Constitution of the free state of Bavaria was enacted on 8 December 1946. The new Bavarian Constitution became the basis for the Bavarian State after the Second World War.end clip. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavaria).

2. The population is 12.519,571. The city of Passau is well known. In Passau, a person can see the three rivers from all directions (der Passuer Stephandom & Die Altstadt).

3. The current political affiliation is the CSU, or the Christian Social Union. There are other parties such as the FDP or free democrats, SPD or social democrats, and the alliance '90s/ the greens. The CSU has won every election since 1945. It is the dominating political party. They are also very conservative. The SPD are collaborates and close with the CSU. They are known as the socialist party. The Alliance '90/the greens are a merge of alliance 90 and German green party. They are known as environmentalists and peace activists.

The religion of this state is 54.4 percent Roman Catholic, 20.4% Lutherans, 4.0% Muslims, and 21.2 percent that either are other or do not follow a religion. Roman catholics have had a long and predominant tradition in this state. Pope Benedict XVI was born in upper Bavaria. The numbers for Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Muslims are declining. More people in this state are either not belonging to these religions or do not consider themselves a part of a religion. 

The traditions in Bavaria are costumes/Tracht. The men wear altbayern lederhosen, and the women wear dirndl. There also is the Maibaum/Maypole. This is the yellow pages of the middle ages. It represents the trades of the village. There is also Aperschnalzen, which is traditional competitive whip cracking. Food and drink that is very common is weibwruest, a white sausage. There are many beer gardens. There is the Reinheitsgebot/ Purity law that states only water, hops, and barley are allowed in beer ingredients. There is also the Bocksbeutel wine bottle which is often enjoyed. 

4. There are seven Bavaria UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

1) Bamberg Old Town- •Bramberg is located in Upper Franconia. Bamberg prides itself with being on seven hills, as it symbolizes similarity to Rome. Cathedral Hill, Michaelsberg, Kaulberg/Obere, Pfarre, Stefansberg, Jakobsberg, Altenburger and Abtsberg. Altenburger Hill is the Highest hill of the seven hills and the Altenburg Castle serves as a high-class restaurant. The Bamberg Cathedral (1237) carries the tombs of emperor Henry II and Pope Clement II

•Bamberg is known for its smoked Rauchbier and is home to eight breweries.

•Bamberg college is The University of Bamberg, named Otto-Friedrich. University

•Bamberg is an independent city.

•The climate is high and low like an Ocean Climate.

The Population has 70,084 people (Dec 31, 2011).

2) Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth- 

It is a masterpiece of Baroque theatre architecture, built between 1745 and 1750

Seats 500 people

Architect:  Joseph Saint-Pierre

It is one of Europe's few surviving theatres of the period and has been extensively restored.

3) Regensburg - Germany's best-preserved medieval town- 

Regensburg is named an imperial city by the Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.

It was founded in 179 AD by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate.

The first settlements in Regensburg date to the Stone Age.

Regensburg was home to both a Messerschmitt Bf 109 aircraft factory and an oil refinery, bombed in Feb 5 1945 during The Cold War.

It is the work of Gothic architecture.

Regensburg was a home for Multiple Noble residents.

Places to see: St. Peter's cathedral, Palace of the Princes of Thurn and Taxis, and the Ancient Stone Bridge  

Interesting fact; BMW operates an automobile production plant in Regensburg.

4) Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square-

Wurzburg Residence is a palace in Würzburg, southern Germany.

The famous staircase with its unsupported vaulted ceiling features one of the largest ceiling frescos in the world, painted in 1752/53 by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

It  was made of stucco and it’s walls consist entirely of glass panels. The interiors include The Grand Staircase, The Chapel, and The Grand Salon.

The Residence is at once the most homogeneous and the most extraordinary of the Baroque palaces.

The foundation stone was laid on 22 May 1720 cover 49,000 square feet

  constructed from 1720-1744.

As a result of a devastating air raid on March 16, 1945, the residence was almost completely burnt out and only the central building

5) Upper-Germanic Roman Limes-

The limes cover a total distance of 550 kilometres

Around 2,000 years ago its forts, watchtowers, walls and palisades were protected the mighty Roman Empire from independent Germania.

It is the longest and one of the most impressive archaeological monuments in Europe

The Limes run from Bad Hönningen/Rheinbrohl on the River Rhine to the Regensburg area on the River Danube

6) World Heritage Lake dwellings in Bavaria-

These pile-dwellings are the very first underwater archaeological sites to be inscribedThe "prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements are in and around the Alps.”

There are a total of 111 sites in six Alpine countries, three of which are in Bavaria.

Pestenacker is the most important prehistoric settlement of the wetland settlements in Bavaria and is dated back as far as 3,496 B.C.

The Rose Island settlement is the only known lakeside settlement in Bavaria.

The late Neolithic settlement of Unfriedshausen, was discovered during the 1986 during excavation.

7) Pilgrimage Church of Wies at Pfaffenwinke-

This is a home to the famous "Pilgrimage Church of the Scourged Saviour" in Steingaden, one of the most famous rococo churches in the world.

It has a figure of the flagellated Christ in the centre of this church.

On 14 June 1738, a peasant named Maria Lory saw tears in the eyes of the statue of Christ at the whipping post.

This miracle prompted a pilgrimage to the Scourged Saviour in Wies near Steingaden, it became a place for worship from 1745 to 1754.

Around 1 million people from all over the world come to the church every year.

5. - BMW (Bayerische Motoren-Werke or Bavarian Motor Works) BMW is a German world class automotive company. Established in 1916 it based in Munich, Bavaria.

- Audi AG, Audi is also a world known German automotive company. Audi was established by the Volkswagen company in 1965 and is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria.

- Allianz SE, Allianz is based in Munich, Bavaria. As of 2010 Allianz is the world's largest insurance company. The Allianz company was established in 1905.

- Siemens AG, Siemens is a world wide leader in Engineering and Electronics. The company was established in 1847 and is headquartered in Munich, Bavaria.

- Adidas AG, Adidas is currently the largest sportswear manufacturer in Germany and all of Europe. Adidas is the 2nd largest sportswear manufacturer in the world only behind Nike. Adidas was established in 1948 by Adolf Dassler after he and his brother Rudolf Dassler split companionship and went their separate ways with separate companies. The Adidas corporation has its headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria.

- Puma SE, Puma is also based with its headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria. The Puma company was established in 1948 when Rudolf and his brother Adolf decided to both branch off and go their separate ways with different companies (Puma and Adidas).

6.  Jeri Ryan is from Munich, Bavaria. She moved to the United States as a child, but she is originally from Munich. She is known as Miss Illinois 1989, and from many parts in movies such as Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002, Star Trek: Voyager in 1995. 

Werner Herzog is a director of films and operas, a producer, and screenwriter. He is known for his film Signs of Life. Here he won his first major award. He won best director for his movie Fitzcarraldo. He has directed documentaries such as On Death Row, Pilgrimage, and Ten Thousand Years Older. He has also directed many operas in his life. 

Max Planck is a physicist who started quantum theory. Quantum theory is used today in many physics and chemistry classes. He is known for his contribution to black-body radiation and also the formula E=hv where h is Planck's constant. The number is approximately 6.626 x 10^-34.

7. There are many old buildings in Bavaria, such as Würzburg Residence. Bavaria also has one of the larger economies of any state in Germany. Only 17 countries in the world have a higher GDP than theirs at 434 billion Euros in 2007. Bavaria's GDP per capita is 48,000 U.S. dollars. If Bavaria was an independent country, they would rank 7th in the world for GDP per capita.

Presentation Review

• The task our group had was to present information on the German states of Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg.
• My group consisted of myself Brianne Stamer, Talimatou Peniata, Nicole Hughes, Natahaniel Kleene, Brian Richter and Sam Chung.
• We split up the research questions and each were assigned 1 or 2 questions. We created two separate posts, one on Bavaria and one of Baden-Wurttemberg. Our main focus was on Bavaria.
• Suggestions? I would suggest presenting for a shorter amount of time on each state, focusing on one.  There was a lot of information from each posts, but I think there was a lot of good information. I like learning about well-known companies in each of the states.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavaria

http://www.bavaria.by/bamberg-old-town-unesco-bavaria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margravial_Opera_Househttp://www.bavaria.bymargravial-opera-house-bayreuth

http://www.bavaria.by/regensburg-unesco-bavaria    

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regensburg

http://www.bavaria.by/upper-germanic-roman-limes-unesco-bavaria

http://www.bavaria.by/world-heritage-lake-dwellings-in-bavaria

http://www.bavaria.by/pilgrimage-church-of-wies-at-pfaffenwinkel-unesco-bavaria

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005394/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Herzog
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Planck

My expectations for German 110

My interest in the class sparked from my Grammie. She grew up in the Wurzburg area and has told me stories about growing up in Germany. I hope to learn about the influence Germany has had on the United States. I would like to learn about a lot of different aspects of Germany. I am interested in learning about the German culture. I hope to learn about food, traditions, and especially music. I would love to learn about art. Architecture is also an interest of mine. I think of Germany as being very in touch with old art from the Renaissance period but also very modern. I am very curious about philosophy and would be interested in learning about early German philosophers. I enjoy studying politics, and I would like learning about past and current German government structures and how it relates to the representative republic the United States currently has. Is their criminal justice system similar to the United States? I would enjoy learning more about the individual states of Germany and the similarities and differences between the states. How did Germany divide these states? Are the states mostly similar in population and size?