Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe (population 269,785 in 2001) is a city of Germany, in the Baden-Württemberg Bundesland, located near the French-German border.
Map of Germany showing Karlsruhe
Geography
The altitude above sea level of the city's area is between 100 m (on the westerly edge, toward the Rhine river) and 277.5 m (Turmberg in the east). Its geographical coordinates are: 49° 00' North 008° 04' East, which means that the 49th parallel (meridian) runs through the city center (its course being marked by a line of flag-stones in the Stadtgarten (city park).
History
Karlsruhe was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Baden.
Coat of Arms of Karlsruhe
Historical population
| Year | Inhabitants |
| 1790 | 4,500 |
| 1820 | 16,200 |
| 1850 | 25,400 |
| 1880 | 49,300 |
| 1900 | 97,400 |
| 1925 | 145,700 |
(source unknown, figures unconfirmed)
Famous People
It is the birthplace of Karl Benz (1844 - 1929), inventor of the automobile and founder of Benz & Co., now part of DaimlerChrysler (formerly Daimler-Benz), as well as Karl Drais who invented the precursor of the bicycle and other transportation devices.
Institutions
Karlsruhe is the seat of the German Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) and the highest Court of Appeals in civil and criminal cases, the Bundesgerichtshof.
The Universität Karlsruhe (University of Karlsruhe) is a well known research and study centre.
Twinning
The town is twinned with Nancy (France), Nottingham (Great Britain), Krasnodar (Russia), Timisoara (also known as Temeswar) (Romania), Halle (Germany).
Local Attractions
Good visibility assumed, the Durlacher Turmberg to the east can be seen miles before reaching the city. It sports a look-out tower (hence its name) with nearby restaurant and can be reached by the historical Turmbergbahn (former rack railway, see link below).
The Stadtgarten is a recreational area near the Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) and was rebuilt during the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Garden Show).
The Marktplatz with the stone pyramid marking the grave of the city's founding father. (For a short period during the Nazi reign it was called Adolf-Hitler-Platz.)
The city is nicknamed Die Fächerstadt (the fan city) because of its deliberate layout, with straight streets running out fan-like from the castle. The Karlsruhe Schloß (castle buildings) is an interesting piece of architecture; the adjacent Schloßgarten invites to a walk in the woods.
Events
It attracted an immense crowd of visitors from all directions eager to watch the total solar eclipse during noon time on August 10, 1999 (this place being located within the eclipse path and one of the few within Germany not plagued by bad weather).
External Links
- Official website (in German)
- History
- City plan (shows the "fan"-shaped city design)
- Karlsruhe University (official website)
- Town square webcam
- Turmberg webcam
- Turmbergbahn (in German)
- Private diary detailing the solar eclipse (1999) (in German)
