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85-722: The family divided into two ruling branches in 1485 by the Treaty of Leipzig : the Ernestine and Albertine branches. The older Ernestine branch played a key role during the Protestant Reformation . Many ruling monarchs outside Germany were later tied to its cadet branch , the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . The Albertine branch , while less prominent, ruled most of Saxony and played a part in Polish history . Agnates of

170-573: A few locations within the town. On the Hausberg close to Ziegenhain a few specimens of the rare true service tree ( Cormus domestica ) can be found. Firefly can be seen in the meadows in Paradiespark as well as a variety of native wildflowers. Wildlife on the surrounding mountains includes raven , sand lizard and wood ants . Heron , beaver and muskrat have been seen on the Saale, within

255-459: A more rural constitution: Over the centuries, Jena had mostly been a town of 4,000 to 5,000 inhabitants. The population growth began in the 19th century with an amount of 6,000 in 1840 and of 8,000 in 1870. Then, a demographic boom occurred with a population of 20,000 in 1900, 50,000 in 1920, 73,000 in 1940, 81,000 in 1960 and 104,000 in 1980. The peak was reached in 1988 with a population of 108,000. The bad economic situation in eastern Germany after

340-530: A part of Saxe-Weimar , but in 1672 it became the capital of its own small duchy ( Saxe-Jena ). In 1692, after two dukes ( Bernhard II and Johann Wilhelm ), the dukes of Saxe-Jena died out and the duchy became part of Saxe-Eisenach and, in 1741, of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar , to which it belonged until 1809. From 1809 to 1918, Jena was part of the Duchy (from 1815 Grand Duchy) of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , which from 1871

425-573: A population of about 110,000. Jena is a centre of education and research. The University of Jena (formally the Friedrich Schiller University ) was founded in 1558 and had 18,000 students in 2017 and the Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena serves another 5,000 students. Furthermore, there are many institutes of the leading German research societies. Jena was first mentioned in 1182 and stayed a small town until

510-574: A referendum in which Saxe-Coburg (minus Gotha), however, voted to join Bavaria. Jena Jena ( German pronunciation: [ˈjeːna] ) is a city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia . Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar , it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has

595-596: A role in Polish history – two Wettins were Kings of Poland (between 1697–1763) and a third ruled the Duchy of Warsaw (1807–1814) as a satellite of Napoleon I . After the Napoleonic Wars , the Albertine branch lost about 40% of its lands (the economically less-developed northern parts of the old Electorate of Saxony) to Prussia, restricting it to a territory coextensive with the modern Saxony (see Final Act of

680-835: A sister of the childless former head of the Albertines, Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen (died 2012), who had adopted his nephew and granted him the name Prince of Saxony, contrary to the rules of male descent under the Salic Law . Both are however not recognized by the Nobility Archive in Marburg, nor by the Conference of the Formerly Ruling Houses in Germany – Prince Rüdiger because his father Timo

765-482: A small foreign-born population: circa 4.0% are non-Germans by citizenship and overall 6.2% are migrants (according to 2011 EU census ). Differing from the national average, the biggest groups of migrants in Jena are Russians , Chinese and Ukrainians . During recent years, the economic situation of the city has improved: the unemployment rate declined from 14% in 2005 to 7% in 2013. Due to the official policy of atheism in

850-546: A subcamp of the prison in Sieradz in German-occupied Poland . In 1945, toward the end of World War II , Jena was repeatedly targeted by Allied bombing raids . 709 people were killed, 2,000 injured, and most of the medieval town centre was destroyed, but in parts restored after the end of the war. No other Thuringian city suffered worse damage, except Nordhausen , whose destruction was utter. Today most of

935-476: Is 585 millimeters (23.0 in) with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Light snowfall mainly occurs from December through February, but snow cover does not usually remain for long. During the Middle Ages, Jena was famous for growing wine on its slopes. Nowadays, the next commercial wine-growing areas are situated 20 km (12 mi) down Saale river. Due to its distance to coastal areas and position in

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1020-479: Is a hub for E-commerce in Germany. Other IT players with regional offices include Accenture or ESET . Jena-Optronik , a subsidiary of the Airbus Group , develops components for spaceflight or satellites in Jena. The city is among Germany's 50 fastest growing regions, with many internationally renowned research institutes and companies, a comparatively low unemployment and a young population structure. Jena

1105-651: Is home to professional football club FC Carl Zeiss Jena . The club won the DDR-Oberliga three times, the FDGB Cup four times, and reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup once. Post-unification the club have been less successful and they currently compete in Regionalliga Nordost . In women's football, FF USV Jena is a member of the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga . Both clubs' home stadium

1190-528: Is its leading branch to date, although software engineering, other digital businesses, and biotechnology are of growing importance. Furthermore, Jena is also a service hub for its regional environs. Jena lies in a hilly landscape in the east of Thuringia, within the wide valley of the Saale river. Due to its rocky landscape, varied substrate and mixed forests, Jena is known in Germany for the wide variety of wild orchids which can be found within walking distance of

1275-484: Is not as compact as other cities in the region, and urban planning is still a challenge. A peculiarity of Jena is the presence of a second old town centre with a market square, town hall, and castle in the former town of Lobeda, which is a district since 1946, located approximately 4 km (2 mi) to the south of Jena's centre. Jena has its own theatre and orchestra, the Jenaer Philharmonie . Jena

1360-598: Is quite unusual for a German city and caused on the one hand by the city's difficult topography and on the other hand by the history, because the two main lines were built by two different private companies. The connection in north–south direction is the Saal Railway with ICE trains running from Berlin in the north to Munich in the south once a day stopping at Paradies station and local trains to Naumburg and Saalfeld stopping at Zwätzen , Saalbahnhof , Paradies and Göschwitz . The connection in west–east direction

1445-610: Is the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld . Also, the city's basketball team, Science City Jena played in Basketball Bundesliga in 2007–2008 season and returned to top level in 2015–16 season. In addition, since 2000, the university of Jena has a rugby team. Since 2012, the USV Rugby Jena team has been playing in the 2. Rugby-Bundesliga . Current men's javelin throw world record (98.48) by Jan Železný

1530-545: Is the Weimar–Gera railway with regional express trains to Göttingen (via Erfurt and Weimar ) and Zwickau , Glauchau , Altenburg or Greiz (via Gera ) and local trains between Weimar, Jena and Gera. The express trains stop at West station near the city centre and Göschwitz, the local trains furthermore at Neue Schenke . The junction between both lines is the Göschwitz station , approx. 5 km (3 mi) south of

1615-578: The Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg — together with the incorporated Margraviate of Meissen and the Thuringian landgraviate formed the united Wettin lands. After the death of Frederick in 1464, his lands were ruled jointly by his two sons, until 1485, when they were partitioned between them. In the 1485 partition the elder, Ernest, as hereditary Elector of Saxony, necessarily received the Electoral lands around Wittenberg. The rest were partitioned on

1700-636: The Holy Roman Empire . The family split into two ruling branches in 1485 when the sons of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony divided the territories hitherto ruled jointly. The elder son Ernest , who had succeeded his father as Prince-elector , received the territories assigned to the Elector ( Electorate of Saxony ) and Thuringia , while his younger brother Albert obtained the March of Meissen , which he ruled from Dresden . As Albert ruled under

1785-845: The Jägersberg near Zwätzen , the Windknollen north of the city centre, the Tatzend west of the city centre, the Lichtenhainer Höhe near Lichtenhain, the Holzberg near Winzerla, the Jagdberg near Göschwitz and the Spitzenberg near Maua. The mountains belong to the geological formation of Ilm Saale Plate ( Muschelkalk ) and are relatively flat on their peaks but steep to the valleys in between. Due to its jagged surface,

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1870-902: The Liesgau (located at the western edge of the Harz ). Around 1000, the family acquired Wettin Castle , which was originally built by the local Slavic tribes (see Sorbs ), after which they named themselves. Wettin Castle is located in Wettin in the Hassegau (or Hosgau) on the Saale River . Around 1030, the Wettin family received the Eastern March as a fief . The prominence of the Wettins in

1955-702: The Prussian army here in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt , near the district of Vierzehnheiligen. Resistance against the French occupation was strong, especially among the students. Many of the students fought in the Lützow Free Corps in 1813. Two years later, the Urburschenschaft fraternity was founded in the city. During the later 19th century, the famous biologist Ernst Haeckel was professor at

2040-772: The Schmalkaldic War (1546/7), which pitted the Protestant Schmalkaldic League against the Emperor Charles V . Although itself Lutheran, the Albertine branch rallied to the Emperor's cause. Charles V had promised Moritz the rights to the electorship. After the Battle of Mühlberg , Johann Friedrich der Großmütige , had to cede territory (including Wittenberg) and the electorship to his cousin Moritz. Although imprisoned, Johann Friedrich

2125-581: The Soviet Union . On the other hand, the GDR government founded a new pharmaceutical factory in 1950, Jenapharm , which is part of Bayer today. In 1953, Jena was a centre of the East German Uprising against GDR policy. The protests with 30,000 participants drew fire from Soviet tanks . The following decades brought some radical shifts in city planning. During the 1960s, another part of

2210-575: The racial policy of Nazi Germany ). Kristallnacht in 1938 led to more discrimination against Jews in Jena, many of whom either emigrated or were arrested and murdered by the German government. This weakened the academic milieu, because many academics were Jews (especially in medicine). During World War II , the Germans operated two subcamps of the Buchenwald concentration camp in the city, and

2295-420: The "I'll cut, you choose" basis, with Ernest partitioning the lands into two sets, and Albert choosing one set for himself. Albert chose the eastern territory of the former Margraviate of Meissen , while Ernest acquired most of the Thuringian regions in the west. Ernest was said to be disappointed by this outcome, as he had hoped to rule the lands around Meissen, which had been ruled by the House of Wettin since

2380-546: The 12th century, rather than the newly acquired lands of southern Thuringia. Elector Ernest established the town of Wittenberg as the capital of the Saxon electorate and proclaimed himself Landgrave of Thuringia . Duke Albert III established Meissen as the centre of the Albertine Saxon duchy and deemed himself Margrave of Meissen. In the course of the Protestant Reformation the Ernestine and Albertine branches of

2465-402: The 18th century – and the first suburbs developed in front of the former city gates. In these areas, some historic building structures from the 18th and early 19th century remained in western Bachstraße and Wagnergasse, in northern Zwätzengasse and in southern Neugasse. The later 19th and early 20th centuries brought a construction boom to Jena, with the city enlarged to the north and south along

2550-593: The 1990s, but most of the suburban areas were situated within the administrative city borders. The birth surplus was 62 in 2012, or +0.6 per 1,000 inhabitants (Thuringian average: -4.5; national average: -2.4). The net migration rate was +4.0 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 (Thuringian average: -0.8; national average: +4.6). The most important regions of origin of Jena migrants are rural areas of Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony as well as foreign countries such as Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Like many other eastern German cities, Jena has

2635-474: The 19th century, when industry developed. For most of the 20th century, Jena was a world centre of the optical industry around companies such as Carl Zeiss , Schott and Jenoptik (since 1990). As one of only a few medium-sized cities in Germany, it has some high-rise buildings in the city centre, such as the JenTower . These also have their origin in the former Carl Zeiss factory. Between 1790 and 1850, Jena

House of Wettin - Misplaced Pages Continue

2720-751: The British and Portuguese thrones became possessions of persons who belonged to the House of Wettin for a time. From King George I to Queen Victoria , the British Royal family was called the House of Hanover , being a junior branch of the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg and thus part of the dynasty of the Guelphs . In the late 19th century, Queen Victoria charged the College of Arms in England to determine

2805-522: The British public (especially radical Republicans such as H. G. Wells ) to question the loyalty of the royal family. Advisors to King George V searched for an acceptable surname for the British royal family, but Wettin was rejected as "unsuitably comic". An Order in Council legally changed the name of the British royal family to "Windsor" (originally suggested by Lord Stamfordham ) in 1917. Branch of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Branch of Saxe-Meiningen In

2890-659: The Congress of Vienna Act IV: Treaty between Prussia and Saxony 18 May 1815). Frederick Augustus III lost his throne in the German Revolution of 1918. The role of current head of the Albertine "House of Saxony" is claimed by his great-grandson Prince Rüdiger of Saxony , Duke of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen (born 23 December 1953). However, the headship of Prince Rüdiger is contested by his second cousin, Alexander (born 1954), son of Roberto Afif (later by change of name Mr Gessaphe) and Princess Maria Anna of Saxony,

2975-621: The Electorate and later Kingdom of Saxony . The descendants of John Frederick I only retained the Thuringian territory which furthermore split into numerous Ernestine duchies . When after World War I the House of Wettin was deposed, the Albertine Saxon Kingdom was succeeded by the Free State of Saxony , while the four former Ernestine duchies formed, along with four minor states, the Free State of Thuringia following

3060-536: The House of Wettin have, at various times, ascended the thrones of the United Kingdom , Portugal , Bulgaria , Poland , Saxony , Mexico and Belgium . Only the Belgian line retains their throne today. The oldest member of the House of Wettin who is known for certain is Theodoric I of Wettin , also known as Dietrich , Thiedericus , and Thierry I of Liesgau (died c. 982). He was most probably based in

3145-459: The Jenaer industrial sector that the city was in need of an electricity generator and in the first years of the 1900s an electrified tramway was founded in Jena. Industrialization fundamentally changed the social structure of Jena. The former academic town became a working-class city; the population rose from 8,000 around 1870 up to 71,000 at the beginning of World War II . The city expanded along

3230-527: The Lutheran doctrine, and Jena was the second-largest printing location in Germany after Leipzig . The list of the so-called " Seven Wonders of Jena " was composed by students of the university at this time, supposedly as a test of local knowledge in order to confirm that a person who claimed to have studied in Jena was actually familiar with the city. Beginning in the 16th century, the Ernestine dynasty saw many territorial partitions. Initially, Jena remained

3315-674: The Magnanimous founded it, because he had lost his old university in Wittenberg to the Albertines after the Schmalkaldic War . During the Little Ice Age , wine-growing declined in the 17th century, so that the new university became one of the most important sources of income for the city. The same century brought a boom in printing business caused by the rising importance of books (and the population's ability to read) in

3400-509: The Saale valley to the north and the south and its side valleys to the east and the west. In 1901, the tram system started its operation and the university got a new main building (established between 1906 and 1908 on the former castle's site). After the foundation of Thuringia in 1920, Jena was one of the three biggest cities (together with Weimar and Gera , while Erfurt remained part of Prussia ) and became an independent city in 1922. The modern optical and glass industry kept booming and

3485-474: The Saale valley, to the west along Mühltal and on the Saale's east side in former Wenigenjena. Compared with the city centre, later substantial losses were much slighter in this areas. During the interwar period, the construction of flats stayed on a high level but suitable ground got less, so that new housing complexes were set up relatively far away from the centre – a problem that remained until today with long journeys and high rents as consequences. Today's Jena

House of Wettin - Misplaced Pages Continue

3570-413: The Saale valley, wind speeds tend to be very low; predominant direction is SW. The Jena weather station has recorded the following extreme values: Jena abuts the district of Saale-Holzland with the municipalities of Lehesten , Neuengönna , and Golmsdorf in the north, Jenalöbnitz , Großlöbichau , and Schlöben in the east and Laasdorf , Zöllnitz , Sulza , Rothenstein , Milda , and Bucha in

3655-407: The Slavic Saxon Eastern March (or Ostmark ) caused Emperor Henry IV to invest them with the March of Meissen as a fief in 1089. The family advanced over the course of the Middle Ages : in 1263, they inherited the landgraviate of Thuringia (although without Hesse ) and in 1423, they were invested with the Duchy of Saxony , centred at Wittenberg , thus becoming one of the prince-electors of

3740-424: The Wettin dynasty found themselves on opposing sides of the 1546/47 Schmalkaldic War . As an ally of victorious Emperor Charles V of Habsburg , the Albertine Duke Maurice of Saxony gained the Wittenberg territory and the electoral dignity, after his defeated Ernestine cousin Elector John Frederick I signed the Capitulation of Wittenberg . From that event, the Albertine line in the former Meissen Margraviate ruled

3825-434: The area into a number of smaller states. One of the resulting Ernestine houses, known as Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld until 1826 and as Saxe-Coburg and Gotha after that, went on to contribute kings of Belgium (from 1831) and Bulgaria (1908–1946), as well as furnishing consorts to queens regnant of Portugal ( Prince Ferdinand ) and the United Kingdom ( Prince Albert ), and the Emperor of Mexico ( Carlota of Mexico ) Thus,

3910-444: The brothers August and Friedrich Schlegel , and Ludwig Tieck ). In 1794, the poets Goethe and Schiller met at the university and established a long lasting friendship, based on their love of Shakespeare. Consequently, the reputation of the University and the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach as liberal and open-minded, but severely self-absorbed, was established and enhanced. On 14 October 1806, Napoleon fought and defeated

3995-399: The city consists of buildings from before World War II. Jena was occupied by American troops on 13 April 1945 and was left to the Red Army on 1 July 1945. Jena fell within the Soviet zone of occupation in post-World War II Germany. In 1949, it became part of the new German Democratic Republic (GDR). The Soviets dismantled great parts of the Zeiss and Schott factories and took them to

4080-454: The city grew further during Weimar times . During the Nazi period, conflicts deepened in Jena between the influential left-wing milieus (communists and social democrats) and the right-wing Nazi milieus. On the one hand, the university suffered from new restrictions against its independence, but on the other hand, it consolidated the Nazi ideology, for example with a professorship of social anthropology (which sought to scientifically legitimize

4165-409: The city in 1523. Martin Luther visited the town to reorganize the clerical relations and Jena became an early centre of his doctrine. In the following years, the Dominican and the Carmelite convents were attacked by the townsmen and abolished in 1525 (Carmelite) and 1548 (Dominican). An important step in Jena's history was the foundation of the university in 1558. Ernestine Elector John Frederick

4250-410: The city is no longer considered a far-right hotspot. Jena is situated in a hilly landscape in eastern Thuringia at the Saale river, between the Harz mountains 85 km (53 mi) in the north, the Thuringian Forest / Thuringian Highland 50 km (31 mi) in the southwest and the Ore Mountains , 75 km (47 mi) in the southeast. The municipal terrain is hilly with rugged slopes at

4335-410: The coats of arms, see: Coat of arms of Saxony or in French: Armorial de la maison de Wettin Treaty of Leipzig The Treaty of Leipzig or Partition of Leipzig (German Leipziger Teilung ) was signed on 11 November 1485 between Elector Ernest of Saxony and his younger brother Albert III , the sons of Elector Frederick II of Saxony from the House of Wettin . The agreement perpetuated

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4420-512: The correct personal surname of her late husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha —and, thus, the proper surname of the royal family upon the accession of her son. After extensive research, they concluded that it was Wettin, but this name was never used, either by the Queen or by her son ( King Edward VII ) or by her grandson ( King George V ); they were simply Kings of the House of "Saxe-Coburg-Gotha". Severe anti-German sentiment during World War I (1914-1918) led some influential members of

4505-405: The division of the Wettin lands into a Saxon and a Thuringian part, which in the long run obstructed the further development of a Central German hegemonic power in favour of Brandenburg-Prussia . In 1423 Ernest's and Albert's grandfather, Margrave Frederick IV of Meissen had received the Saxon Electorate from the hands of the Luxembourg emperor Sigismund . The Electorate — formerly

4590-469: The east, Teichgraben in the south and Leutragraben in the west). There are only a few historic buildings in this area (e.g. at Oberlauengasse), due to the destruction during World War II and modernization projects in the following decades. The Eichplatz, a big sub-used square covering a large amount of the centre, has not been built on since the 1960s and the discussion about its future is still in process. The wall's defortification took place relatively early in

4675-413: The former GDR , most of the population is non-religious. 15.9% are members of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany and 6.6% are Catholics (according to 2011 EU census). Jena has a great variety of museums: Most of the city consists of buildings from before World War II. The historic city centre is located inside the former wall (which is the area between Fürstengraben in the north, Löbdergraben in

4760-407: The historic city centre was demolished to build the Jen Tower . The Eichplatz in front of the tower is still unbuilt and its future is still the subject of ongoing heated discussion. Big Plattenbau settlements were developed in the 1970s and 1980s, because the population was still rising and the housing shortage remained a perpetual problem. New districts established in the north (near Rautal) and in

4845-407: The house gave rise to an important early-modern ruler who was ahead of his time in supporting the education of his people and in improving administration. In the 18th century, Karl August , Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, established what was to become known as Weimar Classicism at his court in Weimar, notably by bringing Johann Wolfgang von Goethe there. It was only in the 19th century that one of

4930-401: The late 13th and early 14th centuries making it into a full-fledged town. In this time, the city's economy was based mainly on wine production on the warm and sunny hillsides of the Saale valley. The two monasteries of the Dominicans (1286) and the Cistercians (1301) rounded out Jena's medieval appearance. As the political circumstances in Thuringia changed in the middle of the 14th century,

5015-411: The living conditions of their workers and the local wealth in general. When Zeiss died in 1889, his company passed to the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung , which uses great amounts of the company's profits for social benefits such as research projects at universities etc. This model became an example for other German companies (e.g. the Robert Bosch Stiftung ). In 1898 it was agreed on with several personalities from

5100-454: The many Ernestine branches, the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , regained importance through marriages as the "stud of Europe", by ascending the thrones of Belgium (in 1831), Portugal (1853–1910), Bulgaria (1908–1946) and the United Kingdom (1901-present, though the relevant marriage had taken place in 1840) and also providing a consort to the future Habsburg Emperor of Mexico (1857). The junior Albertine branch maintained most of

5185-409: The municipal territory isn't very suitable for agriculture all the more since the most flat areas along the valley were built on during the 20th century. At the mountains is some forest of different leaf trees and pines. 32 species of native orchids can be found in the Jena area. One of the best places to see them is Leutratal , to the south of the town. Bee orchid ( Ophrys apifera ) even grows at

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5270-405: The photonics lab Lichtwerkstatt Archived 4 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine and the Krautspace there are makerspaces and hackerspaces enabling start-ups to create their product ideas and realizing their first prototype and business models as well as networking. Jena has no central railway station with connection to all the lines at one point. What is relatively common in many countries

5355-404: The reunification resulted in a decline in population, which fell to 99,000 in 1998 before rising again to 107,000 in 2012. The average population growth between 2009 and 2012 was approximately 0.47% p. a, whereas the population in bordering rural regions is shrinking with accelerating tendency. Suburbanization played only a small role in Jena. It occurred after the reunification for a short time in

5440-416: The south (around Winzerla and Lobeda). The opposition against the GDR government was reinforced during the late 1980s in Jena, fed by academic and clerical circles. In autumn 1989, the city saw the largest protests in its history before the GDR government was dissolved. After 1990, Jena became part of the refounded state of Thuringia . Industry came into a heavy crisis during the 1990s, but finally it managed

5525-467: The south and the district of Weimarer Land with the municipalities of Döbritschen , Großschwabhausen , and Saaleplatte in the west. The city is divided into 30 districts. The inner-city districts are Zentrum, Nord, West, Süd, Wenigenjena (east of Saale, incorporated in 1909), and Kernberge, other big districts are Lobeda (incorporated in 1946) and Winzerla (incorporated in 1922) in the south with large housing complexes. The residual districts are from

5610-419: The south, so that the relevance of Jena was more local during the Middle Ages. The first unequivocal mention of Jena was in an 1182 document. The first local rulers of the region were the Lords of Lobdeburg with their eponymous castle near Lobeda , roughly 6 km (4 mi) south of the city centre on the eastern hillside of the Saale valley. In the 13th century, the Lords of Lobdeburg founded two towns in

5695-463: The territorial integrity of Saxony, preserving it as a significant power in the region, and used small appanage fiefs for its cadet branches, few of which survived for significant lengths of time. The Ernestine Wettins, on the other hand, repeatedly subdivided their territory, creating an intricate patchwork of small duchies and counties in Thuringia. The Albertine Wettins ruled as Electors (1547–1806) and Kings of Saxony (1806–1918), and also played

5780-435: The title of "Duke of Saxony", his possessions were also known as Ducal Saxony . The older Ernestine branch remained predominant until 1547 and played an important role in the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation . Frederick III ( Friedrich der Weise ) appointed Martin Luther (1512) and Philipp Melanchthon (1518) to the University of Wittenberg , which he had established in 1502. The Ernestine predominance ended in

5865-416: The town. Local nature reserves are maintained by volunteers and NABU . Until the High Middle Ages , the Saale was the border between Germanic regions in the west and Slavic regions in the east. Owing to its function as a river crossing, Jena was conveniently located. Nevertheless, there were also some more important Saale crossings such as the nearby cities of Naumburg to the north and Saalfeld to

5950-542: The town. Pine martens sometimes come into the town at night, from the mountains, to raid bins. It is documented that the European wildcat occurs near Jena. Jena has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ; Trewartha : Dobk ). Summers are warm and sometimes humid; winters are relatively cold. The city's topography creates a microclimate caused through the basin position with sometimes inversion in winter (quite cold nights under −20 °C (−4 °F)) and heat and inadequate air circulation in summer. Annual precipitation

6035-444: The traditional Carl Zeiss AG , Schott AG , Jenoptik and Jenapharm as well as new companies such as Intershop Communications , Analytik Jena , and Carl Zeiss Meditec . Jena has the most market-listed companies and is one of the most important economic centres of east Germany. With companies such as Intershop Communications, Salesforce.com (after the acquisition of Demandware ) and ePages as well as several web agencies, Jena

6120-486: The transition to the market economy and today, it is one of the leading economic centres of eastern Germany. Furthermore, the university was enlarged and many new research institutes were founded. Especially between 1995 and 1997 several far-right crimes were committed in Jena. The city's far-right scene of the 1990s gave rise to the National Socialist Underground (NSU) terror group. However,

6205-455: The university. The expansion of science and medicine faculties was closely linked to the industrial boom that Jena saw after 1871. The initial spark of industrialization in Jena was the (relatively late) connection to the railway. The Saal Railway ( Saalbahn , opened in 1874) was the connection from Halle and Leipzig along the Saale valley to Nuremberg and the Weimar–Gera railway (opened 1876) connected Jena with Frankfurt and Erfurt in

6290-704: The valley's edges. The city centre is situated at 160 m of elevation, whereas the mountains on both sides of Saale valley rise up to 400 m. On the eastern side those are (from north to south): the Gleisberg near Kunitz, the Jenzig near Wogau, the Hausberg near Wenigenjena, the Kernberge near Wöllnitz, the Johannisberg near Lobeda and the Einsiedlerberg near Drackendorf. On the western side, there are

6375-400: The valley: Jena on the west bank and Lobeda – which is one of Jena's constituent communities today – 4 km (2 mi) to the south on the east bank. Around 1230, Jena received town rights and a regular city grid was established between today's Fürstengraben, Löbdergraben, Teichgraben and Leutragraben. The city got a marketplace, main church, town hall, council and city walls during

6460-650: The very likely event of the extinction of these two senior branches, the sole represantation of the Ernestine Wettins will pass to the descendants of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld , who are the present Saxe-Coburg-Gothas led by Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 21 March 1943), the House of Windsor , the Royal Family of Belgium and the Royal Family of Bulgaria . Francis and his nephew Ludwig Frederick Emil von Coburg are also ancestors to morganatic lines. For an extensive treatment of

6545-455: The weakened Lords of Lobdeburg sold Jena to the aspiring Wettins in 1331. Jena obtained the Gotha municipal law and the citizens strengthened their rights and wealth during the 14th and 15th centuries. Moreover, the Wettins were more interested in their residence in the nearby city of Weimar , and so Jena could develop itself relatively autonomously. The Protestant Reformation was brought to

6630-455: The west as well as Dresden and Gera in the east. Famous pioneers of the Jenaer industry were Carl Zeiss and Ernst Abbe (with their Carl Zeiss AG ) as well as Otto Schott ( Schott AG ). Since that time, production of optical items, precision machinery and laboratory glassware have been the main branches of Jena's economy; Jena glass is even named after the city. Zeiss, Abbe and Schott worked also as social reformers who wanted to improve

6715-517: Was a focal point of the German Vormärz as well as of the student liberal and unification movement and German Romanticism . Notable persons of this period in Jena were Friedrich Schiller , Alexander von Humboldt , Johann Gottlieb Fichte , Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel , Novalis , and August Wilhelm Schlegel . Jena's economy is largely built upon its high-technology infrastructure and research. The precision optical instruments industry

6800-571: Was able to plan a new university. It was established by his three sons on 19 March 1548 as the Höhere Landesschule at Jena . On 15 August 1557, Emperor Ferdinand I awarded it the status of university. The Ernestine line was thereafter restricted to Thuringia and its dynastic unity swiftly crumbled, dividing into a number of smaller states, the Ernestine duchies . Nevertheless, with Ernst der Fromme , Duke of Saxe-Gotha (1601–1675),

6885-578: Was achieved in Jena. Agriculture plays a small role in Jena, only 40% of the municipal territory are in use for farming (compared to over 60% in Erfurt and nearly 50% in Weimar ). Furthermore, the Muschelkalk soil is not very fertile and is often used as pasture for cattle. The only large agricultural area is situated around Isserstedt, Cospeda and Vierzehnheiligen district in the northwest. Wine-growing

6970-489: Was also part of the German Empire . Around 1790, the university became the largest and most famous one among the German states and made Jena the centre of the self-centred, idealist philosophy of ‘Ich' (with professors such as Johann Gottlieb Fichte , Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel , Friedrich Schiller , and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling ). It was also home to the early Romanticism (with poets such as Novalis,

7055-606: Was awarded the title "Stadt der Wissenschaft" (city of science) by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft , a German science association, in 2008. Jena is also a hub of public and private services, specially in education, research and business services. Other important institutions are the High Court of Thuringia and Thuringia's solely university hospital. Furthermore, Jena is a regional centre in infrastructure and retail with many shopping centres. Together with

7140-570: Was discontinued during the Little Ice Age around 1800, but is now possible again due to global warming . Nevertheless, the commercial production of wine hasn't yet resumed. Industry is a great tradition in Jena, reaching back to the mid-19th century. In 2012, there were 80 companies in industrial production with more than 20 workers employing 8,300 persons and generating a turnover of more than 1,5 billion Euro. The most important branches are precision machinery, pharmaceuticals, optics, biotechnology and software engineering. Notable companies in Jena are

7225-505: Was expelled from the House of Wettin, and Prince Alexander because he is not of agnatic noble descent (his father was Roberto Afif from Lebanon). Consequently, the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin is officially treated by the German nobility as extinct in its legal succession-line. The senior (Ernestine) branch of the House of Wettin lost the electorship to the Albertine line in 1547, but retained its holdings in Thuringia, dividing

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