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136-664: Known primarily as an industrial city, Ludwigshafen is home to BASF , the world's largest chemical producer , and other companies. Among its cultural facilities are the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz . It is the birthplace and death place of the former Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl . In 2012, Ludwigshafen was classified as a global city with ' Sufficiency ' status by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC). In antiquity , Celtic and Germanic tribes settled in

272-577: A "Greater Ludwigshafen" by agglomerating smaller towns and villages in the vicinity. Thus Oggersheim, Oppau, Edigheim , Rheingönheim, and Maudach became suburbs of Ludwigshafen, raising its population to 135,000. The Ludwigshafen synagogue was destroyed in 1938 and its Jewish population of 1,400 was deported in 1940. During the Oil Campaign of World War II , the Allies conducted bombing of Ludwigshafen and Oppau . Thirteen thousand Allied bombers hit

408-571: A BASF site in Ludwigshafen , killing 207 people and injuring 3818. In 1952, BASF was refounded under its name following the efforts of former Nazi Party member Carl Wurster , who served in Nazi Germany as Wehrwirtschaftsführer (war economy leader). With the German economic miracle in the 1950s, BASF added synthetics such as nylon to its product range. BASF developed Polystyrene in

544-401: A British patent on 25 June 1869. Coincidentally, Perkin applied for a virtually identical patent on 26 June 1869, and the two companies came to a mutual commercial agreement about the process. Further patents were granted for the synthesis of methylene blue and eosin , and in 1880, research began to try to find a synthetic process for indigo dye , though this was not successfully brought to

680-490: A bungalow in southern Oggersheim. The Wallfahrtskirche, a railway station, the important Unfallklinik (“casualty hospital”), and several large residential blocks are to be found in Oggersheim. For the last few years, the northern subdistricts of Notwende and Melm have seen a large amount of building activities in their new housing estates. Rheingönheim (ca 7,000 inhabitants), as the southernmost suburb of Ludwigshafen,

816-704: A guarantee of her continued sovereign and independent status. On 14 October, Bavaria made a formal declaration of war against Napoleonic France. The treaty was passionately backed by Crown Prince Ludwig and by Marshal Karl Philipp von Wrede . With the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813 ended the German Campaign with the Coalition nations as the victors, in a complete failure for the French, although they achieved

952-555: A joint venture named Styrolution . Polyurethanes BASF's Polyurethanes business consists of diverse technologies and finished products. Urethane chemicals are raw materials used in rigid and flexible foams commonly used for insulation in the construction and appliance industries, furniture, packaging, and transportation. Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( German : Königreich Bayern [ˈkøːnɪkʁaɪç ˈbaɪɐn] ; Bavarian : Kinereich Bayern [ˈkɪnəraɪ̯x ˈb̥ajɛɐ̯n] ; spelled Baiern until 1825)

1088-533: A minor victory when a Bavarian army attempted to block the retreat of the French Grande Armée at Hanau . With the defeat of Napoleon's France in 1814, Bavaria lost the territories it had gained from Austria, but was compensated for some of its losses, receiving new territories such as the Grand Duchy of Würzburg , the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt and parts of the Grand Duchy of Hesse . Finally,

1224-536: A privileged status for the Kingdom of Bavaria within the German Empire ( Reservatrechte ). The Kingdom of Bavaria was even able to retain its own diplomatic body and its own army, which would fall under Prussian command only in times of war. After Bavaria's entry into the empire, Ludwig II became increasingly detached from Bavaria's political affairs and spent vast amounts of money on personal projects, such as

1360-594: A relation of Hauptstaat (main state, i.e. Bavaria) and Nebenstaat (alongside state, i.e. the Palatinate). In 1825, Ludwig I ascended the throne of Bavaria. Under Ludwig, the arts flourished in Bavaria, and Ludwig personally ordered and financially assisted the creation of many neoclassical buildings and architecture across Bavaria. Ludwig also increased Bavaria's pace towards industrialization under his reign. In foreign affairs under Ludwig's rule, Bavaria supported

1496-795: A republic after the German Revolution , and the kingdom was thus succeeded by the current Free State of Bavaria . On 30 December 1777, the Bavarian line of the Wittelsbachs became extinct, and the Electorate of Bavaria passed to Charles Theodore , the Elector Palatine . After a separation of four and a half centuries, the Electoral Palatinate , to which the duchies of Jülich and Berg had been added,

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1632-702: A second large shopping mall on the southern tip of the city centre (the Walzmühle near Berliner Platz ) with affiliated railway station ( Ludwigshafen-Mitte ). In addition, another shopping mall on the banks of the Rhine, the Rhein-Galerie, was completed in September 2010. Ludwigshafen has enormous importance as an industrial city. The city centre of Ludwigshafen is comparatively small and dominated by post-war buildings. Its northern and southern boundaries are

1768-662: A site in Schwarzheide , Eastern Germany , on 25 October 1990. In 1968, BASF (together with Bayer AG ) bought the German coatings company Herbol . BASF completely took over the Herbol branches in Cologne and Würzburg in 1970. Under new management, the renewal and expansion of the trademark continued. After an extensive reorganisation and an increasing international orientation of the coatings business, Herbol became part of

1904-473: A way station for passing river traffic. Later, the Rheinschanze with its winter-proof harbour basin (created by a flood in 1824) was used as trading post. Hornig died in 1819, but Johann Heinrich Scharpff , a businessman from Speyer , continued Hornig's plans, which were then turned over to his son-in-law, Philipp Markus Lichtenberger , in 1830. Their activities marked the beginning of the civilian use of

2040-491: A wide variety of industries. Despite its size and global presence, BASF has received relatively little public attention since it abandoned the manufacture and sale of BASF-branded consumer electronics products in the 1990s. The company began as a dye manufacturer in 1865. Fritz Haber worked with Carl Bosch , one of its employees, to invent the Haber-Bosch process by 1912, after which the company grew rapidly. In 1925,

2176-485: Is a German multinational company and the largest chemical producer in the world . Its headquarters are located in Ludwigshafen , Germany. BASF comprises subsidiaries and joint ventures in more than 80 countries, operating six integrated production sites and 390 other production sites across Europe , Asia , Australia , the Americas and Africa . BASF has customers in over 190 countries and supplies products to

2312-558: Is an acronym for Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik ( German for 'Baden Aniline and Soda Factory'). It was founded by Friedrich Engelhorn on 6 April 1865 in Mannheim , in the German-speaking state of Baden . Engelhorn had been responsible for setting up a gasworks and street lighting for the town council in 1861. The gasworks produced tar as a by-product from coal, and Engelhorn used this to extract aniline for

2448-556: Is expected to be completed by 2030. In August 2019, BASF agreed to sell its global pigments business to Japanese fine chemical company DIC for €1.15 billion ($ 1.28 billion) on a cash and debt-free basis. In September 2019, BASF signed an agreement with DuPont Safety & Construction, a subsidiary business unit of DuPont , to sell its ultrafiltration membrane business, Inge GmbH. According to BASF executives, Inge GmbH and its products fit better with DuPont and their business strategy. In February 2023, BASF announced that

2584-563: Is known mainly for its industry ( Woellner ) and its game enclosure Wildpark. Maudach (ca. 7,000 inhabitants), in Ludwigshafen's South-West, is a popular residential area, closely associated with the Maudacher Bruch park. Ruchheim (ca. 6,000 inhabitants), as the westernmost suburb, has long been a small agricultural village, but now it is growing rapidly due to new housing estates. Although Ludwigshafen has no airfield, it

2720-522: Is one of the most important suburbs, being much like a town for itself (which it was in the Middle Ages). It is mentioned in the Wormser wall-building ordinance from around 900 as one of the places that shared responsibility for maintaining the city wall of Worms . During the 18th century, Electress Palatine , Elisabeth Auguste used Schloss Oggersheim as her summer palace. Helmut Kohl owned

2856-619: Is well connected with several airports in the region. There are small airfields near Speyer , Bad Dürkheim and Worms , a medium-sized regional airport in Mannheim, and the Frankfurt International Airport in about an hour's driving distance. BASF BASF SE ( German pronunciation: [beːaːɛsˈʔɛf] ), an initialism of its original name Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik ( German for 'Baden Aniline and Soda Factory'),

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2992-557: The Confederation of the Rhine . The Duchy of Berg was ceded to Napoleon only in 1806. The new kingdom faced challenges from the outset of its creation, relying on the support of Napoleonic France . The kingdom was forced to give Napoleon conscripts for the Peninsular War , faced war with Austria in 1809 and from 1810 to 1814 lost territory to Württemberg and Italy . In 1808, all relics of serfdom were abolished. In

3128-615: The Hemshof district, which belonged to Ludwigshafen. From then on, the city's rapid growth and wealth were linked to BASF's success and its expansion into becoming one of the world's most important chemical companies. Ludwigshafen also became home to several other rapidly growing chemical companies, including Friedrich Raschig GmbH, the Benckiser company (founded by Johann Benckiser), Giulini Brothers, Grünzweig&Hartmann AG, and Knoll AG  [ de ] . With more jobs available,

3264-597: The House of Wittelsbach as King of Bavaria in 1806. The crown continued to be held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom came to an end in 1918. Most of the border of modern Germany's Free State of Bavaria were established after 1814 with the Treaty of Paris , in which the Kingdom of Bavaria ceded Tyrol and Vorarlberg to the Austrian Empire while receiving Aschaffenburg and Würzburg . In 1918, Bavaria became

3400-636: The Munich Residenz with his family due to the outbreak of the German Revolution . He was the first of the monarchs in the German Empire to be deposed; only days later, the Kaiser abdicated the German throne. Ludwig took up residence in Austria for what was intended to be a temporary stay. On 12 November, he issued the Anif declaration , declaring that under the circumstances, he was "in no position to lead

3536-658: The North German Confederation , with the Prussian king leading the state. Bavaria's previous inhibitions towards Prussia changed, along with those of many of the south German states, after French Emperor Napoleon III began speaking of France 's need for "compensation" from its loss in 1814 and included the Bavarian-held Palatinate as part of its territorial claims. Ludwig II joined an alliance with Prussia in 1870 against France, which

3672-619: The Prinzregentenjahre ("The Prince Regent Years"). In 1912, Luitpold died, and his son, Prince Regent Ludwig, took over as regent. By then, it had long been apparent that Otto would never be able to reign, and sentiment grew for Ludwig to become king in his own right. On 6 November, a day after the Landtag passed a law allowing him to do so, Ludwig ended the regency, deposed Otto and declared himself King of Bavaria as Ludwig III . The Prinzregentenzeit ("prince's regent's time"), as

3808-670: The Rhenish Palatinate and Franconia were annexed to Bavaria in 1815. After the founding of the kingdom the state was totally reorganised and, in 1808, divided into 15 administrative government districts ( Regierungsbezirke , singular Regierungsbezirk ) in Bavaria called Kreise (singular Kreis ). They were created in the fashion of the French departements, quite even in size and population, and named after their main rivers: Altmühl-, Eisack-, Etsch-, Iller-, Inn-, Isar-, Lech-, Main-, Naab-, Oberdonau-, Pegnitz-, Regen-, Rezat-, Salzach- and Unterdonaukreis. Because of

3944-467: The Rhenish Palatinate was given to Bavaria by the Treaty of Munich . It was the second largest and second most powerful state south of the Main , behind only Austria. In Germany as a whole, it ranked third behind Prussia and Austria. Between 1799 and 1817, the leading minister Count Montgelas followed a strict policy of modernisation and laid the foundations of administrative structures that survived even

4080-705: The Social Democrats were elected to the parliament. From 1903, university education was also possible for female students . Electoral reforms changed the elections of the parliament from indirect to direct elections in 1906. With the Centre politician Georg von Hertling the Prince Regent appointed a government headed by a representative of the Landtag's majority for the first time in 1912. Luitpold's years as regent were marked by tremendous artistic and cultural activity in Bavaria where they are known as

4216-729: The Stadtteil Süd or “South” quarter. “South” has some of the most attractive residential areas, especially the Parkinsel area. Other sub-quarters of “South” are the Musikantenviertel or the Malerviertel . In a few years, there will be one more highly prized residential area (“ Rheinufer Süd ”) on the Rhine near the Walzmühle on former industrial estates. The Nördliche Innenstadt (ca. 22,000 inhabitants) includes

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4352-626: The Zollverein in 1834. In 1835, the first German railway was constructed in Bavaria, between the cities of Fürth and Nuremberg . In 1837, the Roman Catholic-supported clerical movement, the Ultramontanes , came to power in the Bavarian parliament and began a campaign of reform to the constitution, which removed civil rights that had earlier been granted to Protestants, as well as enforcing censorship and forbidding

4488-455: The explosion of 1921 and the flood of 1882. Edigheim (ca. 9,000 inhabitants) had once been a part of Oppau in the South, today ist almost as large as Oppau. The Pfingstweide (ca. 6,000 inhabitants) is Ludwigshafen's northernmost district; it is dominated by tower blocks and is located in close vicinity to Frankenthal. The Gartenstadt (ca. 18,000 inhabitants), west of Mundenheim, is (as

4624-598: The magnetophon  – the first tape recorder  – at the Radio Exhibition in Berlin. After the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor in 1933, IG Farben cooperated with the National Socialist government , profiting from guaranteed volumes and prices and, in time, from forced ("unfree") labour provided through governmental concentration camps . BASF (leader of the chemical industry of

4760-593: The 1930s and invented Styropor in 1951. In the 1960s, production abroad was expanded and plants were built in Argentina , Australia , Belgium , Brazil , France , India , Italy , Japan , Mexico , Spain , United Kingdom and the United States . Following a change in corporate strategy in 1965, greater emphasis was placed on higher-value products such as coatings, pharmaceuticals , pesticides and fertilizers. Following German reunification , BASF acquired

4896-591: The 51,445 concentration camp laborers supplied by the Nazis. Spread out over 23 facilities, it is estimated that 31,500–33,500 of those concentration camp inmates were killed by authorities or died from starvation, exhaustion, or disease. The Ludwigshafen site was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War but was subsequently rebuilt. The allies dissolved IG Farben in November 1945. Both

5032-485: The American strikers and organized rallies and publicity in support. The dispute was the subject of an academic study. The union also exposed major accidental releases of phosgene, toluene and other toxic gases, these being publicized in the local media and through a video, Out of Control . A court threw out a $ 66,700 fine against BASF for five environmental violations as "too small". BASF's European coatings business

5168-589: The Austrian defeat at Hohenlinden , and Moreau once more occupied Munich. By the Treaty of Lunéville (9 February 1801), Bavaria lost the Palatinate and the duchies of Zweibrücken and Jülich . In view of the scarcely disguised ambitions and intrigues of the Austrian court, Montgelas now believed that the interests of Bavaria lay in a frank alliance with the French Republic; he succeeded in overcoming

5304-575: The BASF site. The discovery in 1857 by William Henry Perkin that aniline could be used to make intense colouring agents had led to the commercial production of synthetic dyes in England from aniline extracted from coal tar. BASF recruited Heinrich Caro , a German chemist with experience of the dyestuff industry in England, to be the first head of research. Caro developed a synthesis for alizarin (a red dye used for dying textile fabrics) and applied for

5440-464: The Foams and Copolymers. BASF's styrenic copolymers have applications in electronics, building and construction, and automotive components. In 2011 BASF and INEOS blended their global business activities in the fields of styrene monomers (SM), polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), styrene butadiene copolymers (SBC) and other styrene-based copolymers (SAN, AMSAN, ASA, MABS) into

5576-609: The German Confederation had not agreed on a common strategy in the war. Their separate armies were therefore defeated in succession by Prussia. The Bavarian Army was defeated in Lower Franconia at the Battle of Kissingen (10 July 1866). Prince Karl Theodor of Bavaria took command, but the Bavarians were decisively beaten at Roßbrunn (26 July 1866). Austria was defeated, and the German Confederation

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5712-586: The German invasion of neutral Belgium the United Kingdom declared war on Germany. Initially, in Bavaria and all across Germany, many recruits flocked enthusiastically to the Army. At the outbreak of the war, King Ludwig III sent an official dispatch to Berlin, to express Bavaria's solidarity. Later Ludwig even claimed annexations for Bavaria (Alsace and the city of Antwerp in Belgium , to receive access to

5848-575: The Greeks during the Greek War of Independence with his second son, Otto being elected King of Greece in 1832. As for politics, initial reforms advocated by Ludwig were both liberal and reform-oriented. However, after the Revolutions of 1830 , Ludwig turned to conservative reaction. The Hambacher Fest in 1832 showed the discontent of the population with high taxes and censorship. Bavaria joined

5984-552: The Hemshof, “North” and “West” districts. Hemshof and “North” represent the “old town” of Ludwigshafen, they are known for their very high proportion of foreign inhabitants, making them culturally diverse. ”West” (also called Valentin-Bauer-Siedlung ) is located between main station and main cemetery. Friesenheim (ca. 18,000 inhabitants) is located north of Hemshof and is one of the two (the other one being Mundenheim) “mother villages” of Ludwigshafen, because they were responsible for

6120-716: The Hochstraßen (highways on stilts), the Rhine is in the East and the main station is located in the West of downtown Ludwigshafen, at a walking distance of about 15 minutes from the central pedestrian precinct Bismarckstraße that forms, together with the shopping mile Ludwigsstraße , the main North-South Axis, connecting the so-called “North Pole” with the Rathaus Center and the “South Pole” with Berliner Platz,

6256-611: The IG Farben) built a 24km chemical factory in Auschwitz named "IG Auschwitz", the largest chemical factory in the world at the time. IG Farben became notorious through its production of Zyklon-B , the lethal gas used to kill prisoners in German extermination camps during the Holocaust . IG Farben made extensive use of forced labor during WWII consisting mostly of drafted "service-duty" Germans, foreign workers from German-occupied territories, and prisoners of war. By 1943, nearly one-half of all IG Farben workers were forced laborers housed in factory-camp facilities. This number did not include

6392-424: The Landtag as a House of Representatives and meant therefore indirectly the first step toward full parliamentary government. Today the connection of these two developments is regarded as a main cause for the unspectacular end of the Bavarian kingdom without opposition in the course of the November revolution of 1918. However the course of his 26-year regency Luitpold knew to overcome, by modesty, ability and popularity,

6528-427: The Ludwigshafen and Oppau plants were of strategic importance for the war because the German military needed many of their products ( e.g. , synthetic rubber and gasoline). As a result, they were major targets for air raids. During the war, Allied bombers attacked the plants a total of 65 times. Bombing took place from the autumn of 1943 and saturation bombing inflicted extensive damage. Production virtually stopped by

6664-401: The Ludwigshafen area with the armies of the French Revolution . The palace at Oggersheim was burned down, Mannheim besieged several times, and all the area west of the Rhine annexed by France from 1798 to 1813. The Electorate of the Palatinate was split up. The eastern bank of the Rhine with Mannheim and Heidelberg was given to Baden , while the western bank (including the Ludwigshafen area)

6800-399: The Rheinschanze. The year 1844 was the official birth of Ludwigshafen, when Lichtenberger sold this property to the state of Bavaria (Bayern), and the military title of the fortress was finally removed. The Bavarian king, Ludwig I , set forth plans to rename the settlement after himself and to start construction of an urban area as a Bavarian rival to Mannheim on the opposite bank. During

6936-411: The Rhine Neckar area. During the 1st century B.C. the Romans conquered the region, and a Roman auxiliary fort was constructed near the present suburb of Rheingönheim. The Middle Ages saw the foundation of some of Ludwigshafen's future suburbs, including Oggersheim , Maudach, Oppau , and Mundenheim. Most of the area, however, remained swampland, with its development hindered by seasonal flooding of

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7072-406: The Rhine. The Rhine Neckar region was part of the territory of the Prince-elector of the Kurpfalz , or Electorate of the Palatinate , one of the larger states within the Holy Roman Empire . The foundation of the new capital of the Kurpfalz, Mannheim, was a decisive influence on the development of the area as a whole. Parallel to the foundation of Mannheim in 1606, a fortress ( die Rheinschanze )

7208-433: The Walzmühle shopping centre and Ludwigshafen (Rhein) Mitte station . The main east–west connections are the Bahnhofsstraße and Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße . The Pfalzbau, Staatsphilharmonie, Wilhelm-Hack-Museum and the half-destroyed monument Lutherkirche are main features of downtown Ludwigshafen. The Südliche Innenstadt or “southern city centre” (ca. 29,000 inhabitants) includes the real city centre as described above and

7344-571: The acquisition of Bayer AG 's agrochemical and seed business help to offset some of the effects of the trade war. BASF operates in a variety of markets. As of 2020 its business is organized in the segments of Chemicals, Plastics, Performance Products, Functional Solutions, Agricultural Solutions, and Oil and Gas. BASF produces a wide range of chemicals such as solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases , basic petrochemicals, and inorganic chemicals (such as Z-Cote ). The most important customers for this segment are

7480-600: The acquisition of Cognis . In May 2015, BASF agreed to sell parts of its pharmaceutical ingredients business to Swiss drug manufacturer Siegfried Holding for a fee of €270 million, including assumed debt. Since 2016, BASF has partnered with a subsidiary of Xinjiang Zhongtai Group , a company sanctioned under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act , to operate a plant in Korla . In October 2017, BASF announced it would buy seed and herbicide businesses from Bayer for €5.9 billion ($ 7 billion), as part of Bayer's acquisition of Monsanto . The company announced

7616-405: The administration of Ludwigshafen prior to its independence. Helmut Kohl was born in Friesenheim. Its western district, the Froschlache , boasts four impressive tower blocks. Oppau (ca. 10,000 inhabitants) in the North is dominated by the nearby BASF and had once been a town of its own prior to its incorporation into Ludwigshafen. In its history, it has been afflicted by several catastrophes like

7752-489: The administration of the Prussian War Ministry. Bavaria however maintained a degree of autonomy in peacetime, with its own two (later three) army corps remaining outside the Prussian order of battle. The Bavarian infantry and cavalry regiments retained their historic light blue and green uniforms, distinctive from the Prussian model adopted throughout most of the army. The individual Bavarian soldier swore an oath of loyalty to King Ludwig, though in wartime this pledge of obedience

7888-579: The aftermath of the failure of the Frankfurt Parliament, Prussia and Austria continued to debate over which monarchy had the inherent right to rule Germany. A dispute between Austria and the Elector of Hesse-Kassel was used by Austria and its allies (including Bavaria) to promote the isolation of Prussia in German political affairs. This diplomatic insult almost led to war when Austria, Bavaria, and other allies moved troops through Bavaria towards Hesse-Kassel in 1850. However, Prussia backed down to Austria, and accepted its political leadership of Germany. This event

8024-482: The automotive industry. In September 2023 BASF broke ground on its Zhanjiang syngas plant; the plant was due to be commissioned by 2025. In November 2023 the firm closed a $ 5bn 15-year investment deal in China, with Chinese banks. As of April 2023, BASF had 30 production facilities in China. CEO Martin Brudermüller held that Chinese revenue is essential to grow his European business in the face of "Europe’s high energy costs and stringent environmental rules." With

8160-483: The capital of Rheinland-Pfalz, Mainz , for a while. In the early 1970s, a plan to reform the composition of the German Bundesländer, which would have created a new state around a united Mannheim-Ludwigshafen as capital with more than half a million inhabitants, failed. Nevertheless, further ambitious projects were financed in Ludwigshafen, first of all the 15-floor city hall with its linked-up shopping centre ( Rathaus Center ). The last (up to now) new incorporated suburb

8296-610: The city in 121 separate raids during the war, of which 56 succeeded in hitting the IG Farben plant. Those 56 raids dropped 53,000 bombs each containing 250 to 4,000 pounds of high explosives, plus 2.5 million 4-pound magnesium incendiary bombs (the bombers also dropped millions of leaflets warning the civilians to evacuate the city, plus counterfeit ration coupons). Repairs took longer and longer as spare parts became more difficult to find. By December 1944, so much damage had been done to vital utilities that output dropped to nearly zero. Follow-up raids every week ended production permanently. By

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8432-553: The city were literally ruined, which were rebuilt in the architectural style of the 1950s and 1960s. The most important projects were the Hochstraßen (highways on stilts), the revolutionary new main station (then the most modern station in Europe), several tower blocks and a whole new suburb, the satellite quarter Pfingstweide north of Edigheim. The city's economic wealth allowed social benefits and institutions to be introduced. The population number reached its all-time climax in 1970 with more than 180,000 inhabitants, thus surpassing even

8568-446: The coatings and paints industry and strengthened the company's market presence, particularly in North America. The acquisition of Degussa AG's construction chemicals business was completed in 2006. The purchase price for equity was about €2.2 billion. In addition, the transaction was associated with a debt of €500 million. The company agreed to acquire Ciba (formerly part of Ciba-Geigy ) in September 2008. The proposed deal

8704-414: The combined German forces, it was Ludwig II who proposed that Prussian King Wilhelm I be proclaimed German Emperor ( Kaiser ) of the new German Empire ( Deutsches Reich ), which occurred in 1871 at the German-occupied Palace of Versailles , France. The territories of the German Empire were declared, which included the states of the North German Confederation and all of the south German states, with

8840-422: The company invested €5.6 billion in Asia, specifically in sites near Nanjing , Shanghai and Jiangmen in China and Mangalore in India . BASF is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange , London Stock Exchange , and Zurich Stock Exchange . The company delisted its ADR from the New York Stock Exchange in September 2007. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index . BASF

8976-424: The company is planning to close one of its two ammonia factories at its site in Ludwigshafen, this comes as part of the companies plans to cut costs as the organisation has struggled with high energy costs. The result of the organisations plans will lead to increased production in China while resulting in the loss of 2,600 jobs. The Zhanjiang plant extends over 400 hectares and serves mainly the electronic industry and

9112-415: The company merged with several other German chemical companies to become the chemicals conglomerate IG Farben . IG Farben would go on to play a major role in the economy of Nazi Germany . It extensively employed forced and slave labor during the Nazi period, and produced the notorious Zyklon B chemical used in The Holocaust . IG Farben was disestablished by the Allies in 1945. BASF was reconstituted from

9248-408: The constitution with articles supporting the equality of all religions, despite opposition by supporters of the Roman Catholic Church. The initial constitution almost proved disastrous for the monarchy, with controversies such as the army having to swear allegiance to the new constitution. The monarchy appealed to Prussia and the Austria for advice; the two refused to take action on Bavaria's behalf, but

9384-450: The constitution, including changes to the lower house of the Landtag with equal suffrage for every male who paid a direct tax. Maximilian II responded to the demands of the people for a united German state by attending the Frankfurt Parliament , which intended to create such a state. However, when Maximilian II rejected the Frankfurt Constitution in 1849, there was an uprising in the Bavarian Palatinate under Joseph Martin Reichard , which

9520-420: The construction of a number of fairytale castles and palaces, the most famous being the Wagnerian -style Neuschwanstein Castle . Ludwig used his personal wealth to finance these projects, and not state funds, and the construction projects landed him deeply in debt. These debts caused much concern among Bavaria's political elite, who sought to persuade Ludwig to cease his building; he refused, and relations between

9656-425: The disturbances lessened and the state stabilized with the accession of Ludwig I to the throne following the death of Maximilian in 1825. Within the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Palatinate enjoyed a special legal and administrative position, as the Bavarian government maintained substantial achievements of the French period. The German historian Heiner Haan described the special status of the Palatinate within Bavaria as

9792-472: The eastern bank of the Rhine with the former capital Mannheim and Heidelberg was given to the Grand Duchy of Baden . The western bank was granted to Bavaria as compensation for the loss of Tyrol and Salzburg. After the Austro-Prussian War (1866) in which Bavaria had sided with defeated Austria, it had to cede several Lower Franconian districts to Prussia. The Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

9928-617: The end of 1944. Due to a shortage of male workers during the war, women were conscripted to work in the factories, joined later by prisoners of war and foreign civilians. Concentration camp inmates did not work at the Ludwigshafen and Oppau plants. In July 1945, the American military administration confiscated all IG Farben assets. That same year, the Allied Commission decreed that IG Farben should be dissolved. The sites at Ludwigshafen and Oppau were controlled by French authorities. On 28 July 1948, an explosion occurred at

10064-461: The end of the war most dwellings had been destroyed or damaged; 1,800 people had died, and 3,000 were injured. The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Ludwigshafen in March 1945. The US 12th Armored Division and 94th Infantry Division captured Ludwigshafen against determined German resistance in house-to-house and block-to-block urban combat during 21–24 March 1945. Post-war , Ludwigshafen

10200-518: The failed German revolution of 1848 rebels captured Ludwigshafen, but they were bombarded from Mannheim (rumours said the Mannheimers didn't aim at the revolutionaries, but on the rival harbour's infrastructure), and Prussian troops quickly expelled the revolutionaries. On December 27, 1852, King Maximilian II granted Ludwigshafen am Rhein political freedom and as on November 8, 1859, the settlement gained city status. At its founding Ludwigshafen

10336-541: The first-ever lawsuit concerning Dicamba -related products began in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The lawsuit involves a peach farmer who alleged that Dicamba-based herbicides caused significant damage to his crops and trees. It had also been filed in November 2016, when Dicamba was still owned by Monsanto. On 14 February 2020, the jury involved in the lawsuit ruled against BASF its co-defendant Bayer, which had acquired Monsanto and its products, and found in favor of

10472-471: The flying of any other flag other than the Bavarian flag on public buildings for the emperor's birthday, but this was swiftly modified afterwards, allowing the German imperial flag to be hung beside the Bavarian flag. The Catholic, conservative Patriotic Party founded in 1868 became the leading party in the Bavarian Landtag (Parliament). In 1887, its name was changed to Bavarian Centre . In 1893,

10608-483: The formerly rotten Hemshof quarter has been restored. In 2008, a fire broke out in a building where many ethnic Turks lived. 9 people died, all of them Turks and 5 of them children. It was believed to be an arsonist attack, however this was found to be not true. One of the most annoying faults of Ludwigshafen – at least for many of the city's inhabitants - was its comparative lack of high-quality shopping possibilities. It has attempted to repair this deficiency by creating

10744-500: The free discussion of internal politics. This regime was short-lived due to the demand by the Ultramontanes of the naturalization of Ludwig I's Irish mistress, Lola Montez , a notorious courtesan and dancer, which was resented by Ludwig, and the Ultramontanes were pushed out. During the Revolutions of 1848 , Ludwig abdicated on 20 March 1848 in favour of his eldest son, Maximilian II . The revolutions also brought amendments to

10880-453: The government's ministers and the crown deteriorated. At last, in 1886, the crisis came to a head. A medical commission appointed by the cabinet declared Ludwig insane and thus incapable of reigning. His uncle, Prince Luitpold , was appointed as regent . A day after Ludwig's deposition, the king died mysteriously after asking the commission's chief psychiatrist to go on a walk with him along Lake Starnberg (then called Lake Würm). Ludwig and

11016-553: The government." Accordingly, he released his soldiers and officials from their oath to him. Although he never formally abdicated, the socialist-led government of Kurt Eisner took Ludwig's declaration as such and declared the House of Wittelsbach deposed. With this, the 700-year rule of the Wittelsbach dynasty came to an end, and the former Kingdom of Bavaria became the People's State of Bavaria . The funeral of Ludwig III in 1921

11152-549: The hands of Prince Luitpold, who continued to serve as regent for Otto. During the regency of Prince-Regent Luitpold, from 1886 to 1912, relations between Bavaria and Prussia remained cold, with Bavarians remembering the anti-Catholic agenda of Bismarck's Kulturkampf , as well as Prussia's strategic dominance over the empire. Bavaria protested Prussian dominance over Germany and snubbed the Prussian-born German Emperor, Wilhelm II , in 1900, by forbidding

11288-586: The help of then German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder , BASF's Jürgen Hambrecht signed the Gazprom Nord Stream - Yuzhno-Russkoye deal in 2004 with a 49-51 structure, as opposed to the older 50-50 split of for example BP 's TNK-BP project. Putin at the time insisted on majority Russian ownership of any joint-venture in Russian territory since that time. BASF expanded to Podolsk , Russia , in 2012, and to Kazan in 2013. On 27 January 2020,

11424-604: The immediate likelihood of war, tried to keep Bavaria neutral. Ludwig II refused Bismarck's offers and continued Bavaria's alliance with Austria. In 1866, the Austro-Prussian War began. Bavaria and most of the south German states allied with Austria, but contributed far less to the war against Prussia. Prussia quickly defeated the Kingdom of Hanover , then won the Battle of Königgrätz (3 July 1866) against Austria, which sued for peace shortly afterward. The states of

11560-465: The industry had prospered, people had accepted it. Besides that, the concrete constructions that had been so modern after the war and had a formative influence on today's cityscape were increasingly considered as obsolete. In recent years, many efforts have been made to enhance Ludwigshafen's image in the media. The city administration has cut down its deficit by cutting down social payments and maintenance, pollution has been (not least by BASF) restricted,

11696-406: The initial uneasiness of his subjects. These prince regent's years were transfigured, finally—above all in the retrospect – to a golden age of Bavaria, even if one mourned the "fairy tale king" Ludwig II, which happens in a folkloric-nostalgic manner till this day. With the establishment of the German Empire, a series of conventions brought the bulk of the various state military forces directly under

11832-584: The king changed his royal titles to Ludwig, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia, Duke in Swabia and Count Palatine of the Rhine and these were retained by his successors. The Palatinate which Bavaria had acquired was mainly the western part of the former Electoral Palatinate . Ludwig's plan to acquire also the former eastern part could not be realized. The electorate, a former dominion of the Bavarian Wittelsbach dynasty, had been split up in 1815,

11968-481: The loose German Confederation were opposed by Bavaria and Austria, with Bavaria taking part in its own discussions with Austria and other allies in 1863, in Frankfurt, without Prussia attending. In 1864, Maximilian II died early, and his eighteen-year-old son, Ludwig II , became King of Bavaria as tensions between Austria and Prussia escalated steadily. Prussian Minister-President Otto von Bismarck , recognizing

12104-414: The loss of working places and general economic trends, such as the oil crises, further worsened Ludwigshafen's financial situation at the end of the 20th century. The negative aspects of industrial success became obvious when examinations revealed the bad state of air and the Rhine due to pollution . There had always been some stench or dirt all over the city, caused by BASF and other plants, and as long as

12240-510: The major exception of Austria. The empire also annexed the formerly French territory of Alsace-Lorraine , due in large part to Ludwig's desire to move the French frontier away from the Palatinate. Bavaria's entry into the German Empire changed from jubilation over France's defeat to dismay shortly afterward because of the direction Germany took under the new German Chancellor and Prussian Prime Minister, Otto von Bismarck . The Bavarian delegation under Count Otto von Bray-Steinburg had secured

12376-520: The market until 1897. In 1901, some 80% of the BASF production was dyestuffs. Sodium carbonate (soda) was produced by the Leblanc process until 1880, when the much cheaper Solvay process became available. BASF ceased to make its own and bought it from the Solvay company thereafter. Sulfuric acid was initially produced by the lead chamber process , but in 1890, a unit using the contact process

12512-550: The members of which signed a convention with Moreau, by which he granted an armistice in return for a heavy contribution (7 September 1796). Between the French and the Austrians , Bavaria was now in a bad situation. Before the death of Charles Theodore (16 February 1799), the Austrians had again occupied the country, in preparation for renewing the war with France. Maximilian IV Joseph (of Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Zweibrücken ),

12648-408: The monarchy and are (in their core) valid until today. On 1 February 1817, Montgelas was dismissed and Bavaria entered a new era of constitutional reform. On 26 May 1818, Bavaria's second constitution was proclaimed. The constitution established a bicameral Parliament ( Landtag ). The upper house ( Kammer der Reichsräte , meaning "House of Councillors") comprised the aristocracy and noblemen, including

12784-544: The monarchy by force, preferring to do so by legal means. Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber , Archbishop of Munich , in his funeral speech, made a clear commitment to the monarchy while Rupprecht only declared that he had stepped into his birthright. When Napoleon established the Confederation of the Rhine , and Bavaria became a kingdom in 1806, its land area doubled. Tyrol (1806–1814) and Salzburg (1810–1816) were temporarily united with Bavaria but then returned (Tyrol) or ceded (Salzburg) to Habsburg/Austrian rule. In return

12920-550: The name “garden city” suggests) a very green suburb, dominated by flat roofed houses and some tower blocks. Its sub-districts are Niederfeld , Hochfeld and Ernst-Reuter-Siedlung . Mundenheim (ca. 13,000 inhabitants) is a very old suburb, it boasts its own railway station, an extensive industrial area near the harbour. A sub-district is the Herderviertel in Mundenheim's North. Oggersheim (ca. 23,000 inhabitants)

13056-413: The new Prime Minister of Bavaria. Accused of showing blind loyalty to Prussia, Ludwig III became increasingly unpopular during the war. In 1918, the kingdom attempted to negotiate a separate peace with the allies but failed. By 1918, civil unrest was spreading across Bavaria and Germany, Bavarian defiance to Prussian hegemony and Bavarian separatism being key motivators. On 7 November 1918, Ludwig fled from

13192-525: The new elector, succeeded to a difficult inheritance. Though his own sympathies, and those of his all-powerful minister, Maximilian von Montgelas , were, if anything, French rather than Austrian, the state of the Bavarian finances, and the fact that the Bavarian Army was scattered and disorganized, left him helpless in the hands of Austria; on 2 December 1800, the Bavarian Army was involved in

13328-738: The new founded Deco GmbH in 1997. BASF bought the Wyandotte Chemical Company, and its Geismar, Louisiana chemical plant in the early 1970s. The plant produced plastics, herbicides, and antifreeze. BASF soon tried to operate union-free, having already reduced or eliminated union membership in several other US plants. Challenging the Geismar OCAW union resulted in a labor dispute that saw members locked out from 1984 to 1989, and eventually winning their case. A worker solidarity committee at BASF's headquarters plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, took donations from German workers to support

13464-711: The numerous territorial changes in 1810 and 1815, the divisions needed to be adjusted and the number of Kreise was reduced to 8: Isar-, Unterdonau-, Oberdonau-, Regen-, Rezat-, Untermain-, Obermain- and Rheinkreis. As of 1838, at the instigation of King Ludwig I, the Kreise were renamed after the former historical tribes and territories of the respective area in: Upper Bavaria , Lower Bavaria , Swabia and Neuburg , Upper Palatinate and Regensburg , Middle Franconia , Lower Franconia and Aschaffenburg , Upper Franconia and Palatinate . The town names of Neuburg, Regensburg and Aschaffenburg were later dropped. Accordingly,

13600-482: The officers of the French garrison. The economic recovery of the 1920s was marred by one of the worst industrial explosions in history when, on Sept. 21, 1921, a BASF storage silo in Oppau blew up, killing more than 500 people, injuring a further 2,000, and destroying countless buildings. Despite this setback, Ludwigshafen reached a population of 100,000 in 1922, thus gaining " City " status. It prospered until 1929 and

13736-595: The onset of the Great Depression , which brought unemployment, labor trouble, political strife, and the rise of the Nazis . The Nazi party had few followers and votes in working-class-dominated Ludwigshafen, but succeeded in enforcing their policies. Many small houses with gardens were built, especially in the Gartenstadt . Further, similar to Nazi plans in other cities (e.g. Hamburg ), they aimed at creating

13872-523: The original ground level in many backyards of Ludwigshafen, which are sometimes two floors below street level. During World War I (1914–1918), Ludwigshafen's industrial plants played a key role in Germany's war economy, producing chemical ingredients for munitions, as well as much of the poison gas used on the Western Front . This contributed to Ludwigshafen, on May 27, 1915, being the target of

14008-468: The peach grower, Bader Farms owner Bill Bader. BASF and Bayer were also ordered to pay Bader $ 15 million in damages. On 15 February 2020, Monsanto and BASF were ordered to pay an additional $ 250 million in punitive damages. For the fiscal year 2017, BASF reported earnings of €6.1 billion, with an annual revenue of €64.5 billion, an increase of 12% over the previous fiscal cycle. BASF's shares traded at over €69 per share, and its market capitalization

14144-488: The pharmaceutical, construction, textile, and automotive industries. BASF's plastic products include high-performance materials in thermoplastics , foams, and urethanes. Engineering Plastics BASF's Engineering Plastics consists of the "4 Ultras" – Ultramid polyamide (PA) nylon-based resins, Ultradur, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), Ultraform, polyacetal (POM), and Ultrason, polysulfone (PSU) and polyethersulfone (PES). Styrenics BASF Styrenics consists of

14280-410: The population of Ludwigshafen increased rapidly. In 1899 the city was governing more than 62,000 residents (compared to 1,500 in 1852). This population explosion looked quite “American” to contemporaries; it determined Ludwigshafen's character as a “worker's city”, and created problematic shortages of housing and real estate. The solution was the expansion of the municipal area and the incorporation of

14416-646: The process, in 1913, BASF started a new production plant in Oppau , adding fertilizers to its product range. BASF also acquired and began mining anhydrite for gypsum at the Kohnstein in 1917. In 1916, BASF started operations at a new site in Leuna , where explosives were produced during the First World War . On 21 September 1921, an explosion occurred in Oppau , killing 565 people. The Oppau explosion

14552-465: The production of dyes . BASF was set up in 1865, to produce other chemicals necessary for dye production, notably soda and acids. The plant, however, was erected on the other side of the Rhine river at Ludwigshafen because the town council of Mannheim was afraid that the air pollution from the chemical plant could bother the inhabitants of the town. In 1866, the dye production processes were also moved to

14688-583: The psychiatrist were found dead, floating in the lake. The official autopsy listed cause of death as suicide by drowning, but some sources claim that no water was found in Ludwig's lungs. While these claims could be explained by dry drowning , they have also led to conspiracy theories of political assassination. The crown passed to Ludwig's brother Otto . However, Otto had a long history of mental illness and had been placed under medical supervision three years earlier. The duties of head of state actually rested in

14824-456: The regency of Luitpold is often called, was an era of the gradual transfer of Bavarian interests behind those of the German Empire. In connection with the unhappy end of the preceding rule of King Ludwig II this break in the Bavarian monarchy looked even stronger. Finally, the constitutional amendment of 1913 brought the determining break in the continuity of the king's rule in the opinion of historians, particularly as this change had been granted by

14960-488: The reluctance of Maximilian Joseph; and, on 24 August, a separate treaty of peace and alliance with France was signed at Paris. The 1805 Peace of Pressburg allowed Maximilian to raise Bavaria to the status of a kingdom. Accordingly, Maximilian proclaimed himself king on 1 January 1806 as Maximilian I. The king still served as an elector until Bavaria seceded from the Holy Roman Empire on 1 August 1806, joining

15096-424: The remnants of IG Farben in 1952. It was part of the German economic miracle , and has since expanded considerably. It has received modern criticism for its poor environmental record. At the end of 2019, the company employed 117,628 people, with over 54,000 in Germany. In 2019 , BASF posted sales of €59.3 billion and income from operations before special items of about €4.5 billion. Between 1990 and 2005,

15232-574: The royal princes, holders of the crown offices , archbishops, members of the Mediatized Houses in Bavaria and hereditary and lifelong nominees of the crown. The lower house ( Kammer der Abgeordneten , meaning "House of Representatives"), would include representatives of landowners, the three universities, clergy (Catholic and Protestant), the towns and the peasants. Without the consent of both houses, no law could be passed and no tax could be levied. The rights of Protestants were safeguarded in

15368-609: The same year, Maximilian promulgated Bavaria's first written constitution. Over the next five years, it was amended numerous times in accordance with Paris' wishes. During the French invasion of Russia in 1812 about 30,000 Bavarian soldiers were killed in action. With the Treaty of Ried of 8 October 1813 Bavaria left the Confederation of the Rhine and agreed to join the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon in exchange for

15504-489: The sea). His hidden agenda was to maintain the balance of power between Prussia and Bavaria within the German Empire after a victory. Over time, with a stalemated and bloody war on the western front, Bavarians, like many Germans, grew weary of the conflict. In 1917, the Bavarian Prime Minister Georg von Hertling became German Chancellor and Prime Minister of Prussia; Otto Ritter von Dandl became

15640-527: The settlements around the Rheinschanze began to prosper, profiting from the proximity of the capital Mannheim. Oggersheim in particular gained some importance, after the construction of both a small palace serving as secondary residence for the Elector, and the famous pilgrimage church, Wallfahrtskirche . For some weeks in 1782, the great German writer and playwright Friedrich Schiller lived in Oggersheim, on flight from his native Württemberg . War returned to

15776-409: The start of a US$ 10 billion investment project in the south-western Chinese city of Zhanjiang , in November 2019. The project was approved in 2022. This ″Verbund″ site is intended for the production of engineering plastics and TPU. The site would be the third-largest BASF site worldwide, following Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Antwerp , Belgium. The first plant started up in 2022, and the entire site

15912-429: The two nearest villages, Friesenheim and Mundenheim, in the years 1892 and 1899. In the area between the city centre and those two suburbs new quarters (“North” and “South”) were built after (then) modern urban development plans. Because the ground was marshy and too low to be protected from Rhine floods, all the new houses were built on raised ground, sometimes as high as 5 metres above the original ground. Visitors can see

16048-418: The world's first strategic aerial bombardment. French aircraft attacked the BASF plants, killing twelve people and setting the precedent for the age to come. When the war was lost by Germany in 1918, the left bank of the Rhine was occupied by French troops, in accordance with the terms of the peace agreement. The French occupation lasted until 1930, and some of Ludwigshafen's most elegant houses were erected for

16184-440: Was Ruchheim in 1974. But then a process began that accelerated during the 1980s and 1990s and caused the financial near-collapse of Ludwigshafen. The enormous maintenance costs of the buildings and institutions introduced during the "fat time", new tax regulations that cut down the trade tax profits from the local industries, and thousands of dismissals in BASF were the main causes for the city's crisis. Loss of population due to

16320-487: Was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingdom became a federated state of the new empire and was second in size, power, and wealth only to the leading state, the Kingdom of Prussia . The polity 's foundation dates back to the ascension of Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of

16456-554: Was brought on stream, producing the acid at higher concentration (98% instead of 80%) and a lower cost. This development followed extensive research and development by Rudolf Knietsch, for which he received the Liebig Medal in 1904. The development of the Haber process from 1908 to 1912, made it possible to synthesize ammonia (a major industrial chemical as the primary source of nitrogen), and, after acquiring exclusive rights to

16592-574: Was built by Frederick IV, Elector Palatine on the other side of the Rhine to protect the City of Mannheim, thus forming the nucleus of the City of Ludwigshafen itself. In the 17th century, the region was devastated and depopulated during the Thirty Years' War , and also in King Louis XIV of France ’s wars of conquest in the later part of the century. It was only in the 18th century, that

16728-432: Was dissolved, ending Austria's influence over the lesser German states. Bavaria lost Gersfeld , Bad Orb and Kaulsdorf to Prussia; former two became part of the new Province of Hesse-Nassau whereas the latter became part of Province of Saxony . From this time, Bavaria steadily progressed into Prussia's sphere of influence. With Austria's defeat in the Austro-Prussian War, the northern German states quickly unified into

16864-464: Was extended to Kaiser Wilhelm as supreme commander. In July 1914, the Bavarian Army numbered 92,400 or 11 percent of the total Imperial German Army . In 1914, a clash of alliances occurred over Austria-Hungary 's invasion of Serbia following the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Bosnian Serb militant. Germany went to the side of its former rival-turned-ally, Austria-Hungary, and declared war on France and Russia . Following

17000-410: Was feared or hoped to spark a restoration of the monarchy . Despite the abolition of the monarchy, the former king was laid to rest in front of the former royal family, the Bavarian government, military personnel, and an estimated 100,000 spectators, in the style of royal funerals. Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria did not wish to use the occasion of the passing of his father to attempt to re-establish

17136-460: Was granted to the Kingdom of Bavaria , following the Wars of Liberation (1813–1815), in which the French were expelled. The Rhine had become a frontier and the Rheinschanze, cut off politically from Mannheim, lost its function as the neighbouring city's military bulwark. In 1808, during the French occupation, Carl Hornig of Mannheim purchased the fortress from the French authorities and turned it into

17272-472: Was known as the Punctation of Olmütz but also known as the "Humiliation of Olmütz" by Prussia. This event solidified the Bavarian kingdom's alliance with Austria against Prussia. When the project to unite the German middle-sized powers under Bavarian leadership against Prussia and Austria (the so-called Trias ) failed, Minister-President von der Pfordten resigned in 1859. Attempts by Prussia to reorganize

17408-641: Was part of the French occupation zone, becoming part of the newly founded Bundesland (state) of Rheinland-Pfalz and thus part of the Federal Republic of Germany . Reconstruction of the devastated city and revival of the economy was supported by the Allies, especially by American aid. In 1948, the "Pasadena Shares Committee" sent packages of blankets, clothing, food, and medicines to help the residents of post-war Ludwigshafen. Many friendships started to form, so that in 1956, Ludwigshafen am Rhein and Pasadena , California became sister cities. Large parts of

17544-632: Was put down with the support of Prussian forces. However Maximilian II stood alongside Bavaria's ally, the Austrian Empire, in opposition to Austria's enemy, Prussia. This position was resented by many Bavarian citizens, who wanted a united Germany. In the end Prussia declined the crown offered by the Frankfurt Parliament as the proposed constitution of a German state was perceived to be too liberal and not in Prussia's interests. In

17680-522: Was reviewed by the European Commissioner for Competition . On 9 April 2009, the acquisition was officially completed. On 19 December 2008, BASF acquired U.S.-based Whitmire Micro-Gen together with U.K.-based Sorex Ltd. Sorex is a manufacturer of branded chemical and non-chemical products for professional pest management. In March 2007 Sorex was put up for sale with a price tag of about £100 million. In December 2010, BASF completed

17816-709: Was seen by Germans as the greatest enemy to a united Germany. At the same time, Bavaria increased its political, legal, and trade ties with the North German Confederation. In 1870, war erupted between France and Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War . The Bavarian Army was sent under the command of the Prussian Crown Prince Frederick against the French Army . With France's defeat and humiliation against

17952-562: Was still a very modest settlement with just 1,500 inhabitants. Real growth began with industrialization , and gained enormous momentum in Ludwigshafen due to its ideal transport facilities. In addition to its excellent position and harbor facilities on the Rhine, a railway connecting Ludwigshafen with the Saar coalfields was completed in 1849. The year 1865 was an important date in the history of independent Ludwigshafen. After several discussions, BASF decided to move its factories from Mannheim to

18088-559: Was taken over by AkzoNobel in 1999. BASF bought the Engelhard Corporation for $ 4.8 billion in 2006. Other acquisitions in 2006, were the purchase of Johnson Polymer and the construction chemicals business of Degussa . The acquisition of Johnson Polymer was completed on 1 July 2006. The purchase price was $ 470 million on a cash and debt-free basis. It provided BASF with a range of water-based resins that complements its portfolio of high solids and UV resins for

18224-406: Was the biggest industrial accident in German history. Under the leadership of Carl Bosch , BASF founded IG Farben with Hoechst , Bayer , and three other companies, thus losing its independence. BASF was the nominal survivor, as all shares were exchanged for BASF shares before the merger. Rubber, fuels , and coatings were added to the range of products. In 1935, IG Farben and AEG presented

18360-478: Was thus reunited with Bavaria. In 1793, the French Revolutionary Army overran the Palatinate; in 1795, the French , under Moreau , invaded Bavaria itself, advanced to Munich —where they were received with joy by the long-suppressed Liberals—and laid siege to Ingolstadt . Charles Theodore, who had done nothing to prevent the war or to resist the invasion, fled to Saxony , leaving a regency,

18496-456: Was valued at €63.7 billion in November 2018. In October 2019, BASF reported a drop of operating income for July to September amounting to 24 percent, along with a drop in EBIT earnings of €1.1 billion ($ 1.2 billion). The US–China trade war as well as uncertainties related to Brexit were identified as contributing factors. However, overall third quarter profit beat expectations as

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