Karlsruhe

The 49th parallel north in the Karlsruhe Stadtgarten

Karlsruhe lies completely to the east of the Rhine, and almost completely on the Upper Rhine Plain. It contains the Turmberg in the east, and also lies on the borders of the Kraichgau leading to the Northern Black Forest.

The Rhine, one of the world's most important shipping routes, forms the western limits of the city, beyond which lie the towns of Maximiliansau and Wörth am Rhein in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The city centre is about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) from the river, as measured from the Marktplatz (Market Square). Two tributaries of the Rhine, the Alb and the Pfinz, flow through the city from the Kraichgau to eventually join the Rhine.

The city lies at an altitude between 100 and 322 m (near the communications tower in the suburb of Grünwettersbach). Its geographical coordinates are 49°00′N 8°24′E; the 49th parallel runs through the city centre, which puts it at the same latitude as much of the Canada–United States border, the cities Vancouver (Canada), Paris (France), Regensburg (Germany), and Hulunbuir (China). Its course is marked by a stone and painted line in the Stadtgarten (municipal park). The total area of the city is 173.46 km² (66.97 sq mi), hence it is the 30th largest city in Germany measured by land area. The longest north–south distance is 16.8 km (10.4 mi) and 19.3 km (12.0 mi) in the east–west direction.

Karlsruhe is part of the urban area of Karlsruhe/Pforzheim, to which certain other towns in the district of Karlsruhe, such as Bruchsal, Ettlingen, Stutensee, and Rheinstetten, as well as the city of Pforzheim, belong.

MiRO oil refinery

The city was planned with the palace tower (Schloss) at the center and 32 streets radiating out from it like the spokes of a wheel, or the ribs of a folding fan, so that one nickname for Karlsruhe in German is the "fan city" (Fächerstadt). Almost all of these streets survive to this day. Because of this city layout, in metric geometry, Karlsruhe metric refers to a measure of distance that assumes travel is only possible along radial streets and along circular avenues around the centre.[6]

The city centre is the oldest part of town and lies south of the palace in the quadrant defined by nine of the radial streets. The central part of the palace runs east–west, with two wings, each at a 45° angle, directed southeast and southwest (i.e., parallel with the streets marking the boundaries of the quadrant defining the city center).

The market square lies on the street running south from the palace to Ettlingen. The market square has the town hall (Rathaus) to the west, the main Lutheran church (Evangelische Stadtkirche) to the east, and the tomb of Margrave Charles III William in a pyramid in the buildings, resulting in Karlsruhe being one of only three large cities in Germany where buildings are laid out in the neoclassical style.

The area north of the palace is a park and forest. Originally the area to the east of the palace consisted of gardens and forests, some of which remain, but the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (founded in 1825), Wildparkstadion football stadium, and residential areas have been built there. The area west of the palace is now mostly residential.

Panorama of Karlsruhe, looking south from the palace tower: The Institute of Technology is on the left, the market square in the centre, the Federal Constitutional Court on the right. Wings of the palace align with streets, all radiating out from the centre of town, i.e., the palace tower.

A 180-degree panorama from atop the palace tower, facing north

Karlsruhe is divided into 27 districts.

According to legend, the name Karlsruhe, which translates as "Charles' repose" or "Charles' peace", was given to the new city after a hunting trip when Margrave Charles III William of Baden-Durlach woke from a dream in which he dreamt of founding his new city. A variation of this story claims that he built the new palace to find peace from his wife.

Charles William founded the city on June 17, 1715, after a dispute with the citizens of his previous capital, Durlach. The founding of the city is closely linked to the construction of the palace. Karlsruhe became the capital of Baden-Durlach, and, in 1771, of the united Baden until 1945. Built in 1822, the Ständehaus was the first parliament building in a German state. In the aftermath of the democratic revolution of 1848, a republican government was elected there.

Karlsruhe was visited by Thomas Jefferson during his time as the American envoy to France; when Pierre Charles L'Enfant was planning the layout of Washington, D.C., Jefferson passed to him maps of 12 European towns to consult, one of which was a sketch he had made of Karlsruhe during his visit.[9]

In 1860, the first-ever international professional convention of chemists, the Karlsruhe Congress, was held in the city.[10]

In 1907 the town was site of the Hau Riot where large crowds caused disturbance during the trial of murderer Carl Hau.

During the Holocaust, on Kristallnacht in 1938, the Adass Jeshurun synagogue was burned to the ground, and the city's Jews were later sent to Dachau concentration camp, Gurs concentration camp, Theresienstadt, and Auschwitz, with 1,421 of Karlsruhe's Jews being killed.[11]

Much of the central area, including the palace, was reduced to rubble by Allied bombing during World War II, but was rebuilt after the war. Located in the American zone of the postwar Allied occupation, Karlsruhe was home to an American military base, established in 1945. In 1995, the bases closed, and their facilities were turned over to the city of Karlsruhe.[12]

The following list shows the most significant groups of foreigners residing in the city of Karlsruhe by country.

Rank	Nationality	Population (31 December 2018)[13]
1	Romania	6,169
2	Turkey	5,618
3	Italy	4,558
4	Croatia	3,333
5	Poland	3,089
6	China	2,962
7	France	1,852
8	Serbia	1,746
9	Russia	1,712
10	Spain	1,502
11	Bulgaria	1,384
12	Greece	1,204
13	India	1,190
14	Hungary	1,171
15	Bosnia	1,166
16	Syria	1,160

The Stadtgarten is a recreational area near the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) and was rebuilt for the 1967 Federal Garden Show (Bundesgartenschau). It is also the site of the Karlsruhe Zoo.

The Durlacher Turmberg has a look-out tower (hence its name). It is a former keep dating back to the 13th century.

The city has two botanical gardens: the municipal Botanischer Garten Karlsruhe, which forms part of the Palace complex, and the Botanischer Garten der Universität Karlsruhe, which is maintained by the university.

Panorama of the courtyard of Botanischer Garten Karlsruhe

The Marktplatz has a stone pyramid marking the grave of the city's founder. Built in 1825, it is the emblem of Karlsruhe. The city is nicknamed the "fan city" (die Fächerstadt) because of its design layout, with straight streets radiating fan-like from the Palace.

The Karlsruhe Palace (Schloss) is an interesting piece of architecture; the adjacent Schlossgarten includes the Botanical Garden with a palm, cactus and orchid house, and walking paths through the woods to the north.

The so-called Kleine Kirche (Little Church), built between 1773 and 1776, is the oldest church of Karlsruhe's city centre.

The architect Friedrich Weinbrenner designed many of the city's most important sights. Another sight is the Rondellplatz with its 'Constitution Building Columns' (1826). It is dedicated to Baden's first constitution in 1818, which was one of the most liberal of its time. The Münze (mint), erected in 1826/27, was also built by Weinbrenner.

St. Stephan parish church

The St. Stephan parish church is one of the masterpieces of neoclassical church architecture in.[14] Weinbrenner, who built this church between 1808 and 1814, orientated it to the Pantheon, Rome.

Grand Ducal burial chapel (Sepulchral chapel of the Grand Duchy of Baden in Karlsruhe)

The neo-Gothic Grand Ducal Burial Chapel, built between 1889 and 1896, is a mausoleum rather than a church, and is located in the middle of the forest.

The main cemetery of Karlsruhe is the oldest park-like cemetery in Germany. The crematorium was the first to be built in the style of a church.

Karlsruhe is also home to a natural history museum (the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe), an opera house (the Baden State Theatre), as well as a number of independent theatres and art galleries. The State Art Gallery, built in 1846 by Heinrich Hübsch, displays paintings and sculptures from six centuries, particularly from France, Germany and Holland. Karlsruhe's newly renovated art museum is one of the most important art museums in Baden-Württemberg. Further cultural attractions are scattered throughout Karlsruhe's various incorporated suburbs. Established in 1924, the Scheffel Association is the largest literary society in Germany. Today the Prinz-Max-Palais, built between 1881 and 1884 in neoclassical style, houses the organisation and includes its museum.

Breweries and buildings in the Art Nouveau style were predominant in the western city.

Due to population growth in the late 19th century, Karlsruhe developed several suburban areas (Vorstadt) in the Gründerzeit and especially art nouveau styles of architecture, with many preserved examples.

Karlsruhe is also home to the Majolika-Manufaktur,[15] the only art-ceramics pottery studio in Germany. Founded in 1901, it is located in the Schlossgarten. A 'blue streak' (Blauer Strahl) consisting of 1,645 ceramic tiles, connects the studio with the Palace. It is the world's largest ceramic artwork.

Another tourist attraction is the Centre for Art and Media (Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie, or ZKM), which is located in a converted ammunition factory.

Germany's largest oil refinery is located in Karlsruhe, at the western edge of the city, directly on the river Rhine. The Technologieregion Karlsruhe is a loose confederation of the region's cities in order to promote high tech industries; today, about 20% of the region's jobs are in research and development. EnBW, one of Germany's biggest electric utility companies, with a revenue of 19.2 billion € in 2012,[17] is headquartered in the city.

Internet activities

Due to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology providing services until the late 1990, Karlsruhe became known as the internet capital of Germany.[18] The DENIC, Germany's network information centre, has since moved to Frankfurt, though, where DE-CIX is located.

Two major internet service providers, WEB.DE and schlund+partner/1&1, now both owned by United Internet AG, are located at Karlsruhe.

The library of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology developed the Karlsruher Virtueller Katalog, the first internet site that allowed researchers worldwide (for free) to search multiple library catalogues worldwide.

In the year 2000 the regional online "newspaper" ka-news.de was created. As a daily newspaper, it not only provides the news, but also informs readers about upcoming events in Karlsruhe and surrounding areas.

Rail yard, bypass road Südtangente

In addition to established companies, Karlsruhe has a vivid and spreading startup community with well-known startups like STAPPZ.[19][20] Together, the local high tech industry is responsible for over 22.000 jobs.[21]

Jews settled in Karlsruhe soon after its founding.[24] They were attracted by the numerous privileges granted by its founder to settlers, without discrimination as to creed. Official documents attest the presence of several Jewish families at Karlsruhe in 1717.[24] A year later the city council addressed to the margrave a report in which a question was raised as to the proportion of municipal charges to be borne by the newly arrived Jews, who in that year formed an organized congregation, with Rabbi Nathan Uri Kohen of Metz at its head. A document dated 1726 gives the names of twenty-four Jews who had taken part in an election of municipal officers.

As the city grew, permission to settle there became less easily obtained by Jews, and the community developed more slowly. A 1752 Jewry ordinance stated Jews were forbidden to leave the city on Sundays and Christian holidays, or to go out of their houses during church services, but they were exempted from service by court summonses on Sabbaths. They could sell wine only in inns owned by Jews and graze their cattle, not on the commons, but on the wayside only. Nethanael Weill was a rabbi in Karlsruhe from 1750 until his death.

In 1783, by a decree issued by Margrave Charles Frederick of Baden, the Jews ceased to be serfs, and consequently could settle wherever they pleased. The same decree freed them from the Todfall tax, paid to the clergy for each Jewish burial. In commemoration of these changes special prayers were prepared by the acting rabbi Jedidiah Tiah Weill, who, succeeding his father in 1770, held the office until 1805.

In 1808 the new constitution of what at that time, during the Napoleonic era, had become the Grand Duchy of Baden granted Jews citizenship status; a subsequent edict, in 1809, constitutionally acknowledged Jews as a religious group.[25][26] The latter edict provided for a hierarchical organization of the Jewish communities of Baden, under the umbrella of a central council of Baden Jewry (Oberrat der Israeliten Badens), with its seat in Karlsruhe,[25] and the appointment of a chief rabbi of Karlsruhe, as the spiritual head of the Jews in all of Baden.[24] The first chief rabbi of Karlsruhe and Baden was Rabbi Asher Loew, who served from 1809 until his death in 1837.[27]

Complete emancipation was given in 1862, Jews were elected to city council and Baden parliament, and from 1890 were appointed judges. Jews were persecuted in the 'Hep-Hep' riots that occurred in 1819; and anti-Jewish demonstrations were held in 1843, 1848, and the 1880s. The well-known German-Israeli artist Leo Kahn studied in Karlsruhe before leaving for France and Israel in the 1920s and 1930s.

Today, there are about 900 members in the Jewish community, many of whom are recent immigrants from Russia, and an orthodox rabbi.[28]

Karlsruhe has memorialized its Jewish community and notable pre-war synagogues with a memorial park.[29]

• 
  Jewish cemetery of Grötzingen
• 
  The Karlsruhe Synagogue, built by Friedrich Weinbrenner in 1798 (existed until 1871)
• 
  Holocaust memorial
• 
  The new synagogue
• 
  Public menorah on the Marktplatz

Gottfried Fuchs

Richard Willstätter

• Anna Ettlinger (1841–1934), writer and poet
• George Bayer, pioneer in the US state of Missouri
• Karl Benz (1844–1929), mechanical engineer and inventor of the first automobile as well as the founder of Benz & Co., Daimler-Benz, and Mercedes-Benz (now part of Daimler AG). He was born in the Karlsruhe borough of Mühlburg and educated at Karlsruhe Grammar School, the Lyceum, and Poly-Technical University
• Hermann Billing, Art Nouveau architect, was born and lived in Karlsruhe, where he built his first famous works
• Siegfried Buback (1920–1977), then-Attorney General of Germany who fell victim to terrorists of the Rote Armee Fraktion in April 1977 in Karlsruhe
• Berthold von Deimling (1853–1944), Prussian general
• Karl Drais (1785–1851), inventor of the two-wheeler principle (dandy horse) basic to bicycle and motorcycle, key typewriter, and earliest stenograph, was born and died in Karlsruhe
• Theodor von Dusch (1824–1890), physician remembered for experiments involving cotton-wool filters for bacteria
• Ludwig Eichrodt, writer
• Erik H. Erikson (1902–1994), children's psychoanalyst and theoretical pioneer in the field of study of identity building, spent his childhood and school time (Bismarck-Gymnasium) in Karlsruhe.
• Harry L. Ettlinger, US Army private who assisted the MFAA in the recovery of art looted by the Nazis. He was the last Jewish boy to celebrate his bar mitzvah in Karlsruhe's Kronenstrasse Synagogue, on September 24, 1938.
• Clara Mathilda Faisst (1872–1948), pianist and composer
• Hans Frank (1900–1946), Obergruppenführer SA, Gauleiter and governor-general of Nazi-occupied Poland; hanged at Nuremberg for his war crimes during World War II
• Reinhold Frank (1896–1945), lawyer who worked for the resistance in Nazi Germany, ran a law practice in Karlsruhe; in his honour the street in Karlsruhe where the lawyer's chambers were founded bears his name
• Gottfried Fuchs (1889–1972), German-Canadian Olympic soccer player
• Karoline von Günderrode, poet, was born in Karlsruhe (1780–1806)
• Johann Peter Hebel, writer and poet, lived in Karlsruhe for most of his life
• Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, discovered electromagnetic waves at the University of Karlsruhe in the late 1880s. A lecture room named after Hertz lies close to the very spot where the discovery was made.
• Julius Hirsch (1892–1945), Olympian soccer player and first Jewish member of the national team, two-time Germany team champion, awarded the Iron Cross during World War I, murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp
• Friedrich Hund, physicist of the pioneering generation of quantum mechanics (see Hund's rules); was born here
• Hedwig Kettler (1851–1937), founded the first German Mädchengymnasium (girls' high school), located in Karlsruhe
• Willibald von Langermann und Erlencamp (1892-1942), general
• Bernd Längin (1941–2008), journalist and author
• Gustav Landauer (1870–1919), theorist of anarchism in Germany, was born in Karlsruhe
• Kolja Lessing (born 1961), German violinist, pianist, composer and academic teacher
• Markus Lüpertz worked and lives in Karlsruhe; he created the Narrenbrunnen (Fool's Fountain) in the city center
• Composer Wolfgang Rihm is a resident of Karlsruhe.
• In 1886, Joseph Viktor von Scheffel, poet and novelist, was born in Karlsruhe.
• Peter Sloterdijk (born 1947), German philosopher.
• Rahel Straus (1880–1963), German-Jewish medical doctor and feminist
• Johann Gottfried Tulla (1770–?), instrumental in stabilizing and straightening the course of the southern Rhine; a co-founder of the Karlsruhe University (1825)
• Victoria of Baden (1862–1930), born in Karlsruhe, queen consort of Sweden by her marriage to King Gustaf V of Sweden
• Friedrich Weinbrenner (1766–1826), architect of neoclassicism; his tomb is situated in the main Protestant church in Karlsruhe.
• Thomas Ernst Josef Wiedemann (1950–2001), German-British historian, born in Karlsruhe
• Richard Willstätter, recipient of 1915 Nobel Prize for Chemistry
• Sina Deinert, a member of Now United
• Dennis Aogo (born 1987), football defender
• Christa Bauch, female bodybuilder
• Walther Bensemann, one of the founders of the first southern German soccer club Karlsruher FV and later one of the founders of DFB and the founder of Kicker, Germany's leading soccer magazine
• Oliver Bierhoff (born 1968), retired football striker and former national team captain for the Germany and Italian Serie A clubs Udinese, A.C. Milan and Chievo; currently working as the German national team manager
• Andi Deris (born 1964), musician and songwriter, lead singer of the power metal band Helloween
• Karl Elzer, stage and film actor
• Gottfried Fuchs (1889–1972), was born in Karlsruhe and holds the record of ten goals in one single international soccer match for the German national team
• Regina Halmich (born 1976), retired female boxing flyweight world champion
• Vincenzo Italiano (born 1977), Italian footballer currently plays for Calcio Padova
• Nora Krug (born 1977), German-American writer
• Sead Kolašinac (born 1993), Bosnian footballer who plays as a left back for Arsenal FC
• Oliver Kahn (born 1969), retired goalkeeper of Karlsruher SC, Bayern Munich and Germany
• Sebastian Koch (born 1962), actor
• Renate Lingor (born 1975), former national football player
• Pietro Lombardi (born 1992), singer
• Dirk Jens Nonnenmacher (born 1963), CEO and bank chairman
• Mehmet Scholl (born 1970), retired footballer for Karlsruher SC, later Bayern Munich and the German national team
• Susanne Stichler (born 1969), journalist and television presenter
• Muhammed Suiçmez (born 1975), Turkish guitarist and composer for German technical death metal band Necrophagist
• Eugene Weingand (1934–1986), actor and television host who claimed to be Peter Lorre Jr.
• Moon Ga-young (born 1996), South Korean actress
• Dennis Marschall (born 1996), racing driver

Karlsruhe is a renowned research and study centre, with one of Germany's finest institutions of higher education.

Nancy fountain

Gottesau Palace (now music college)

In 1999 the ZKM (Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie, Centre for Art and Media) was opened. Linking new media theory and practice, the ZKM is located in a former weapons factory. Among the institutes related to the ZKM are the Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung (State University of Design), whose president is philosopher Peter Sloterdijk and the Museum for Contemporary Art.

Karlsruhe is twinned with:[35]

• Nancy, France (1955)
• Nottingham, England, United Kingdom (1969)
• Halle, Germany (1987)
• Krasnodar, Russia (1997)
• Timișoara, Romania (1997)
• Vinnytsia, Ukraine (2022)

• Ukrainian village Stepove near the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine was established by German colonists as Karlsruhe.

Every year in July there is a large open-air festival lasting three days called simply Das Fest ("The Festival").[37][38]

The Baden State Theatre has sponsored the Händel Festival since 1978.

The city hosted the 23rd and 31st European Juggling Conventions (EJC) in 2000 and 2008.

In July the African Summer Festival is held in the city's Nordstadt. Markets, drumming workshops, exhibitions, a varied children's programme, and musical performances take place during the three days festival.[39]

In the past Karlsruhe has been the host of LinuxTag (the biggest Linux event in Europe) and until 2006 hosted the annual Linux Audio Conference.[40]

Visitors and locals watched the total solar eclipse at noon on August 11, 1999. The city was not only located within the eclipse path but was one of the few within Germany not plagued by bad weather.

Football

Karlsruher SC (KSC), DFB (2. Liga)

Basketball

PS Karlsruhe Lions, Basketball-Pro-Liga A (second division)

Karlsruhe co-hosted the FIBA EuroBasket 1985.

Tennis

TC Rueppurr (TCR), [Tennis-Bundesliga] (women's first division)

Lacrosse

KIT SC Karlsruhe Storm, 1. Bundesliga Süd

Baseball, softball

Karlsruhe Cougars, Regional League South-East (men's baseball), 1st Bundesliga South (women's softball I) and State League South (women's softball II)

American football

Badener Greifs, currently competing in the Regional League Central but formerly a member of the German Football League's 1st Bundesliga, lost to the Berlin Adler in the 1987 German Bowl (see also: German Football League)

Karlsruhe Palace

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karlsruhe.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Karlsruhe".

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Karlsruhe.

• Official website (in German)
• Map of Karlsruhe
• City wiki of Karlsruhe (in German and English)
• Karlsruhe Nuclide Chart