The Deutsche Hansa

Going to be going over what the Deutsche Hansa was and alittle of its history.The Deutsche Hansa is related to the Hanseatic League, also known as the Hansa. This was a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and the market towns that controlled trade along the cost of Northern Europe. It was created to protect the diplomatic privileges and economic interests in the cities, countries, and along the trading routes. The Hanseatic cities made their own legal system and had their own armies for protection/aid. They began trading course woolen fabrics and when the business began booming, they started trading finer woolen and linen fabrics; including silk. It was established in the year 1358, most of the Hansa cities started as independent cities or gained independence through the power of collective bargaining. Alliances formed through the Holy Roman Empire; growing from 70 cities to 170. They owed alligiance to the Holy Roman Emperor; had no intermediate tie to the local nobility. The league began to fall in the 16^th century; the rise of the Swedish Empire took over much of the Baltic which was part of the trading routes. Denmark regained control, and the Kontor in Novgorod had closed. The league finally ended in 1862.

Group 5 Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia

                                                 Final Group 5 Presenation Above^^^^^

Group Members: Abby Charlson 
                             Chanae Peterson 
                             Ryan Christopherson 
                             Felicia Dieterman 
                             Brittany Bahr

My part of the presentation:

Which UNESCO World heritage sites are in the State? 

Saxony-Anhalt has the most World Heritage Sites of all states in Germany which include:

  -Luther Memorials in Wittenberg

  -Bauhaus Dessau

  -Collegiate Church, Castle, and Old Town of Quedlinburg

  -Dessau-Worlitz Garden Realm

Details...

•Luther Memorials in Wittenburg-listed 1996; several buildings in Wittenburg were associated with Martin Luther and some events in his life

•Bauhaus Dessau-college constructed on designs by Walter Gropius; german architect and founder of bauhaus school; widely known as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture; built in 1925

Continued..

•Collegiate Church, Castle, and Old Town of Quedlinburg-listed 1994; known as one of the best preserved medieval and renaissance towns in Europe-having minor damage in WWII; cathedral is German Romanesque style; also contains ancient Christian religious artifacts and book

•Dessau-Worlitz Garden Realm; created in late 18th century; Duke Leopold III had architect Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff developed a landscape influenced by The Enlightenment and concept of the Baroque Era

  -The Age of Enlightenment-a cultural movement of intellectuals beginning in late 17th century Europe emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition

  -Baroque Era-a style of architecture and art that originated in Italy in the early 17th century

Which industries are worth noting today- in the past?

•Chemical Industry-in 2010, 25,500 employees worked in a total of 214 plants; industry attracts more foreign direct investments than any other eastern Germany state

•Wind-turbine energy due to location; many wind farms

•Due to good soil, food industry thrives with nearly 20,000 employees across 190 plants recorded in 2010 (according to Wikipedia)

Any famous Germans you came across researching the State?

•George Frideric Handel (1685-1759); British Baroque composer famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos

•Martin Luther (1483-1546); Catholic priest;  important figure of the 16th century movement in Christianity which was later known as the Protestant Reformation

•Sven Thiele (1969-); former wrestler who competed in 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympics

Sources:

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxony-Anhal

•All images include sources next to them

**images are included on final presentation**

Thanks & Enjoy!

What I Want To Learn This Semester

Throughout this semester, I would like to learn more about everything dealing with Germany. The culture, landmarks, traditions, languages, famous dishes, social norms, and etc. I look forward to hearing some of your experiences in Germany, I had a teacher from the Czech Republic, and he told us many stories about growing up there. It'd be fun to hear some of yours! The main reason why I mainly wanted to take this course is because I am a little over 25% German and I would like to become more familiar with Germany and possibly visit there someday! Just to let you know also, I noticed that I did not include Fall 2014 in my blogspot name. I hope that isn't a huge problem. Please let me know if I can change that if needed! Thanks!