- Offenburg is also the German name of Baia de Arieş in Romania.
| Offenburg | |
 |
|
  Offenburg
|
|
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| State | Baden-Württemberg |
| Admin. region | Freiburg |
| District | Ortenaukreis |
| Lord Mayor | Edith Schreiner (CDU) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 78.39 km2 (30.27 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 163 m (535 ft) |
| Population | 59,171 (31 July 2008)Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg[1] |
| - Density | 755 /km2 (1,955 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | OG |
| Postal codes | 77601–77656 |
| Area code | 0781 |
| Website | www.offenburg.de |
Offenburg is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city, and also the capital of the Ortenaukreis.
Offenburg also houses The Graduate School of Offenburg University of Applied Sciences.
Contents |
Geography
Offenburg is located near the Rhine between Karlsruhe and Freiburg. The French city of Strasbourg lies directly west across the Rhine. Offenburg lies at the mouth of the Kinzig river valley. The Kinzig flows out of the Black Forest and meets the Rhine near Kehl.
History
The city is first mentioned in historical documents dating from 1148. By 1240 Offenburg had already been declared a Free Imperial City. The city was nearly totally destroyed in the Nine Years War. In 1803 Offenburg lost its status as a free city and fell under the rulership of the Grand Duchy of Baden.
The "Offenburger Programm" which contained thirteen demands "in the name of the people of Baden" was declared at the Salmen Inn on September 12, 1847 in the run-up to the Badish Revolution during the Revolutions of 1848. This was the first democratic demand in Germany. Along with the Karlsbad Resolves, the Offenburger Programm demanded basic and human rights as well as freedom of the press and a progressive income tax structure. On March 19, 1848 the demands were confirmed by the 20,000 member Offenburg Peoples' Assembly.
Government
Mayors
- Gustav Rée (1845 - 1849)
- Karl Heitz (1949 - 1975)
- Martin Grüber (1975 - 1992)
- Dr. Wolfgang Bruder (1992 - 2002)
- Edith Schreiner (since 2003)
Representatives to the Federal Parliament
- Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU)
Economy
Offenburg is home to Hubert Burda Media, a large printing and publishing company.
Culture and Attractions
There are several historical attractions in Offenburg including:
- The Salmen Inn
- The Capuchin Monastery
- The Ritterhaus, a 1784 manor-house that has been converted into the city archives and museum
- The Jewish Bath (Mikwe): a medieval bathhouse belonging to the city's historical Jewish community
- The former Royal Palace (Königshof) built by Michael Ludwig Rohrer, now the Police station
The Offenburg Hauntings A very unknown fact about the town of Offenburg is that the Jewish Bath or Mikwe in Offenburg is haunted according to natives of Offenburg. During the holocaust, many Jews were murdered in and around the medieval bathhouse. By 1945, over 50 were murdered right within it. It is now believed within the Jewish community at Offenburg that the spirits have come back to haunt the medieval bathhouse. Descriptions of sitings have included voices crying for help and complete or partial views of spirits. Such occurrences have also been documented by leading Paranormal Investigator Matthew Didier as well as many other civilians in the city of Offenburg. In addition, The Society for Paranormal Investigation, located in Washington, D.C, has rated it as one if its Top 100 Most Haunted places in the World.
It should be noted, however, that the above paragraph is at best factually inaccurate and at worst completely unfounded. Almost all Jews were deported from Baden in 1940/1941 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Gurs#Jews_deported_from_Baden). (The English above is also unusual: "the Jewish community *at* Offenburg"; "civilians" (as opposed to the military?) in the city; and numerous misspellings.) I cannot find any indication on the web, other than this claim, either in German or English that murders took place "in and around" the medieval bathhouse.
People
- Kurt Baschwitz, Jewish journalist
- Atika Bouagaa, female volleyball player
- Burda family
- Aenne Burda, a honorary citizen
- Franz Burda I. (Franz Burda), founder of the Hubert Burda Media, a honorary citizen
- Hubert Burda, a honorary citizen
- Artur Dinter, lived here
- Hans Furler, lived here
- Johann Hofer, layer, lived here
- Michael Kaeshammer, boogie-woogie pianist, vocalist, composer, arranger
- Otto Kumm, lived here
- Dirk von Lowtzow
- Georg Monsch, a honorary citizen
- Lorenz Oken
- Franz von Roggenbach, a honorary citizen
- Felix Roth, football player
- Hanns-Martin Schleyer, manager, employer and industry representative
- Emil Sutor, sculptor
- Martin Wagner, football player
Twin towns
Notes
- ^ Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg - Landesinformationssystem - Fläche, Bevölkerung. In German). Actually for the 3rd trimester, July/September.
External links
- (English) Offenburg's Official Website
- (German) Information about and images
- (German) Messe Offenburg-Ortenau (fair Offenburg-Ortenau)
- (German) Webcam over the Burda-Tower
|
|||||||
 This article related to Jewish history is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
