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History
The history of Saxony comprises the state history of the Free State of Saxony and the history of those territories on the middle Elbe which serve as medieval namesakes.
The cradle of today's Free State is the Mark Meissen, where King Henry I ordered the construction of a castle in the year 929 A.D. - there first the German settlement began, later Slavic tribes from the east came to it.
These tribes, some of which were already ruled as principalities of large families, grew more and more. From them arose the later aristocratic houses, which for a long time determined the history of Saxony.
One of the most famous princes of Saxony was Friedrich August I of Saxony (born on 12 May 1670 in Dresden, died on 01 February 1733 in Warsaw, Poland), called "August the Strong" - Dresden owes him many baroque buildings such as the Dresden Reisdenzschloss, Moritzburg Castle and the Zwinger.
Similar to many other federal states in Germany today, Saxony also originated from a smaller kingdom of the same name, whose area and borders roughly correspond to those of today's Saxony. In the year 1870 a union developed from this kingdom and further principalities, from which the today's Germany developed.
At the beginning of the 20th century Saxony was an economically very successful region in Germany and an important bridge to Russia. At the end of the 2nd World War, many Saxon cities were heavily destroyed, including Dresden. At the time of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1948 to 1990 Saxony again played an important role due to its proximity to the East and its economic strength. After reunification with the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990, Saxony became one of the five new federal states. Since then the 03.10. is celebrated as day of the German unit in completely Germany.
Already since the time of the Weimarer Republic, the predecessor of the today's Federal Republic of Germany, Saxony carries the title of a "Free State", thus no more as monarchy but democratically governed state, which was taken up also after the German reunification officially in the name of the federal state. Due to its size, population and economic/touristic relevance, Saxony is one of the more influential federal states within Germany.
