Saxony is the most eastern German state, bordering on Poland in the east and the Czech Republic in the south. With 4.3 million inhabitants on a land area of 18,413 square kilometres, Saxony is the most populous east German state. The state government, a CDU and SPD coalition under Minister President Georg Milbradt, is based in Dresden.
www.sachsen.de
Saxony was a kingdom for over one hundred years – before that it had been a principality, a duchy and a county. As elsewhere in Germany, the system of monarchic government broke down in 1918, at the end of the First World War. The “Free State of Saxony” was established. The choice of the word “free” was intended to highlight the fact that the Land was no longer ruled by a sovereign, but governed by free citizens. The Monday demonstrations in Leipzig and Dresden in 1989 inaugurated the end of the GDR.
After reunification Saxony experienced a far-reaching structural transformation, but was able to build on its traditional strengths and above all develop its vehicle and mechanical engineering sectors. Watches from Glashütte have also regained a world-class reputation. Furthermore, the successful location of American microchip giant AMD has transformed the state into “Silicon Saxony”.
www.wfs.saxony.de
Saxony has the most diverse higher education landscape of all the east German Länder with universities in Dresden, Leipzig, Chemnitz and Freiberg, 12 universities of applied sciences, and 5 art colleges. There is a clear emphasis on the natural sciences and technology. Technology transfer from research institutes to business is supported by 2 patent information centres, 4 technology consultancies, 15 technology transfer centres and 21 technology and founder centres.
Saxony is one of most attractive regions in Europe when it comes to the arts. The writers Nietzsche and Lessing, the composers Bach and Wagner, the Expressionist artists of the Brücke, the painters Richter and Penck, and the young artists of the Leipzig School underline Saxony’s reputation as a cultural centre. The eleven museums of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden are visited by 1.5 million people a year. Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra is internationally renowned.
