Map of Germany showing the location of Emden
Emden is a
city and
seaport in the northwest of
Germany, on
river Ems. It is the main city of the region of
East Frisia; in 2001, the city had a total population of 50,253.
Geography
Emden is located at . According to the
Homepage of City of Emden, the city has a total area of 112.4
km².
History
The exact founding date of Emden is unknown, but it has existed at least since the 8th century. Older names for Emden are Amuthon, Embda, Emda, Embden. City rights and the city's coat of arms, the "Engelke up de Muer " were granted by Emperor Maximilian I in 1495.
Emden was a very rich city during the 17th century, due to large numbers of Dutch immigrants. It was a center of reformed protestantism at that time, producing the first Bible translation in Dutch. During the Napoleonic French era, Emden and the surrounding lands of East Frisia were part of the Kingdom of Holland.
During the First World War Emden lent its name to a famous German cruiser, originally based at Tsingtao in China, which was captained by Karl von Muller , whose honorably-conducted raids across the Indian Ocean in the first three months of the war became legendary on both sides.
The main city was almost completely wiped out during allied bombing raids during the Second World War, destroying nearly all historic buildings.
Economics
The main industries in Emden are automobile production and shipbuilding. Volkswagen runs a large factory building the VW Passat car.
Another important economic factor is touristics, mainly as a day trip target for the tourists in the surrounding villages.
Famous People from Emden
External links
Most are in German:
There is also a small municipality called Emden in the Ohrekreis in Saxony-Anhalt, see Emden, Saxony-Anhalt .
Last updated: 08-18-2005 16:13:57
Last updated: 10-29-2005 02:13:46