Emden

History

Emden was a very rich city during the 17th century, due to large numbers of Dutch immigrants such as Diederik Jansz. Graeff. It was a center of reformed Protestantism at that time, producing the first Bible translation in Dutch.

In 1744 Emden was annexed by the Prussia. In 1752 Frederick the Great chartered the Emden Company to trade with Canton, but the company was ruined when Emden was captured by French forces in 1757 during the Seven Years' War. The town was recaptured by Anglo-German forces in 1758 and for the rest of the conflict was used as a major supply base by the British to support the ongoing war in Westphalia.

During the Napoleonic French era, Emden and the surrounding lands of East Frisia were part of the short-lived Kingdom of Holland.

Industrialization started at around 1870, with a paper mill and a somewhat bigger shipyard. At the end of the 19th century, a big canal, the Dortmund-Ems Canal was constructed, which connected Emden with the Ruhr area. This made Emden the "seaport of the Ruhr area" - which lasted until the 1970s. Coal from the south was transported to the North Sea port, and imported iron ore was shipped via the canal towards Rhine and Ruhr. The last iron ore freighter was moored in Emdens port in 1986.

In 1903, a big shipyard (Nordseewerke, "North Sea Works") was founded which still exists.

The city centre was almost completely wiped out during allied bombing raids during the Second World War, destroying nearly all historic buildings. The most severe bombing took place on September 6, 1944, when roughly 80 percent of all houses in the inner city were destroyed. In the collective memory of the city, this date still plays an important role. Of note is the fact that the shipyard area was largely untouched: The British targeted the civilian areas, which is believed by the locals to have been revenge for a bombing of an English city by the Luftwaffe. The reconstructed town was opened on 6 September 1962, exactly 18 years after the bombing.

Economy

The main industries in Emden are automobile production and shipbuilding. Volkswagen runs a large production plant which builds the Volkswagen Passat car and which employs around 10,000 people. Emden is also one of the three main ports for car shipping in Europe (together with Zeebrugge in Belgium and Bremerhaven in Germany). More than 850,000 cars were imported and exported in 2005. The Nordseewerke shipyard, a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp, employs around 1,400 dockers and specializes in conventional submarines. It also produces different kinds of cargo ships as well as ships for special purposes such as icebreakers, dredgers and similar.

Another important economic sector is tourism, mainly as a day trip destination for tourists staying in the surrounding villages on the North Sea coastline.

A university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) was opened in 1973. At present, around 3500 students are enrolled, most of them studying for technical degrees.

Sports

Since Emden is not only located close to the North Sea, but also to the river Ems and various small rivers and canals, boat sports are very popular among inhabitants and tourists.

Famous people from Emden

Ships and others named after the city

* SMS Emden (1906), a light cruiser in the Kaiserliche Marine, Bay of Bengal, Battle of Cocos

A deep sea spot in the Pacific Ocean close to the Philippines is named after the "third" ship, and is therefore called Emdentief in German. The spot (10,400 m deep) was sounded in the 1920s (in 1920, 1923 or 1928 - sources vary).

In addition, the village of Emden, Illinois in the United States was named after Emden due to the large number of emigrants from Emden to the village in northwestern Logan County, Illinois.

International relations

Emden is twinned with: London Borough of Hillingdon, England Archangelsk, Russia Prenzlau, Brandenburg

References

External links

Category:Port cities and towns in Germany Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea Category:Towns and villages in East Frisia