Karlsruhe City of Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe Palace at night
Coordinates	49°1′0″N 8°24′0″E / 49.016667°N 8.4°E / 49.016667; 8.4Coordinates: 49°1′0″N 8°24′0″E / 49.016667°N 8.4°E / 49.016667; 8.4
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Karlsruhe
District	Urban district
City subdivisions	27 quarters
Lord Mayor	Heinz Fenrich (CDU)
Basic statistics
Area	173.46 km2 (66.97 sq mi)
Elevation	115 m  (377 ft)
Population	294,761 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	1,699 /km2 (4,401 /sq mi)
Founded	1715
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	KA
Postal codes	76131–76229
Area code	0721
Website	www.karlsruhe.de

The City of Karlsruhe (German pronunciation: [ˈkaɐ̯lsʁuːə]; formerly Carlsruhe) is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state (bundesland) of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.

Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states. The town surrounding the Palace became the seat of two of the highest courts in Germany, the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany (Bundesverfassungsgericht) whose decisions have the force of a law in many cases, and the Federal Court of Justice of Germany (Bundesgerichtshof), the highest court of appeals in matters of civil law and criminal law. It therefore considers itself the home of justice in Germany, a role taken over from Leipzig after 1945.^[2][3]

Due to similarities to the United States capital city, it has been speculated that Karlsruhe was a model city for the cityscape of Washington, D.C.^[4] Both cities have a center — in Karlsruhe the palace and in D.C. the Capitol Building — from which the streets radiate outward. L'Enfant, Washington's city planner, had been given the plans of Karlsruhe (among numerous other European cities) as an inspiration.^{[5][dead link]}

Geography[link]

The 49th parallel north in the Karlsruhe Stadtgarten

The city lies at an altitude between 100 m (on the eastern shore of the river Rhine) and 322 m (near the TV Tower). Its geographical coordinates are 49°00′N 8°24′E / 49°N 8.4°E / 49; 8.4; the 49th parallel runs through the city centre. Its course is marked by a stone and painted line in the Stadtgarten (city park).

MiRO oil refinery

The city was planned with the palace tower (Schloss) at the center and 32 streets radiating out from it like the spokes of a wheel, or the ribs of a folding fan, so that one nickname for Karlsruhe in German is the "fan city" (Fächerstadt). Almost all of these streets survive today. Because of this city layout, in metric geometry, Karlsruhe metric refers to a measure of distance that assumes travel is only possible along radial streets and along circular avenues around the center.^[6]

The city centre is the oldest part of town and lies south of the palace in the quadrant defined by nine of the radial streets. The central part of the palace runs east-west, with two wings, each at a 45° angle, directed southeast and southwest respectively (i.e. parallel with the streets marking the boundaries of the quadrant defining the city center).

The market square lies on the street running south from the palace to Ettlingen. The market square has the town hall (Rathaus) to the west, the main Lutheran church (Evangelische Stadtkirche) to the east, and the tomb of Margrave Karl Wilhelm in a pyramid in the buildings, resulting in Karlsruhe being one of only three large cities in Germany where buildings are laid out in the Neoclassical style.

The area north of the palace is a park and forest. Originally the area to the east of the palace consisted of gardens and forests, some of which remain, but the Institute of Technology (founded in 1825), Wildparkstadion, and residential areas have been built there. The area west of the palace is now mostly residential.

Panorama of Karlsruhe, looking south from the palace tower . The Institute of Technology is on the left, the Market square in the centre, the Federal Constitutional Court on the right. Note wings of the palace aligning with streets, all radiating out from the centre of town (i.e. the palace tower).

Climate[link]

Karlsruhe experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to much of Germany.

History[link]

According to legend, the name Karlsruhe, which translates as Charles’ repose, was given to the new city after a hunting trip when Margrave Charles III William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, woke from a dream in which he dreamt of founding his new city.

Charles William founded the city on June 17, 1715 after a dispute with the citizens of his previous capital, Durlach. The founding of the city is closely linked to the construction of the palace. Karlsruhe became the capital of Baden-Durlach and in 1771 of the united Baden until 1945. Built in 1822, the "Ständehaus" was the first parliament building in a German State. In the aftermath of the democratic revolution of 1848, a republican government was elected here.

In 1860 the first ever international professional convention, the Karlsruhe Congress, was held in the city.

Much of the central area, including the palace, was reduced to rubble by Allied bombing during World War II but was rebuilt after the war.

Main sights[link]

The Durlacher Turmberg has a look-out tower (hence its name). It is a former keep dating back to the 13th century.

The Stadtgarten is a recreational area near the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) and was rebuilt in 1967 during the 'Federal Garden Show' (Bundesgartenschau). It is also the site of the Karlsruhe Zoo.

The city has two botanical gardens: the municipal Botanischer Garten Karlsruhe which forms part of the Palace complex, and the Botanischer Garten der Universität Karlsruhe which is maintained by the university.