History Wetzlar

1 history

1.1 free imperial city
1.2 wetzlar becomes industrial town
1.3 wetzlar in 20th century

history

the town s founding date has never been established or known. there bandkeramiker settlements right on western town limits, partly 5,000 years bc.

kalsmunt castle ruins.

in proximity of wetzlar there few roman remains, constructed during reign of emperor augustus (reigned 27 bc – 14 ad). there military camp @ dorlar , roman roadwork. important finding uncompleted city (waldgirmes forum), has been excavated since 1993. after defeat in battle of teutoburg forest romans abandoned area , withdrew rhine border.

the name wetzlar had come being 3rd century 8th century. last syllable ―lar suggests town in existence 3rd century. ending may celtic or frankish (in latter case, referring wooden defences around town). conradine gebhard, count in wetterau, , of 904 duke of lorraine, had church of saviour consecrated in 897, replaced earlier structures. in 10th century came founding of marienstift (monastery).

free imperial city






















territory of free imperial city in 18th century

at unknown time, wetzlar granted market rights, , thereby, right levy market dues. within year, market community came being. monastery s forerunners surely part of crystallization point @ believers, traders , craftsmen met, above on holidays.

the hohenstaufen emperor frederick barbarossa (r. 1152–1190) created reichsvogtei (roughly imperial bailiwick ), , in 1180 put wetzlar s citizens on same level frankfurt s. wetzlar became free imperial city , kept distinction until 1803. town s protection, , secure wetterau imperial province, expanded high above wetzlar imperial castle (reichsburg), had stood in 1 form or before then. origin of name reichsburg kalsmunt not quite clear. following explanation cannot ruled out: kals- = karls , munt ≈ vassal, is, liege of frankish court. seem case of building work charlemagne s time ( charlemagne karl der große – charles great (740s–814) – in german). imperial coinage struck @ kalsmunt. commercial road, crossed lahn @ wetzlar, town s iron production, iron market (forum ferri) still bears witness, wool weaving mill , tanning seemed basis on develop town further.

in 1285 false emperor dietrich holzschuh, called tile kolup, claimed frederick ii, holy roman emperor (who had died in italy in 1250) came wetzlar. when rightful king, rudolph (r. 1273–1291), heard of , came wetzlar, city leaders seized tile kolup , handed him over. sentenced warlock, heretic , blasphemer fiery death, suffered next day in wetzlar @ stake.

until 1250, of town fortifications, remains can still seen today, complete. middle of 14th century, reckoned, town s population 6,000, making standards of time city . 1350, high point of town s development in middle ages reached.

decades-long feuds counts of solms, trying make wetzlar solms-domain city, threatened vital commercial road. emperor supported town, albeit vainly. city plunged debt , in 1387 fell under forced administration; however, incorporated swabian league of towns. town s decline led end of thirty years war drop in population, 1,500.

the former seat of office of reichskammergericht

a stroke of luck came wetzlar s way in 1689 when holy roman empire s highest court, reichskammergericht (imperial chamber court) moved speyer wetzlar after speyer had been devastated french in war of palatinate succession. besides vienna (residence of emperor) , regensburg (seat of imperial diet) wetzlar gained central function within holy roman empire , although remained tiny town regarded 1 of capitals. court became town s main employer; @ empire s dissolution in 1806, had staff of 150 including 20 judges, while further 750 derived income it.

in summer of 1772, johann wolfgang von goethe @ reichskammergericht trainee. novel sorrows of young werther inspired real events goethe experienced in wetzlar. in 1803 wetzlar came under rule of karl theodor anton maria von dalberg, archchancellor of holy roman empire , close ally of napoleon bonaparte , lost status free town. empire s dissolution in 1806, great court met end. replaced school of law founded karl von dalberg in 1808, not continued reichskammergericht s function of training constitutional lawyers, employed many of former staff teachers. former legal trainee, franz stickel (1786-1848), selected translate code napoleon dalberg introduced in territories in 1810-11.

after congress of vienna, area passed prussia in 1815, , in 1822 became seat of newly formed district of wetzlar, later became exclave of rhine province.

wetzlar becomes industrial town

industrialization began once lahn made navigable waterway. opening of 2 railway lines in 1862-1863 (the lahn valley railway wetzlar koblenz , cologne-gießen railway, section through wetzlar called dill railway), met in wetzlar, town found connected raw material , outlet markets, becoming industrial town. strategic cannons railway, completed berlin metz via wetzlar in 1882, known wetzlar railway (wetzlarer bahn) or berlin–wetzlar railway (berlin-wetzlarer bahn).

in 1869, in municipal area alone, 100 ore mines in operation. wetzlar s first blast furnace, built brothers buderus, went service in 1872. well, world-famous optical , precision mechanics companies such leitz (leica), hensoldt (zeiss optronics in past, airbus), pfeiffer vacuum, philips, loh, seibert, hollmann, minox , many others set shop in town.

for more 1 hundred years, iron ore found in lahn-dill area (haematite) processed @ sophienhütte ironworks. of 1887, iron ore mines being shut down 1 one, interrupted first world war, because foreign ore strip mines being offered @ lower prices on world market. in 1926, mining came end altogether.

wetzlar in 20th century

as part of progressing industrialization, town outgrew mediaeval town limits. in 1903 came amalgamation of niedergirmes extensive industrial works , railway station neighbourhood. end of first world war, population had risen on 15,000. owing increasing transportation problems, ringroad built west of old town (altstadt), taking load off old stone bridge across lahn building further bridge. in second world war, town, being industrial stronghold, became target of heavy bombing, destroyed of railway station neighbourhood , niedergirmes. historic old town, however, spared air raids.

after second world war ended in 1945, wetzlar found in american occupation zone, , later, once new boundaries had been drawn, in federal state of hesse. beginning of 1950s, owing huge numbers of displaced people lost territories , refugees flooding town, population had doubled 30,000.

on 1 january 1977, part of hesse s municipal reforms, wetzlar united neighbouring town of gießen , fourteen outlying communities form city of lahn. district-free city had 156,000 inhabitants. amalgamation unpopular, , after persistent protests – not least of wetzlar – city of lahn dissolved on 31 july 1979, , wetzlar once again became independent town. municipal reforms, however, had been worth trouble wetzlar inasmuch town gained 8 new outlying communities in deal, making both town s area , population considerably greater had been. moreover, wetzlar has since time been seat of lahn-dill-kreis, came being @ same time.