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Baden was a territory in the southwest of what later became unified Germany. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margravate of Baden and subsequently split into different lines, which were unified in 1771. It became the much-enlarged Grand Duchy of Baden, a sovereign country, through the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1803- 1806. It became part of the German Empire in 1871, remaining a Grand Duchy until 1918 when it became part of the Weimar Republic. Baden was bounded to the north by the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt - to the west and practically throughout its whole length by the River RhineAt 1,320 km (820 miles), the Rhine River ( German Rhein French Rhin Dutch Rijn is one of the longest rivers in Europe. Its name is derived from the Celtic word renos (meaning "raging flow"). Together with the Danube it formed most of the northern frontier, which separated it from the Rhenish PalatinateThe Rhenish Palatinate (Rheinpfalz, sometimes "Lower Palatinate" or Niederpfalz) occupies rather more than a quarter of the German Bundesland (federal state) of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) and contains the towns of Ludwigshafen, Kaiserslautern, and the AlsaceRegion Alsace ( In Detail) ( In Detail) Information Capital: Strasbourg Population Total Density 1,734,145 1999 209/km² Area8,280 km² Arrondissements13 Cantons75 Communes903 President of the regional council Adrien Zeller ( UMP) Departements Bas-Rhin (67); to the south by SwitzerlandThe Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in central Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of political and military neutrality, but also of international c, and to the east by the Kingdom of WürttembergWurttemberg (often spelled Wurttemberg in English) refers to an area and a former state in Swabia, a region in south-western Germany. Its capital for the by far longest period was Stuttgart. For short periods of time, the seat of the government resp., the Principality of Hohenzollern-SigmaringenHohenzollern-Sigmaringen is the cadet branch of the senior Swabian branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty (less known however than the Franconian branch which became Burgraves of Nuremberg and later ruled Brandenburg, Prussia and ultimately Germany in the cen and partly by Bavaria.
After World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough, in 1945Events January January 5 The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet government of Poland. January 7 British General Bernard Montgomery holds a press conference in which he claims credit for victory in the Battle of the Bulge. January 12 World War II:/ 46 the French military government created the State of Baden with Freiburg im Breisgau as capital out of the southern half of the former Baden. The northern half combined with northern Württemberg was part of the American military zone and formed the land Württemberg-Baden . In 1952 Baden was merged with Württemberg-Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern to form Baden-Württemberg.
The Grand Duchy had an area of 15,081 km² (5823 mi²) and consisted of a considerable portion of the eastern half of the fertile valley of the Rhine and of the mountains which form its boundary.
The mountainous part was by far the most extensive, forming, indeed, nearly 80% of the whole area. From the Lake of Constance in the south to the river Neckar in the north is a portion of the Black Forest or Schwarzwald, which is divided by the valley of the Kinzig into two districts of different elevation. To the south of the Kinzig the mean height is 945 m (3100 ft), and the loftiest summit, the Feldberg, reaches about 1493 m (4898 ft);, while to the north the mean height is only 640 m (2100 ft), and the Belchen , the culminating point of the whole, does not exceed 1365 m (4480 ft). To the north of the Neckar is the Odenwald Range, with a mean of 439 m (1440 ft), and in the Katzenbuckel , an extreme of 603 m (1980 ft). Lying between the Rhine and the Dreisam is the Kaiserstuhl , an independent volcanic group, nearly 16 km in length and 8 in breadth, the highest point of which is 536 m (1760 ft).
The greater part of Baden belongs to the basin of the Rhine, which receives upwards of twenty tributaries from the highlands; the north-eastern portion of the territory is also watered by the Main and the Neckar. A part, however, of the eastern slope of the Black Forest belongs to the basin of the Danube, which there takes its rise in a number of mountain streams. Among the numerous lakes which belonged to the duchy are the Mummelsee , Wildersee , Eichenersee and Schluchsee , but none of them is of any size. The Lake Constance (Bodensee) belongs partly to Baden-Würrtemberg and Bavaria (being German federal states: Bundesländer), furthermore to Austria and Switzerland.
Owing to its physical configuration Baden presents great extremes of heat and cold. The Rhine valley is the warmest district in Germany, but the higher elevations of the Black Forest record the greatest degrees of cold experienced in the South. The mean temperature of the Rhine valley is approximately 10° C and that, of the high table-land, 6° C. July is the hottest and January the coldest month.
The mineral wealth of Baden was not great, but iron, coal, lead and zinc of excellent quality were produced, and silver, copper, gold, cobalt, vitriol and sulphur were obtained in small quantities. Peat was found in abundance, as well as gypsum, china clay, potter's earth and salt. The mineral springs of Baden are still very numerous and have acquired great celebrity, those of Baden-Baden, Badenweiler, Antogast , Griesbach , Friersbach and Peterthal being the most frequented.
In the valleys the soil is particularly fertile, yielding luxuriant crops of wheat, maize, barley, spelt, rye, bean, potatoes, flax, hemp, hops, beetroot, and tobacco; and even in the more montainous part, rye, wheat and oats are extensively cultivated. There is a considerable extent of pasture-land, and the rearing of cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats is extensively practised. Of game, deer, boar, snipe and wild partridges are fairly abundant, while the mountain streams yield trout of excellent quality. The culture of the vine increases, and the wines, which are charactised by a mildness of flavour, are in good demand. In fact Baden has become Germany's largest and best known area of vine cultivation. The gardens and the orchards supply an abundance of fruit, especially almonds and walnuts, and bee-keeping is practised throughout the country. A greater proportion of Baden than any other south German state is occupied by forests. In these the predominant trees are fir and pine, but many others, such as the chestnut, are well-represented. A third, at least, of the annual timber production is exported.
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