Emden
Emden is a city and sea port 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 53°20' North 07°12' East. According to the , 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.
In World War One Emden lent its name to a famous German cruiser, originally based at Tsingtao in China, and 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 nearly completely wiped out during allied bombing runs in World War II, 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
Links
Most are in german:
There is also a small municipality called Emden in the Ohrekreis in Saxony-Anhalt, see Emden, Saxony-Anhalt.
