The first Free State of Saxony was established in 1918 as a constituent state of the Weimar Republic.
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The first Free State of Saxony was established in 1918 as a constituent state of the Weimar Republic.
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Saxony has a long history as a duchy, an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, and finally as a kingdom .
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In prehistoric times, the territory of present-day Saxony was the site of some of the largest of the ancient central European monumental temples, dating from the fifth century BC.
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Parts of Saxony were possibly under the control of the Germanic King Marobod during the Roman era.
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Territory of the Free State of Saxony became part of the Holy Roman Empire by the 10th century, when the dukes of Saxony were kings of the Holy Roman Empire, comprising the Ottonian, or Saxon, Dynasty.
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In 1137, control of Saxony passed to the Guelph dynasty, descendants of Wulfhild Billung, eldest daughter of the last Billung duke, and the daughter of Lothar of Supplinburg.
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The remaining eastern lands, together with the title of Duke of Saxony, passed to an Ascanian dynasty and were divided in 1260 into the two small states of Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg.
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Electorate of Saxony was then merged with the much larger Wettinian Margraviate of Meissen; however, it used the higher-ranking title Electorate of Saxony and even the Ascanian coat-of-arms for the entire monarchy.
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Saxe-Wittenberg, mostly in modern Saxony-Anhalt, became subject to the margravate of Meissen, ruled by the Wettin dynasty in 1423.
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The Prussians quickly defeated Saxony and incorporated the Saxon army into the Prussian army.
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The rump Kingdom of Saxony had roughly the same extent as the present state, albeit slightly smaller.
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Meanwhile, in 1815, the southern part of Saxony, now called the "State of Saxony" joined the German Confederation.
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Shortly thereafter, liberal pressures in Saxony mounted and broke out in revolt during 1830—a year of revolution in Europe.
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The revolution in Saxony resulted in a constitution for the State of Saxony that served as the basis for its government until 1918.
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Only a small area of Saxony lying east of the Neisse River and centred around the town of Reichenau, was annexed by Poland.
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Saxony met his Bavarian counterparts in the U S zone of occupation in October 1946 and May 1947, but died suddenly in mysterious circumstances the following month.
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Saxony was succeeded by Max Seydewitz, a loyal follower of Joseph Stalin.
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German Democratic Republic, including Saxony, was established in 1949 out of the Soviet zone of Occupied Germany, becoming a constitutionally socialist state, part of COMECON and the Warsaw Pact, under the leadership of the SED.
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Free State of Saxony was reconstituted with slightly altered borders in 1990, following German reunification.
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Largest cities and towns in Saxony according to the 30 September 2020 estimate are listed below.
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Saxony is a densely populated state if compared with more rural German states such as Bavaria or Lower Saxony.
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The population of Saxony began declining in the 1950s due to emigration, a process which accelerated after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
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The Sorbic language and culture are protected by special laws and cities and villages in eastern Saxony that are inhabited by a significant number of Sorbian inhabitants have bilingual street signs and administrative offices provide service in both, German and Sorbian.
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Saxony has a "very high" Human Development Index value of 0.
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Saxony has, after Saxony Anhalt, the most vibrant economy of the states of the former East Germany .
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Saxony is home to numerous castles, such as Schloss Moritzburg north of Dresden.
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Saxony has four large universities, six Fachhochschulen and six art schools.
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Saxony is home to several Max Planck Institutes and research institutions of the Fraunhofer Society.
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Martin Luther personally oversaw the Lutheran church in Saxony and shaped it consistently with his own views and ideas.
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Nonetheless, even during this time Saxony remained an important place of religious dialogue and it was at Meissen where the agreement on mutual recognition between the German Evangelical Church and the Church of England was signed in 1988.
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Saxony has its own anthem, dating back to the monarchy of the 19th century.
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