Matching this union had been challenging. In particular, many people in South
Baden, with their capital Freiburg, opposed such an unnatural wedding, forcing
Sauschwaben and Badenser, as they mutually name themselves, into
one bed made in Stuttgart.
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States in Germany's southwest in the Weimar Republic and before (©Wikipedia/Ssch) |
The French part encircled a tiny Prussian enclave with Hechingen castle, the
ancestral seat of the House of Hohenzollern. Frederick the Great's bones rested after the war in this castle until they were moved to their final
destination at Sans Souci Castle in Potsdam in 1991, fulfilling
Frederick's last will. He wanted to be buried near the graves of his beloved
whippets.
Let's come back to the main story. In 1946, shortly after the war with Germany, regaining a little self-determination, the south of Württemberg and the Hohenzollern territory under French occupation became a state called Württemberg-Hohenzollern with its capital Tübingen.
The people in the south of Baden, likewise under French rule but disliking the Schwaben, formed the state of Baden with its capital, Freiburg.
Let's come back to the main story. In 1946, shortly after the war with Germany, regaining a little self-determination, the south of Württemberg and the Hohenzollern territory under French occupation became a state called Württemberg-Hohenzollern with its capital Tübingen.
The people in the south of Baden, likewise under French rule but disliking the Schwaben, formed the state of Baden with its capital, Freiburg.
At the same time, the northern parts of Baden and Württemberg, occupied by the US
forces, were united to form the state of Württemberg-Baden, with Stuttgart as its
capital.
Already, the founding fathers of our Grundgesetz (Federal Constitution) regarded this partition as unnatural and favored a marriage, well aware that this was a marriage à trois.
Already, the founding fathers of our Grundgesetz (Federal Constitution) regarded this partition as unnatural and favored a marriage, well aware that this was a marriage à trois.
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"Unnatural" partitioning in Germany's southwest following American and French occupation (©Wikipedia) |
I was confronted once with these historical developments when, at a Studentenkneipe (students' ceremonial drinking session), I sat together with the Liberal Reinhold Mayer, another of those stubborn characters in the southwest. He was the last Ministerpräsident (governor) of Württemberg-Hohenzollern and the first one of the newly created Südweststaat until he was beaten in a state election in September 1953 by his Christian-Democratic opponent Gebhard Müller. All I remember is that Mayer was slurping red wine from the nearby Remstal while we students were downing Stuttgarter Hofbräu beer. As usual, the Kneipe was too noisy for a decent conversation.
Today, 60 years ago, this is all history. During a tour in Freiburg guided by the expert Professor Heinrich Schwendemann, we visited the historic places where Leo Wohleb lived and worked as a pupil, student, teacher, and eventually as President of Baden.
We were reminded not to think of earlier divisions but instead of the common
roots of Baden-Württemberg, nicely presented in the form of a mosaic in front
of the
Basler Hof, Baden's former Ministry of Interior.
The three lions in the shield stand for the Hohenstaufen, who controlled most
of the southwest territory in the early Middle Ages. On top of the shield from
left to right, we recognize the coats of arms of the various regions forming
Baden-Württemberg, starting with Franconia (the Franconian rake), followed by
Prussia's Hohenzollern, Baden, Württemberg, Palatinate's lion, and last but
not least, the Habsburg colors, red-white-red.
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Baden-Württemberg |
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