Karlsruhe, Germany

Karlsruhe (population 285,812 in 2006) is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border. The city's altitude is between 100 m (on the western shore of the river Rhine) and 322 m (near to the TV Tower). Its geographical coordinates are 49°00′N, 8°24′E; the 49th parallel runs through the city center. Its course is marked by a stone and painted line in the Stadtgarten (city park).

Germany's largest oil refinery is located in Karlsruhe, at the western edge of the city, directly on the river Rhine. Karlsruhe is well known in transport circles around the world for pioneering the concept of operating trams on train tracks (tram-trains), to achieve a more effective and attractive public transport system. In mid-2007 it will be attached to the TGV network, reducing travel time to Paris to only three hours.

The city takes its name from Margrave Karl Wilhelm of Baden-Durlach, who founded the city in 1715 after a dispute with the citizens of his previous capital, Durlach. The founding of the city is closely linked to the construction of the palace. Karlsruhe became the capital of Baden-Durlach until 1771, thereafter the capital of Baden until 1945. Built in 1822, the "Ständehaus" was the first parliament building in a German State. In the aftermath of the democratic revolution, a republican government was elected here. The city was planned with the tower of the castle (Schloss) at the center and 32 streets radiating out from it like spokes on a wheel or ribs on a folding fan, so that a nickname for Karlsruhe in Germany is the "fan city" (Fächerstadt). Almost all of these streets survive today. The city center was the oldest part of town and lies south of the castle in the quadrant defined by nine of the streets.

The market place is on the street running south from the castle to Ettlingen. The market place has the town hall (Rathaus) to the west, the main protestant church (Evangelische Stadtkirche) to the east, and the tomb of Margrave Karl Wilhelm in a pyramid in the center. The architect Friedrich Weinbrenner designed many of the most important buildings. That is why Karlsruhe is one of only three large German cities we can still find building ensembles in Neoclassicism style. Much of the downtown area, including the Schloss, was reduced to rubble by Allied bombing during World War II but was quickly rebuilt after the war.

(Adapted from: Karlsruhe, Germany. (2007, April 24). From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.)

See all the free photos by going to the Photo Catalog.    Click on any picture for a FREE larger version. Read the licensing rules (REVISED) for your needs. There are hundreds of high quality free photos: use the Google/site search engine. See our digital photography tips : DOs and Don'ts;  Choosing a Camera and Accessories , Downloading Photos, and Editing Photos.  Visit TechnologySite.org for free photos and lists of inventions and technology and learn Climate Change Facts to see for yourself if you are at risk from global warming.

karlsruhe01.jpg Fountains in Park, Karlsrue, Germany	karlsruhe02.jpg Karlsrue, Germany
karlsruhe03.jpg MarktPlatz, Karlsrue, Germany	karlsruhe04.jpg MarktPlatz, Karlsrue, Germany with famous pyramid marking burial of founder
karlsruhe05.jpg Schloss (Castle) , Karlsrue, Germany	karlsruhe06.jpg Schloss (Castle) , Karlsrue, Germany
karlsruhe07.jpg Karlsrue, Germany view from Zoo	karlsruhe08.jpg Karlsrue, Germany view from Zoo
karlsruhe09.jpg Karlsrue, Germany Schloss	karlsruhe10.jpg Statue/Fountain, Karlsrue
karlsruhe11.jpg High Tech Truck, Karlsrue	karlsruhe12.jpg High Tech Truck, Karlsrue
karlsruhe13.jpg Indecent Fountains, boy sculptures, Karlsrue, Germany	karlsruhe14.jpg Indecent Fountains, Karlsrue