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Baden (/ˈbɑːdən/;German:[ˈbaːdn̩]) is a historical territory insouthern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of theUpper Rhine, but since theNapoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine.
The margraves of Baden originated from theHouse of Zähringen.[1] Baden is named after the margraves' residence,Hohenbaden Castle inBaden-Baden.Hermann II of Baden first claimed the title of Margrave of Baden in 1112. A unitedMargraviate of Baden existed from this time until 1535, when it was split into the two Margraviates of Baden-Durlach and Baden-Baden. Following a devastating fire in Baden-Baden in 1689, the capital was moved toRastatt.
The two parts were reunited in 1771 underMargrave Charles Frederick. The restored Margraviate with its capitalKarlsruhe was elevated to the status ofelectorate in 1803. In 1806, theElectorate of Baden, receiving territorial additions, became theGrand Duchy of Baden.
TheGrand Duchy of Baden was a state within theGerman Confederation until 1866 and theGerman Empire until 1918, succeeded by theRepublic of Baden within theWeimar Republic andNazi Germany. From 1945 to 1952,South Baden andWürttemberg-Baden were territories under French and American occupation, respectively. They were united withWürttemberg-Hohenzollern to form the modern Federal State ofBaden-Württemberg in 1952.
Baden lies in the southwest of Germany, with most of its major cities on theUpper Rhine Plain. Bounded byLake Constance on the south and by the riverRhine on the south and west, the region of Baden stretches from theLinzgau,Lörrach andFreiburg im Breisgau toKarlsruhe and then on toMannheim, leading to theMain andTauber rivers.
To its west lies theFrench historical region ofAlsace, to its southSwitzerland, thePalatinate to its northwest,Hesse to the north, and parts ofBavaria to the northeast. Its eastern border with the region ofWürttemberg runs from theKraichgau through theBlack Forest, and from some parts of the forest to the Rhine the distances become as low as 18 kilometres (11 mi) in the so-called "Wespentaille" nearGaggenau.
