View source for Emden

{{Short description|City in Germany}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox German location
|type               = Stadt
|image_coa          = DEU Emden COA.svg
|image_flag         = Flagge Emden.svg
|image_photo        = Flug Emden 2010 191.JPG
|coordinates        = {{coord|53|22|1|N|07|12|22|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan          = 
|state        = Niedersachsen
|district         = Kreisfreie Stadt
|elevation              = 1
|area            = 112.33
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 03402000
|postal_code       = 26721, 26723, 26725
|area_code         = 04921, 04927 ([[Knock, East Frisia|Knock]])
|licence           = EMD
|website           = [https://www.emden.de/ www.emden.de]
|mayor             = Tim Kruithoff<ref name=mayor>{{cite web|url=https://www.statistik.niedersachsen.de/download/169156|title=Verzeichnis der direkt gewählten Bürgermeister/-innen und Landräte/Landrätinnen|date=April 2021|publisher=[[Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen]]}}</ref>
|leader_term       = 2019&ndash;24
|Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeister
|party             = Independent 
}}
[[File:Emden 2023.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.15|Aerial view]]
'''Emden''' ({{IPA|de|ˈɛmdn̩|-|De-Emden.ogg}}) is an [[Independent city (Germany)|independent town]] and [[seaport]] in [[Lower Saxony]] in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River [[Ems (river)|Ems]], close to the [[Germany–Netherlands border|Netherlands border]]. It is the main town in the region of [[East Frisia]] and had a total population of 50,535 in 2022.

==History==
{{Quote box 
|title=Historical affiliations
|quote={{flagicon image|Ostfriesland Flagge mit Wappen.0.2.svg}} [[County of East Frisia]] 1464–1744<br/>
{{flag|Kingdom of Prussia|1750}} 1744–1806<br />
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Kingdom of Holland]] 1806–1810<br />
{{flag|First French Empire}} 1810–1813<br />
{{flag|Kingdom of Prussia|1803}} 1813–1815<br />
{{flag|Kingdom of Hanover}} 1815–1866<br />
{{flag|Kingdom of Prussia|1803}} 1866–1871<br />
{{flag|German Empire}} 1871–1918<br />
{{flag|Weimar Republic}} 1918–1933<br />
{{flag|Nazi Germany}} 1933–1945<br />
{{flag|Allied-occupied Germany}} 1945–1949<br />
{{flag|West Germany}} 1949–1990<br />
{{flag|Germany}} 1990–present
|align=left 
|width=19em 
|bgcolor=GhostWhite
}}
[[File:Neue Kirche Emden.jpg|thumb|A church in Emden built in 1648]]

The exact date when Emden was founded is unknown, but it has existed since at least the 8th century. Older names for Emden were Setutanda,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Old Germanic Toponymie {{!}} PDF |url=https://de.scribd.com/document/331728317/Old-germanic-toponymie |access-date=18 March 2022 |website=Scribd |language=en |archive-date=7 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507232010/https://de.scribd.com/document/331728317/Old-germanic-toponymie |url-status=dead }}</ref> Amuthon, Embda, Emda, Embden and Embderland. Its town privilege and coat of arms, the ''Engelke up de Muer'' (The Little Angel on the Wall), were granted by Emperor [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]] in 1495. 

In the 16th century, Emden briefly became an important centre for the [[Protestant Reformation]] under the rule of Countess [[Anna von Oldenburg]], who was determined to find a religious "third way" between [[Lutheranism]] and [[Catholicism]]. In 1542 she invited the Polish noble [[John Laski]] (or ''Johannes a Lasco'') to become pastor of a Protestant church at Emden,<ref name="FSC">{{cite book|last=Carney|first=Frederick S.|title=Politica:Translator's Introduction|year=1995|publisher=Liberty Fund|isbn=9780865971158}}</ref>{{rp|xi}} and for seven years he continued to spread the new religion around the area of [[East Frisia]]. However, in 1549, following pressure from Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]], the Countess was forced to ask Laski to leave for England and the experiment came to an end. Nevertheless, the legacy was important for the reformation in the Netherlands. 

At the end of the 16th century, Emden experienced a period of great prosperity. Due to the Spanish blockade of Flemish and Brabant ports at the start of the [[Dutch Revolt]], Emden became the most important transshipment port on the North Sea. Thousands of Protestant refugees came from Flanders and the Duchy of Brabant to the Protestant town of Emden to escape persecution by the Spanish rulers of the Low Countries. During this period, Emden was predominantly Calvinist and came into conflict with the Lutheran counts of East Friesland. 

The [[Emden Revolution]] in 1595 resulted in Emden becoming a distinct city-state.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mentzer|first=Raymond|title=Sin and the Calvinists: Morals, Control and the Consistory in Reformed Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n_ipwgt-dtMC&q=Emden+1595&pg=PA22|year=1994|publisher=Truman State University Press|isbn=1931112185|page=22}}</ref>  With the support of the Dutch Republic, Emden became a free government city under the protection of the Dutch Republic. The [[Brabantian dialect]] became the official language of trade and civil administration. Emden was a very rich city during the 17th century, due to large numbers of Dutch and Flemish immigrants such as [[Dirck Jansz Graeff|Diederik Jansz Graeff]]. It was a centre of reformed Protestantism at that time. The political theorist [[Johannes Althusius]] served as [[Syndic]] from 1604 to 1638.<ref name="FSC"/>{{rp|xii}} 

In 1744, Emden was annexed by [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]. The Emden Convention, signed on 14 March 1744, was a treaty that formalised Prussia's annexation of East Frisia after the local Cirksena dynasty died out. It recognised the rights and privileges of the city of Emden and the regional estates. Carl Edzard, the last Count of East Frisia, assumed power in 1734, but faced opposition from Emden and other estates, leading to political and economic isolation. Emden sought to regain its status as a trading hub and looked to Prussia for help. In exchange for recognising Prussia’s claim to East Frisia, Emden demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops, the return of sequestered assets and the relocation of the estate treasury to Emden. Prussia, under Frederick II, aimed to secure its claim to East Frisia, relying on a 1694 decree from Emperor Leopold I. Negotiations led by Sebastian Anton Homfeld resulted in two treaties being signed on 14 March 1744. These agreements upheld Emden’s status and granted the city special economic and administrative privileges. After Carl Edzard’s death on 25 May 1744, Prussia quickly occupied East Frisia without resistance and the region soon swore allegiance to the Prussian crown. Foreign troops withdrew from the area.

In 1752 [[Frederick the Great]] chartered the [[Emden Company]] to trade with [[Guangzhou|Canton]], but the company was ruined when Emden was captured by French forces in 1757 during the [[Seven Years' War]]. The city was recaptured by [[Hanoverian Army of Observation|Anglo-German forces]] in 1758 and was used as a major supply base by the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]]  for the rest of the conflict to support the ongoing war in [[Westphalia]]. During the [[Napoleonic Wars]], Emden and the surrounding lands of [[East Frisia]] were part of the short-lived [[Kingdom of Holland]]. 

Industrialisation started at around 1870, with a paper mill and a somewhat bigger shipyard. At the end of the 19th century, a big canal, the [[Dortmund-Ems Canal]] was constructed, which connected Emden to the [[Ruhr]] area. This made Emden the "seaport of the Ruhr area", which lasted until the 1970s. Coal from the south was transported to the North Sea port, and imported iron ore was shipped towards the [[Rhine]] and the [[Ruhr (river)|Ruhr]] via the canal. The last iron-ore freighter was moored in the port of Emden in 1986. In 1903, a large shipyard (''[[Nordseewerke]]'', "North Sea Works") was founded, which was in operation until 2010. 

During [[World War II]], Emden was repeatedly targeted by Allied [[Strategic bombing during World War II|bombing raids]], which destroyed most of the town centre. The [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) launched its first bombing raid over Emden on 31 March 1940, and both the RAF and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) continued to launch raids on the town for the duration of the war. On 6 September 1944, the RAF and USAAF launched their largest bombing raid on Emden, which destroyed approximately 80% of all the buildings in the town centre. However, in contrast to the rest of the town, the Emden shipyards were left largely unaffected by the bombing raids.<ref>{{cite web | title=You have no chance – Airminded | website=Airminded | date=2 February 2011 | url=https://airminded.org/2011/02/02/you-have-no-chance/ |quote=Why are we doing so? It is not revenge, though we do not forget Warsaw, Belgrade, Rotterdam, London, Plymouth and Coventry. We are bombing Germany, city by city, and ever more terribly, in order to make it impossible for you to go on with the war. That is our object. We shall pursue it remorselessly. City by city: Lübeck, Rostock, Cologne, Emden, Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Duisburg, Hamburg -- and the list will grow longer and longer. | access-date=14 March 2020}}</ref> After the war, Emden came under [[Allied-occupied Germany|Allied occupation]] and rebuilding efforts commenced. The current [[city hall|town hall]] was officially opened in Emden on 6 September 1962, exactly 18 years after the 1944 raid.{{fact|date=January 2023}}

==Climate==

{{Weather box|width=auto	
| location = Emden (1991–2020 normals)
| metric first = Y	
| single line = Y	
|collapsed = Y
|Jan high C = 	5.1
|Feb high C = 	5.9
|Mar high C = 	9.0
|Apr high C = 	13.8
|May high C = 	17.4
|Jun high C = 	20.1
|Jul high C = 	22.1
|Aug high C = 	22.3
|Sep high C = 	18.9
|Oct high C = 	14.1
|Nov high C = 	9.0
|Dec high C = 	6.0
| year high C =	13.7
|Jan mean C = 	2.9
|Feb mean C = 	3.1
|Mar mean C = 	5.3
|Apr mean C = 	8.9
|May mean C = 	12.5
|Jun mean C = 	15.5
|Jul mean C = 	17.5
|Aug mean C = 	17.6
|Sep mean C = 	14.6
|Oct mean C = 	10.5
|Nov mean C = 	6.5
|Dec mean C = 	3.9
|year mean C = 	9.9
|Jan low C = 	0.5
|Feb low C = 	0.4
|Mar low C = 	1.6
|Apr low C = 	4.1
|May low C = 	7.6
|Jun low C = 	10.8
|Jul low C = 	13.0
|Aug low C = 	13.1
|Sep low C = 	10.5
|Oct low C = 	7.1
|Nov low C = 	3.8
|Dec low C = 	1.5
| year low C =	6.2
| precipitation colour = green	
|Jan precipitation mm = 69.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 51.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 50.6
|Apr precipitation mm = 42.2
|May precipitation mm = 53.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 71.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 86.0
|Aug precipitation mm = 83.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 77.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 75.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 66.7
|Dec precipitation mm = 75.3
| year precipitation mm =808.8
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm	
|Jan precipitation days = 20.6
|Feb precipitation days = 16.0
|Mar precipitation days = 15.6
|Apr precipitation days = 13.9
|May precipitation days = 14.0
|Jun precipitation days = 15.3
|Jul precipitation days = 17.7
|Aug precipitation days = 16.7
|Sep precipitation days = 16.4
|Oct precipitation days = 18.6
|Nov precipitation days = 19.3
|Dec precipitation days = 21.0
|year precipitation days = 205.4
|Jan sun = 42.9
|Feb sun = 70.7
|Mar sun = 122.3
|Apr sun = 185.4
|May sun = 214.1
|Jun sun = 202.8
|Jul sun = 202.4
|Aug sun = 186.4
|Sep sun = 145.9
|Oct sun = 103.3
|Nov sun = 52.7
|Dec sun = 42.2
|year sun = 1582.0
|Jan humidity = 89.4
|Feb humidity = 86.5
|Mar humidity = 82.4
|Apr humidity = 77.8
|May humidity = 76.6
|Jun humidity = 77.7
|Jul humidity = 78.5
|Aug humidity = 79.6
|Sep humidity = 82.9
|Oct humidity = 85.9
|Nov humidity = 89.7
|Dec humidity = 90.3
| year humidity =83.2
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name=NOAA>{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230916130014/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Emden_10200.csv
| archive-date = 16 September 2023
| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Emden_10200.csv
| title = Emden Climate Normals 1991–2020
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| access-date = 16 September 2023}}</ref>
}}

==Economy==
The main industries in Emden are automobile production and shipbuilding. [[Volkswagen]] runs a large production plant which builds the [[Volkswagen Arteon]] car and which employs around 10,000 people. [[Emden harbor|Emden harbour]] is also one of the three main ports for car shipping in Europe (together with [[Zeebrugge]] in Belgium and [[Bremerhaven]] in Germany). Emden is the main location from which vehicles produced at all Volkswagen Group factories in Germany are marshalled for export overseas.

More than 1.4 million cars were imported and exported in 2017.<ref>[https://www.autoport-emden.de Emden Autoport]. Retrieved 21 September 2021 (german).</ref> The ''Nordseewerke'' shipyard, a subsidiary of [[ThyssenKrupp]], employs around 1,400 dockers and specialises in conventional submarines. It also produces different kinds of cargo ships as well as ships for special purposes, such as icebreakers, dredgers and other ships of that type.

Another important economic sector is tourism, mainly as Emden is a popular day-trip destination for tourists staying in surrounding villages on the North Sea coastline.

A university of applied sciences ({{lang|de|[[Fachhochschule]]}}) was opened in 1973. At present, around 4,240 students are enrolled, most of whom are studying for degrees in technical subjects like engineering.

The airline [[Ostfriesische Lufttransport]] had its headquarters in Emden.<ref>"[https://www.olt.de/en/info/imprint/ Imprint]". ([https://web.archive.org/web/20111002193901/https://www.olt.de/en/info/imprint/ Archive]) Ostfriesische Lufttransport. Retrieved on 4 August 2011. "Gorch-Fock-Str. 103 26721 Emden Germany".</ref>

==Sports==
The highest-playing{{clarify|date=July 2019}} [[association football]] club is [[Kickers Emden|BSV Kickers Emden]]. The capacity of the stadium is 7,200, due to safety objections by the [[German Football Association]]. In 1994, some 12,000 spectators attended a match against the reserves squad of [[Hamburger SV]], which remains the record. In that season, Kickers Emden finished top of the 3rd League, but it was not promoted to the [[2. Fußball-Bundesliga|Second League]] as it lost the promotion round.

Since Emden is not only located close to the North Sea, but also on the River Ems and various small rivers and canals run through it as well, boat sports are very popular among the locals and tourists.

==Notable people==
[[File:Zelfportret Bakhuizen.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Ludolf Bakhuizen]] self-portrait]]
[[File:Melusine von der Schulenburg - Kloster Barsinghausen..png|thumb|140px| [[Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal|Melusine von der Schulenburg]], ca 1705]]
* [[:de:Liste der Bürgermeister von Emden|Johann van Lingen, (DE Wiki)]] (1425–1481), Mayor of Emden, 1463–1470
* [[Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser]] (ca 1540–1596), navigator and [[celestial cartographer]] in Portuguese and Dutch service
* [[Johannes Althusius]] (1563–1638), [[legal scholar]], [[Calvinist]] political theorist, elected a local municipal trustee in 1603 
* [[Jacob Dircksz de Graeff]] (1571–1638), member of the [[De Graeff]] family; Amsterdam burgomaster in the [[Dutch Golden Age]].
* [[Johann Heinrich Alting]] (1583–1644), reformed theologian.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Alting, Johann Heinrich |volume= 1 | page= 764 |short=x}}</ref>
* [[Martin Hermann Faber]] (1586–1648), painter, architect, and cartographer
* [[Simon Bosboom]] (1614–1662), a [[Dutch Golden Age]] architect and writer.
* [[Abraham and Bernard van Linge]] (fl.1625–1641) & (1598–ca1644); [[stained glass]] window painters, worked in [[Oxford]]
* [[Ludolf Bakhuizen]] (1630–1708), major Dutch painter.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Backhuysen, Ludolf |volume= 3| page= 135 |short=x}}</ref>
* [[Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal]] (1667–1743), mistress to King [[George I of Great Britain]].<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Kendal, Dukedom of |volume= 15 | page= 727, see second para = "In 1719 Ehrengarde Melusina (1667–1743), mistress of......." |short=x}}</ref>
* [[Jacob Emden]] (1697–1776), also known as Ya'avetz; talmudist; and rabbi of Emden from 1728
* [[Eduard Norden]] (1868–1941), philologist and religious historian
* [[Claude France]] (1893–1928), actor
* [[Hans Boelsen]] (1894–1960), general lieutenant in the Second World War
* [[Henri Nannen]] (1913–1996), publisher and publicist, founder of ''[[Stern (magazine)|Stern]]'' magazine
* [[Hans-Joachim Hespos]] (1938–2022), composer of [[avant-garde music]].
* [[Helma Sanders-Brahms]] (1940–2014), film director, screenwriter and producer.
* [[Karl Dall]] (1941–2020), presenter, singer and comedian
* [[Wolfgang Petersen]] (1941–2022), film director and producer
* [[:de:Alwin Brinkmann|Alwin Brinkmann, (DE Wiki)]] (born 1946), Mayor of Emden from 1986 to 2011
* [[Otto Waalkes]] (born 1948), comedian, [[comic artist]], singer and actor
* [[Eva Herman]] (born 1958), book author and former television presenter
* [[Jan van Koningsveld]] (born 1969), [[mental calculator]]
* [[:de:Heidi Hartmann (Boxerin)|Heidi Hartmann, (DE Wiki)]] (born 1971), boxing champion
* [[Stefan Lampadius]] (born 1976), actor and filmmaker
* [[Ferydoon Zandi]] (born 1979), Iranian footballer, played 318 games and 29 for [[Iran national football team|Iran]]

==Ships and places named after the city==
[[File:Emden Feuerschiff 06.jpg|thumb|Retired light vessel ''Amrumbank'' in front of Emden town hall.]]
[[File:Emden city hall.jpg|thumb|The Town Hall (''Rathaus'')]]

Three German [[light cruiser]]s were named after the city, two of which served in [[World War I]] and the third in [[World War II]]. Today, the fifth navy ship named after the town is in service.

* {{SMS|Emden|1906}}, a light cruiser in the {{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Marine]]}}, took part in the battles of the [[Bay of Bengal]], and [[Battle of Cocos]]
* ''[[Brigantine Yankee|Emden]]'' (1911), a [[schooner]], renamed ''Duhnen'', then ''Brigantine Yankee''; made four circumnavigations
* {{SMS|Emden|1916}}, a light cruiser in the {{lang|de|Kaiserliche Marine}}
* {{ship|German cruiser|Emden||2}} (1925), a light cruiser in the {{lang|de|Kriegsmarine}}, used in the [[Operation Weserübung|invasion of Norway and Denmark]]
* {{ship|German frigate|Emden|F221|3}} (1961), a {{sclass|Köln|frigate}} of the [[German Navy]]
* {{ship|German frigate|Emden|F210|3}} (1979), a {{sclass|Bremen|frigate|1}} of the German Navy
* {{ship|German corvette|Emden||2}} (F266) (2025), a {{sclass|Braunschweig|corvette}} of the German Navy

A deep-sea spot in the Pacific Ocean close to the [[Philippines]] is named after the first {{SMS|Emden|1908|2}} ship and is therefore called ''Emdentief'' in German. The spot ({{cvt|10,400|m|ft|disp=or}} deep) was sounded in the 1920s (in 1920, 1923 or 1928 — sources vary).

The word "Yamandan" and "Emden" entered the lexicons of Malayalam and Tamil respectively after the bombing of Madras Harbour in 1914 by the SMS Emden. The word in the local language means a humongous or huge and sometimes "a person who dares and works with precision".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/places/emden-attack-a-german-cruiser-that-rocked-madras-india-during-world-war-i-in-september-1914/cid/1888328 | title=108 years of Emden – the only World War I attack on India }}</ref>

In addition, the village of [[Emden, Illinois]] in the United States was named after [[Jacob Emden]]<ref>[http://www.emdenil.com/ Emdenil.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529235332/http://www.emdenil.com/ |date=29 May 2008 }}</ref> due to the large number of emigrants from Emden to the village in north-western [[Logan County, Illinois]]. Other places in the U.S. named after the town include [[Emden, Missouri]]; [[Embden, Maine]] and [[Embden, North Dakota]].<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.webfamilytree.com/North_Dakota_Place_Names/E/embden_(cass_county).htm |chapter=Embden (Cass County) |last1=Wick |first1=Douglas A. |year=1988 |title=North Dakota Place Names |publisher=Hedemarken Collectibles |location=Bismarck, ND |isbn=0962096806 |oclc=18941733 |access-date=12 May 2012 |archive-date=10 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910052018/http://www.webfamilytree.com/North_Dakota_Place_Names/E/embden_(cass_county).htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Emden is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Emder Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.emden.de/rathaus/verwaltung/stabsstellen/vorstandsbuero/staedtepartnerschaften|website=emden.de|publisher=Emden|language=de|access-date=30 November 2019}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Arkhangelsk]], Russia
*{{flagicon|NOR}} [[Haugesund]], Norway

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Emden (Lower Saxony)}}
{{wikivoyage|Emden}}
* {{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.kunsthalle-emden.de/ Kunsthalle Emden] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.jalb.de/ Johannes a Lasco Library] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.bsv-kickers-emden.de Kickers Emden] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.koenigsspringer-emden.de/ Chess] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.meteo-dynamics.de/ Current weather data and forecast for Emden] {{in lang|de}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160505013839/http://fregatte-emden.de/ Cruisers EMDEN, Frigates EMDEN – 5 warships named EMDEN until today] {{in lang|de}}
* "[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12558741 Google map gives German harbour to Netherlands]". [[BBC]]. 23 February 2011.—BBC article about an error in Google maps
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Emden|year=1905 |short=x}}
* {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Emden  |short=x}}

{{Germany districts lower saxony}}
{{Districts of Emden}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Emden| ]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Germany]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea]]
[[Category:Towns and villages in East Frisia]]
[[Category:Urban districts of Lower Saxony]]

[[uz:Emden]]