Editing Saxony (section)

== Culture ==

Saxony is part of [[Central Germany (cultural area)|Central Germany]] as a cultural area. As such, throughout German history it has played an important role in shaping [[German culture]].

=== Languages ===
[[File:Budyšin – měšćanska tafla (2021).jpg|thumb|Boundary sign of [[Bautzen]] / Budyšin in [[German language|German]] and [[Upper Sorbian language|Upper Sorbian]]. Many place names in eastern Saxony are derived from Sorbian.]]

The most common [[patois]] spoken in Saxony are combined in the group of "[[Thuringian dialect|Thuringian]] and [[Upper Saxon German|Upper Saxon dialects]]". Due to the inexact use of the term "Saxon dialects" in colloquial language, the Upper Saxon attribute has been added to distinguish it from [[Old Saxon]] and [[Low German|Low Saxon]]. Other German dialects spoken in Saxony are the dialects of the [[Ore Mountains]], which have been affected by Upper Saxon dialects, and the dialects of the Vogtland, which are more affected by the [[East Franconian German|East Franconian]] languages.

[[Upper Sorbian language|Upper Sorbian]] (a [[West Slavic languages|West Slavic language]]) is spoken in the parts of [[Upper Lusatia]] that are inhabited by the Sorbian minority. The Germans in Upper Lusatia speak distinct dialects of their own (Lusatian dialects).

=== Motherland of the Reformation ===
Saxony is often seen as the ''[[motherland]] of the [[Reformation]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sachsen-tourismus.de/en/travel-topics/art-culture/motherland-of-the-reformation/ |title=Motherland of the Reformation |website=sachsen-tourismus.de |access-date=2020-05-31}}</ref> It was predominantly [[Lutheran]] [[Protestant]] from the [[Reformation]] until the late 20th century.

The [[Electoral Saxony]], a predecessor of today's Saxony, was the original birthplace of the Reformation. The [[Electors of Saxony|elector]] was Lutheran starting in 1525. The Lutheran church was organized through the late 1510s and the early 1520s. It was [[State religion|officially established]] in 1527 by [[John, Elector of Saxony|John the Steadfast]]. Although some of the sites associated with [[Martin Luther]] also lie in the current state of Saxony-Anhalt (including [[Wittenberg]], [[Eisleben]] and [[Mansfeld]]), today's Saxony is usually viewed as the formal successor to what used to be Luther's country back in the 16th century (i.e. the Electoral Saxony).

Martin Luther personally oversaw the Lutheran church in Saxony and shaped it consistently with [[Theology of Martin Luther|his own views and ideas]]. The 16th, 17th and 18th centuries were heavily dominated by [[Lutheran orthodoxy]]. In addition, the [[Reformed faith]] made inroads with the so-called [[Crypto-Calvinism|crypto Calvinists]], but was strongly persecuted in an overwhelmingly Lutheran state. In the 17th century, [[Pietism]] became an important influence. In the 18th century, the [[Moravian Church]] was set up on [[Count von Zinzendorf]]'s property at [[Herrnhut]]. From 1525, the rulers were traditionally Lutheran and widely acknowledged as [[defender of the faith|defenders of the Protestant faith]], although – beginning with [[Augustus II the Strong]], who was required to convert to Roman Catholicism in 1697 in order to become King of Poland – its monarchs were exclusively Roman Catholic. That meant Augustus and the subsequent Electors of Saxony, who were Roman Catholic, ruled over a state with an almost entirely Protestant population.

In 1925, 90.3% of the Saxon population was Protestant, 3.6% was Roman Catholic, 0.4% was Jewish and 5.7% was placed in other religious categories.<ref>Grundriss der Statistik. II. Gesellschaftsstatistik by Wilhelm Winkler, p. 36</ref>

After World War II, Saxony was incorporated into East Germany which pursued a policy of [[state atheism]]. After 45 years of Communist rule, the majority of the population has become unaffiliated. 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.<ref>[https://www.churchofengland.org/media/3320&ved=2ahUKEwjUh6uiztfpAhWKFMAKHbW8DpYQFjACegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw1xmR136YlRRPfMCxfjH_cG]{{dead link|date=August 2021}}</ref>

===Sports===
[[File:Red Bull Arena Panorama cropped.jpg|thumb|[[Red Bull Arena (Leipzig)|Red Bull Arena]] in [[Leipzig]]]]
In 2020, there were 4,447 registered sports clubs of various disciplines with over 600,000 members in Saxony.<ref>{{Cite web|last=E-Mail|first=Annegret Müller Referentin Öffentlichkeitsarbeit / Pressesprecherin +49 341 21631-14|title=Pressemitteilungen|url=https://www.sport-fuer-sachsen.de/de/presse/pressemitteilungen/?tx_ifabprins_pressmanagement%5Bid%5D=654&tx_ifabprins_pressmanagement%5Baction%5D=show&tx_ifabprins_pressmanagement%5Bcontroller%5D=PressManagement&cHash=0cd8f0d3dda23366d10ae368459b0d50|access-date=2021-05-25|website=Landessportbund Sachsen|language=de|archive-date=10 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710223203/https://www.sport-fuer-sachsen.de/de/presse/pressemitteilungen/?tx_ifabprins_pressmanagement%5Bid%5D=654&tx_ifabprins_pressmanagement%5Baction%5D=show&tx_ifabprins_pressmanagement%5Bcontroller%5D=PressManagement&cHash=0cd8f0d3dda23366d10ae368459b0d50|url-status=dead}}</ref> The most popular sport in Saxony is [[association football|football]]. With [[RB Leipzig]] there is one Saxon team playing in the [[Bundesliga]] as well as the European [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]]. Leipzig is notable for a longstanding football tradition, a Leipzig [[1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig|team]] having been the first national football champion in German history. Another popular sport is [[handball]] with [[SC DHfK Leipzig Handball|SC DHfK Leipzig]] playing in the [[Handball-Bundesliga|Bundesliga]]. On a local level sports such as [[table tennis]], [[cycling]], [[mountaineering]] and [[volleyball]] are popular.

====Rock climbing====
{{see also|Saxon Switzerland climbing region}}
Saxony prides itself to have been one of the first places in the world where modern recreational rock climbing was developed. [[Falkenstein (Saxon Switzerland)|Falkenstein]] rock in the area of [[Bad Schandau]] is considered to be the place were the German rock climbing tradition started in 1864.

====Winter sports====
The Ore Mountains in southern Saxony are a traditional center for winter sports, and there are a number of training facilities for the German Winter Olympics team in the region.  Thus, climate change poses a certain threat to the development of the region's winter sports industry. 

The ski resort of [[Oberwiesenthal]] is the highest town of Germany, at an altitude of 900 m, though the surrounding mountains do not reach the same height as those found in the alpine areas of [[Southern Germany]].

===Art===
[[Image:Dresdner Grüner Diamant - Neues Grünes Gewölbe Dresden.jpg|right|thumb|150px|The 'Dresden Green Diamond' – the largest natural green diamond – is part of the collection of the [[Green Vault]].]]
The two major cultural centers of Saxony are [[Dresden]] and [[Leipzig]]. The two cities have each a unique character which is reflecting the role they played throughout Saxon and German history, Dresden being a political center while Leipzig has been a major trading city. Thus, Dresden is well known for the art collections of the former Saxon kings ([[Dresden State Art Collections]] with the [[Green Vault]] and [[Zwinger (Dresden)|Zwinger]] as the most well-known parts).

Leipzig on the other hand never had a royal court, so its culture is borne largely by its citizens. The city is famous for its relationship with classical music and names like [[Johann Sebastian Bach]], [[Mendelssohn]] or [[Wagner]] are linked to it. Over the past decades the city became famous for its modern art scene, most notably the Neue Leipziger Schule ([[New Leipzig School]]) with artists such as [[Neo Rauch]].

===Porcelain===
Saxony was the first place in Europe to develop and produce white [[porcelain]], a luxury good until then imported only from China. The [[Meissen Porcelain]] manufactory has been producing porcelain since 1710. It is one of the world's leading porcelain manufacturers and one of the oldest and most internationally known German luxury brands.<ref>Florian Langenscheidt, [[Bernd Venohr]] (Hrsg.): ''Lexikon der deutschen Weltmarktführer. Die Königsklasse deutscher Unternehmen in Wort und Bild''. Deutsche Standards Editionen, Köln 2010, {{ISBN|978-3-86936-221-2}}.</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{main|Saxon cuisine}}
Saxon cuisine encompasses regional cooking traditions of Saxony. In general the cuisine is very hearty and features many peculiarities of Mid-Germany such as a great variety of [[sauce]]s which accompany the [[main dish]] and the fashion to serve potato dumplings (Klöße/[[Knödel]]) as a [[side dish]] instead of [[potato]]es, [[pasta]] or [[rice]]. Also much [[freshwater fish]] is used in Saxon cuisine. The area around Dresden is home to the easternmost wine region in Germany (see: [[Saxony (wine region)]]).

===Anthem===
Saxony (as other German states) has its own anthem, dating back to the monarchy of the 19th century. 'Gott segne Sachsenland' (God save Saxony) is based on the melody of [[God save the King]].