Lower Saxony A majority of the Saxons remained in continental Europe, forming from the 8th century the Duchy of Saxony. They long avoided becoming Christians and being incorporated into the orbit of the Frankish kingdom, but were decisively conquered by Charlemagne in a long series of annual campaigns (772-804). With defeat came the enforced baptism and conversion of the Saxon leaders and their people. Under Carolingian rule, the Saxons were reduced to a tributary status. There is evidence that the Saxons, as well as Slavic tributaries like the Abodrites and the Wends, often provided troops to their Carolingian overlords. The dukes of Saxony became kings of Germany during the 10th century, but the duchy was divided up in 1180. The later Upper Saxony in the southern part of eastern Germany, from 1806 to 1918 the kingdom of Saxony, became so known through the acquisition of the dukedom of Saxony by the Margrave of Meissen in 1423. His successors' territory in fact lay beyond the traditional lands of the Saxon people. The label "Saxons" was generally applied to German settlers who migrated during the 13th century to south-eastern Transylvania in present-day Romania, where their descendants numbered a quarter of a million in the early decades of the 20th century. Most have left since World War II, many during the 1970s and 1980s during the Romanianisation policies of the Ceaucescu regime. Three federal states of Germany took their name from the Saxons in 2003: Niedersachsen or Lower Saxony, whose area corresponds roughly to the traditional Saxon lands between the Netherlands and the Elbe River; Sachsen-Anhalt, located around the city of Magdeburg; and Sachsen or Saxony, which included the city of Dresden, in eastern Germany bordering the Czech Republic, the old dukedom (see above). The Harz is a mountain range in northern Germany. It is located on the border between the states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, hence being the northernmost mountain chain of Germany. The name "Harz" is derived from a Middle High German word meaning "forest". The Harz is 95 km in length (southeast to northwest) and 35 km in width. It occupies an area of about 2000 km?. The highest peak is the Brocken (1141 m). It is situated in the eastern part of the mountains. The highest mountain in the western part (belonging to Lower Saxony) is the Wurmberg (971 m). 600,000 people live in towns and villages of the Harz mountains. The western part is called Oberharz. It is characterised by huge fir forests, while the eastern Unterharz is covered with deciduous forests mingled with meadows. The settlement of the Harz began only 1000 years ago. In ancient times the dense forests made the region inaccessible. It was in the 10th century, when the kings of Saxony took possession of the mountains and used them as royal hunting grounds. In 968 silver deposits were discovered near the town of Goslar. Mines were established in the following centuries throughout the mountains. The wealth of the region declined, after these mines were exhausted in the early 19th century. The towns were abandoned for a short time, but prosperity returned with the tourism. Between 1945 and 1990 the Harz was a divided mountain range, the west belonging to the FRG and the east to the GDR. Today the Harz is a popular tourist resort for summer hikers as well as winter sportsmen. There are two national parks in the Harz: the Harz National Park in Lower Saxony, and the Hochharz National Park in Saxony-Anhalt. The source of the Oker river is located in the Harz. With an area of 47,600 km? and nearly eight million inhabitants, Lower Saxony (German Niedersachsen) lies in north- western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the country's sixteen Bundesl䮤er (federal states). In rural areas Low Saxon is still spoken, but declining so. Geography Lower Saxony borders on (from north and clockwise) the North Sea, the states of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, and the kingdom of the Netherlands. The state of Bremen forms two enclaves within Lower Saxony. The state's principal cities include Hanover, Braunschweig (Brunswick), Oldenburg and G?ngen. The northwestern portion of Lower Saxony is a part of Frisia; it is called Ostfriesland (Eastern Frisia) and lies on the coast of the North Sea. It includes seven islands, known as the East Frisian Islands. In the southwest of Lower Saxony is the Emsland, a sparsely populated area, once full of inaccessible swamps. The northern half of Lower Saxony is absolutely flat, but there are two mountain chains in the south: the Weserbergland ("Weser Hilly Region") and the Harz. The middle of the state houses the largest cities and the economic centres: Hanover, Hildesheim, Wolfsburg, Salzgitter and Braunschweig. The region in the northeast is called L?ger Heide (L?g Heath), the largest heath of Germany and in medieval times wealthy due to the salt trade. To the north the Elbe river separates Lower Saxony from Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The lands on the southern banks are called Altes Land (literally "Old Land"), and they are characterised by thousands of fruit-trees. Lower Saxony is divided into 38 districts (Landkreise or simply Kreise): Ammerland, Aurich, Bentheim, Celle, Cloppenburg, Cuxhaven, Diepholz, Emsland, Friesland, Gifhorn, Goslar, G?ngen, Hamelin-Pyrmont, (Hameln-Pyrmont), Hanover (Hannover), Harburg, Helmstedt, Hildesheim, Holzminden, Leer, L?Dannenberg, L?g, Nienburg, Northeim,Oldenburg, Osnabr?>, Osterholz, Osterode , Peine, Rotenburg, Schaumburg, Soltau-Fallingbostel, Stade, Uelzen, Vechta, Verden, Wesermarsch, Wittmund, Wolfenb?/a> The Saxon language lead as well to the Old English language as to the modern Low Saxon language. Region: Northern Germany. The dialects listed are northwest, southwest, south central, northeast, and southeast, respectively. Lower Rhine region below a line from Aachen to Witenberg. Alternate names:   NEDDERSASSISCH, NIEDERSAECHSISCH, NEDERSAKSISCH, LOW GERMAN, PLATTDNNTSCH, NEDDERDNNTSCH Dialects NORTHERN LOW SAXON, EASTPHALIAN (OSTFAELISCH, OSTFÄLISCH), MECKLENBURG-ANTERIOR POMERANIA (MECKLENBURGISCH-VORPOMMERSCH), MARK-BRANDENBURG (MAERKISCH-BRANDENBURGISCH, MÄRKISCH-BRANDENBURGISCH). Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, Low Saxon-Low Franconian, Low Saxon. Comments The dialects listed are in Germany. The first three dialects listed are Western Low Saxon, the other two are Eastern Low Saxon. Not intelligible to speakers of Standard German. A direct descendant of Old Saxon, related to English. 20 to 30 dialects with differing inherent intelligibility, depending on geographic distance. They did not experience the second consonantal shift of the 8th and 9th centuries (J. Thiessen, U. of Winnipeg 1976). Its modern forms have been largely suppressed until recently, and have received much German, Dutch, or Frisian influence, depending on the area. Low Saxon varieties listed as separate entries in the Netherlands, where they have official status. Pomerano is used in Latin America. Westphaelian and Plautdietsch also have separate entries. Most speakers in Germany are bilingual in Standard German. Officially recognized as a regional (separate) language in 8 states of Germany and in the northeastern provinces of the Netherlands. Recognized as a regional (separate) language by the European Charta on Languages. Printed fairly widely outside Europe, particularly in North and Latin America, Australia, Southern Africa, Eastern Europe (Siberia, Kazakhstan). Dictionary. Bible 1478-1534. The Lord's Prayer in Low Saxon.   Unse Vadder in'n Himmel! Laat hilligt warrn dienen Namen. Laat kamen dien Riek. Laat warrn dienen Willen so as in'n Himmel,   so ok op de Eerd. Uns' d䤧lich Brood giff uns vundaag. Un vergiff uns unse Schuld,   as wi de vergeven hebbt,   de an uns sch?s?br> Un laat uns nich vers? warrn. Mak uns frie vun dat B?