Already in the 18th century, the Industrial Age began in Saxony with the founding of the first machine construction companies. The region, thus, headed the field on the European mainland. The first locomotive to be designed and engineered in Germany, the first six-cylinder engine, the centrally positioned gearshift lever in automobiles – all of these pioneering innovations come from Saxony. In the mid-19th century, the industrial cities Chemnitz, Zwickau, and their suburbs were the region with Europe’s highest per-capita income.
And the success story continues: Saxony’s economy has increased by more than 30 percent since 2000; thus, exhibiting one of the highest GDP growth rates of all German federal states.