This year, 2009, marks the fifteenth consecutive annual Intergeo. The venue for this major conference and trade show for geodesy, geoinformation and land management, held this year from 22nd to 24th September, shifts from year to year, always within the boundaries of Germany. This time the event takes place in Karlsruhe.

Unlike many other German cities, the history of Karlsruhe does not date back to medieval times or before. The city was founded on 17thJune 1715 and takes its name from Karl III, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, who decided to construct a new palace after a dispute with the citizens of his previous capital, Durlach.

This acquisition of the city of Karlsruhe is recorded by the spaceborne SAR sensor TerraSAR-X, recorded in StripMap mode with a ground resolution of 2.5m. Some of the most distinct features of the city in the south of Germany are clearly visible in the radar image: the tower of the palace, that became the centre of the city. From here 32 streets radiate out like the spokes of a wheel, hence the nickname.