Friedberg, Hesse
Encyclopedia
Friedberg is a town and the capital of the Wetteraukreis
district, in Hesse
, Germany
. It is located 26 kilometers north of Frankfurt am Main.
dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire
, conveniently located at important trading routes. The city initially rivaled Frankfurt am Main economically, with an important annual trading fair, and initial rapid expansion, though its economic fortunes soon dwindled.
City tranquility was hampered by continuous rivalry between the two entities that made up Friedberg : The city
and the castle
of Friedberg that were politically independent from each other and in permanent competition, often quite maliciously, resulting in bitter rivalry that culminated once in the ransacking and destruction of the castle by angry citizens. In central Italy
and Lombardy similar struggles between count and commune fueled the politics of Guelf and Ghibelline parties.
The city became a Free Imperial City
(Freie Reichsstadt) of the Holy Roman Empire with a charter given in 1211. Under Napoleon, it was incorporated in the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt
, until it was annexed to Prussia
in 1866.
Friedberg sits atop a basalt plateau overlooking the Usa
and has been populated at least since Roman
times. In Friedberg's suburb Bruchenbrücken, the relics of a Mesolithic
settlement were found. The little hillock under the castle was the location of a Roman castle, part of the limes
or border fortifications and presumably identical with the castellum in monte tauno that is quoted in Roman records, though this is still under discussion. Ruins of the castle as well as other Roman ruins have been found and conserved, such as the remains of Roman public baths (thermae
). The crown and ports atop the Adolfsturm (the most prominent feature of the Friedberg castle) was restored during the 1980s.
Friedberg's old town quarter once housed a prosperous Jewish community that was totally wiped out during World War II
. Many of Friedberg's Jews fled to South Africa and the United States before the Holocaust, but all remaining Jews were shipped to Buchenwald. The Judenbad (Jewish bath) contains a memorial to the fallen Jewish soldiers who fought for their fatherland during WWI. Today, only the medieval Jewish ceremonial bath, old synagogue arson memorial, and memorial plaque at one of the city's secondary school
s are reminders of this part of the city's past. Sir Ernest Oppenheimer
, diamond mining entrepreneur and former owner of De Beers
was born and raised in Friedberg.
Friedberg was the home to the U.S. Army installation Ray Barracks
. From approximately 1956 to 1997, Ray Barracks was the home of 3rd Brigade 3rd Armored Division. Elvis Presley
served in 1st Bn 32nd Armor, whose motor pool and tanks were used in filming Presley's "GI Blues" (1960). The 1st Brigade 1st Armor Division was located here as well as in Gießen
, Germany. The 1st Brigade (otherwise known as Ready First) was located at Ray Barracks from 1992 to 2007 when the installation was closed permanently and was returned to the city of Friedberg. The base is notable as the duty station of Elvis Presley during his military stint in Europe, who lived in nearby Bad Nauheim
. Elvis Presley Platz was named for the American star and is in the main shopping center of the town.
is on the Main-Weser Railway
and is the northern terminal of Frankfurt's S-Bahn
line S6
and also a stop for German Intercity
trains and several regional railway lines.
with: Bishop's Stortford
, United Kingdom
Villiers-sur-Marne
, France
Magreglio
, Italy
Wetteraukreis
The Wetteraukreis is a Kreis in the middle of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Landkreis Gießen, Vogelsbergkreis, Main-Kinzig-Kreis, district-free Stadt Frankfurt, Hochtaunuskreis, Lahn-Dill-Kreis.-History:...
district, in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is located 26 kilometers north of Frankfurt am Main.
Division of the town
The town consists of 7 districts:- Bruchenbrücken
- Friedberg
- Dorheim
- Ockstadt
- Bauernheim
- Fauerbach
- Ossenheim
History
The old city was refounded by the HohenstaufenHohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, conveniently located at important trading routes. The city initially rivaled Frankfurt am Main economically, with an important annual trading fair, and initial rapid expansion, though its economic fortunes soon dwindled.
City tranquility was hampered by continuous rivalry between the two entities that made up Friedberg : The city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and the castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
of Friedberg that were politically independent from each other and in permanent competition, often quite maliciously, resulting in bitter rivalry that culminated once in the ransacking and destruction of the castle by angry citizens. In central Italy
History of Italy
Italy, united in 1861, has significantly contributed to the political, cultural and social development of the entire Mediterranean region. Many cultures and civilizations have existed there since prehistoric times....
and Lombardy similar struggles between count and commune fueled the politics of Guelf and Ghibelline parties.
The city became a Free Imperial City
Free Imperial City
In the Holy Roman Empire, a free imperial city was a city formally ruled by the emperor only — as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which were governed by one of the many princes of the Empire, such as dukes or prince-bishops...
(Freie Reichsstadt) of the Holy Roman Empire with a charter given in 1211. Under Napoleon, it was incorporated in the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...
, until it was annexed to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in 1866.
Friedberg sits atop a basalt plateau overlooking the Usa
Usa River (Germany)
The Usa is a river that is long in Hesse, Germany. It is right tributary of the Wetter, which it joins at the outskirts of Friedberg. The principal towns along the river are Usingen, Bad Nauheim and Friedberg....
and has been populated at least since Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times. In Friedberg's suburb Bruchenbrücken, the relics of a Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
settlement were found. The little hillock under the castle was the location of a Roman castle, part of the limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
or border fortifications and presumably identical with the castellum in monte tauno that is quoted in Roman records, though this is still under discussion. Ruins of the castle as well as other Roman ruins have been found and conserved, such as the remains of Roman public baths (thermae
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
). The crown and ports atop the Adolfsturm (the most prominent feature of the Friedberg castle) was restored during the 1980s.
Friedberg's old town quarter once housed a prosperous Jewish community that was totally wiped out during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Many of Friedberg's Jews fled to South Africa and the United States before the Holocaust, but all remaining Jews were shipped to Buchenwald. The Judenbad (Jewish bath) contains a memorial to the fallen Jewish soldiers who fought for their fatherland during WWI. Today, only the medieval Jewish ceremonial bath, old synagogue arson memorial, and memorial plaque at one of the city's secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s are reminders of this part of the city's past. Sir Ernest Oppenheimer
Ernest Oppenheimer
Sir Ernest Oppenheimer was a diamond and gold mining entrepreneur, financier and philanthropist, who controlled De Beers and founded the Anglo American Corporation of South Africa.-Career:...
, diamond mining entrepreneur and former owner of De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
was born and raised in Friedberg.
Friedberg was the home to the U.S. Army installation Ray Barracks
Ray Barracks, Friedberg, Germany
Ray Barracks was a United States Army installation in Friedberg, Germany until it was closed by the U.S. government in 2007 and returned to the German government. Located in the southern part of the city near the industrial area, the barracks had numerous facilities...
. From approximately 1956 to 1997, Ray Barracks was the home of 3rd Brigade 3rd Armored Division. Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
served in 1st Bn 32nd Armor, whose motor pool and tanks were used in filming Presley's "GI Blues" (1960). The 1st Brigade 1st Armor Division was located here as well as in Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
, Germany. The 1st Brigade (otherwise known as Ready First) was located at Ray Barracks from 1992 to 2007 when the installation was closed permanently and was returned to the city of Friedberg. The base is notable as the duty station of Elvis Presley during his military stint in Europe, who lived in nearby Bad Nauheim
Bad Nauheim
Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. , Bad Nauheim has a population of 30,365. The town is located approximately 35 kilometers north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a world-famous resort, noted for its salt...
. Elvis Presley Platz was named for the American star and is in the main shopping center of the town.
Transportation
Friedberg's main stationFriedberg station
Friedberg station is the station of Friedberg, Germany, on the Main-Weser Railway.-First Station:The first Friedberg station was opened on 10 May 1850 with the opening of the section of the Main-Weser Railway from Frankfurt am Main to Friedberg. On 9 November 1850 the next section to Butzbach was...
is on the Main-Weser Railway
Main-Weser Railway
The Main-Weser Railway is the railway line in central Germany that runs from Frankfurt am Main via Gießen to Kassel and named after the railway company that built the line and also operated it until 1880. It was opened between 1849 and 1852 and was one of the first railways in Germany.- Route...
and is the northern terminal of Frankfurt's S-Bahn
Rhine-Main S-Bahn
The Rhine-Main S-Bahn system is an integrated rapid transit and commuter transport system for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region, which includes the cities Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Offenbach am Main, Hanau and Darmstadt...
line S6
S6 (Rhine-Main S-Bahn)
The S6 service of the S-Bahn Rhein-Main system bearing the KBS number 645.6- City tunnel :The city tunnel is an underground, pure S-Bahn route used by almost all services...
and also a stop for German Intercity
Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)
Intercity is the second-highest train classification in Germany, after the ICE. Intercity services are loco-hauled express services, usually over long-distances. There are Intercity routes throughout Germany, and routes generally operate with a two-hour frequency, with multiple routes giving a more...
trains and several regional railway lines.
Twin towns
Friedberg is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire in the county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated just west of the M11 motorway, on the county boundary with Essex and is the closest large town to London Stansted Airport and part of the...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Villiers-sur-Marne
Villiers-sur-Marne
Villiers-sur-Marne is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The commune of Villiers-sur-Marne is part of the sector of Porte de Paris, one of the four sectors of the "new town" of Marne-la-Vallée....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Magreglio
Magreglio
Magreglio is a small town in the province of Como, Lombardy, Italy.-Twin towns: Friedberg, Germany...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Notable persons
- Erasmus AlberusErasmus AlberusErasmus Alberus , German humanist, reformer, and poet, was born in the village of Bruchenbrücken about the year 1500. Although his father was a schoolmaster, his early education was neglected....
, German humanist, religious reformer and friend of Martin LutherMartin LutherMartin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
was born in Bruchenbrücken in 1500.