UMGEBUNGSENTDECKER
TRAVEL IMPRESSIONS OF AN ART AND HISTORY LOVER
and my experiences as a teacher in China
Frankfurt - on the Äppelwoi tour
The Hessian Äppelwoi - how do you actually spell it?
There are many options: from Ebbelwoi to Äppelwoi. The spelling doesn't really matter, the main thing is that it tastes good.
But if you are not used to it, you may be surprised after the first sip. It comes across as sour - with a rather bitter note. You have to get used to it.
The drink is only available regionally - in Hesse, the Moselle-Franconian area, the Palatinate, Lower Franconia, Württemberg and the Saarland you know it - north of River Moselle and River Lahn probably only a few have heard of it and you won't get it in the pubs.
The Äppelwoi used to be known nationwide for the program "Zum Blauen Bock". In the program, the audience sat at long tables and rows of benches, which simulated the impression of an apple wine-inn. Heinz Schenk played the managing director and Lia Wöhr was his landlady. The singers and artists moved through the rows of tables during their performances so that they were close to the guests. The Blaue Bock was produced by the Hessischer Rundfunk (Hesse Broadcasting Company) in Frankfurt, but the broadcasted show was made in halls of Hessian cities, where the audience consisted of the residents of the respective city, and the mayor was always present.
During the show, only Äppelwoi from Bembeln were drunk, of which each artist received one as a gift at the end of their performance.
The show was very popular and everyone of the older generation knows it. The image of Hesse was thus shaped in a lasting way. Heinz Schenk was actually something of a cultural ambassador for the state. No state government program for public relations could come close to that.
Today all this is rather forgotten, today everyone first thinks of Frankfurt when he thinks of Hesse. Frankfurts image was determined by negative headlines in the 80s and the tarnished image has somehow remained, for example there was the construction of the Runway West at Frankfurt Airport including the riots against it, then the skyline of Frankfurt emerged from the late 70s and 80s, a visible but sometimes controversial sign of a new era ( Mainhatten, Krankfurt (krank = ill), etc.) . The Blaue Bock's ideal swaying world no longer fit into it. In addition, Schenk was getting on in years and gave up working.
Today one has the impression that people in the Federal Republic hardly hardly have any idea when they think of Hesse, Frankfurt is often associated with crime statistics.
It's a shame, because Frankfurt is much better than its reputation and Hessen has a large number of well-preserved half-timbered towns and lots of landscape.
The Äppelwoi glasses are simple in their shape and only recognizable as such by the characteristic diamond pattern on the glass surface.
The Blauer Bock was popular - up to and including 20 million tuned the show regularly - and everyone of the older generation knows them, even if some clearly differentiate themselves from it because of the shaggy mentality. The image of Hesse was lastingly shaped by the program. Heinz Schenk was actually something of a cultural ambassador for the country. Nowadays, the Hessian state government would no longer manage that.
In the meantime, all of this has been forgotten, today most people think of Frankfurt first when it comes to Hesse goes. Its image was determined by negative headlines in the 80s, the construction of the runway west including the riots, the squatters scene in the Westend, the RAF, then the skyline of Frankfurt emerged from the late 70s and 80s, a visible, but at the time partly controversial sign of a new era ( Mainhatten, Krankfurt, etc.) .
T he heal Schunkel world of Blue Bocks did not fit more in there. In addition, Schenk was getting on in years and gave up the matter.
Nowadays people in the Federal Republic of Frankfurt think of crime statistics.
It's a shame, because Frankfurt is more beautiful than its reputation .
From the Römer to the Eiserner Steg
It is best to start in the middle of the city, the Römerberg. There is the Frankfurt City Hall, the Römer, recognizable by the Gothic stepped gable. The Fountain of Justice has stood on the square in front of it since the 16th century. The Römerberg has become a popular tourist destination since it was reconstructed. No building there has been preserved in its original form, the Römer and the houses that flank it are buildings from the 1950s, the half-timbered buildings on the opposite side were rebuilt in the 1980s and further back, towards the cathedral, is the chicken market, which is currently completely was rebuilt in 2014-2018 as a reconstruction based on the historical model.
You can discuss it however you want - in the 1980s the rebuilding of the half-timbered houses on the Römerberg was a hot topic - but the restoration of historical cityscapes is good for the cities.
The facelessness disappears that Centers are once again becoming places of identification and attracting guests. There has been a trend since the 1980s to rebuild historical buildings. Frankfurt is just one example of very many in the whole of Germany and the trend continues because it is successful - also in economic terms: Dresden, Hildesheim, Berlin, Potsdam, Frankfurt, etc.
Auf dem Platz davor steht seit dem 16. Jahrhundert der Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen und an der Südseite des Römerbergs befindet sich die Alte Nikolaikirche.
Schön sieht es hier aus. Ein richtiger städtischer Platz mit allem, was man sich vorstellt. Rathaus, Kirche, Brunnen und Gasthäuser mit gemütlichem Außenbereich.
Es ist immer was los: Touristen aus der ganzen Welt schauen sich um und fotografieren, Hochzeitspaare, die sich gerade im Römer trauen ließen, stehen für Erinnerungsfotos auf den Stufen vor dem Gebäude usw.
Aber das meiste um diesen Platz herum ist rekonstruiert, denn die Innenstadt Frankfurts wurde im Krieg zu 90% zerstört.
Frankfurt am Ende des Krieges
The half-timbered buildings opposite the town hall on the east side of the square, the so-called Saturday hill, were only rebuilt in the 1980s, but this is not obvious at first glance. The style of the 1950s can be seen in the flanking buildings of the town hall. The Römerberg has been a popular tourist destination since its reconstruction.
If you go left past the east row with the half-timbered houses into "Markt" street, in the direction of the cathedral, you will reach another part of the old town that was only recently reconstructed in the years 2014-2018, the Hühnermarkt, which is based on a historical model_cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ has been restored .
Der Hühnermarkt, ein 2014-2018 wiederaufgebauter Teil der im Krieg zerstörten Altstadt.
Das Haus zur Goldenen Waage, auch eine Rekonstruktion.
Paul's Church
A few steps away from the Römer is the Paulskirche. It is a symbol of the democratic movement in Germany, since the Frankfurt National Assembly met in it in 1848/49, the first all-German parliament.
The classical building corresponds to the principles of a Protestant church building. The benches were set up in a semicircle and aligned with the pulpit, galleries were also part of it. The interior was more reminiscent of a plenary hall or a theater than a church and thus corresponds entirely to the spirit of a Protestant church building in which the word is the focus and must therefore be heard well by all. This predestined this room to become the first plenary hall of the People's Assembly. (If you want to know more about evangelical church buildings, click here . )
Die Paulskirche, Symbol der demokratischen Bewegung, hier wurde die erste gesamtdeutsche Volksvertretung abgehalten
The Äppelwoi tour continues to Sachsenhausen with its long-established inns on the other side of the Main. The best way to cross the river is to use the Iron Footbridge.
You can find it below the Römer by walking down the street "Fahrtor" to the Main. The name Fahrtor derives from the fact that there used to be a gate on this street that was supposed to protect the city from the Main. It was demolished in 1840.
The Kaisersaal leads directly to the balcony, from which the football team always cheers on the crowds when they return from a World Cup. The most important thing in the Kaisersaal is a gallery with paintings of all 52 Roman-German emperors from Charlemagne to Franz II. They were painted in Gothic wall niches in the 19th century, here 36 of the 52 emperors.
The Golden Bull is also exhibited there as a facsimile in a glass case.
Six of the 52 portraits of emperors in the Kaisersaal of the Römer
Der Innenhof des Römers mit dem Treppenaufgang, der direkt zum Römersaal führt .
The Kaisersaal in the Römer
On the way to the Carmelite monastery you should not miss to visit the Emperor's Hall in the Römer. As soon as you have turned into Limpurgergasse, the entrance to the Kaisersaal is on the right-hand side , where the sales point of the municipal winery is also located.
Since 1356, determined by the Golden Bull, Frankfurt was the place where the German kings were elected. The coronation then took place in Aachen. The kings then traveled to Rome to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope.
This three-part process was abandoned in 1562 and not restored until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806.
From 1562 the elections and the royal coronations took place in the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew in Frankfurt and the coronations to the Roman Emperor also took place there.
The elections were carried out in the cathedral's election chapel, which is attached to the south of the cathedral's chancel and is accessible from inside the church. When elections were held, the seven electors came to Frankfurt. First they negotiated in the Römer, then they went to the cathedral, where they were locked in the electoral chapel, met there as a conclave, and voted secretly. The electoral chapel in Frankfurt Cathedral could be seen as the secular counterpart to the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Visitors can enter from the inside of the church. It is a small, plain room with a Gothic groined vault.
Die Wahlkapelle im Frankfurter Dom. Hier wurde in geheimer Wahl der König von den Kurfürsten gewählt. Spektakulär sieht dieser Raum nicht aus, aber die Entscheidungen waren weittragend.
Nach der Wahl reisten die frisch gewählten Könige von Frankfurt nach Aachen, wo die Krönungszeremonie im Aachener Dom durchgeführt wurde. (Willst du mehr über die Krönung in Aachen erfahren? Klick hier. Auf der Seite über den Hellweg siehst du auch den Aachener Dom und den Thron.)
Anschließend ging die Reise weiter nach Rom, wo der deutsche König vom Papst zum Kaiser des Heiligen Römischen Reiches gekrönt wurde und damit zum Beschützer der Christenheit durch Gottes Gnaden. Der Kaiser war lange Zeit der mächtigste Herrscher Mitteleuropas.
Dieses dreiteilige Verfahren (Frankfurt, Aachen, Rom) wurde 1562 aufgegeben und bis zum dem Ende des Heiligen Römischen Reiches 1806 nicht wieder hergestellt.
Ab 1562 wurden die Wahlen und direkt anschließend die Königskrönungen im Frankfurter Dom vorgenommen.
Wie kam es, dass 1562 Frankfurt zum Krönungsort wurde und damit Aachen ablöste? Aachen war wegen seiner Referenz an Karl den Großen und andere große Kaiser an Symbolkraft und jahrhundertealter Tradition kaum zu übertreffen.
Letztendlich waren es im Jahr 1562 schlicht jahreszeitliche Gründe, die ausschlaggebend waren, die Krönung in Frankfurt durchzuführen; es war Winter, Maximilian II. war gerade in Frankfurt gewählt worden und der Weg nach Aachen wäre in dieser Jahreszeit zu beschwerlich geworden, also beschloss man kurzerhand, die Krönung gleich nach der Wahl in Frankfurt durchzuführen. Frankfurt hatte darüberhinaus noch die Vorzüge, dass es verkehrsgünstig an Handelsstraßen und Wasserwegen lag und wegen seiner jahrhundertealten Messe reichlich Unterkunftsmöglichkeiten für Leute bot, die wegen des Zeremoniells anreisten. Außerdem lag Frankfurt zentraler im Reich als Aachen. Für die Habsburger, die in Wien residierten und viele Kaiser stellten, war die Entfernung von Wien nach Aachen eine der weitesten im gesamten Reich.
Excursus: what is a prince?
Prince (derived from the Latin principes) refers to the word meaning of the first or noblest. In German-speaking countries, it is used as a generic term for all sovereigns who are at the head of a feudally governed territory. In German lands there were many principalities, all of which had different names, e.g. duchy, grand duchy, margraviate, landgraviate, etc. The princes of these areas were called accordingly count, duke, grand duke, margrave, landgrave, etc. Some of these feudally governed territories were actually called "Fürstentum ", such as the Principality of Liechtenstein or Fürstentum Seyn-Wittgenstein. All sovereigns were one level below the king, even if some titles such as Landgraf do not sound particularly influential.
A prince ruled like a king, ie his rule and territory were inherited, he had a main residence and, if necessary, secondary residences on his territory. Some of these later developed into residence cities that resembled capitals, some larger, such as Stuttgart in the Duchy of Württemberg, others smaller, such as Bad Arolsen in the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont.
Capitals formed when sovereigns formed authorities that remained stationary and did not follow the sovereign on journeys more _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-18d_baden5cf.5 Until then, sovereigns traveled around and took everything necessary with them. If a sovereign who had set up a local administration traveled, this had the character of business trips or trips for private reasons, e.g. for the purpose of changing location in order to enjoy a change of scenery in another place hunting or escaping the summer heat.
Excursus: what is an elector?
The English, French, Spanish, Swedish and Danish monarchies were hereditary kingdoms , the Holy Roman Empire German nation opposed from the High Middle Ages to its end in 1806 an elective monarchy throughout.
Originally, all princes had the right to elect the king to . Between 1198 and 1298, some imperial princes succeeded in gaining greater weight in the election of the king. From this emerged the seven electors, to whom the election of the king was limited,
three spiritual electors:
- the Elector and Archbishop of Mainz ,
- the Elector and Archbishop of Trier, _cc781905-14cde-3cf55555d
- the Elector and Archbishop of Cologne
and four secular electors:
- the Elector and Pfalzgraf near the Rhine,
- the Elector and Margrave of Brandenburg ,
- the Elector and Duke of Saxony,
- the Elector and King of Bohemia .
In the 17th century two more electors were added:
- the elector and duke of Bavaria after the transfer of the electoral dignity from the Palatinate
- the Elector and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover)
In the 19th century between 1803, the main conclusion of the legal deputation and the end of the Holy Roman Empire 1806
- the free choice for the landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and
- the electoral dignity for the Duke of Württemberg.
It also happened that two electors in a ruling house fell together, for example through an inheritance. When die_cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Pfalz Bayern inherited, the Bavarian and Palatinate electoral dignity came together, after which the Palatinate was transferred to the Bavarian dukes.
With the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the elections for the kings were abolished by the electors.
Der gewählte König wurde immer in einem weiteren Schritt durch den Papst zum Kaiser gekrönt. So the king was also the emperor.
The Electors were the highest-ranking princes of the empire.
Was Germany a kingdom or an empire ?
A kingdom is thought of as a territory headed by a monarch who inherits his title . That was different in Germany. In Germany only the princes inherited their titles and territories.
The king, on the other hand, was elected , so the ruling house that provided him could change. The king could, for example, come from the princely house of the Guelphs or the Habsburgs, Wittelsbachs, Staufers etc. In their own principalities these families were sole rulers, where they lived in their residences and their titles to the_cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ progeny heritage.
Some princes were more influential and powerful than others and thus had a better chance of being elected. The most successful dynasty of princes were the Habsburgs, whose family members were elected king for centuries and provided the emperor. They ruled over the Holy Roman Empire for around 360 years.
There was no central capital in Germany, das
Territory over which the king ruled, the Holy Roman Empire, consisting of the many principalities . Being king was almost an office and the king's job was to be the first protector of the church, the legitimate ruler by the grace of God who was to spread and defend the Christian faith, a way of thinking which is hardly comprehensible nowadays.
Since there was no central capital, the king traveled around the country until the late Middle Ages, moving from Palatinate to Palatinate. There were several hundred palaces, the remains of which can still be seen in Düsseldorf-Kaiserswerth, Paderborn, Frankfurt, Goslar or Tilleda, for example.
In contrast to the kingship, the many principalities in the Middle Ages mostly had castles. With the beginning of modern times, sovereigns built their ancestral homes into representative residences with elaborate buildings or art collections, e.g. the Archduke of Tyrol with Ambrass Castle near_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b -136bad5cf58d_ Innsbruck .
In the Baroque era, the need for representation increased further and several residence cities were splendidly expanded,
e.g. Dresden, Kassel.
The idea of the empire had been weakened since the beginning of modern times, which increased the power of the individual princes. Nach der Reformation und im Barockzeitalter war das Reich zusätzlich in evangelische und katholische Herrschaftb ereiche _cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_shared.
The secularization of the idea of the empire is also reflected in the fact that the coronation of emperors has not been carried out by the pope since the 16th century.
The emerging industrialization and the rise of the bourgeoisie did not leave much time for the age of feudalism and the French Revolution and shortly thereafter Napoleon's campaigns brought the final end to the Holy Roman Empire and the associated German-Roman kingdom.
Exkurs: Landesherren und ihre Titel -
zur Vielfalt der Titel in deutschen Landen
Kaiser, Könige, Fürsten, Herzöge, Langgrafen, Pfalzgrafen, Markgrafen usw.
Da blickt man kaum durch, daher noch ein weiterer Exkurs, um Licht in den Dschungel der Titel und Ämter zu bringen.
"Fürst" (abgeleitet vom althochdeutschen „furisto") bezeichnet der Wortbedeutung nach den „Ersten" oder „Vornehmsten".
Im deutschsprachigen Raum wird diese Bezeichnung als allgemeiner Oberbegriff für alle Landesherren verwendet, die an der Spitze eines feudal regierten Staats stehen. Diese Staaten werden dementsprechend als "Fürstentümer" bezeichnet. Beide Begriffe, "Fürst" und "Fürstentum", sind allgemein und wenig präzise, werden aber zur Vereinfachung oft für die Beschreibung der komplexen, politischen Landkarte Deutschlands, vor allem seit dem
Barockzeitalter verwendet.
Von diesen Fürsten gab es in Deutschland etliche und ihre "offiziellen" Titel waren vielfältig: Herzog, Großherzog, Markgraf, Landgraf, Pfalzgraf usw. Ihre Territorien nannten sich entsprechend Herzogtum, Großherzogtum, Markgrafschaft usw.
Den offiziellen Titel „Fürst" für einen Territorialherren gab es übrigens auch. Dessen Territorium hatte dann den Namen „Fürstentum", so z.B.: Fürstentum Liechtenstein, Fürstentum Waldeck-Pyrmont, Fürstentum Minden, Fürstentum Seyn-Wittgenstein, Fürstentum Schaumburg-Lippe, Fürstentum Anhalt-Zerbst, Fürstentum Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt usw.
Die unterschiedlichen Titel haben nichts mit einem Rang zu tun. Alle diese Landesherren haben eins gemeinsam: Sie stehen in der Rangfolge eine Ebene unter dem König und sind demnach im Protokoll gleichgestellt, auch wenn einige davon auf der politischen Bühne einflussreicher waren, größere Territorien hatten oder auf
traditionsreichere Familiengeschichten zurückblicken konnten.
Einige dieser Landesherren-Bezeichnungen können in die Irre führen wie z.B. der Titel "Landgraf", der eher nach einem unbedeutenden Provinzadeligen klingt. Ein Landgraf war aber ebenfalls ein Fürst und unterstand damit nur dem König. Landgrafen regierten in Thüringen und Hessen und hatten im Heiligen Römischen Reich ein ansehnliches politisches Gewicht. Der Landgraf von Hessen-Kassel war z.B. einer der bedeutendsten und finanziell am besten ausgestatteten Fürsten.
Übrigens gab es im Heiligen Römischen Reich auch einen Landesherren mit dem Titel "König", nämlich den König von Böhmen. Dessen Titel klingt nach "mehr", aber letztendlich unterstand er wie alle anderen auch dem König von Deutschland.
Am Anfang war der Graf
All diese vielen Territorien (Herzogtümer, Großherzogtümer, Langgrafschaften, Markgrafschaften, Fürstentümer, das Königreich Böhmen usw.) gingen ursprünglich aus Grafschaften hervor. Ein "Graf" war ein Amt, das vom König verliehen wurde, seit Karl der Große die fränkische Grafschaftsverfassung eingeführt hatte. Ein Graf übte königliche Hoheitsrechte in Verwaltungseinheiten des Reichs aus.
Seit dem hohen Mittelalter wandelte sich der Grafentitel und wurde mehr und mehr von Erblichkeit bestimmt, zumal nicht selten Grafen in dem ihnen verliehenen Territorium auch Allodialbesitz (eigenen Besitz) hatten.
Etliche Grafen wurden im hohen Mittelalter auf Beschluss der Reichstage zu Herzögen ernannt und das ursprüngliche Amt wurde immer mehr zu einer fürstlichen Herrschaftsweise mit Erblichkeit des Titels und mit Haupt - und Nebenresidenzen auf dem Territorium. Später entwickelten sich daraus Residenzstädte, die Hauptstädten glichen, manche größer wie z.B. Stuttgart im Herzogtum Württemberg, andere kleiner wie z.B. Arolsen im Fürstentum Waldeck-Pyrmont.
Hauptstädte bildeten sich heraus, wenn Landesherren Behörden ausbildeten, die ortsfest blieben und dem Landesherren auf Reisen nicht mehr folgten. Bis dahin reisten Landesherren umher und nahmen alles dazu Notwendige mit. Wenn ein Landesherr, der irgendwann eine ortsfeste Verwaltung, also eine Art Hauptstadt eingerichtet hatte, auf Reisen ging, hatte dies den Charakter von Dienstreisen oder von Reisen aus privatem Interesse, z.B. zum Zweck der Ortsveränderungen um an einem anderen Ort landschaftliche Abwechslung zu genießen, zu jagen oder der Hitze des Sommers zu entfliehen.
Mit Beginn der Neuzeit erstarkte die Macht der Fürsten, während der Einfluss des Kaisers schwächer wurde. Das gesamte Kaisertum von Gottes Gnaden wurde nach und nach säkularisiert. Vor allem die Reformation teilte das Reich in evangelische und römisch-katholische Christen, ein damals unvereinbarer Gegensatz. Das Kaisertum stand Rom immer näher, während sich die evangelischen Fürsten, die in Nord- oder Ostdeutschland oder im Südwesten residierten, in eine ganz andere Richtung orientierten, nach England, Schweden, Dänemark und durch die Verbindungen nach Großbritannien sogar bis nach Nordamerika wie beim Haus Hannover oder Hessen-Kassel usw. Die evangelischen Fürsten hatten wenig Interesse an einer römisch-katholischen Politik des Kaisers, sie waren selbstbewusst und einflussreich geworden und manche Verbindung z.B. zu den Höfen anderer Länder brachten mehr Vorteile als die Orientierung zum Kaiser.
Im Barock wurde der feudalherrschaftliche, fürstliche Kult der selbstbewussten Landesherren auf die Spitze getrieben und Schlösser entstanden landauf, landab, darunter bemerkenswerte, die selbst Versailles in den Schatten stellen. Residenzstädte wie Dresden, Mannheim, Wien, Kassel, Fulda, Würzburg, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Karlsruhe, Brühl und viele andere wurden zu glanzvollen höfischen Metropolen und Residenzen ausgebaut , die bis heute mit Schlössern, Theatern oder wertvollen Kunstsammlungen beeindrucken. Dieses vielfältige Kulturerbe ist in Europa einzigartig, da in den meisten europäischen Ländern die Kultur in die Hauptstadt konzentriert ist.
Aber im Spätbarock hatte schon die Industrialisierung begonnen und der damit verbundene Aufstieg des Bürgertums schritt unaufhaltsam voran.
Die erste Stahlbrücke der Welt, die Iron Bridge in Großbritannien, ein Symbol der Industrialisierung, wurde 1777 gebaut. 1789, nur zwölf Jahre später bereitete die Französische Revolution dem Adel und Klerus in Frankreich ein endgültiges und jähes Ende.
Napoleon, der schließlich das Heilige Römische Reich umkrempelte, bis es schließlich aufgelöst war, erhob einige deutsche Herzöge zu Königen, um sie zu seinen Verbündeten zu machen, darunter die durch ihn entstandenen Königreiche Bayern und Württemberg. Auch in Preußen hatte sich mittlerweile der Kurfürst und Markgraf von Brandenburg in Königsberg zum König in Preußen gekrönt.
Virtual view of the Golden Bull in the Carmelite Monastery
The Golden Bull
Among other things, the election procedure for the Electors is laid down in the Golden Bull . It was Germany's first constitution and is one of the most valuable documents in German history. Nevertheless _cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ it is as good as unknown in today's German population.
The Golden Bull was created on the initiative of Emperor Charles IV of Bohemia. There are still seven original copies today. Das Frankfurter Exemplar liegt heute gut geschützt in einem Tresor in den_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b -136bad5cf58d_ Vaults _cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ of the former Carmelite monastery in Frankfurt, which now houses the Institute for City History. In addition to the Frankfurt copy, there is one in Trier (today in the Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart), a Palatine (today in the Hauptstaatsarchiv Bayern), one in Nuremberg (Nuremberg State Archive), in Cologne (Darmstadt University Library), Mainz and Bohemia (both today in the Austrian State Archives, Vienna).
A copy of the Golden Bull can be viewed in the Kaisersaal of the Römer in Frankfurt. In the Carmelite Monastery there is a virtual, digital presentation.
The Karmeliterkloster is the only surviving monastery in downtown Frankfurt. The property includes the large block between Münzgasse, Alte Mainzer Gasse, Karmelitergasse and Seckbächergasse.
The best way to reach it is by turning from the Römer into Limpurgergasse and then walking straight ahead until you come directly to the entrance of the Institute for City History in the Carmelite Monastery._cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_ The entry is free, you can see different monastery rooms and the cloister. On the other side of the cloister is the Archaeological Museum of Frankfurt.
Cloister of the former Carmelite monastery in downtown Frankfurt
Refectory of the former Carmelite monastery in downtown Frankfurt
How did it come about that Frankfurt became the place of coronation and thus replaced Aachen?? Because of its reference to Charlemagne and other great emperors, Aachen could hardly be surpassed in terms of symbolic power and centuries-old tradition.
(Do you want to know more about the Aachen Cathedral? clickhere.)
Ultimately, it was simply seasonal reasons that were decisive in carrying out the coronation in Frankfurt; It was winter 1526, Maximilian II had been elected in Frankfurt and the way to Aachen would have been too difficult at this time of year, so it was decided without further ado to have the coronation right awayafter the electionto be carried out in Frankfurt. Frankfurt had other advantages as well: it was conveniently located on trade routes and waterways, and because of its centuries-old fair, it offered ample accommodation options for people who came for the ceremonial. In addition, Frankfurt was more centrally located in the Reich than Aachen. For the Habsburgs, who resided in Vienna and provided many emperors, the distance from Vienna to Aachen was one of the longest in the entire empire.
The Fahrtor before 1840, painting by Johann Georg Malß, Historical Museum Frankfurt. Source: klick here .
A Bembel is a kind of jug, a pot-bellied vessel with a handle and pouring notch, which is made in the Westerwald, the Kannenbäckerland (clay jug-baker's county) north of the Lahn. The gray salt glaze with blue ornaments is characteristic.
The Äppelwoi glasses are simple in their shape and only recognizable as such by the characteristic diamond pattern on the glass surface.
In Frankfurt you will find many long-established and authentic Äppelwoigastwirtschaften (cider inns) in the Sachsenhausen district. They are not scattered, but are close together. The quarter is a little reminiscent of Grinzing in Vienna, where the Heurigen (wine inns) are also next to each other.
Haus Wertheim, erbaut um 1600, das einzige Fachwerkhaus, das den Zweiten Weltkrieg überlebte.
Across from Haus Wertheim is the Saalhof with the Rententurm, the former customs office.
Directly behind the Saalhof, not visible from the drive gate, was the Hohenstaufen Palatinate. When visiting the newly built and 2017 opened historical museum, which is located behind the Saalhof, you can see parts of the old Palatinate, the chapel, the old harbor, etc.
The oldest part of the Historical Museum, die Staufer Palatinate.
Außerdem sind in diesem Museum Repliken der wichtigsten Reichsinsignien der deutsch-römischen Kaiser ausgestellt, die Reichskrone, das Zepter und der Reichsapfel.
Die Originale der Reichsinsignien befinden sich heute in der Schatzkammer der Hofburg in Wien. Eigentlich gehören sie nach Nürnberg, so wie es in der Goldenen Bulle von 1356, einer Art Verfassung des Heiligen Römischen Reiches festgelegt war, aber nachdem das Heilige Römische Reich 1806 aufgelöst worden war und sich währenddessen die Krone in Wien befand, war man in Österreich der Meinung, dass mit dem Ende des Reiches auch seine Verfassung, also die Goldene Bulle, hinfällig geworden sei und behielt kurzerhand die Krone in Österreich.
Why did the Holy Roman Empire end?
Emperor Franz II dissolved the empire in 1806 because Napoleon's troops were approaching and the imperial dignity would have fallen to Napoleon if Vienna had been conquered. The Holy Roman Empire and France saw themselves equally as successor states to the Frankish Empire with the imperial claim of the Franks of Charlemagne. Charlemagne's empire was divided by inheritance into the kingdom of West Francia, the forerunner of today's France, and the Middle Kingdom, precursor smaller regions like the Netherlands, Belgium, Burgundy, Savoy, etc., as well as the kingdom of East Francia, the forerunner of today's Germany. Dhe imperial dignity remained in the East Franconian, German part of the former Frankish Empire. Reason enough that the imperial dignity became a kind of bone of contention between France and Germany.
After Kaiser After Francis II had dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, Napoleon could no longer become emperor. As you know, he later crowned himselfhimself to the emperor France in the Church of Notre Dame. But then it was no longer the crown of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, but a newly made one, the imperial crown of Napoleon I. The pope was also present at this act, who was to carry out the coronation entirely in the tradition of the German-Roman emperors, what is contradictory, since in France the revolution had meanwhile led to a strict separation of church and state. At that time, Napoleon spontaneously decided to put on the crown himself and thus snubbed the Pope.
Frankfurt had been the place where the German kings were elected since 1356, since the establishment of the Golden Bull, because Germany had an elective monarchy. The newly elected kings were crowned in Aachen. But from 1562 to 1792, the year of the last coronation of a German emperor, Franz II of Habsburg - Incidentally, the patron of Mozart, St. Bartholomew's Cathedral in Frankfurt was the coronation site. Under the reign of this last Emperor Franz II, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806 because of the threat posed by Napoleon. At that point a long story ends, for France and Germany both emerged from the Frankish Empire of Charlemagne, but the Roman imperial dignity that Charles had continued went to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. Napoleon was keen on this imperial dignity and he was on the verge of attaining it. Indeed to prevent this , Francis II dissolved the Holy Roman Empire beforehand. One almost gets the impression that France and Germany were like hostile brothers, one of whom inherited more than the other. Since Napoleon could no longer obtain this emperor's dignity, he later crowned himself Emperor of the French. The Pope stood by for this act. The German emperors were crowned by the Pope himself, thus receiving the universal monarchy with God's blessing and at the same time becoming the protector of the Roman Church.
At the beginning of the 16th century, things changed in the coronation ceremony. The elected King Maximilian could not travel to Rome and decided to call himself emperor even without the coronation by the Pope. The separation of the two acts, the election of a king and the coronation of the emperor, fell away and the election of a king by the electors, which took place in Frankfurt, became the election of the emperor and the coronation of the emperor.
One last question that needs to be clarified: Why did Frankfurt become the coronation site when Aachen was much more plausible because of its centuries-old tradition and, above all, because of the reference to Charlemagne, who had an architectural masterpiece built there, the Aachen Cathedral, who embodies all the symbolic power of the Holy Roman Empire? There could hardly be a more suitable place than Aachen. (Do you want to know more about Aachen Cathedral and what it looks like? Click here .)
After the principles of the Golden Bull had already been softened, e.g. that the coronation of emperors by the Pope was no longer necessary, the question of the place of coronation of the elected king was also softened. Ultimately, at the first coronation, which took place in Frankfurt and not in Aachen, it was simply seasonal conditions that were decisive, it was winter 1562 and Maximilian II was in Frankfurt was chosen . The way to Aachen would have been too difficult at this time of year and so it was decided without further ado that the coronation would take place in Frankfurt immediately after the election. That's a pretty secularized thought that was probably at the expense of solemnity - whatever. But Frankfurt also had a few other advantages compared to Aachen: it was conveniently located on trade routes and waterways, it offered ample accommodation for people who came for the ceremonial due to its centuries-old fair and it was much more centrally located in the empire than Aachen. In addition, many emperors came from the House of Habsburg, so from Vienna and from Vienna to Aachen was one of the longest distances in the empire at that time.
I personally think so Imperial Cathedral not particularly spectacular. I would have expected significantly more from a church where emperors were crowned. In my opinion, the Aachen Cathedral has a much more spiritual and solemn aura, even if it is quite small is.
When you have left the Saalhof behind you, you are already on Uferstrasse, the Mainkai, where the stairs to the footbridge are.
The Saalhof with the customs station and the Rententurm
View into the street Fahrtor. On the right the base of the Rententurm, on the left the half-timbered house in Wertheim.
The Saalhof as seen from the Eisener Steg. on the left the Rententurm, in the middle the baroque Bernusnau and on the right the Burnitzbau. The two buildings on the right were built in the 18th century.
View of Frankfurt, F. Wucherer, 1906, Historical Museum, Frankfurt
Sachsenhausen
When you reach the Sachsenhausen side, turn left briefly on the Schaumainkai and after a few meters turn right into the Schulstrasse, which will be called Wallstrasse at some point and which leads straight ahead to "Affentorplatz". There is the main emphasis of the economies that are all close together.
The district is a bit reminiscent of Grinzing in Vienna, where the Heurigen are also close together.
A little further away on Schweizer Straße there are also a few taverns .
Atschel cider bar
What you eat in Äppelwoi taverns ...
On our tour of the inns, of course, we didn't try all of them, there are definitely too many of them and they are similar - if you've seen one, you've somehow seen all of them. Nevertheless each has something unique. We tried it out, on top of that gave it Hand cheese with music, semolina sauce or the Gref Völsings beef sausage, etc. You might even find an awl sausage on the Map , although that actually belongs to Northern Hesse. The Äppelwoi is also available sprayed on request, i.e. diluted with mineral water (1/3 water, 2/3 wine) or you can take a deep spray (half water, half wine). at one Restaurant tour are recommended, so that you can keep it alcoholic. Add a loquat and you have the first one impression of Hessen's culinary traditions.
Harzer Käse im Essigsud mit Zwiebeln und Kümmel
Gref-Völsings-Rindswurst mit Kartoffelsalat
Frankfurter Grüne Soße
ein Mispelchen als Absacker
On our tour through the inns, of course, we didn't try all of them, there are definitely too many and they are similar - so if you've seen one, you've somehow seen all of them. Nevertheless each has something unique. We tried a few and each time we ate something, be it Handkäs with Musik (a Harzer cheese marinated in vinegar and served with onions), Green Sauce (a sauce of various grinder fresh herbs mixed with oil and egg, served with fried potatoes) with or the Gref Völsing's beef sausage, etc. You might even find an Ahle Wurscht (old sausage) on the menu, although that old sausage actually belongs to Northern Hesse. The Äppelwoi can be ordered 'sprayed', i.e. diluted with mineral water (1/3 water, 2/3 wine) or you can take a deep spray (half water, half wine). Better to take the sprayed ciders on an Inn tour, so that you can keep it up alcohol-wise. Add a Mispelchen (loquat in Calvados) and you have tried a first impression of Hessen's cuisine.
Noticeably many younger guests go to these taverns. The average age was between 25 and 40. All the guests around seemed to be very familiar with what is on the menu, chose traditional dishes and it all seems to be quite lively with the younger Frankfurters.
I had thought that rather seniors go there because only they still know this form of inns. But that is definitely not the case in Frankfurt.
Fichtekränzi cider restaurant
Dauth-Schneider cider bar
Affentorschänke cider bar
Mrs. Rauscher's apple wine restaurant
Apple wine restaurant Adolf Wagner
The trip to the Äppelwoi-Wirtschaft is by no means the end of a tour of discovery through Frankfurt.
The Goethe House
The Goethe family did not live in the house on Hirschgraben for long. Goethe's grandmother bought the house in 1733, and in 1755 Goethe's father had it converted into a representative house. That year Goethe moved to Weimar, so he didn't even live in the house as we see it today.
In 1795 the house was sold by Goethe's mother, who lived there as the last member of the family.
The house was bought in the middle of the 19th century to turn it into a Goethe memorial, for which it was returned to its original state.
It was destroyed in the Second World War, then reconstructed true to the original and reopened in 1951.
The furnishings were spared because they had been relocated in time for the war.
The old opera
From the Alte Wache, which you can see in the photo below, Bibergasse leads to the Alte Oper.
The Bibergasse leads from the Alte Wache to the Alte Oper. In the further course it is called Große Bockenheimer Straße. Many beautiful shops flank the way to the opera, it is a lively pedestrian zone and those who like bankers in suits, shirts, ties etc. will get their money's worth here. They all go to lunch here and there are quite a few of them.
The district around Opernplatz is also lively. A couple of nice restaurants, a fountain and a park surround the venerable building, which almost would have been torn down had it not been for a citizens' initiative to preserve it.
The ruins of the building that had been destroyed in the Second World War stood there until the late 1970s, and there was heated debate as to whether a new building should be built there, until the reconstruction began. At the beginning of the 80s the building was finished and with it Frankfurt has another landmark and a beautiful urban point between the Westend and the City.
Jewish Frankfurt
Frankfurt is one of the most Jewish cities in Germany and that has a long tradition. Of course there are also Berlin and Worms and a few other cities that were important for Jewish life in Germany, but the community of Frankfurt had 30,000 members until the Nazis came to power; after the war there were still 140 members. The number has now grown back to 7,000, making the community the second largest after Berlin.
A number of well-known Jewish citizens of the city also suggest the importance of this community:
The Rothschild family has its origins here, which few people know, because most people associate France or England or other countries with this name. No wonder, because the Rothschilds became global players and are at home all over Europe, the bank in Frankfurt was liquidated because the male descendant was missing, red wines from the Rothschild estates in Bordeaux are well known and perhaps that's why the name is associated with France. Banks in Paris, London, Naples and Vienna are also part of it.
Other well-known Jewish Frankfurters:
The doctor and Nobel Prize winner Paul Ehrlich, among other things the founder of modern chemotherapy, is a born Silesian, but his institute was relocated to Frankfurt in 1899.
Everyone associates Anne Frank with the Netherlands, but the family is from Frankfurt and fled to Amsterdam.
Theodor Adorno Wiesengrund, well-known sociologist of the Frankfurt School, also shaped this city.
Erich Fromm founded the South German Institute for Psychoanalysis in Frankfurt.
Leopold Sonnemann, an important Frankfurt citizen to whom various initiatives in the city can be traced back, is best known for the founding of the Frankfurter Zeitung, today's Frankfurter Allgemeine.
The beginnings of Judaism in Frankfurt go back a long way to the Middle Ages. Around the 12th century, the Jews inhabited the area around the cathedral. In 1241 - the congregation had 300 members, two rabbis, a synagogue and two teaching houses - there was the Frankfurt pogrom, which was at least spiritually supported by the Dominicans, the order that campaigned against people of different faiths. In 1349 there were persecutions of the Jews at the time of the Black Death. As a result, the community experienced a serious break. In 1360 Jews were allowed to settle in Frankfurt again. From 1464 they were assigned an area by the city wall, the Judengasse, which they lived in until 1846, when the Jews were treated as equal to the citizens. Then moved to other parts of Frankfurt.
The Rothschild family
Meyer Amschel Rothschild was born on Judengasse in 1744. You can no longer find the street today. Frankfurt was partially rebuilt completely differently after the World War. the The alley ran south of Allerheiligenstrasse. Nowadays you can walk around the area if you walk along the street "An der Staufermauer" from the "Museum Judengasse" on Battonstraße, Börneplatz (which used to be called Judenmarkt). This street should follow the course of the former Judengasse, which was right next to the wall. At some point it was later called Bornheimer Straße - this part no longer exists today, it is located there these days a shoe shop - and ended in the famous "Zeil" shopping street about at the height of the Konstablerwache (which has also disappeared these days and of which nothing is left but a completely boring, faceless square).
Meyer Amschel Rothschild wanted to become a rabbi.
But he started trading antiques, coins, and antique art objects. He later became a banker and did business links to the Frankfurt branch of Brentanos , to the banker and art collector Städel, after whom the Städelsche Kunstmuseum is named, and to the banking family Bethmann, after whom the confectionery Bethmännchen was named.
But he became really influential through his connection to the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, Wilhelm IX, who was one of the richest princes in the Holy Roman Empire of Germany nation was. This prince and his father Friedrich II. Von Hessen-Kassel had sold soldiers to the English who needed them in the American War of Independence against the North Americans. The enterprising Wilhelm IX. managed the money skillfully by doing discounted bills of exchange. Mayer Amschel tried to participate in these deals, which succeeded and later he got the title of Electoral
Oberhof agents. (Do you want to know more about the Landgraves of Hessen-Kassel and also about theirs Castles that they built with money from the North American wars, among other things? Click here .)
As such, Rothschild regulated the business of the landgrave, who had to flee into exile when the French occupied Kassel. The Kassel war paymaster Carl Friedrich Buderus and Rothschild saved a lot of fortune, Buderus brought 27 million guilders to safety, Rothschild bought the prince's coin collection, which the French had confiscated and sold. In doing so, he put himself in danger, because the French had intended to confiscate the landgrave's entire property. Rothschild kept double books, those that he presented to the French and those in which the real business was carried out, for his offices were also searched by the French.
Rothschild's son Nathan went to England, lived in Manchester, where he bought textiles which he exported to Europe. This connection to England turned out to be trend-setting, as there was the connection between the Hessian landgrave and the British royal family. The majority of the electoral fortune consisted of British government bonds. Interest and repayments that the British crown paid to the elector could not be transferred to Kassel because of Napoleon's continental blockade. Mayer Amschel received the order from the Elector to acquire British government papers that were safe to buy. The value of these transactions conducted by Rothschild was 664,850 pounds. The actions were carried out by Nathan, who now lived in London. Due to bad luck, the elector stopped buying the papers, which were then acquired by Rothschild until they were later paid for by the elector. The size of his financial operations and the financial resources Nathan had at his disposal made him one of the major financial institutions in London from the start.
The Rothschild Park
If you walk down Bockenheimer Landstrasse from the Alte Wache towards Westend, you will come to the banking district at some point and you will pass the Alte Opera and the Opera Tower (on the photo below the twin towers on the right edge of the picture) and passes Rothschildpark (also shown in the photo below). A magnificent palace once stood there in the middle of a large park. It was originally Meyer Amschel Rothschild's country and summer house, which his grandson Carl Wilhelm von Rothschild had converted into a classicist palace in 1869. The main building was not directly on the street, but set back a few meters. It was a building in the style of the first half of the 19th century, classicistic, two-storey with 15 window axes and an outstanding central one Part that comprised five window axes and three floors. This building was only inhabited by two generations, Carl Wilhelm and his family and, most recently, his daughter Minna Caroline von Rothschild who is the banker Maximilian Goldschmidt had married.
Carl Wilhelm was the head of the German branch of the banking dynasty and since he had no male descendants, the continuation of the German banking house ceased because Meyer Amschel had decreed that only family members were allowed to hold key positions in the company and that only male family members were allowed to conduct business. The company that continued the business later merged with Deutsche Bank, so the assets of the Frankfurt banking house MA Rothschild and Sons are in the Deutsche Bank .
In 1938, under the rule of the National Socialists, Maximilian Goldschmidt-Rothschild had to sell the palace and the property well below their value. The art collection of 1400 paintings also had to be sold to the city of Frankfurt. It was divided into what is now the Museum of Applied Arts, the Städelsche Museum and the Urban Gallery.
Maximilian died in 1940.
The palace was finally destroyed to the ground by one of the heaviest air raids on March 22, 1944.
1948 the Goldschmidt-Rothschild collection was restituted in a settlement with the heirs.
Today there are some office buildings on the property, which has reduced the area.
All that remains of everything is the Gothic tower, which was built in the 19th century in the garden of the Rothschild Palace was built as a romantic ruin.
The gap where the park is today is like a symbol for the complete disappearance of Jewish culture in Germany.
Nowadays many spend there Bankers their lunch break. One wonders if anyone knows what was once there?
Dort stand einst ein prachtvolles Palais inmitten eines großen Parks. Es war ursprünglich das Land- und Sommerhaus von Meyer Amschel Rothschild, das sein Enkel Carl Wilhelm von Rothschild 1869 zu einem klassizistischen Palais umbauen ließ. Das Hauptgebäude lag nicht direkt an der Straße, sondern einige Meter zurückgesetzt. Es war ein Bau noch ganz im Stil der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhhunderts, klassizistisch, zweigeschossig mit 15 Fensterachsen und einem herausragenden mittleren Teil, der fünf Fensterachsen und drei Geschosse umfasste. Dieses Gebäude wurde nur von zwei Generationen bewohnt, von Carl Wilhelm und seiner Familie und zuletzt von dessen Tochter Minna Caroline von Rothschild, die den Bankier Maximilian Goldschmidt geheiratet hatte.
Carl Wilhelm war der Leiter des deutschen Zweiges der Bankendynastie und da er ohne männlichen Nachkommen war, erlosch die Fortführung des deutschen Bankhauses, da Meyer Amschel verfügt hatte, dass nur Familienmitglieder Schlüsselpositionen in der Firma besetzen durften und nur männliche Familienmitglieder geschäftsführend tätig sein durften. Die Gesellschaft, die die Geschäfte fortführte, fusionierte später mit der Deutschen Bank, heute steckt das Vermögen des Frankfurter Bankhauses M.A. Rothschild und Söhne in der Deutschen Bank.
1938, unter der Herrschaft der Nationalsozialisten musste Maximilian Goldschmidt-Rothschild das Palais und das Grundstück weit unter Wert verkaufen. Ebenso musste die Kunstsammlung von 1400 Gemälden an die Stadt Frankfurt veräußert werden. Sie wurde aufgeteilt auf das heutige Museum für Angewandte Kunst, das Städelsche Museum und die Städtische Galerie.
Maximilian starb 1940.
Das Palais wurde schließlich durch einen der schwersten Luftangriffe am 22. März 1944 bis auf die Grundmauern zerstört.
1948 wurde die Sammlung Goldschmidt-Rothschild in einem Vergleich mit den Erben restituiert, kam in die USA nach New York und wurde dort bei zahlreichen Kunstauktionen von den Erben veräußert, so dass diese sehr heterogene Sammlung heute nicht mehr existiert und in verschiedenen Museen oder in Privatbesitz unterkam.
Auf dem Grundstück stehen heute einige Bürohäuser, wodurch die Fläche des Rothschildschen Gartens verkleinert wurde.
Übrig geblieben von allem ist nur der gotische Turm, der im 19. Jahrhundert im Garten des Rothschild-Palais als romantische Ruine errichtet wurde.
Die Lücke dort, wo heute der Park ist, wirkt wie ein Symbol für das gänzliche Verschwinden der jüdischen Kultur in Deutschland.
Heutzutage verbringen dort viele Banker ihre Mittagspause. Man fragt sich, ob mancher, der sich dort erholt, über die Geschichte dieses Parks weiß.
The west end
If you follow the Bockenheimer Landstraße, the path leads to Frankfurt's Westend, a quarter with Wilhelminian style, bourgeois residential buildings. These houses all came close to disappearing in the 1970s and 1980s, as an expansion of the city into the west end was planned, the villas were to be demolished and high-rise buildings were to be built in their place. Speculators bought these properties in the 1970s, willfully let them fall into disrepair, tried to evict tenants by destroying the heating, so that it got bitterly cold in winter, gangs of thugs were sent around, etc. This provoked resistance and the first one emerged in Frankfurt Squatter scene in the Federal Republic, with which large parts of the Frankfurt population showed solidarity. As you can see, the houses were saved and with them a historical and aesthetic piece of Frankfurt. During these times, the high-rise buildings that were built in the neighboring banking district in the 1980s were perceived as a threat.
The Jewish Museum
Another city palace is located directly on Untermainkai Rothschilds, which now houses the Jewish Museum. There a lively picture of Judaism is conveyed, including today's Judaism in Germany. It shows the everyday life of Jews who live among us, fellow students, neighbors, etc. A room with a huge screen showing four rabbis and one rabbis and topics that can be selected on an iPad is particularly impressive. explain their position. You can sit comfortably in an armchair, select a topic on the iPad and all five explain their points of view, whereby the respective person who is speaking is highlighted by enlarging. You answer, of course, from the perspective of a rabbi, but also from the perspective of a Frankfurt resident, a German or simply a fellow human being in our society.
In the former Rothschild Palais, some rooms can still be seen in their original state.
Nice on the Main
When you get out of the museum, definitely worth a break in Nice, a nice one Park area with partly exotic plants directly below on the Main, where there is also a nice beer garden. To get there from the Jewish Museum, you just have to cross the Untermainkai, find a staircase to the bank and then enjoy the view of the water, the palm trees and flowers with a nice drink.
