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Frankfurt am Main (inhabited place) |
Coordinates: |
| Lat: 50 07 00 N degrees minutes |
Lat: 50.1167 decimal degrees |
| Long: 008 41 00 E degrees minutes |
Long: 8.6833 decimal degrees |
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Note: Frankfurt am Main is the largest city in the state of Hessen in western Germany, lying some 19 miles upstream on the Main River from the city of Mainz. Celts and Germanic people occupied the site in the first century BCE and by the Romans in the first and second centuries CE. The Franks took it over around 500, when if probably gained the name Frankfurt, meaning "ford of the Franks, but was first mentioned as such by Charlemagne's biographer in the late 8th century. In 1356 it was designated the official site of the election of the German kings. It was a free imperial city from 1372 to 1806, then Napoleon I made it first the seat of government for the Confederation of the Rhine, then the capital of the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt. From 1816 to 1866 it was the seat of the Germann Federal Diet and thus de facto the capital of the German states. Following the Seven Weeks' War in 1866, it fell under Prussian rule where it remained until after World War I. It suffered heavy damage from bombardment in World War II, and most of its medieval Old City was destroyed. Historic structures that survived include the 8th-century Benedictine monastery, the Römer or medieval city hall, the 155-foot Eschenheim Tower, St. Bartholomew's Cathedral dating from 1239, and the Church of St. Paul. Modern Frankfurt am Main is a commercial and industrial center, famous for its many trade fairs, including the international book, car, and computer fairs. It is known for the manufacture of motor vehicles, pharmaceuticals, printing materials, and processed foods, especially sausages. It is a transportation center with a busy railway hub and the largest airport in Germany. The 2004 estimated population was 646,000. |
Names: |
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| Frankfurt am Main (preferred,C,V,English-P)
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| Frankfurt am Main (German-P,U,N)
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| Frankfurt-am-Main (C,V)
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| Frankfurt (C,V)
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............ | meaning "Ford (Crossing) of the Franks," some form of the name probably dates from ca. AD 500, though this spelling is later |
| Frankfort (C,O)
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| Francfurt (C,V)
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| Frankfort on the Main (C,O)
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| Francfort-sur-Main (C,O)
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| Francfort-sur-le-Mein (C,O,French,U,N)
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| Franckfurt am Mayn (C,V)
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| Frankford-on-Main (NA,V)
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| פרנקפורט על מיין (C,U,Hebrew )
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| Franconofurt (H,V)
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............ | name used in late 8th cen., by Charlemagne's biographer, Einhard |
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Hierarchical Position: |
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............ |
Hesse (state) (P) |
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Place Types: |
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| inhabited place (preferred, C) |
............ |
settled by Celts and Germanic peoples by 1st century BCE, then by Romans |
| city (C) |
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| inland port (C) |
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| trade center (C) |
............ |
important site of international trade fairs since 1240 |
| financial center (C) |
............ |
stock exchange dates to 1585, and especially noted for modern banking empire of Rothschild family |
| manufacturing center (C) |
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| transportation center (C) |
............ |
is hub of rail and road traffic, and site one of busiest airports in Europe, the Rhein-Main |
| cultural center (C) |
............ |
site of important museums of art & natural history, and library of Goethe |
| university center (C) |
............ |
site of one of largest universities in Germany, founded 1914 |
| capital (H) |
............ |
of prince primate of Confederation of the Rhein, from 1806; of Grand Duchy of Frankfurt created by Napoleon, from 1810; of Germany, and seat of German Bundestag, 1816-1866 |
| imperial city (H) |
............ |
status granted in 1372 |
| royal residence (H) |
............ |
of East Frankish Carolingians, in 9th century |
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Sources and Contributors: |
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| Franckfurt am Mayn.......... |
[VP] |
| ................................... |
GRI Library (1999) Citation for Allgemeine Schau-Bühne der Welt |
| Subject: ..... |
[BHA, FDA, GRLPSC, IMJ, VP] |
| .................. |
Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres (1976) 7, 408 |
| .................. |
Canby, Historic Places (1984) I, 309-310 |
| .................. |
Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer (1961) |
| .................. |
Encyclopaedia Britannica (1988) IV, 939 |
| .................. |
GRI Library (1999) Citation for Allgemeine Schau-Bühne der Welt |
| .................. |
Israel Museum Jerusalem contribution (n.d.) |
| .................. |
LC Name Authority Headings. [online] (2002-) Frankfurt am Main (Germany) NAF79149017, accessed 13 May 2004 |
| .................. |
National Archives and Record Administration database (1987-) |
| .................. |
NGA/NIMA database (2003-) -1771148 |
| .................. |
Rand McNally Atlas (1994) I-57 |
| .................. |
Times Atlas of the World (1994) 68 |
| .................. |
Trollope, The Way We Live Now (reprint, 1999) |
| .................. |
Webster's Geographical Dictionary (1984) |
| .................. |
Webster's Geographical Dictionary (1988) 415 |
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