History of Frankfurt

The city has been given the nickname of ‘Mainhattan’ or ‘Bankfurt’, because it has played an important role in international finance since the Middle Ages. This modernism is seen by many as a threat to the old-town charms of Frankfurt.

The early years

Frankfurt's history can be traced back to the 1st century AD, when it was founded as a Roman town. It briefly became the capital of the kingdom of the Eastern Franks following the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD. It prospered as a centre of finance and held annual fairs that drew merchants from all over Europe.

Electing emperors

Frankfurt became an important city in the next century. Thirty-six German emperors were elected here and crowned in the magnificent cathedral, with the coronation of Joseph II in 1764 having been described in the autobiography of the famous writer, Johann Wolfgang Goethe. Much of this historical past can still be admired by taking a short city walk for a couple of hours.

The city was occupied many times in the wars during the 17th and 18th centuries.  Frankfurt was the original home of the Rothschilds, who played a leading role in the economic growth of the city after 1700. Following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Frankfurt became part of the ecclesiastic principality of Regensburg and Aschaffenburg, created by Napoleon I for Karl Theodor von Dalberg.

The evolution of a financial hub

Despite its reputation as a finance hub, Frankfurt has also been a centre of ‘Ideology Studies’, which have nothing in common with capitalism. In 1923, the philosopher Max Horkheimer and the sociologist Theodor Adorno founded the Institute of Social Sciences Research. They studied and developed the theories of Marx and Freud and went on to set up the Frankfurt School. The school went on to gain much international acclaim, but was forced into exile, first moving to Geneva and then later to New York.

In 1944, the city was heavily bombed, which resulted in the destruction of a large part of the historical centre.