Frankenthal (Pfalz) (; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in southwestern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, in the state of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

History

Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, after the founder, as the ''Erkenbertruine'' — still stand today in the town centre. In the second half of the 16th century, people from

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, persecuted for their religious beliefs, settled in Frankenthal. They were industrious and artistic and brought economic prosperity to the town. Some of them were important carpet weavers, jewellers and artists whose ''Frankenthaler Malerschule'' ("Frankenthal school of painting") acquired some fame. In 1577 the settlement was raised to the status of a city by the Count Palatine

Johann Casimir John Casimir, Count Palatine of Simmern (German: ''Johann Casimir von Pfalz-Simmern'') (7 March 1543 – Brockhaus Geschichte Second Edition) was a German prince and a younger son of Frederick III, Elector Palatine. A firm Calvinist, he was a lea ...

. In 1600 Frankenthal was converted to a fortress. In 1621 it was garrisoned by English soldiers under

Sir Horace Vere Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury (1565 – 2 May 1635) was an English army officer who served in the Eighty Years' War and the Thirty Years' War. A brother of Francis Vere, he was sent to the Electoral Palatinate by James VI and I in 1620. ...

and besieged by the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, and then successively occupied by troops of the opposing sides. Trade and industry were ruined and the town was not reconstructed until 1682. In 1689 the town was burnt to the ground by

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

troops in the

War of the Grand Alliance The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

. The town did not fully recover from this for more than fifty years. However, in 1750, under the rule of the Elector (Kurfürst) Charles Theodore, Frankenthal was established as a centre of industry. To establish trade, a port was built between 1772-1781, numerous factories were opened and

mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...

trees were planted for

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

production. In 1755 the famous Frankenthal porcelain factory was opened, which remained in production until 1800. During this period, the town was also known in English as Frankendal. In 1797 the town came under French occupation during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

. It passed into the rule of

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

in 1816. The beginning of modern

industrialisation Industrialisation ( UK) or industrialization ( US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive reorganisation of an economy for th ...

is dated from 1859. In 1938 the

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish synagogue, built in 1884, was burnt to the ground during the

Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

. In 1943 during a bombing raid the centre of the town was almost completely destroyed. In 1945, at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, its industries in ruins, it was occupied first by the

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

and then by the French. From 1946 Frankenthal has been part of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Today the town is again the site of some medium-sized industries.

Number of inhabitants

* 1850: 4,767 * 1900: 16,899 * 2000: around 50,000 * 2015: 48,363 * 2022: 49,051

Lord Mayors

Twin towns – sister cities

Frankenthal is twinned with: *

Colombes Colombes () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. In 2019, Colombes was the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 53rd largest city in France. ...

, France (1958) *

Rosolini Rosolini () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy. It is about southeast of Palermo and about southwest of Syracuse, Italy, Syracuse. Rosolini was a town in feudal times, and was a settlement in th ...

, Italy (2018) *

Sopot Sopot (; or ) is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomerania Province and has the City with powiat ri ...

, Poland (1991) *

Strausberg Strausberg () is a Town#Germany, town in Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, located east of Berlin. With a population of about 27,000 it is the largest town in the district of Märkisch-Oderland. History Strausberg was founded ''circa'' 1240, and ...

, Germany (1990) Since 1982, Frankenthal also cooperates with the community of Butamwa in

Nyarugenge Nyarugenge is a sector (''umurenge'') located in Nyarugenge District, Kigali Province, Rwanda. Location It is located in the southwest part of the city of Kigali. The coordinates of Nyarugenge Sector are:1°58'02.0"S, 30°03'20.0"E (Latitude: ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

Notable people

Abraham Heidanus Abraham van Heyden or van Heiden ( or '; 1597–1678) was a Dutch Calvinist minister and controversialist, sympathetic to Cartesianism. Life He was born in Frankenthal in the Palatinate, son of Gaspar van der Heiden the Younger, a Reformed minis ...

(1597–1678), a reformed theologian * Esther Moscherosch née Ackermann (1602–1632), wife of the statesman and baroque poet

Johann Michael Moscherosch Johann Michael Moscherosch (7 March 1601 – 4 April 1669), German statesman, satirist, and educator, was born at Willstätt, on the Upper Rhine near Strassburg. His bitterly brilliant but partisan writings graphically describe life in a Ge ...

Jacob Marrel Jacob Marrel (1613/1614 – 11 November 1681) was a German still life painter active in Utrecht during the Dutch Golden Age. Biography Jacob Marrel was born in Frankenthal. He moved with his family in 1624 to Frankfurt, where he became a student ...

(1614–1681), still life painter *

Johann Philipp Becker Johann Phillipp Becker (20 March 1809 – 9 December 1886) was a German revolutionary and military officer who participated in the democratic movement in Germany and Switzerland in the 1830s and 1840s. In Baden during the 1848-1849 Baden-Palatina ...

(1809–1886), revolutionary *

Georg Vierling Georg Vierling (5 September 1820 – 1 June 1901) was a German musician and composer. He is noted for modernizing the secular oratorio form. Life and career Georg Vierling was born in Frankenthal, and studied music with Christian Heinrich Rinck i ...

(1820–1901), composer (dedication of the '' Vierlingstrasse '') *

Konrad Maurer Konrad Maurer, since 1876 Konrad von Maurer (April 29, 1823 – September 16, 1902) was a German legal history, legal historian. He was the son of legal historian and statesman Georg Ludwig von Maurer (1790–1872). Maurer is considered one ...

(1823–1902), a Bavarian legal historian * Julius von Michel (1843–1911), ophthalmologist *

Richard Reverdy Richard Ritter von Reverdy (29 January 1851 in Frankenthal – 31 May 1915 in Munich) was an expert for the government administration of civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineeri ...

(1851–1915), civil engineer * Karl Wendling (1857–1918), pianist and music pedagogue * Karl Perron (1858–1928), opera singer *

Franz Nissl Franz Alexander Nissl (9 September 1860, in Frankenthal – 11 August 1919, in Munich) was a German psychiatrist and medical researcher. He was a noted neuropathologist. Early life Nissl was born in Frankenthal to Theodor Nissl and Maria Haas. ...

(1860–1919), neurologist and psychiatrist *

August von Parseval August von Parseval (5 February 1861, in Frankenthal (Pfalz) – 22 February 1942, in Berlin) was a German airship designer. His designs for an amphibian flying boat, balanced by two wing-floats, achieved liftoff in April 1910. This marked the b ...

(1861–1942), designer of airships (dedication of the Parsevalplatz) *

Hermann Wilker Hermann Wilker (24 July 1874 – 27 December 1941) was a German rower who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly know ...

(1874–1941), rower * Karl Gentner (1876–1922), operatic tenor *

Oskar Perron Oskar Perron (7 May 1880 – 22 February 1975) was a German mathematician. He was a professor at the University of Heidelberg from 1914 to 1922 and at the University of Munich from 1922 to 1951. He made numerous contributions to differentia ...

(1880–1975), mathematician * Ludwig Marum (1882–1934), lawyer and politician, victims of the Holocaust *

Arnold Fanck Arnold Fanck (6 March 1889 – 28 September 1974) was a German film director and pioneer of the mountain film genre. He is best known for the extraordinary alpine footage he captured in such films as '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926), '' The White H ...

(1889–1974), director and pioneer of the mountain film *

Paul Martini Paul Lloyd Martini (born November 2, 1960) is a Canadian former pair skater. With partner Barbara Underhill, he is the 1979–1983 Canadian national champion, the 1984 World champion, and the 1978 World Junior champion. They represented Cana ...

(1889–1964), medical doctor *

Georg Gehring Georg Gehring (14 November 1903 in Frankenthal – 31 October 1943 in Dnipro) was a German wrestler who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics, in the 1932 Summer Olympics, and in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was killed in action during World War ...

(1903–1943), wrestler * Werner Knab (1908–1945), jurist and SS leader * Hans Carste (1909–1971), composer and conductor *

Adolf Metzner Adolf Metzner (25 April 1910 in Frankenthal – 5 March 1978 in Hamburg) was a German athlete who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics. After finishing his career due to Achilles tendon rupture he became a carpenter ...

(1910–1978), Leichtathlet *

Michael Werner (publisher) Michael Werner (born 1965 in Frankenthal, Germany) is a publisher of Pennsylvania German publications and writer of Pennsylvania German articles, prose and poetry. He is the founder and publisher of the only existing Pennsylvania German newspaper, ...

(born 1965), founder of the Pennsylvania German newspaper

Hiwwe wie Driwwe , which means "Hither like thither" (compare ), is the title of the only existing Pennsylvania German-language newspaper. Publication Since 1997, the publication is distributed twice a year. More than 100 Pennsylvania German authors—member ...

Family name

The

family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

"Frankenthal" is attested among people scattered in many countries - especially among

s - and indicates an ultimate origin of the family in the town, though it might be centuries old and leaving no memory other than the name.

Gallery

File:Frankenthal Klosterruine.jpg, Ruins of the monastery File:Frankenthal Kirchen.jpg, The two churches in the centre File:Frankenthal Wormser Tor Sueden.jpg, Wormser Tor File:Frankenthal Zufahrt Suedwest.jpg, Outskirts File:Dankaerts-Historis-9363.tif, Fortress Franckenthal

References

Citations

Bibliography

* . * * * {{Authority control Anterior Palatinate Palatinate (region) Urban districts of Rhineland-Palatinate