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Moments in Frankfurt's History

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794 - First official reference of “Franconovurt” (City of Franks) as venue for a significant ecclesiastical council of Franconian nobility under the direction of Emperor Charlemagne.
822 - Emperor Ludwig the Pious orders the construction and renovation of Frankfurt’s palatial residences.
1150 - First official mention of the Frankfurt fair (Autumn fair).
1152 - Frederick Barbarossa elected king of Germany in Frankfurt.
1157 - A royal certificate historically substantiates the existence of the Frankfurt fair.
1240 - Frederick II guarantees visitors of the Frankfurt fair safe passage to and from Frankfurt. This marks the beginning of Frankfurt’s tradition as an international trade fair center. One year later, official tax documentation specifies Frankfurt as the German Empire’s most profitable city.
1372 - Frankfurt is named a “Free Imperial City” and is thus member of the Reichstag.
1405 - The city council purchases two houses, “Zum Römer” and “Zum Goldenen Schwan” and converts them into a town hall.
1460 - A Jewish district is formed into which all Jews must move.
1509 - The gradual reception of Roman law is legalized via a systematic codification of Frankfurt law ("Frankfurt Reformation").
1533 - Reformation is officially “introduced” to Frankfurt; public practice of Catholicism is prohibited for the next 15 years.
1585 - With the establishment of the bourse, Frankfurt has its very first municipally controlled money exchange. At the end of the Middle Ages, Frankfurt is one of Germany’s richest and mightiest places of trade.
1612-1614 - A constitutional conflict arises between the council and citizenry, causing social unrest, some of which is aimed at the city’s Jewish population. Intervention by the emperor puts an end to the conflict. Swedes occupy Frankfurt during the Thirty Years’ War.
1711 - The great “Jewish Fire” destroys the Jewish quarter; a second fire erupts in 1721.
1806 - When the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation came to an end in 1806, it was replaced by the Deutscher Bund (1816-1866) located in Frankfurt.
1866 - The annexation of Frankfurt by Prussia brings an end to Frankfurt’s status as free city.
1880 - Alte Oper, Frankfurt´s grand old opera house, is inaugurated.
1888 - Frankfurt´s main train station is inaugurated.
1914-1918 - The unemployment rate increases dramatically during the First World War; Frankfurt’s population suffers as a result of supply bottlenecks.
1925-1930 - Summoned to Frankfurt by Lord Mayor Ludwig Landmann, the renowned architect, Ernst May, is named the city’s new urban planner and conceives many new settlements, creating the so-called “New Frankfurt.”
1926 - The new Frankfurt Airport is opened in Rebstock.
1943-1944 - The city center and old town of Frankfurt are almost completely destroyed during Allied air strikes.
1945 - American troops enter and occupy the city at the end of May; Frankfurt is declared a district-free city of Hesse.
1948 - Celebrations commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First German National Assembly are held in the rebuilt St. Paul’s Church on the 18th of May.
1949 - In May, commercial air traffic resumes at Frankfurt Airport, and in 1958 the airport becomes Germany’s first airport to service jetliners.
1949 - Frankfurt misses out on being named the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany by only a handful of votes. The traditional trade and business center continues to develop into a major economic metropolis.
1961 - Construction on the subway system as means of mass transportation is authorized.
1963-1965 - The “Auschwitz Trials” take place in Frankfurt am Main.
1984 - Development commences on the museum embankment, marking its initiation as the city’s art and cultural mile.
1993 - The European Monetary Institute (EMI) is established in Frankfurt.
1994 - Frankfurt celebrates its 1200th year of existence.
1997 - Construction on the Commerzbank Tower, Europe’s tallest office high-rise at 299 meters (with antenna), is completed. Further skyscrapers (Maintower, Main Plaza, Gallileo) follow.
1998 - Frankfurt is chosen as headquarters for the European Central Bank (ECB), which takes over from the European Monetary Institute.

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