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Frankfurt/Main City (Germany)

Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Hesse

Last modified: 2017-11-11 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: frankfurt am main | mainhattan | frankfurt-hoechst | eagle(white) | crowned | wheel |
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[Frankfurt (Main) city flag] 5:2 image by Jörg Majewski, 3 Oct 2006
flag in use since 5 Jun 1952 See also:

Introduction of Frankfurt am Main

Frankfurt am Main, City, county free city,
inhabitants 660,289
Darmstadt District, state Hesse
flag in use since 5 June 1952
Jörg Majewski, 3 Oct 2006

Frankfurt am Main Banner

Beneath a white bannerhead charged with the arms, vertically split white-red. Frankfurt as a former imperial city bears the eagle of the Holy Roman Empire in its arms (although with changed colours).
Sources: flag from Staack 1997, arms from Stadler 1967, p.34
Stefan Schwoon, 19 Feb 2001

City banners of Frankfurt are known since 1322. Two flags of the Lord Mayor of Frankfurt from 1594 were still existing in 1957. One of them displayed the white eagle on a red field, the other one just is striped red-white-red. Acc. to Lersner a red flag with white eagle also was flown on the market on Samstagsberg as a symbol of the open market place. The current colours were fixed in 1949.
Sources: Stadler 1967, p.34 and Stefan Schwoon's database, based on primary Source: Heinz Stoob (ed.) "Deutsches Städtebuch", vol. IV,1: Hessen, Stuttgart 1957
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 Mar 2017

Frankfurt am Main Arms

The shield is Gules, displaying an eagle Argent, crowned, armed and tongued Or.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 Mar 2017

Meaning:
The arms show the imperial eagle, as the city was granted the rank of Imperial City in 1245. There is evidence, that around 1400 the colours had been those of the Imperial Assault Banner (Reichsturmfahne). The present colours had been introduced later (no date given) and the crown was added. There is evidence about the blue colour of claws and tongue since the 16th century . Golden (?) cloverstems upon the wings had been abolished since 1900. The current version was approved by Oberpräsident of Hessen-Nassau in 1936. The arms have basically never changed.
Source: Stadler 1967, p.34
Santiago Dotor, 19 Feb 2001 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 Mar 2017


Frankfurt Banner 1937

[Frankfurt (Main) city 1937 flag] 5:2 image by Jörg Majewski, 3 Oct 2006
flag adopted 1 Dec 1937

Frankfurt Ensign 1833-1866

[Frankfurt (Main) 1833-1866 ensign] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 Jan 2007

When Great Britain and Frankfurt signed a treaty about trade and shipping on 13 May 1832, an ensign was introduced. It wss a horizontal 4-stripes flag with alternating red and white stripes starting at the top of flag with a red one. The flag has a white canton with the coat of arms of the city of Frankfurt/Main, i.e. a red shield charged with a white eagle with a golden (=yellow) crown. The flag was used between 1833 and 1866 for shipping purposes on the river Main.
Sources: Ottfried NEUBECKER: "Fahnen und Flaggen", Leipzig 1939, p.94/95 and Stefan Schwoon's database, based on primary Source: Heinz Stoob (ed.) "Deutsches Städtebuch", vol. IV,1: Hessen, Stuttgart 1957
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 Jan 2007 / 7 Mar 2017


Introduction of Höchst Borough

Höchst , borough of Frankfurt am Main
incorporated at 19 March 1928 (also see No. 127/392)
Darmstadt District, state Hesse
flag in use since 1907
flag inofficial, used for traditional purposes only
Jörg Majewski, 5 Oct 2006

Höchst was first mentioned in 790 as Hostat (meaning high site or high place). On 11 February 1355 Höchst gained city rights by Emperor Karl IV. In a charter dated 12 January 1356 Karl IV gave additional privileges to Höchst including the right to hold markets on every Tuesday. Höchst am Main became part of Frankfurt am Main in 1928. Until 1987 Höchst was the seat of an independent Höchst County, which was renamed to Main-Taunus County (Main-Taunus-Kreis) in 1928. Höchst is now the centre of the city district of Frankfurt-West with 120,000 inhabitants. Höchst became famous by Hoechst AG (1863-1999), a chemistry and pharmaceutical company, and was seat of the company from 1925 until 1952. Its head office today is centre of one of the biggest industrial parks in Germany.
Sources: English WIKIPEDIA and German WIKIPEDIA

Höchst Banner

[Frankfurt-Höchst banner] 5:2 image by Jörg Majewski, 5 Oct 2006
flag in use since 1907

It was a red-white vertical plain bicolour.
Jörg Majewski, 5 Oct 2006

Höchst Arms

The shield is Gules, displaying a 6-spoked wheel Argent.
Meaning:
Höchst was a dominion oft he Archbishopric of Mainz from 790 until 1802. Like many others the arms of Höchst basically display the arms oft he archbishopric with the wheel of Mainz.
Source: German WIKIPEDIA
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 Mar 2017


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