Inhabitants: 64 656 (31.12.2004)
Area: 147.60 km²
Height: 40 m above sealevel
Bundesland (state): Brandenburg (fourth biggest city)
Frankfurt (Oder) was founded around 1226 as "Vrankenforde". In 1253 the merchant settlement was given the town
rights and quickly became rich, respected and powerful. Since the 14th century international expositions have
developped from fairs. From 1430-1515 Frankfurt was a member of the Hanse. Books were being printed here
since 1502, of special importance was the printing in Hebrew. In 1506 the first university in Brandenburg
(state) was founded, then known as "Alma mater viadrina". It was later moved to Wroclaw in 1811 for financial
reasons and due to competition with the newly founded Humbold University. It was refounded in 1991 as "Europa
Universität Viadrina". Famous teachers and students of the old university were among others Ulrich von Hutten,
Thomas Müntzer and Heinrich von Kleist. During the war from 1618-1648 the town was almost destroyed and was
only recovering slowly afterwards.
The town hall by the market place built in 1253 in the style of north german brick gothic is one of the
oldest and biggest medieval town halls remaining.
The St. Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church), built from 1253 until 1524, south of the town hall, is the largest
hall church in Germany of the north german brick gothic. Recently, the first window of the Picture Bible has
been returned to Frankfurt after they had been taken to Russia in World War II and replaced in St. Marien.
The concert hall "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach" has fantastic acoustics and houses the oldest playable organ of
the Sauer organ builder's company of Frankfurt (Oder). (Another one of their organs is in the Berlin cathedral.)
Der Oderturm is the highest building in Frankfurt (Oder). The name is inspired by the Maintower of
Frankfurt am Main: It's also a compositum consisting of the name of the river and the German word for tower.
Many people from western Germany don't realize that there is another city with the name Frankfurt. That's why it is essential to add the name of the river. There is also a German saying making fun of that situation: "Weil Frankfurt so groß ist, da teilt man es ein/ in Frankfurt an der Oder und Frankfurt am Main." (For Frankfurt is so big it is devided into Frankfurt on the Oder and Frankfurt on the Main.) Nonetheless, the distance between the two cities is several hundred kilometres.
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Anie, 23, student of Cultural Science (Kulturwissenschaften) at the Europa Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), also an animal lover, obsessed with nature, loves music and the movies, gets politically involved. More.