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Description

Frankenberg After The Great Fire of May 9, 1476 and the Joining of the New Town in 1556

This vibrant view of Frankenberg seen from the northeast, with the Eder River shown at the right, created by Braun & Hogenberg in the late 16th century. The engraving captures the town's fortified appearance and its strategic location, with prominent gates to the city depicted. The image provides a detailed portrayal of the town's defensive structures, agricultural surroundings, and the prominent architectural elements that defined Frankenberg during this period.

In the early medieval period, the area where Frankenberg now stands was fortified by the Franks. Around 500 AD, this region was absorbed into Frankish territory, leading to military conflicts with the Saxons to the north. The fortifications on the mountain played a crucial role during the Saxon Wars (772-804), serving as a base for Frankish counterattacks and securing the Weinstraße as a critical supply route. These defenses eventually fell into disuse after the Saxons were subdued and Christianized, leaving behind ruins that echoed the region's turbulent history.

Frankenberg's more structured development began in the early 13th century under the Thuringian-Hessian Landgraves, who sought to consolidate their territories. The Landgraves constructed a castle and town on the mountain's peak, strategically located to command the middle Eder Valley and secure trade routes. The town's layout, meticulously planned, included a significant marketplace divided by the town hall, reflecting its intended role as both a military stronghold and a commercial hub. The initial settlers were relocated from surrounding villages, leading to the abandonment of 16 nearby hamlets, whose names persist in local field and meadow names.

By the late 13th century, Frankenberg had established itself as a thriving community with a robust merchant and craftsman class. The construction of the Marienkirche (Church of Mary), inspired by the Elisabethkirche in Marburg, began in 1286, symbolizing the town's prosperity. Frankenberg hosted weekly markets and four annual fairs, fostering extensive trade connections. The town's cultural development paralleled its economic growth, with a town school (Lateinschule) reaching its zenith around 1500. The addition of the Marienkapelle (Mary's Chapel) between 1370 and 1380, a masterpiece by Thyle von Frankenberg, further exemplified this flourishing period.

Population growth in Frankenberg necessitated the establishment of a New Town at the mountain's base along the Siegener Straße. This expansion, initiated by the Landgrave, included its own administration but remained under the Old Town's ecclesiastical and judicial jurisdictions. It wasn't until 1556 that the Old and New Towns were united into a single municipality, marking a significant step in Frankenberg's urban development.

A devastating fire on May 9, 1476, razed both the New and Old Towns, including the Liebfrauenkirche. The resilient townspeople quickly began rebuilding, though Frankenberg never fully regained its former prominence. Another fire in 1507 further hindered recovery. The administrative seat of the Amt of Frankenberg moved to the Wolkersdorf Hunting Lodge, reflecting the shifting political landscape. Despite these setbacks, the town hall, reconstructed starting in 1509, stands as a testament to Frankenberg's enduring spirit.

The 16th century saw the Reformation reach Frankenberg, introduced by preachers Ludwig Stippius and Caspar Tholde, aligning the town with broader religious reforms in Hesse. The Thirty Years' War brought significant suffering, as Frankenberg's strategic location attracted both Imperial and Swedish-Hessian forces. The town endured occupation and conflict, with the nearby battle at Totenhöhe in 1646 epitomizing the area's war-torn history. Despite these challenges, Frankenberg continued to rebuild and evolve, preserving its rich historical legacy.

 

 

 

 

4o

Civitates Orbis Terrarum: The Greatest City Book

Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg began the process of creating a comprehensive atlas of the cities of the world in 1572. Their book, Civitates Orbis Terrarum, was originally intended as a companion to Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first true atlas.

The great atlas was edited by Georg Braun, with Franz Hogenberg engraving many of the views. When the project was finished, the series would contain over 546 views (sometimes with multiple views on a single plate).

Civitates Orbis Terrarum includes the work of over 100 artists and topographers, perhaps most notable among them was the superlative talent of Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600). He provided original drawings of Spanish and Italian towns, as well as reworking and improving the town drawings of other artists. After Joris's death, his son Jakob continued the project.

The Civitates provides an incredibly comprehensive view of urban life in the late 16th century. Many of the views in these volumes are the earliest of their respective towns -- either absolutely, or they are predated only by impossible rarities, as in the case of London. Cities portrayed range from the great capitals of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas to small Swiss hamlets and other tiny villages. As such, this singular and indispensable source for understanding the early modern world.

The work was published in six volumes, each of which contained approximately sixty plates. The subject matter of each plate varied widely, it could provide a single view of a city, two views of the same city, or views of up to nine different cities. The range of designs is extensive, and it is interesting to compare the variety between views of the same city by two different authors.

Condition Description
Latin text on verso (1599).
Reference
Van der Krogt 4: 1599 "praebet... fuerit".
Georg Braun Biography

Georg Braun (1541-1622) was born and died in Cologne. His primary vocation was as Catholic cleric; he spent thirty-seven years as canon and dean at the church St. Maria ad Gradus, in Cologne. Braun was the chief editor of the Civitates orbis terrarum, the greatest book of town views ever published.  His job entailed hiring artists, acquiring source material for the maps and views, and writing the text. In this role, he was assisted by Abraham Ortelius. Braun lived into his 80s, and he was the only member of the original team to witness the publication of the sixth volume in 1617.

Frans Hogenberg Biography

Frans Hogenberg (ca. 1540-ca. 1590) was a Flemish and German engraver and mapmaker who also painted. He was born in Mechelen, south of Antwerp, the son of wood engraver and etcher Nicolas Hogenberg. Together with his father, brother (Remigius), uncle, and cousins, Frans was one member of a prominent artistic family in the Netherlands.

During the 1550s, Frans worked in Antwerp with the famous mapmaker Abraham Ortelius. There, he engraved the maps for Ortelius’ groundbreaking first atlas, published in Antwerp in 1570, along with Johannes van Deotecum and Ambrosius and Ferdinand Arsenius. It is suspected he engraved the title page as well. Later, Ortelius supported Hogenberg with information for a different project, the Civitates orbis terrarium (edited by Georg Braun, engraved by Hogenberg, published in six volumes, Cologne, 1572-1617). Hogenberg engraved the majority of the work’s 546 prospects and views.

It is possible that Frans spent some time in England while fleeing from religious persecution, but he was living and working in Cologne by 1580. That is the city where he died around 1590. In addition to his maps, he is known for his historical allegories and portraits. His brother, Remigius, also went on to some fame as an engraver, and he died around the same time as his brother.