Friedberg (Hessen)

Friedberg
Old town of Friedberg
Coat of arms
Friedberg
Location of Friedberg within Wetteraukreis district
Coordinates: 50°20′N 8°45′E / 50.333°N 8.750°E / 50.333; 8.750Coordinates: 50°20′N 8°45′E / 50.333°N 8.750°E / 50.333; 8.750
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Darmstadt
District	Wetteraukreis
Government
• Mayor	Michael Keller (SPD)
Area
• Total	50.17 km2 (19.37 sq mi)
Elevation	140 m (460 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	28,156
• Density	560/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	61169
Dialling codes	06031
Vehicle registration	FB
Website	www.friedberg-hessen.de

Friedberg (Friedberg in der Wetterau) is a town and the capital of the Wetteraukreis district, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 16 miles (26 kilometers) north of Frankfurt am Main. In 1966, the town hosted the sixth Hessentag state festival, in 1979 the 19th.

The town consists of 7 districts:

The old city was refounded by the Hohenstaufen dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire, conveniently located at important trading routes. The city initially rivaled Frankfurt am Main economically, with an important annual trading fair, and initial rapid expansion, though its economic fortunes soon dwindled.

City tranquility was hampered by continuous rivalry between the two entities that made up Friedberg: The city and the castle of Friedberg that were politically independent from each other and in permanent competition, often quite maliciously, resulting in bitter rivalry that culminated once in the ransacking and destruction of the castle by angry citizens. In central Italy and Lombardy similar struggles between count and commune fueled the politics of Guelf and Ghibelline parties.

The city became a Free Imperial City (Freie Reichsstadt) of the Holy Roman Empire with a charter given in 1211. Under Napoleon, it was incorporated in the Grand Duchy of Hesse (Hesse-Darmstadt).

Friedberg sits atop a basalt plateau overlooking the Usa and has been populated at least since Roman times. The relics of a Mesolithic settlement have been found in Bruchenbrücken, a suburb of Friedberg. Castle Hill was the location of a Roman military camp, part of the limes or border fortifications and presumably identical with the castellum in monte tauno that is quoted in Roman records during the 1st century AD, though this is still under discussion. Ruins of the camp, as well as other Roman ruins, have been found and conserved, such as the remains of Roman public baths (thermae). The Roman settlement was abandoned during the retreat of the Romans on the Rhine frontier by 260 AD. The crown and ports atop the Adolfsturm (the most prominent feature of the Friedberg castle) was restored during the 1980s.