Golden Book (Frankfurt am Main)

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Since 1903, guests of honor of the city have entered the Golden Book of the city of Frankfurt am Main during a visit. It is kept in a safe in the Römer , Frankfurt City Hall, and can be viewed occasionally, for example at an open house . The protocol of the city of Frankfurt am Main in the office of the mayor is responsible for its guidance .

Foundation, endowment

The original Golden Book was donated to the city in 1907 by Ludwig Simon Moritz von Bethmann and Helene von Bethmann . Augusto Varnesi designed the precious binding . An ivory carving on the front cover shows Emperor Charlemagne at the Synod of Frankfurt in 794 , the occasion when the city was first mentioned in a document. Flanked by six bishops, the emperor sits on a throne with the inscription KAROLUS MAGNUS / SYNODUS FRANCONOFURTENSIS AD DCCXCIV . Above the carving, the cover of the book shows the black imperial eagle , circumscribed by the motto sub umbra alarum tuarum protege nos , below the carving the Frankfurt eagle with the motto Strong in the Right and on the sides coats of arms of eight ruling houses, from which emperors crowned in Frankfurt emerged or that had some other connection to the city: on the left the houses of Hohenstaufen , Nassau , Habsburg and Luxembourg , on the right Wittelsbach , Schwarzburg , Habsburg-Lothringen and Hohenzollern .

The first entry is a parchment-like ornament sheet by Norbert Schrödl from 1903 with Kaiser Wilhelm's signature . Since the actual book was not yet finished at this point in time, a particularly elaborate page was designed for the emperor, which he signed as a loose sheet. The sheet was later attached as the first sheet in the finished book.

time of the nationalsocialism

During the time of National Socialism , the main perpetrators of National Socialism such as Adolf Hitler , Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler also immortalized themselves in the Golden Book. After the Second World War , the question arose how to deal with these entries. It was decided not to remove these pages, but left 13 pages blank (one for each year of the “ Thousand Year Reich ”) in order to demonstrate the distance from the Nazi dictatorship.

The new cover

In 1966 the 500 pages of the book were written on. They were exchanged for blank ones and bound in a new pigskin binding with splendid gold stamping and gilt edging, donated by Johann Philipp von Bethmann , who continued his grandfather's foundation with it. The design and execution including a cassette was in the hands of Josef Kaupp, master art bookbinder at Brönner's print shop / owner Breidenstein . At the inauguration in the Römer, his eldest daughter Inge Erker, b. Kaupp, enter on the first page.

Overall, the book is 38 cm wide and weighs 20 kilograms.

swell

Remarks

  1. ↑ When guests of honor pick up their pens at par.frankfurt.de , the former website of the city of Frankfurt am Main
  2. ↑ Open house at par.frankfurt.de , the former website of the city of Frankfurt am Main
  3. ^ Protocol of the City of Frankfurt am Main at par.frankfurt.de , the former website of the City of Frankfurt am Main
  4. ↑ Protect us under the shadow of your wings ( Ps 17 : 8  LUT )
  5. ↑ Hitler and Göring in golden society in FAZ of December 22, 2015, page 31

literature

  • Willy Emrich: The Golden Book of the City of Frankfurt am Main , Waldemar Kramer Verlag , Frankfurt am Main 1958