Höchst (Frankfurt am Main)
Encyclopedia
Höchst (ˈhøːkst or [ˈhøːçst]) is a district of Frankfurt am Main, Germany
. It is part of the Ortsbezirk West, and is subdivided into 4 Stadtbezirke.
Höchst am Main became part of Frankfurt am Main in 1928 together with its boroughs Sindlingen
, Unterliederbach
and Zeilsheim
. It is situated 10 km west of downtown Frankfurt on the north bank of the Main river at the Nidda River
estuary. The well-preserved old city has been under the Denkmalschutz protection law since 1972. An important cultural event is the folklore festival, the Höchster Schloßfest, that brings many visitors to Höchst. It begins in the middle of June and last four weeks. It includes a festival in the old city, fireworks, and a jazz festival in the castle.
In Höchst there is the Friedrich-Dessauer-Gymnasium
, a sixth form
Gymnasium.
in thanks for his bravery. On February 11, 1355 Höchst received its town privileges by emperor Charles IV
. In a charter from January 12, 1356 Charles IV gave additional privileges to Höchst including the right to hold markets
every Tuesday. In the middle-age city part, most of the timber framed house stem from the period after the major fire in 1586.
On 22 June 1622, during the Thirty Years' War
, Höchst was the site of a battle
when Protestant forces crossed the Main under Catholic fire. Höchst am Main became part of Frankfurt am Main in 1928. Until 1987 Höchst was the administration seat of an independent Landkreis. Höchst is now the center of the Stadtbezirke (administrative district) Frankfurt-West with 120,000 residents.
since 1355) and is still the most important subcenter in the western part of Frankfurt.
The name Höchst became well-known throughout the world for the chemical and pharmaceutical corporation Hoechst AG
which was established in 1863. With a short interruption (1925−1952) the Hoechst AG has been headquartered in Höchst. In 1999 the company was merged with the French Rhône-Poulenc
S.A. and became Aventis
and subsequently after another merger Sanofi-Aventis
. There are still major research and production activities of the company in Höchst.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is part of the Ortsbezirk West, and is subdivided into 4 Stadtbezirke.
Höchst am Main became part of Frankfurt am Main in 1928 together with its boroughs Sindlingen
Sindlingen (Frankfurt am Main)
Sindlingen is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk West, and is subdivided into the Stadtbezirke Sindlingen-Süd and Sindlingen-Nord. The Internationale Schule Frankfurt Rhein-Main is located in Sindlingen.A short walk from Sindlingen main street is the...
, Unterliederbach
Unterliederbach (Frankfurt am Main)
Unterliederbach is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk West, and is subdivided into the Stadtbezirke Unterliederbach-Ost, Unterliederbach-Mitte and Unterliederbach-West....
and Zeilsheim
Zeilsheim (Frankfurt am Main)
Zeilsheim is the westernmost district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk West, and is subdivided into the Stadtbezirke Zeilsheim-Ost, Zeilsheim-Süd and Zeilsheim-Nord...
. It is situated 10 km west of downtown Frankfurt on the north bank of the Main river at the Nidda River
Nidda River
The Nidda is a right tributary of the Main river in Hesse.It springs from the Vogelsberg on the Taufstein mountain range near the town of Schotten, flows through the Niddastausee dam, and the towns of Nidda, Niddatal, Karben, and Bad Vilbel...
estuary. The well-preserved old city has been under the Denkmalschutz protection law since 1972. An important cultural event is the folklore festival, the Höchster Schloßfest, that brings many visitors to Höchst. It begins in the middle of June and last four weeks. It includes a festival in the old city, fireworks, and a jazz festival in the castle.
In Höchst there is the Friedrich-Dessauer-Gymnasium
Friedrich-Dessauer-Gymnasium, Frankfurt
The ' is a sixth form Gymnasium in the district Höchst of Frankfurt am Main, Germany.The eponym is Friedrich Dessauer...
, a sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
Gymnasium.
Middle Ages
Höchst is first mentioned in 790 as Hostat (meaning high site or high place). The name has nothing to do with the Hostato Saga regarding the Knight Hostato, who after being the only one to survive a battle was given the site by CharlemagneCharlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
in thanks for his bravery. On February 11, 1355 Höchst received its town privileges by emperor Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
. In a charter from January 12, 1356 Charles IV gave additional privileges to Höchst including the right to hold markets
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
every Tuesday. In the middle-age city part, most of the timber framed house stem from the period after the major fire in 1586.
On 22 June 1622, during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, Höchst was the site of a battle
Battle of Höchst
The Battle of Höchst was fought on June 20, 1622, between the combined army led by Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly and Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba against Protestant forces led by Christian of Brunswick. It was a strategic Roman Catholic victory....
when Protestant forces crossed the Main under Catholic fire. Höchst am Main became part of Frankfurt am Main in 1928. Until 1987 Höchst was the administration seat of an independent Landkreis. Höchst is now the center of the Stadtbezirke (administrative district) Frankfurt-West with 120,000 residents.
Economy
In contrast to most other Stadtteile, Höchst is an old historical city (with town privilegesTown privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
since 1355) and is still the most important subcenter in the western part of Frankfurt.
The name Höchst became well-known throughout the world for the chemical and pharmaceutical corporation Hoechst AG
Hoechst AG
Hoechst AG was a German chemicals then life-sciences company that became Aventis Deutschland after its merger with France's Rhône-Poulenc S.A. in 1999...
which was established in 1863. With a short interruption (1925−1952) the Hoechst AG has been headquartered in Höchst. In 1999 the company was merged with the French Rhône-Poulenc
Rhône-Poulenc
-History of the company:The Company was founded in 1928 through the merger of Société des Usines Chimiques du Rhône from Lyon and Établissements Poulenc Frères from Paris founded by Étienne Poulenc, a 19th century Parisian apothecary and brought to prominence by his second and third sons Emile...
S.A. and became Aventis
Aventis
Aventis was a pharmaceutical and lab assay testing company. It was formed in 1999 when Rhône-Poulenc S.A. merged with Hoechst AG. The merged company was based in Strasbourg, France. With its headquarters in Strasbourg, Aventis was the product of the first transnational merger to combine large...
and subsequently after another merger Sanofi-Aventis
Sanofi-Aventis
Sanofi S.A. is a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Paris, France, the world's fourth-largest by prescription sales. Sanofi engages in the research and development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products for sale principally in the prescription market, but the...
. There are still major research and production activities of the company in Höchst.
Further reading
- Wilhelm Frischholz: Alt-Höchst. Ein Heimatbuch in Wort und Bild. Frankfurt am Main 1926: Hauser.
- Markus Grossbach: Frankfurt-Höchst. Geschichte 1860–1960. Bildband. Erfurt 2001: Sutton.
- Wilhelm Grossbach: Alt Höchst auf den zweiten Blick. Impressionen aus einer alten Stadt. Frankfurt-Höchst 1980: Höchster Verlagsgesellschaft.
- Wilhelm Grossbach: Höchst am Main. Gestern, heute, morgen. Frankfurt am Main 2006: Frankfurter Sparkasse.
- Michael König: Die Krise großstädtischer Subzentren. Bedeutungsverlust gewachsener Nebenzentren mit eigener städtischer Tradition. Gründe, Situation und mögliche Auswege am Beispiel von Frankfurt-Höchst. (= ISR Graue Reihe; Bd. 3). Institut für Stadt- und Regionalplanung Berlin 2007: TU Berlin, ISBN 978-3-7983-2042-0 (online)
- Franz Lerner: Frankfurt am Main und seine Wirtschaft: Wiederaufbau seit 1945. Frankfurt am Main 1958: Ammelburg.
- Wolfgang Metternich: Die städtebauliche Entwicklung von Höchst am Main. Frankfurt-Höchst 1990: Stadt Frankfurt und Verein für Geschichte und Altertumskunde.
- Günter Moos: Rundgang durch das alte Frankfurt-Höchst. Gudensberg-Gleichen 2001: Wartberg.
- Rudolf Schäfer: Höchst am Main. Frankfurt am Main 1981: Frankfurter Sparkasse von 1822.
- Rudolf Schäfer: Chronik von Höchst am Main. Frankfurt am Main 1986: Waldemar Kramer.