St. Paul’s Church

Type: Church

After 1562 Frankfurt am Main became the central German city in which nearly all Emperors were chosen and crowned. The Paulskirche became a symbol of democracy and unity. Built in 1789, its classic round style was the most important Lutheran Church until 1944. The first freely elected Parliament representing all the German states met there in 1848 and issued a constitution for a united Germany. However, the project was brutally suppressed by the military, especially by the Prussian military. Yet the mystique of the Paulskirche lives on and re-awakens each year during important celebrations such as the awarding of the Peace Prize of the German book-publishing industry.