Friedberg in der Wetterau

Friedberg occupies a basalt height above the Usa in the Wetterau. A Roman fort once stood on the castle hill, and the medieval town was founded anew under the Hohenstaufen dynasty at a meeting of trading routes. Its annual fair made it a commercial rival of Frankfurt, and in 1211 it received the privileges of a free imperial city.

Friedberg was divided between two independent neighbours: the town and the castle. Their rivalry could be bitter, and at one point angry townspeople attacked and destroyed the castle. Within its walls a community of knights developed a distinctive constitution between 1337 and 1498, electing a burgrave and officers to manage its affairs. The town and the castle remained separate political bodies until the Napoleonic period, when Friedberg was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Hesse.