From a place of worship to a monument to democracy: this is where elected representatives drew up the first German constitution from 1848 onwards.
The fact that St Paul's Church became one of the most important places in the history of German democracy is primarily due to its size. When the first German National Assembly elected by the people convened in 1848, it needed a room that could accommodate the delegates, guests and representatives of the press. And no hall in Frankfurt at that time was more modern and larger than the Rotunda of St Paul's Church. The plans for the church, which was only consecrated in 1833, had been decades in the making. Ten architects tried their hand at planning and building an idealised Protestant place of worship, which was to be light and open, with 50 designs. When the parliamentarians moved in, the church became a parliamentary chamber. The lectern and presiding table were placed in front of the veiled pulpit, while black, red and gold flags and garlands adorned the hall. On 21 December 1848, the members of parliament adopted human and civil rights in Germany for the first time, and three months later they agreed on the first imperial constitution - which failed, however, because the Prussian King Frederick William IV rejected the offer of the office of "Emperor of the Germans". Although it never came into force, the so-called Paulskirche Constitution is regarded as the model for the Weimar Constitution and the German Basic Law. Today, St Paul's Church is not only a place of remembrance, but also still a place of weighty words: the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is awarded here every year.
The fact that St Paul's Church became one of the most important places in the history of German democracy is primarily due to its size. When the first German National Assembly elected by the people convened in 1848, it needed a room that could accommodate the delegates, guests and representatives of the press. And no hall in Frankfurt at that time was more modern and larger than the Rotunda of St Paul's Church. The plans for the church, which was only consecrated in 1833, had been decades in the making. Ten architects tried their hand at planning and building an idealised Protestant place of worship, which was to be light and open, with 50 designs. When the parliamentarians moved in, the church became a parliamentary chamber. The lectern and presiding table were placed in front of the veiled pulpit, while black, red and gold flags and garlands adorned the hall. On 21 December 1848, the members of parliament adopted human and civil rights in Germany for the first time, and three months later they agreed on the first imperial constitution - which failed, however, because the Prussian King Frederick William IV rejected the offer of the office of "Emperor of the Germans". Although it never came into force, the so-called Paulskirche Constitution is regarded as the model for the Weimar Constitution and the German Basic Law. Today, St Paul's Church is not only a place of remembrance, but also still a place of weighty words: the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is awarded here every year.
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