Frankenberg an der Eder is a town in Waldeck-Frankenberg district, Hesse, Germany. The mountain at a ford over the Eder north of the Burgwald range was for a long time a fortified place, playing an especially important role under the Franks in the Saxon Wars. The town was built in 1233-1234 by the Thuringian Landgrave at the junction of two trade routes. The renovated Old and New Town have many half-timbered houses. In 2018 the town adopted the additional name "Philipp Soldan Stadt". Geography Frankenberg lies between the Burgwald range in the south and the Breite Struth (hills) in the northwest, where the river Nemphe empties into the Eder. North of the town, the Nuhne empties into the same river at the constituent community of Schreufa. It is north of Marburg. Neighbouring communities Frankenberg borders in the north on the community of Vöhl, in the east on the town of Frankenau, in the southeast on the community of Haina, in the southwest on the community of Burgwald, in the west on the community of Allendorf, and in the northwest on the town of Lichtenfels (all in Waldeck-Frankenberg). ‡ Dörnholzhausen, 70 inhabitants Friedrichshausen, 384 inhabitants Geismar, 1011 inhabitants Haubern, 530 inhabitants Hommershausen, 169 inhabitants Rengershausen, 390 inhabitants Rodenbach, 168 inhabitants Röddenau, 1737 inhabitants Schreufa, 1183 inhabitants Viermünden, 804 inhabitants Wangershausen, 201 inhabitants Willersdorf, 611 inhabitants Population figures as at 2012 History At the foot of the mountain on which the town of Frankenberg was built crossed two old military and commercial roads. From the area of the lower Main, from the Burgwald range, came the Weinstraße ("Wine Road"), crossing the Eder through a ford and then going on through the heights on the river's left bank to Westphalia. From the west came the Siegener Straße ("Siegen Road") over the Lahn-Eder watershed, leading round the mountain to the north and further on into Lower Hesse. Frankish times After the Hesse area had been swallowed up into the Frankish domains about the year 500, the well-defended mountain became involved in the quarrels of heightened military importance with the Saxons who lived north of the Eder. The mountain had already been fortified by the Franks in earlier times. As the number of Saxon incursions nevertheless rose in the early 8th century, Charles Martel had strong defences built, ensuring their efficacy by maintaining a constant presence there. These measures served during the Saxon Wars (772