Frankfurt (Oder)

Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (German: [ˈfʁaŋkfʊʁt ʔan deːɐ̯ ˈʔoːdɐ], lit. 'Frankfurt on the Oder'; Central Marchian: Frankfort an de Oder) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inhabitants, it is the largest German city on the Oder River, and one of the easternmost cities in modern Germany. Frankfurt sits on the western bank of the Oder, opposite the Polish town of Słubice, which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945, and called Dammvorstadt until then. The city is about 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Berlin, in the south of the historical region Lubusz Land. Within Frankfurt's city limits lies the recreational area Lake Helenesee. The name of the city means Ford of the Franks, and a Gallic rooster appears in the coats of arms of both Frankfurt and Słubice. The official name Frankfurt (Oder) and the older Frankfurt an der Oder are used to distinguish it from the larger city of Frankfurt am Main (lit. 'Frankfurt on the Main'). The site of present-day Frankfurt originated as a West Slavic settlement on the Oder River. Following the eastward expansion of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in the 13th century, Frankfurt developed as a merchant town within Brandenburg. It received town privileges in 1253 and became an important trading center. After World War II, the eastern part of Frankfurt became part of Poland under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement and was renamed to Słubice, while the western part of Frankfurt became a border city of the German Democratic Republic in 1949. During the communist era, Frankfurt reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants at the end of the 1980s. Following German reunification, the population decreased significantly, but has stabilized in...