During the decade before the 240th birthday of Friedrich Froebel on 21 April 2022, the Rennsteig Schwarzatal region of Thuringia has planned events about aspects of his life, work and influence up to the present.

Friedrich Froebel was born at Oberweißbach in the valley of the Schwarza river (German: Schwarzatal) in the Principality of Schwarzburg Rudostadt. Friedrich Froebel wrote in 1826 that Schwarzburg and Thuringia were his home and his native land.

The Schwarza river flows through the Thuringian Forest from near Neuhaus am Rennweg, past Oberweißbach, to the Saale river at Rudolstadt.

The Schwarza river is the richest in gold in Germany, and its valley has been known for its deposits of placer gold since the 12th century. In 1442, the rights to the gold deposits of the Schwarza valley were granted to the Counts of Schwarzburg, ruling counts of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195, who became Princes during the eighteenth century.

Charlemagne: The Formation of a European Identity offers a critical examination of the contemporary sources and transforms our understanding of the astonishing changes throughout the forty-six year rule of Charlemagne.

Charlemagne secured a border along the river Saale, built churches, and developed vineyards. The creation and growth of communication and identities in the Frankish realm were religious and cultural strategies.

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