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Fraktur

Fraktur refers to a family of blackletter typefaces that were widely used for printing in German-speaking regions from the 16th century until the mid-20th century. The name is commonly said to derive from Latin fractura, meaning "a fracture" or "broken," describing the characteristic sharp, fragmented strokes of the letters. In everyday usage, Fraktur is often used to describe the entire German blackletter school rather than a single typeface.

Originating in the Holy Roman Empire in the 16th century, Fraktur evolved from earlier Textura-based blackletter

Characteristics of Fraktur include dense, angular letterforms with strong vertical strokes and numerous ligatures. It often

Usage and decline: The use of Fraktur declined in the early 20th century, and in 1942 the

scripts
and
became
the
dominant
form
for
printed
German
texts.
It
flourished
through
the
17th
and
18th
centuries
and
produced
many
widely
used
books,
newspapers,
and
official
documents.
It
coexisted
with
Schwabacher
and
Rotunda
styles;
by
the
19th
century
Fraktur
was
widely
viewed
as
the
standard
German
printing
face,
even
though
typographic
fashion
varied
regionally.
includes
long
s
(ſ)
and
the
eszett
(ß).
Capitals
are
elaborately
formed,
and
the
overall
texture
can
appear
very
dark
on
the
page.
The
style
is
one
of
several
Blackletter
scripts
derived
from
Textura,
with
variations
such
as
the
more
rounded
Rotunda
and
the
more
calligraphic
Schreibschrift.
Nazi
regime
officially
recommended
the
use
of
Antiqua
for
German
texts.
After
World
War
II,
Fraktur
fell
out
of
general
use
in
Germany,
remaining
in
some
specialized
contexts
and
archival
materials,
and
occasionally
resurfacing
in
branding
or
artistic
typography.
Today,
Fraktur
is
studied
as
part
of
typographic
history
and
is
supported
by
digital
versions
and
revival
faces
inspired
by
historical
models.