Frankenmuth Map
Frankenmuth is a city in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,838 at the 2000 census. The 2009 census estimate places the population at 4,619. The city is located within Frankenmuth Township, but is politically independent. Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland, which bills itself as the World's Largest Christmas Store, is located in Frankenmuth. The most popular nickname is "Muth", but the city is also nicknamed "Little Bavaria" (see History below).
The area was settled and named in 1845 by conservative Lutheran immigrants from Franconia (now part of Bavaria) in Germany. The German word "Franken" represents the Province of Franconia in the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the German word "Mut" means courage, thus the city name Frankenmuth means "courage of the Franconians". The "Franken" are also the Franks, a West Germanic tribe.
The nearby villages of Frankenlust, Frankentrost, and Frankenhilf illustrate that the area remained a magnet for other Germans from the same region even after it lost its original purpose as a mission post for the spread of Christianity to the Chippewa tribe.
Nearby cities include Burt, Clio, Millington, Saginaw, Montrose.