Frieden is asteroid #3642 and also known as 1953 XL₁. Frieden’s orbit is characterized by a semi-major axis of 2.79 Astronomical Units, an eccentricity of 0.08, a period of revolution of 1 699 days, and an inclination of 13.5 degrees. Frieden was discovered by the German (from the Democratic Republic of Germany, hence almost unknown, asteroid #3642 was her only discovery) astronomer Herta Gessner at the Sonneberg Observatory. Frieden is of the type C.

Frieden is named after the German word for peace. The official naming citation states that it would be the German name of the Roman goddess of peace. But Germans call her Pax, just like everybody else calls her Pax. Thus Germans know that she is a Roman goddess. Frieden just is the German word for peace. Most Germans don’t associate any deity with peace because most Germans think that peace is the most normal of all situations. This wasn’t always the case. When asteroid #3642 was discovered in 1953, then all Germans, who had been old enough for having a job, made war experiences during the Second World War. Many had experiences from both World Wars. So there was (until recently) a huge wish for peace all around the world. Naming an asteroid Frieden was a way to utter this wish.

There are several asteroids of the peace theme. So for understanding Frieden, the differences to asteroids like Pax or words for peace in other languages must be understood. The English Wiktionary defines peace as an absence of violence. This is a much too narrow definition for the native speakers of most other languages. The German Wiktionary defines Frieden as an agreement, preferably a treaty, of living together without war, but in harmony instead. Frieden is when a war did end. So Frieden represents peaceful times as well as a peaceful state of mind and is an opposing force to all asteroids of the war theme.