Frankfurt/Main

Among English speakers, Frankfurt typically refers to Frankfurt am Main, described below. There is another Frankfurt in Germany, see Frankfurt an der Oder

Frankfurt should not be confused with Frankfort.

Frankfurt am Main is a city in Germany. Situated at the Main river, it is the largest city in the German state of Hesse. It has a population of approximately 650,000.

Introduction

Finance, transport (it is the transport hub of Germany), and exhibitions are the three pillar industries of Frankfurt. Frankfurt has been the financial center Germany for centuries. The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is Germany's largest, the site 85% of Germany's turnover in stocks, and one of the world's biggest. Frankfurt is also the home of the European Central Bank and the German Bundesbank.

The Römer (English: Roman) is part of the Town Hall, and is the city's landmark.

During the WWII, Frankfurt was heavily bombed. The city quickly recovered.

Frankfurt is often called "Bankfurt" or "Mainhatten". It is the only European city that has a lot of high-rise skyscrapers.

History

The name of Frankfurt on the Main river is derived from the Franconofurt of the Germanic tribe of the Franks; Furt (cf. English ford) denotes a low point passage across a stream or river. Alemanni and Franks lived there and by 794 Charlemagne presided over an imperial assembly and church synod, at which Franconofurd (-furt -vurd) is first mentioned. However, since frank is also an old German word for frei (meaning "free"), Frankfurt was a "free ford," an opportunity to cross the river Main without paying bridgetoll.

In the Holy Roman Empire, Frankfurt was one of the most important cities. Over several centuries, German kings and emperors were crowned here, initially after having been elected in Aachen.

After the ill-faithed revolution of 1848, Frankfurt was home to the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung), which resided in St. Paul's Church (Paulskirche) (see German Confederation for details).

Twinning

• Birmingham, England,
• Lyon, France and
• Milan, Italy

Miscellany

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in Frankfurt.

Martin Lawrence was also born in Frankfurt.

See also: Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, Frankfurt School

External links

• City's own website
• City Panoramas - Panoramic Views of Frankfurt's Highlights
• University of Frankfurt
• University of Applied Sciences
• European Central Bank
• German Stock Exchange (Deutsche Börse)

Skyline of Frankfurt, photographed from the south-west

Referenced By