Frankfurt am Main (help·info) (German: [ˈfraŋkfʊrt], British English: [ˈfɹaŋkfɜːt] American English: [ˈfɹaŋkfɝt]) is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany after Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne, with an end-2006 population of 661,877.
Among English speakers the city is commonly known simply as "Frankfurt", though Germans occasionally call it by its full name when it is necessary to distinguish it from the other (significantly smaller) Frankfurt in the German state of Brandenburg, known as Frankfurt (Oder). It was once called Frankfort-on-the-Main in English, a translation of Frankfurt am Main.
Overview
Main article: History of Frankfurt am Main History
Frankfurt is a multicultural city. Most immigrants are from Turkey, the former Yugoslavia, Italy, Spain, North-African countries, Iran, Lebanon, and the United States. The Frankfurt Area is also home to the (now 2nd) largest Korean community in Europe. 180 different nationalities reside in Frankfurt.
For a long time Frankfurt was a Protestant-dominated city. However, during the 19th century an increasing number of Catholics moved to the city. Today a narrow plurality of citizens are Catholic. Frankfurt has the second largest Jewish community (after Berlin) in Germany.
Population
Geography
The city is located on both sides of the Main River. The southern part of the city contains the Frankfurt City Forest (Frankfurter Stadtwald) Germany's largest forest within a city. The centre of Frankfurt is located on the north of Main River.
Geographic location
To the West, Frankfurt borders the Main-Taunus district (Towns and Municipalities Hattersheim am Main, Kriftel, Hofheim am Taunus, Kelkheim (Taunus), Liederbach am Taunus, Sulzbach (Taunus), Schwalbach am Taunus and Eschborn); to the Northwest the Hochtaunuskreis (Towns Steinbach (Taunus), Oberursel (Taunus), and Bad Homburg v.d. Höhe; to the North the Wetteraukreis (Towns Karben and Bad Vilbel); to the Northeast the Main-Kinzig district (Municipality Niederdorfelden and the town Maintal); to the Southeast the city Offenbach am Main; to the South the Offenbach district (Town Neu-Isenburg); and to the Southwest the Groß-Gerau district (Towns Mörfelden-Walldorf, Rüsselsheim and Kelsterbach).
Neighbouring communities and areas
The city is divided into 46 Stadtteile or Ortsteile which is again divided into 118 Stadtbezirke or city districts. The largest Ortsteil in area is Sachsenhausen-Süd. Most Stadtteile are incorporated suburbs, or Vororte, or previously separate cities. Some like Nordend arose during the rapid growth of the city in the Gründerzeit after the unification of Germany. Others were formed from settlements, which previously belonged to other city divisions, like Dornbusch (Frankfurt am Main).
The 46 city divisions are combined into 16 area districts or Ortsbezirke, which each have a district committee and chairperson.
City divisions and districts
Until the middle of the 19th century, the city territory of Frankfurt consisted of the present-day Stadtteile of Altstadt, Innenstadt, Bahnhofsviertel, Gutleutviertel, Gallusviertel, Westend, Nordend, Ostend and Sachsenhausen. After 1877, a number of previously independent areas were incorporated into the city, see list of current districts of the city.
History of incorporation
Main sights
Saint Bartholomeus' Cathedral (Dom Sankt Bartholomäus) is a Gothic building, which was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the foundation of an earlier church from the Merovingian time. It is the main church of Frankfurt. From 1356 onwards, kings of the Holy Roman Empire were elected in this church, and from 1562 to 1792, emperors were crowned here.
Since the 18th century, Saint Bartholomeus' has been called "the cathedral" by the people, although it has never been a bishop's seat. In 1867, the cathedral was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt in its present style. The height of the cathedral is 95 m.
Cathedral
Frankfurt is a multicultural city. Most immigrants are from Turkey, the former Yugoslavia, Italy, Spain, North-African countries, Iran, Lebanon, and the United States. The Frankfurt Area is also home to the (now 2nd) largest Korean community in Europe. 180 different nationalities reside in Frankfurt.
For a long time Frankfurt was a Protestant-dominated city. However, during the 19th century an increasing number of Catholics moved to the city. Today a narrow plurality of citizens are Catholic. Frankfurt has the second largest Jewish community (after Berlin) in Germany.
Population
Geography
The city is located on both sides of the Main River. The southern part of the city contains the Frankfurt City Forest (Frankfurter Stadtwald) Germany's largest forest within a city. The centre of Frankfurt is located on the north of Main River.
Geographic location
To the West, Frankfurt borders the Main-Taunus district (Towns and Municipalities Hattersheim am Main, Kriftel, Hofheim am Taunus, Kelkheim (Taunus), Liederbach am Taunus, Sulzbach (Taunus), Schwalbach am Taunus and Eschborn); to the Northwest the Hochtaunuskreis (Towns Steinbach (Taunus), Oberursel (Taunus), and Bad Homburg v.d. Höhe; to the North the Wetteraukreis (Towns Karben and Bad Vilbel); to the Northeast the Main-Kinzig district (Municipality Niederdorfelden and the town Maintal); to the Southeast the city Offenbach am Main; to the South the Offenbach district (Town Neu-Isenburg); and to the Southwest the Groß-Gerau district (Towns Mörfelden-Walldorf, Rüsselsheim and Kelsterbach).
Neighbouring communities and areas
The city is divided into 46 Stadtteile or Ortsteile which is again divided into 118 Stadtbezirke or city districts. The largest Ortsteil in area is Sachsenhausen-Süd. Most Stadtteile are incorporated suburbs, or Vororte, or previously separate cities. Some like Nordend arose during the rapid growth of the city in the Gründerzeit after the unification of Germany. Others were formed from settlements, which previously belonged to other city divisions, like Dornbusch (Frankfurt am Main).
The 46 city divisions are combined into 16 area districts or Ortsbezirke, which each have a district committee and chairperson.
City divisions and districts
Until the middle of the 19th century, the city territory of Frankfurt consisted of the present-day Stadtteile of Altstadt, Innenstadt, Bahnhofsviertel, Gutleutviertel, Gallusviertel, Westend, Nordend, Ostend and Sachsenhausen. After 1877, a number of previously independent areas were incorporated into the city, see list of current districts of the city.
History of incorporation
Main sights
Saint Bartholomeus' Cathedral (Dom Sankt Bartholomäus) is a Gothic building, which was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the foundation of an earlier church from the Merovingian time. It is the main church of Frankfurt. From 1356 onwards, kings of the Holy Roman Empire were elected in this church, and from 1562 to 1792, emperors were crowned here.
Since the 18th century, Saint Bartholomeus' has been called "the cathedral" by the people, although it has never been a bishop's seat. In 1867, the cathedral was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt in its present style. The height of the cathedral is 95 m.
Cathedral
Main article: Römer (Frankfurt am Main) Saint Paul's Church
Main article: Alte Oper Concert House Old Opera
The Oper Frankfurt is a leading opera company of Germany and one of the most important opera houses in the world.
Frankfurt Opera
IG Farben Building
New Frankfurt, housing estates 1925-1930
Museum für angewandte Kunst, designed by Richard Meier 20th century architecture
Frankfurt is unique for its skyscrapers, and it is one of only a few European cities to allow skyscrapers within the old central part of town. Along with Paris, London and Warsaw, it also is one of the few European cities to have a significant number of skyscrapers.
The major skyscrapers are:
Commerzbank Tower — Europe's tallest building (1997–2005), designed by Sir Norman Foster.
Silver Tower
MesseTurm — Europe's tallest building (1990–1997)
Kronenhochhaus (DZ-Bank) with its "statue of liberty" like roof structure.
Maintower, among others "Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen" (HeLaBa)
Trianon (Frankfurt am Main). Skyscrapers
a grain silo owned by Henninger Brewery with observation deck and restaurant, offering a breath-taking view over downtown Frankfurt from its south shore. The tower has been closed to the public since October 31, 2002.
a telecommunications tower known as the "Frankfurt TV Tower". Until 1999, it was open to the public, with an entertainment establishment in the revolving top. It is normally referred by the locals as the "Spargel" (Asparagus) due to its tall circular central structure.
Other structures
Culture
Frankfurt hosts several festivals, fairs, and carnivals throughout the year. The most famous is the Rheingau-Music-Festival with many (mostly classical) concerts at castles and under the open sky surrounded by vineyards. It's an annual festival, taking place in May. Another major festival in the city is the "Museumsuferfest"; "Museum-Riverbank-Festival". It is one of the biggest cultural festivals in Germany, which offers the opportunity to see, buy, smell, taste and hear new things from all around the world. The festival takes place yearly at the end of summer and attracts an average of 3 million visitors. The festival goes over a period of 3 days and ends with a spectacular show of fireworks. Frankfurt is also known for having one of the largest red light districts in Germany in vicinity of the Hauptbahnhof (main railway station).
Festivals
"Museumsufer":
South side, in this order:
North side:
The street (south-side) itself (Schaumainkai) is on Saturday most partially closed to traffic for Frankfurt's largest flea market.
Downtown:
Ikonenmuseum
Museum für Angewandte Kunst
Museum der Weltkulturen
Deutsches Filmmuseum
Deutsche Architekturmuseum
Museum für Kommunikation
Städel
Liebieghaus
Museum Giersch
Jewish Museum (Frankfurt)
Historisches Museum (Frankfurt)
Museum of Modern Art (MMK, Frankfurt am Main)
Schirn Art Gallery
Senckenberg Natural History Museum Museums
Frankfurter Sausage
Frankfurter Rindswurst
Apfelwein
Grüne Soße
Bethmännchen
Frankfurter Kranz
Handkäs mit Musik
Rippchen mit Kraut Culinary specialties
Transport
The city is accessed from around the world via the Frankfurt International Airport. The airport has three runways and is one of the busiest airports in Europe, along with London Heathrow Airport, Charles de Gaulle International Airport and Schiphol International Airport. It is the biggest cargo-airport in Europe. Frankfurt can also be accessed via Frankfurt-Hahn Airport which is located approximately 120 km from the actual city.
Airports
Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof recently underwent a major development to allow trains from all over Germany to arrive at the station. Long distance trains run by Deutsche Bahn exit and arrive at the station everyday and less luxurious EuroCity and InterCity trains do the same. The Airport Long Distance Station is a modern station for the ICE highspeed trains at the Airport beside the A3 Motorway.
Local trains are integrated in the Public transport system Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), the second largest integrated public transport systems in the world. Only the Berlin integrated public transport system (VBB) is larger.
Railways
The city comprises two underground railway systems: the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn, as well as an above-ground tram system known as the Straßenbahn. Information about the U and S Bahn can be found on the RMV website.
The S-Bahn is a far more extensive rail network and is above ground for the majority of the routes, however, they are largely subterranean in the city centre. The S-Bahn provides access to the suburbs of Frankfurt and to the main airport, as well to nearby cities and larger towns (such as Darmstadt, Hanau and Wiesbaden), and most smaller towns that are on the way.
The U-Bahn has seven lines serving the city centre and some larger suburbs. The trains that run on the line are in fact lightrails as many lines travel along a track in the middle of the street instead of underground further from the city centre. There is only one line that is completely underground.
The Straßenbahn (tram) only operates within the centre of Frankfurt and some smaller suburbs, making it a popular option for mid-day business commuting. It also provides extensive access to the district of Sachsenhausen on the southern bank of the Main river.
A number of bus lines complete the public transportation system of Frankfurt. Night buses take over the service of the U-Bahn and Straßenbahn at 1:30 AM.to 3:30 AM on Friday and Saturday nights.
Public Transport
Most taxis can be found outside all S-Bahn, U-Bahn stations and major intersections. The normal way to obtain a taxi is to either call a taxi operator or go to a taxi rank. However, although not the norm, one can hail one down on the street.
Taxis
Deutsche Bahn also rent out bicycles to the public. One finds them at many major road intersections and railway stations. All you do is make a phone call to hire them for €0.06/min or they can be hired per day for €15,-. The bicycles are a bit heavy but they do have shock absorbers to ensure a smooth journey. The silver-red colour of the bikes with their unique frame make them easily visible and difficult to steal.
The public can now use a velotaxi which involves the operator using a tricycle with a sheltered capsule on top. There is room for two people and the operators cover all of the city centre.
Frankfurt has also a network of modern cycle routes throughout city.
Bicycles
The roads and streets of Frankfurt city centre are usually congested and some areas are pedestrian-only streets. Despite these congested streets, there are numerous car parks located throughout the city. Frankfurt is also a traffic hub of the German Autobahn system. Within the direct city vicinity Frankfurt connects to the A 1, A 3, A 5, A 66, A 67, A 648, A 661 and A 45 Autobahns.
Roads
Frankfurt has an extensive city bus system that augments the streetcar and U-Bahn system run by the RMV
Buses
Frankfurt am Main is a financial and service centre of global importance and, as the focal point of the dynamic Rhine-Main economic region, is one of the leading locations for companies in Europe. Its central location, its well-developed infrastructure with the largest airport on the continent, the concentration of internationally active companies (many of them have headquarters in the city) of various sectors provide Frankfurt with one of the top positions in Europe.
As one of the leading financial centres, more than 300 national and international banks are represented in the Main metropolis. Amongst others, the European Central Bank and the German Bundesbank have their headquarters in Frankfurt. This is also where the Deutsche Börse Group is located.
According to a ranking list produced by the University of Liverpool, Frankfurt is the richest city in Europe by GDP per capita. After Frankfurt are Karlsruhe, Paris and then Munich.
With over 922 jobs per 1000 inhabitants, Frankfurt has the highest concentration of jobs in Germany. The high number of around 600,000 positions with only 650,000 inhabitants of the city itself is explained by the high number of commuters who work in the city, which raises the per capital GDP of the resident population significantly. Furthermore, it is only on work days and certain Saturdays when shops are open that Frankfurt can claim to have a million inhabitants. On other days, the statistics regarding Frankfurt's wealth are reduced, in favor of the communities and towns of the so-called Speckgürtel (literally bacon belt), such as Bad Homburg v.d. Höhe, Königstein im Taunus, Kronberg im Taunus and Bad Soden am Taunus, many of whose inhabitants work in Frankfurt. Frankfurt has the highest concentration of lawyers in Germany, with one lawyer per 99 inhabitants, and also the highest per-capita level of debt in Germany (excepting Germany's three city-states), because of a set of massive public works projects in the 1980s under CDU mayors Walter Wallmann and Wolfram Brück.
Frankfurt also occupies the fifth position on another list ranking major cities according to quality of life. Despite that, Frankfurt also had, as of 2003, the highest levels of crime per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany. However, this statistic is a result of the commuter population, for it is calculated based on the 650,000-inhabitant figure, and also includes crimes committed at the airport, such as smuggling. Frankfurt is therefore a very safe city, confirmed by surveys among the inhabitants.
The Frankfurt Airport is the single largest place of work in Germany.
Economy and Business
Frankfurt is also an important location for the internet. Frankfurt is home to Germany's largest internet exchange point, DE-CIX, and is where domain names are registered for the top-level-domain .de.
Electronic communication
Fairs have a long tradition in Frankfurt, which, with the Frankfurt Trade Fair is recognized as the premier city for medieval fairs and modern-day trade shows. Even in the Middle Ages, traders could sell their goods in Frankfurt. Frankfurt was connected with Leipzig, the other of the two most important locations for fairs in the Holy Roman Empire, by means of the Via Regia.
Alongside the Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt hosts the International Automobile Exhibition, the Achema, and the Ambiente Frankfurt, the largest consumer goods trade show in the world.
Trade
Frankfurt is known as a centre of high finance. The headquarters of Germany's three largest banks are all located in downtown Frankfurt. The Deutsche Bank is located on the Mainzer Landstraße in the vicinity of the Taunus foothills. A few avenues further into the city, one can recognize the Commerzbank's skyscrapers, the highest of which is almost 300 meters tall.
Despite what its name would suggest, the Dresdner Bank is also headquartered in Frankfurt. Dresdner Bank now belongs to Allianz Bank in Munich. Frankfurt is also the location of the largest Dutch "direct bank", ING. Several important non-public banks are also located in Frankfurt, such as Bankhaus Metzler, Hauck and Aufhäuser, Delbrück Bethmann Maffei (which belongs to the Dutch ABN Amro) and BHF-Bank.
Among the largest non-public banks are the DZ Bank, the DekaBank, the Frankfurter Sparkasse (savings bank), and the Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen (HELABA). Most of the remaining 300 banks are small domestic businesses.
With the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and XETRA, which belong to the Deutsche Börse, Frankfurt has the second largest stock exchange in Europe, and accounts for the largest proportion of trades in Germany. In terms of market capitalization, the Deutsche Börse is the largest stock exchange in the world.
Finance
Frankfurt is home to chemical industries, advertising, software business and call centers. Business development and other important departments of the Deutsche Bahn are located at the DB-Headquarters in Gallus. Because of Hoechst AG, Frankfurt is considered the "Apothecary of the World". Höchst's industrial park in Frankfurt is one of the three largest locations for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry in Europe. Frankfurt is also home to several large German industrial associations, such as the Chemical Industry Association; the Association for German Machine- and Equipment-building; the Electrotechnical, Electronic, and Information Technology Association e.V. with its affiliated electrotechnical standards commission; and the Association of German Automobile Producers, which is currently moving to Franfurt. The Union of German Automobile Producers meets in Frankfurt every two years to coincide with the International Automobile Exhibition, mentioned above. Furthermore, the Trade Association of German Booksellers has its headquarters in Frankfurt, and organizes the Frankfurt Book Fair. In terms of labor unions, Frankfurt is home to the headquarters of IG Metall and IG Bau, two of Germany's largest labor unions.
Businesses with regional headquarters or based in and near Frankfurt include:
German Football Association
Fiat
Ferrari
Alfa-Romeo
Lancia
Hyundai
KIA
Jaguar (Kronberg)
Opel (Rüsselsheim)
Other businesses
Frankfurt am Main is a banking metropolis also with respect to state-owned banks. Alongside the Bundesbank (the German central bank) and the KfW Banking Group, the German office of the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank group) and the European Central Bank have their headquarters in Frankfurt.
Beyond that, Frankfurt is the home to the German National Library, the Hessian State Supreme Court, and the Hessian State Employment Court, and has its own police academy. The fire department, founded in 1874, and the volunteer fire department have eight firehouses. Until their dissolution at the end of 2003, Frankfurt was the location of the Federal Disciplinary Court.
Frankfurt also hosts 88 consulates. Only New York and Hamburg have more foreign representation, excluding capital cities. Russia and China have recently opened general consulates in Frankfurt. The Consulate General of the United States in Frankfurt in Eckenheim is the largest American consulate in the world.
Establishments and organization
Frankfurt was one of the first cities with daily newspapers, and is home to two international newspapers. The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has its editorial offices and its printing houses in the vicinity of Mainzer Highway in the Gallus neighborhood. The left-of-center Frankfurter Rundschau moved its editorial offices and printing houses to the Sachsenhausen neighborhood in July 2005. Another conservative regional newspaper, the Frankfurter Neue Presse, printed by the Frankfurt society, is next to the printing house of the Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung. Frankfurt has a tabloid newspaper, NEWS Frankfurt from the Handelsblatt publishing company, printed on smaller tabloid-style leaf, with a modern layout. The Welt Kompakt is printed in a similar format, and appears in Frankfurt and Berlin. Frankfurt is also home to Reuters's German headquarters in the Messeturm.
Several magazines also originate from Frankfurt. The Journal Frankfurt is the best-known magazine for events, parties, and "insider tips", and has its editorial offices in the Gallus neighborhood. An "ecological magazine", Öko-Test, publishes materials for the Green Party of Germany in Bockenheim. Bockenheim is known for the quiz magazine of the same name, and is home to the editorial office of the satire magazine, Titanic.
Frankfurt's first radio station was the Südwestdeutsche Rundfunkdienst AG (Southwest German Radio Service), founded in 1924. Its successor service is the public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk (Hessian Broadcast). Its "Funkhaus am Dornbusch" station is one of the most important radio and television broadcasters. There is also the ARD-Stern that broadcasts from individual senders via a high-service network. Bloomberg TV and RTL have regionals studios on the Neuen Mainzer Straße, downtown. Other broadcasters in Frankfurt include Main FM and Radio X. The largest private radio station in the region FFH, is located nearby in Bad Vilbel.
Since August 1945, the American Forces Network had broadcast from Frankfurt. Due to troop reductions, the AFN's Frankfurt location has been abandoned. Since October 2004, the AFN has broadcast its European programs from Mannheim.
Media
In Frankfurt am Main, there are two universities and several specialist schools. The oldest and most well-known university in the city is the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, with locations in Bockenheim, Westend, and Riedberg, and university hospital in Niederrad. Alongside the university is the banking academie HfB - Business School of Finance & Management, formerly known as the Hochschule für Bankwirtschaft (Institution of Higher Learning for Banking Economics), with its campus in the Ostend (Eastend) neighborhood. Since 2001, it has been a specialist institution for the teaching Economics and Management, or FOM.
Frankfurt has the State Institution of Higher Learning for Artistic Education known as the Städelschule, founded in 1817 by Johann Friedrich Städel, that was taken over by the city in 1942 and turned into a state art school. Another art school is the State Instutution for Music and Performance Art, initially as a private school known as Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium founded in 1878. The Fachhochschule Frankfurt am Main (Professional School of Frankfurt) was created out of several older organizations in 1971, and offers courses in engineering and economics. Until September 2003, Frankfurt was also home to a school for library science and administration.
The Philosophical-Theological Institution of Saint George (Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen, a private institution with membership in the German Jesuit Association, has been located in Frankfurt's Sachsenhausen neighborhood since 1950. The city is also home to three Max-Planck-Institutes: the Max Planck Institute for European History of Law (MPIER), Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research. The Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, sponsored by several institutional and private sources, is involved in theoretical research in physics, chemistry, neurology, and computer science.
Education and research
Frankfurt hosts the following teams:
Eintracht Frankfurt, football (soccer)
SV 07 Heddernheim, football (soccer)
FSV Frankfurt, football (soccer)
1. FFC Frankfurt, football (soccer)
Frankfurter FC Germania 1894, football (soccer)
1. Bockenheimer FC 1899, football (soccer)
Frankfurt Lions, icehockey
Deutsche Bank Skyliners — Basketball
Frankfurt Galaxy, American Football Sister cities
Free City of Frankfurt
Frankfurt Trade Fair
Frankfurt Book Fair
Frankfurt Transit
Frankfurt School
List of mayors of Frankfurt
The Oper Frankfurt is a leading opera company of Germany and one of the most important opera houses in the world.
Frankfurt Opera
IG Farben Building
New Frankfurt, housing estates 1925-1930
Museum für angewandte Kunst, designed by Richard Meier 20th century architecture
Frankfurt is unique for its skyscrapers, and it is one of only a few European cities to allow skyscrapers within the old central part of town. Along with Paris, London and Warsaw, it also is one of the few European cities to have a significant number of skyscrapers.
The major skyscrapers are:
Commerzbank Tower — Europe's tallest building (1997–2005), designed by Sir Norman Foster.
Silver Tower
MesseTurm — Europe's tallest building (1990–1997)
Kronenhochhaus (DZ-Bank) with its "statue of liberty" like roof structure.
Maintower, among others "Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen" (HeLaBa)
Trianon (Frankfurt am Main). Skyscrapers
a grain silo owned by Henninger Brewery with observation deck and restaurant, offering a breath-taking view over downtown Frankfurt from its south shore. The tower has been closed to the public since October 31, 2002.
a telecommunications tower known as the "Frankfurt TV Tower". Until 1999, it was open to the public, with an entertainment establishment in the revolving top. It is normally referred by the locals as the "Spargel" (Asparagus) due to its tall circular central structure.
Other structures
Culture
Frankfurt hosts several festivals, fairs, and carnivals throughout the year. The most famous is the Rheingau-Music-Festival with many (mostly classical) concerts at castles and under the open sky surrounded by vineyards. It's an annual festival, taking place in May. Another major festival in the city is the "Museumsuferfest"; "Museum-Riverbank-Festival". It is one of the biggest cultural festivals in Germany, which offers the opportunity to see, buy, smell, taste and hear new things from all around the world. The festival takes place yearly at the end of summer and attracts an average of 3 million visitors. The festival goes over a period of 3 days and ends with a spectacular show of fireworks. Frankfurt is also known for having one of the largest red light districts in Germany in vicinity of the Hauptbahnhof (main railway station).
Festivals
"Museumsufer":
South side, in this order:
North side:
The street (south-side) itself (Schaumainkai) is on Saturday most partially closed to traffic for Frankfurt's largest flea market.
Downtown:
Ikonenmuseum
Museum für Angewandte Kunst
Museum der Weltkulturen
Deutsches Filmmuseum
Deutsche Architekturmuseum
Museum für Kommunikation
Städel
Liebieghaus
Museum Giersch
Jewish Museum (Frankfurt)
Historisches Museum (Frankfurt)
Museum of Modern Art (MMK, Frankfurt am Main)
Schirn Art Gallery
Senckenberg Natural History Museum Museums
Frankfurter Sausage
Frankfurter Rindswurst
Apfelwein
Grüne Soße
Bethmännchen
Frankfurter Kranz
Handkäs mit Musik
Rippchen mit Kraut Culinary specialties
Transport
The city is accessed from around the world via the Frankfurt International Airport. The airport has three runways and is one of the busiest airports in Europe, along with London Heathrow Airport, Charles de Gaulle International Airport and Schiphol International Airport. It is the biggest cargo-airport in Europe. Frankfurt can also be accessed via Frankfurt-Hahn Airport which is located approximately 120 km from the actual city.
Airports
Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof recently underwent a major development to allow trains from all over Germany to arrive at the station. Long distance trains run by Deutsche Bahn exit and arrive at the station everyday and less luxurious EuroCity and InterCity trains do the same. The Airport Long Distance Station is a modern station for the ICE highspeed trains at the Airport beside the A3 Motorway.
Local trains are integrated in the Public transport system Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), the second largest integrated public transport systems in the world. Only the Berlin integrated public transport system (VBB) is larger.
Railways
The city comprises two underground railway systems: the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn, as well as an above-ground tram system known as the Straßenbahn. Information about the U and S Bahn can be found on the RMV website.
The S-Bahn is a far more extensive rail network and is above ground for the majority of the routes, however, they are largely subterranean in the city centre. The S-Bahn provides access to the suburbs of Frankfurt and to the main airport, as well to nearby cities and larger towns (such as Darmstadt, Hanau and Wiesbaden), and most smaller towns that are on the way.
The U-Bahn has seven lines serving the city centre and some larger suburbs. The trains that run on the line are in fact lightrails as many lines travel along a track in the middle of the street instead of underground further from the city centre. There is only one line that is completely underground.
The Straßenbahn (tram) only operates within the centre of Frankfurt and some smaller suburbs, making it a popular option for mid-day business commuting. It also provides extensive access to the district of Sachsenhausen on the southern bank of the Main river.
A number of bus lines complete the public transportation system of Frankfurt. Night buses take over the service of the U-Bahn and Straßenbahn at 1:30 AM.to 3:30 AM on Friday and Saturday nights.
Public Transport
Most taxis can be found outside all S-Bahn, U-Bahn stations and major intersections. The normal way to obtain a taxi is to either call a taxi operator or go to a taxi rank. However, although not the norm, one can hail one down on the street.
Taxis
Deutsche Bahn also rent out bicycles to the public. One finds them at many major road intersections and railway stations. All you do is make a phone call to hire them for €0.06/min or they can be hired per day for €15,-. The bicycles are a bit heavy but they do have shock absorbers to ensure a smooth journey. The silver-red colour of the bikes with their unique frame make them easily visible and difficult to steal.
The public can now use a velotaxi which involves the operator using a tricycle with a sheltered capsule on top. There is room for two people and the operators cover all of the city centre.
Frankfurt has also a network of modern cycle routes throughout city.
Bicycles
The roads and streets of Frankfurt city centre are usually congested and some areas are pedestrian-only streets. Despite these congested streets, there are numerous car parks located throughout the city. Frankfurt is also a traffic hub of the German Autobahn system. Within the direct city vicinity Frankfurt connects to the A 1, A 3, A 5, A 66, A 67, A 648, A 661 and A 45 Autobahns.
Roads
Frankfurt has an extensive city bus system that augments the streetcar and U-Bahn system run by the RMV
Buses
Frankfurt am Main is a financial and service centre of global importance and, as the focal point of the dynamic Rhine-Main economic region, is one of the leading locations for companies in Europe. Its central location, its well-developed infrastructure with the largest airport on the continent, the concentration of internationally active companies (many of them have headquarters in the city) of various sectors provide Frankfurt with one of the top positions in Europe.
As one of the leading financial centres, more than 300 national and international banks are represented in the Main metropolis. Amongst others, the European Central Bank and the German Bundesbank have their headquarters in Frankfurt. This is also where the Deutsche Börse Group is located.
According to a ranking list produced by the University of Liverpool, Frankfurt is the richest city in Europe by GDP per capita. After Frankfurt are Karlsruhe, Paris and then Munich.
With over 922 jobs per 1000 inhabitants, Frankfurt has the highest concentration of jobs in Germany. The high number of around 600,000 positions with only 650,000 inhabitants of the city itself is explained by the high number of commuters who work in the city, which raises the per capital GDP of the resident population significantly. Furthermore, it is only on work days and certain Saturdays when shops are open that Frankfurt can claim to have a million inhabitants. On other days, the statistics regarding Frankfurt's wealth are reduced, in favor of the communities and towns of the so-called Speckgürtel (literally bacon belt), such as Bad Homburg v.d. Höhe, Königstein im Taunus, Kronberg im Taunus and Bad Soden am Taunus, many of whose inhabitants work in Frankfurt. Frankfurt has the highest concentration of lawyers in Germany, with one lawyer per 99 inhabitants, and also the highest per-capita level of debt in Germany (excepting Germany's three city-states), because of a set of massive public works projects in the 1980s under CDU mayors Walter Wallmann and Wolfram Brück.
Frankfurt also occupies the fifth position on another list ranking major cities according to quality of life. Despite that, Frankfurt also had, as of 2003, the highest levels of crime per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany. However, this statistic is a result of the commuter population, for it is calculated based on the 650,000-inhabitant figure, and also includes crimes committed at the airport, such as smuggling. Frankfurt is therefore a very safe city, confirmed by surveys among the inhabitants.
The Frankfurt Airport is the single largest place of work in Germany.
Economy and Business
Frankfurt is also an important location for the internet. Frankfurt is home to Germany's largest internet exchange point, DE-CIX, and is where domain names are registered for the top-level-domain .de.
Electronic communication
Fairs have a long tradition in Frankfurt, which, with the Frankfurt Trade Fair is recognized as the premier city for medieval fairs and modern-day trade shows. Even in the Middle Ages, traders could sell their goods in Frankfurt. Frankfurt was connected with Leipzig, the other of the two most important locations for fairs in the Holy Roman Empire, by means of the Via Regia.
Alongside the Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt hosts the International Automobile Exhibition, the Achema, and the Ambiente Frankfurt, the largest consumer goods trade show in the world.
Trade
Frankfurt is known as a centre of high finance. The headquarters of Germany's three largest banks are all located in downtown Frankfurt. The Deutsche Bank is located on the Mainzer Landstraße in the vicinity of the Taunus foothills. A few avenues further into the city, one can recognize the Commerzbank's skyscrapers, the highest of which is almost 300 meters tall.
Despite what its name would suggest, the Dresdner Bank is also headquartered in Frankfurt. Dresdner Bank now belongs to Allianz Bank in Munich. Frankfurt is also the location of the largest Dutch "direct bank", ING. Several important non-public banks are also located in Frankfurt, such as Bankhaus Metzler, Hauck and Aufhäuser, Delbrück Bethmann Maffei (which belongs to the Dutch ABN Amro) and BHF-Bank.
Among the largest non-public banks are the DZ Bank, the DekaBank, the Frankfurter Sparkasse (savings bank), and the Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen (HELABA). Most of the remaining 300 banks are small domestic businesses.
With the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and XETRA, which belong to the Deutsche Börse, Frankfurt has the second largest stock exchange in Europe, and accounts for the largest proportion of trades in Germany. In terms of market capitalization, the Deutsche Börse is the largest stock exchange in the world.
Finance
Frankfurt is home to chemical industries, advertising, software business and call centers. Business development and other important departments of the Deutsche Bahn are located at the DB-Headquarters in Gallus. Because of Hoechst AG, Frankfurt is considered the "Apothecary of the World". Höchst's industrial park in Frankfurt is one of the three largest locations for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry in Europe. Frankfurt is also home to several large German industrial associations, such as the Chemical Industry Association; the Association for German Machine- and Equipment-building; the Electrotechnical, Electronic, and Information Technology Association e.V. with its affiliated electrotechnical standards commission; and the Association of German Automobile Producers, which is currently moving to Franfurt. The Union of German Automobile Producers meets in Frankfurt every two years to coincide with the International Automobile Exhibition, mentioned above. Furthermore, the Trade Association of German Booksellers has its headquarters in Frankfurt, and organizes the Frankfurt Book Fair. In terms of labor unions, Frankfurt is home to the headquarters of IG Metall and IG Bau, two of Germany's largest labor unions.
Businesses with regional headquarters or based in and near Frankfurt include:
German Football Association
Fiat
Ferrari
Alfa-Romeo
Lancia
Hyundai
KIA
Jaguar (Kronberg)
Opel (Rüsselsheim)
Other businessesFrankfurt am Main is a banking metropolis also with respect to state-owned banks. Alongside the Bundesbank (the German central bank) and the KfW Banking Group, the German office of the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank group) and the European Central Bank have their headquarters in Frankfurt.
Beyond that, Frankfurt is the home to the German National Library, the Hessian State Supreme Court, and the Hessian State Employment Court, and has its own police academy. The fire department, founded in 1874, and the volunteer fire department have eight firehouses. Until their dissolution at the end of 2003, Frankfurt was the location of the Federal Disciplinary Court.
Frankfurt also hosts 88 consulates. Only New York and Hamburg have more foreign representation, excluding capital cities. Russia and China have recently opened general consulates in Frankfurt. The Consulate General of the United States in Frankfurt in Eckenheim is the largest American consulate in the world.
Establishments and organization
Frankfurt was one of the first cities with daily newspapers, and is home to two international newspapers. The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has its editorial offices and its printing houses in the vicinity of Mainzer Highway in the Gallus neighborhood. The left-of-center Frankfurter Rundschau moved its editorial offices and printing houses to the Sachsenhausen neighborhood in July 2005. Another conservative regional newspaper, the Frankfurter Neue Presse, printed by the Frankfurt society, is next to the printing house of the Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung. Frankfurt has a tabloid newspaper, NEWS Frankfurt from the Handelsblatt publishing company, printed on smaller tabloid-style leaf, with a modern layout. The Welt Kompakt is printed in a similar format, and appears in Frankfurt and Berlin. Frankfurt is also home to Reuters's German headquarters in the Messeturm.
Several magazines also originate from Frankfurt. The Journal Frankfurt is the best-known magazine for events, parties, and "insider tips", and has its editorial offices in the Gallus neighborhood. An "ecological magazine", Öko-Test, publishes materials for the Green Party of Germany in Bockenheim. Bockenheim is known for the quiz magazine of the same name, and is home to the editorial office of the satire magazine, Titanic.
Frankfurt's first radio station was the Südwestdeutsche Rundfunkdienst AG (Southwest German Radio Service), founded in 1924. Its successor service is the public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk (Hessian Broadcast). Its "Funkhaus am Dornbusch" station is one of the most important radio and television broadcasters. There is also the ARD-Stern that broadcasts from individual senders via a high-service network. Bloomberg TV and RTL have regionals studios on the Neuen Mainzer Straße, downtown. Other broadcasters in Frankfurt include Main FM and Radio X. The largest private radio station in the region FFH, is located nearby in Bad Vilbel.
Since August 1945, the American Forces Network had broadcast from Frankfurt. Due to troop reductions, the AFN's Frankfurt location has been abandoned. Since October 2004, the AFN has broadcast its European programs from Mannheim.
Media
In Frankfurt am Main, there are two universities and several specialist schools. The oldest and most well-known university in the city is the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, with locations in Bockenheim, Westend, and Riedberg, and university hospital in Niederrad. Alongside the university is the banking academie HfB - Business School of Finance & Management, formerly known as the Hochschule für Bankwirtschaft (Institution of Higher Learning for Banking Economics), with its campus in the Ostend (Eastend) neighborhood. Since 2001, it has been a specialist institution for the teaching Economics and Management, or FOM.
Frankfurt has the State Institution of Higher Learning for Artistic Education known as the Städelschule, founded in 1817 by Johann Friedrich Städel, that was taken over by the city in 1942 and turned into a state art school. Another art school is the State Instutution for Music and Performance Art, initially as a private school known as Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium founded in 1878. The Fachhochschule Frankfurt am Main (Professional School of Frankfurt) was created out of several older organizations in 1971, and offers courses in engineering and economics. Until September 2003, Frankfurt was also home to a school for library science and administration.
The Philosophical-Theological Institution of Saint George (Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen, a private institution with membership in the German Jesuit Association, has been located in Frankfurt's Sachsenhausen neighborhood since 1950. The city is also home to three Max-Planck-Institutes: the Max Planck Institute for European History of Law (MPIER), Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research. The Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, sponsored by several institutional and private sources, is involved in theoretical research in physics, chemistry, neurology, and computer science.
Education and research
Frankfurt hosts the following teams:
Eintracht Frankfurt, football (soccer)
SV 07 Heddernheim, football (soccer)
FSV Frankfurt, football (soccer)
1. FFC Frankfurt, football (soccer)
Frankfurter FC Germania 1894, football (soccer)
1. Bockenheimer FC 1899, football (soccer)
Frankfurt Lions, icehockey
Deutsche Bank Skyliners — Basketball
Frankfurt Galaxy, American Football Sister cities
Free City of Frankfurt
Frankfurt Trade Fair
Frankfurt Book Fair
Frankfurt Transit
Frankfurt School
List of mayors of Frankfurt
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