Frankfurt am Main. Public domain image. Wikimedia Commons.
Besides hosting Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair) , the city is Germany’s financial center, home to the Deutsche Bundesbank, the European Central Bank and the German Stock Exchange. Located at the river Main, and known for its skyscrapers uniquely placed in the middle of the historic part of town, it is often jokingly called Mainhattan in a nod to America’s financial center.
Its full name, Frankfurt am Main, sets the city apart from the significantly smaller Frankfurt/Oder in the state of Brandenburg. Frankfurt’s economy rests on the three pillars of finance, transport and trade fairs. The three major German banks, the Deutsche Bank, the Dresdner Bank and the Commerzbank make their headquarters at the banks of the river Main. The Frankfurt airport ranks among the top ten airports of the world, and along with London Heathrow and Paris Charles deGaulle it is the major aviation hub of Europe.
In September, Frankfurt hosts the bi-annual Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (Frankfurt Motor Show), IAA for short, and every October, Frankfurt Book Fair, both the world’s largest shows in their trade.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Illustrious Frankfurt citizens include: the philosopher Theodor W. Adorno, the banker Carl Mayer Baron von Rothschild, the Romantic pianist Clara Schumann, and Hollywood musician Hans Zimmer. By far the most famous son of the city is the dramatist, poet and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was born in August 1749 at the Großer Hirschgraben 23. Today the Goethehaus houses a museum and a library of his most famous works. Visit www.frankfurt.de for more information.
