Frankfurt

Frankfurt am Main(/ˈfræŋkfərt/;German:[ˈfʁaŋkfʊʁtʔamˈmaɪn];lit."Frankfordon theMain") is the most populous city in theGerman stateofHesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it thefifth-most populous city in Germany.Located in the foreland of theTaunuson its namesakeMain, it forms a continuousconurbationwithOffenbach am Main;its urban areahas a population of over 2.7 million. The city is the heart of the largerRhine-Mainmetropolitan region, which has a population of more than 5.8 million and is Germany'ssecond-largestmetropolitan region after theRhine-Ruhrregion and thefourth biggest metropolitan region by GDPin theEuropean Union. Frankfurt is one of thede factofour main capitals of theEuropean Union(alongsideBrussels,LuxembourgandStrasbourg), as it is home to theEuropean Central Bank, one of theinstitutional seatsof the European Union, whileFrankfurt's central business districtlies about 90 km (56 mi) northwest of thegeographic center of the EUatGadheiminLower Franconia. Like France andFranconia, the city is named after theFranks. Frankfurt is the largest city in theRhenish Franconiandialect area.
Frankfurt was acity state, theFree City of Frankfurt, for nearly five centuries, and was one of the most important cities of theHoly Roman Empire, as a site ofImperial coronations; it lost itssovereigntyupon the collapse of the empire in 1806, regained it in 1815 and then lost it again in 1866, when it was annexed (though neutral) by theKingdom of Prussia. It has been part of the state of Hesse since 1945. Frankfurt is culturally, ethnically and religiously diverse, with half of its population, and a majority of its young people,having a migrant background. A quarter of the population consists of foreign nationals, including manyexpatriates. In 2015, Frankfurt was home to 1,909ultra high-net-worth individuals, the sixth-highest number of any city. As of 2023, Frankfurt is the13th-wealthiest cityin the world and the second-wealthiest city in Europe (afterLondon).
Frankfurt is a global hub for commerce, culture, education, tourism and transportation, and is the site of many global and European corporate headquarters. Due to its central location in the formerWest Germany,Frankfurt Airportbecame thebusiest in Germany, one ofthe busiestin the world, the airport with the most direct routes in the world, and the primary hub forLufthansa, thenational airlineof Germany and Europe's largest airline.Frankfurt Central Stationis Germany's second-busiest railway station afterHamburg Hbf, andFrankfurter Kreuzis the most-heavily usedinterchangein the EU. Frankfurt is one of the majorfinancial centersof the European continent, with the headquarters of theEuropean Central Bank,Deutsche Bundesbank,Frankfurt Stock Exchange,Deutsche Bank,DZ Bank,KfW,Commerzbank,DekaBank,Helaba, severalcloudandfintechstartups, and other institutes. Automotive, technology and research, services, consulting, media andcreative industriescomplement the economic base. Frankfurt'sDE-CIXis the world's largestinternet exchange point.Messe Frankfurtis one of the world's largesttrade fairs. Major fairs include theMusic Fairand theFrankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest book fair. The city also has 93 consulates, among which the largest is theUS Consulate General.
Frankfurt is home to influentialeducationalinstitutions, including theGoethe Universitywith the Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt (de) (Hesse's largest hospital), theFUAS, theFUMPA, and graduate schools like theFSFM. The city is one of two seats of theGerman National Library(alongsideLeipzig), the largest library in the German-speaking countries and one of the largest in the world. Its renownedculturalvenues include the concert hallAlte Oper, continental Europe's largestEnglish theaterand many museums, 26 of which line up along theMuseum Embankment, including theStädel, theLiebieghaus, the German Film Museum (de), theSenckenberg Natural Museum, theGoethe Houseand theSchirnart venue.Frankfurt's skylineis shaped by some of Europe's tallest skyscrapers, which has led to the termMainhattan. The city has many notable green areas and parks, including theWallanlagen,Volkspark Niddatal,Grüneburgpark, theCity Forest, two majorbotanical gardens(thePalmengartenand theBotanical Garden Frankfurt) and theFrankfurt Zoo. Frankfurt is the seat of theGerman Football Association (Deutscher Fußball-Bund – DFB), is home to the first division association football clubEintracht Frankfurt, theLöwen Frankfurtice hockey team, and the basketball clubFrankfurt Skyliners, and is the venue of theFrankfurt Marathonand theIronman Germany.
Frankfurt is the largest financial hub incontinental Europe. It is home to theEuropean Central Bank,Deutsche Bundesbank,Frankfurt Stock Exchangeand several large commercial banks.
The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is one of the world's largeststock exchangesbymarket capitalizationand accounts for more than 90 percent of the turnover in the German market.
In 2010, 63 national and 152 international banks had their registered offices in Frankfurt, including Germany's major banks, notablyDeutsche Bank,DZ Bank,KfW,Deka BankandCommerzbank, as well as 41 representative offices of international banks.
Frankfurt is considered aglobal city(alpha world city) as listed by theGaWCgroup's 2012 inventory.Among global cities it was ranked tenth by theGlobal Power City Index 2011and 11th by theGlobal City Competitiveness Index 2012. Among financial hubs, the city was ranked eighth by theInternational Financial Centers Development Index 2013and ninth in the 2013Global Financial Centres Index.
Its central location in Germany and Europe makes Frankfurt a major air, rail, and roadtransport hub.Frankfurt Airportis one of theworld's busiest international airports by passenger trafficand the main hub for Germany'sflag carrierLufthansa.Frankfurt Central Stationis one of the largestrail stationsin Europe and the busiest junction operated byDeutsche Bahn, the German national railway company, with 342 trains a day to domestic and European destinations.Frankfurter Kreuz, also known as theAutobahninterchangeand located close to the airport, is the most-heavily used interchange in the EU, used by 320,000 cars daily.In 2011 human-resource-consulting firmMercerranked Frankfurt as seventh in its annual 'Quality of Living' survey of cities around the world.According toThe Economistcost-of-living survey, Frankfurt is Germany's most expensive city and the world's tenth most expensive.
Frankfurt has many downtownhigh-rise buildingsthat form its renownedFrankfurt skyline. In fact, it is one of the few cities in theEuropean Union(EU) to have such a skyline, which is why Germans sometimes refer to Frankfurt asMainhattan, combining the local riverMainand "Manhattan". The other well-known nickname isBankfurt. BeforeWorld War II, the city was noted for its uniqueold town, the largest timber-framed old town in Europe. TheRömerarea was later rebuilt and is popular with visitors and for events such asFrankfurt Christmas Market. Other parts of the old town were reconstructed as part of theDom-Römer Projectfrom 2012 to 2018.
Frankonovurd(inOld High German) orVadum Francorum(inLatin) were the first names mentioned in written records from 794. It transformed toFrankenfortduring theMiddle Agesand then toFranckfortandFranckfurthin themodern era. According to historianDavid Gans, the city was namedc.146 ADby its builder, a Frankish king named Zuna, who ruled over the province then known asSicambri. He hoped thereby to perpetuate the name of his lineage.This is chronologically incompatible, however, with the archaeologically demonstrated Roman occupation of the area aroundNidafortress in modernHeddernheim. The name is derived from theFranconofurdof theGermanic tribeof theFranks;Furt(cf.Englishford) where the river was shallow enough to be crossed on foot.
By the 19th century, the nameFrankfurthad been established as the official spelling. The older English spelling ofFrankfortis now rarely seen in reference to Frankfurt am Main, although more than a dozen other towns and cities, mainly in the United States, use this spelling, includingFrankfort, Kentucky,Frankfort, New York, andFrankfort, Illinois.The New York Timesfirst used the Frankfurt spelling for Frankfurt am Main on 24 October 1953 and last used the Frankfort spelling on 10 June 1954.
The suffixam Mainhas been used regularly since the 14th century. In English, the city's full name ofFrankfurt am Mainmeans "Frankfurt on the Main" (pronounced like Englishmineor Germanmein). Frankfurt is located on an ancient ford (German:Furt) on the riverMain. As a part of earlyFranconia, the inhabitants were the earlyFranks, thus the city's name reveals its legacy as "the ford of the Franks on the Main".
Among English speakers, the city is commonly known simply as Frankfurt, but Germans occasionally call it by its full name to distinguish it from the other (significantly smaller) German city ofFrankfurt an der Oderin theLandofBrandenburgon the Polish border.
The city districtBonameshas a name probably dating back to Roman times, thought to be derived frombona me(n)sa(good table).
The common abbreviations for the city, primarily used in railway services and on road signs, areFrankfurt (Main),Frankfurt (M),Frankfurt a. M.,Frankfurt/MainorFrankfurt/M. The commonabbreviationfor the name of the city is "FFM". Also in use is "FRA", theIATA codefor Frankfurt Airport.
At the western borders of Frankfurt lies theKapellenbergas part of the Taunus with one of the first Stone Age cities in Europe.The Celts had different settlements in the Taunus mountains north of Frankfurt, the biggest one theHeidetrank Oppidum. The first traces ofRoman settlementsestablished in the area of theriver Niddadate to the reign of EmperorVespasianin the years 69 to 79 AD.Nida(modernHeddernheim,Praunheim) was a Romancivitascapital (Civitas Taunensium).
Alemanniand Frankslived there, and by 794,Charlemagnepresided over animperial assemblyand church synod, at whichFranconofurd(alternative spellings end with -furt and -vurd) was first mentioned. It was one of the two capitals of Charlemagne's grandsonLouis the German, together withRegensburg. Louis founded thecollegiate church, rededicated in 1239 toBartholomew the Apostleand nowFrankfurt Cathedral.
Frankfurt was one of the most important cities in theHoly Roman Empire. From 855, theGerman kingswere elected and crowned inAachen. From 1562, the kings andemperors were crownedandelectedin Frankfurt, initiated forMaximilian II. This tradition ended in 1792, whenFrancis IIwas elected. His coronation was deliberately held onBastille Day, 14 July, the anniversary of thestorming of the Bastille. The elections and coronations took place inSt. Bartholomäus Cathedral, known as theKaiserdom(Emperor's Cathedral), or its predecessors.
TheFrankfurter Messe('Frankfurt Trade Fair') was first mentioned in 1150. In 1240,Emperor Frederick IIgranted an imperial privilege to its visitors, meaning they would be protected by the empire. The fair became particularly important when similar fairs in French Beaucaire lost attraction around 1380.Book trade fairsbegan in 1478.
In 1372, Frankfurt became aReichsstadt(Imperial Free City), i.e., directly subordinate to theHoly Roman Emperorand not to a regional ruler or a local nobleman.
In 1585, Frankfurt traders established a system ofexchange ratesfor the various currencies that were circulating to prevent cheating and extortion. Therein lay the early roots for the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Frankfurt managed to remain neutral during theThirty Years' War, but suffered from thebubonic plaguethat refugees brought to the city. After the war, Frankfurt regained its wealth. In the late 1770s the theater principalAbel Seylerwas based in Frankfurt, and established the city's theatrical life.
Following theFrench Revolution, Frankfurt was occupied or bombarded several times by French troops. It remained aFree cityuntil the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1805/6. In 1806, it became part of theprincipality of Aschaffenburgunder theFürstprimas(Prince-Primate),Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg. This meant that Frankfurt was incorporated into theConfederation of the Rhine. In 1810, Dalberg adopted the title of aGrand Duke of Frankfurt.Napoleonintended to make his adopted sonEugène de Beauharnais, alreadyPrince de Venise("prince of Venice", a newly established primogeniture in Italy), Grand Duke of Frankfurt after Dalberg's death (since the latter as a Catholic bishop had no legitimate heirs). The Grand Duchy remained a short episode lasting from 1810 to 1813 when the military tide turned in favor of the Anglo-Prussian-led allies that overturned the Napoleonic order. Dalberg abdicated in favor of Eugène de Beauharnais, which of course was only a symbolic action, as the latter effectively never ruled after the ruin of the French armies and Frankfurt's takeover by the allies.
After Napoleon's final defeat and abdication, theCongress of Vienna(1814–1815) dissolved the grand-duchy and Frankfurt became a fully sovereign city-state with a republican form of government. Frankfurt entered the newly foundedGerman Confederation(till 1866) as a free city, becoming the seat of itsBundestag, the confederal parliament where the nominally presidingHabsburg Emperor of Austriawas represented by an Austrian "presidential envoy".
After the ill-fatedrevolution of 1848, Frankfurt was the seat of the first democratically elected German parliament, theFrankfurt Parliament, which met in theFrankfurter Paulskirche(St. Paul's Church) and was opened on 18 May 1848. In the year of its existence, the assembly developed a common constitution for a unified Germany, with the Prussian king as its monarch. The institution failed in 1849 when thePrussianking,Frederick William IV, declared that he would not accept "a crown from the gutter".
Frankfurt lost its independence after theAustro-Prussian Warin 1866 when Prussia annexed several smaller states, among them theFree City of Frankfurt. The Prussian administration incorporated Frankfurt into its province ofHesse-Nassau. The Prussian occupation and annexation were perceived as a great injustice in Frankfurt, which retained its distinct western European, urban and cosmopolitan character. The formerly independent towns ofBornheimandBockenheimwere incorporated in 1890.
In 1914, the citizens founded the University of Frankfurt, later namedGoethe University Frankfurt. This marked the only civic foundation of a university in Germany; today it is one of Germany's largest.
From 6 April to 17 May 1920, following military intervention to put down theRuhr uprising,Frankfurt was occupied by French troops.The French claimed that Articles 42 to 44 of thepeace treaty of Versaillesconcerning the demilitarization of theRhinelandhad been broken.In 1924,Ludwig Landmannbecame the first Jewish mayor of the city, and led a significant expansion during the following years. During theNazi era, the synagogues of the city were destroyed and the vast majority of the Jewish population fled or was killed.
DuringWorld War II, Frankfurt was the location of a Nazi prison for underage girls with severalforced labourcamps,a camp forSintiandRomani people(seeRomani Holocaust),the Dulag Luft West transit camp forAlliedprisoners of war,and a subcamp of theNatzweiler-Struthof concentration camp.
Frankfurt was severelybombed in World War II(1939–1945). About 5,500 residents were killed during the raids, and the once-famousmedieval city center, by that time one of the largest in Germany, was almost completely destroyed. It became aground battlefieldon 26 March 1945, when the Allied advance into Germany was forced to take the city in contested urban combat that included a river assault. The5th Infantry Divisionand the6th Armored Divisionof theUnited States Armycaptured Frankfurt after several days of intense fighting, and it was declared largely secure on 29 March 1945.Frankfurt consists to over 40% of buildings from before World War II, besides all destruction.
After the end of the war, Frankfurt became a part of the newly founded state of Hesse, consisting of the oldHesse-(Darmstadt)and thePrussian Hesseprovinces. The city was part of theAmerican Zone of Occupationof Germany. The Military Governor for the United States Zone (1945–1949) and the United States High Commissioner for Germany (HICOG) (1949–1952) had their headquarters in theIG Farben Building, intentionally left undamaged by the Allies' wartime bombardment.
Frankfurt was the original choice for the provisional capital city of the newly founded state ofWest Germanyin 1949. The city constructed a parliament building that was never used for its intended purpose (it housed the radio studios ofHessischer Rundfunk). In the end,Konrad Adenauer, the first postwarChancellor, preferred the town ofBonn, for the most part because it was close to his hometown, but also because many other prominent politicians opposed the choice of Frankfurt out of concern that Frankfurt would be accepted as the permanent capital, thereby weakening the West German population's support for areunificationwithEast Germanyand the eventual return of the capital toBerlin.
Postwar reconstruction took place in a sometimes simple modern style, thus changing Frankfurt's architectural face. A few landmark buildings were reconstructed historically, albeit in a simplified manner (e.g.,Römer,St. Paul's Church, andGoethe House). The collection of historically significantCairo Genizahdocuments of the Municipal Library was destroyed by the bombing. According toArabistand Genizah scholarS.D. Goitein, "not even handlists indicating its contents have survived."
The end of the war marked Frankfurt's comeback as Germany's leading financial hub, mainly because Berlin, now a city divided intofour sectors, could no longer rival it. In 1948, the Allies founded theBank deutscher Länder, the forerunner ofDeutsche Bundesbank. Following this decision, more financial institutions were re-established, e.g.Deutsche BankandDresdner Bank. In the 1950s, Frankfurt Stock Exchange regained its position as the country's leading stock exchange.
Frankfurt also reemerged as Germany's transportation hub andFrankfurt Airportbecame Europe's second-busiest airport behindLondon Heathrow Airportin 1961.
During the 1970s, the city created one of Europe's most efficient underground transportation systems.That system includes a suburban rail system (S-Bahn) linking outlying communities with the city center, and a deep underground light rail system with smaller coaches (U-Bahn) also capable of travelling above ground on rails.
In 1998, theEuropean Central Bankwas founded in Frankfurt, followed by theEuropean Insurance and Occupational Pensions AuthorityandEuropean Systemic Risk Boardin 2011.
Frankfurt is the largest city in thestateofHessein the western part of Germany.
Frankfurt is located on both sides of the riverMain, south-east of theTaunusmountain range. The southern part of the city contains theFrankfurt City Forest, Germany's largest city forest. The city area is 248.31 km(95.87 sq mi) and extends over 23.4 km (14.54 mi) east to west and 23.3 km (14.48 mi) north to south. Its downtown is north of the river Main inAltstadtdistrict (the historical center) and the surroundingInnenstadtdistrict. The geographical center is inBockenheimdistrict nearFrankfurt West station.
Frankfurt at the heart of the densely populatedFrankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Regionwith a population of 5.5 million. Other important cities in the region areWiesbaden(capital ofHesse),Mainz(capital ofRhineland-Palatinate),Darmstadt,Offenbach am Main,Hanau,Aschaffenburg,Bad Homburg vor der Höhe,Rüsselsheim,WetzlarandMarburg.
The city is divided into 46 city districts (Stadtteile), which are in turn divided into 121 city boroughs (Stadtbezirke) and 448 electoral districts (Wahlbezirke). The 46 city districts combine into 16 area districts (Ortsbezirke), which each have a district committee and chairperson.
The largest city district by population and area isSachsenhausen, while the smallest isAltstadt, Frankfurt's historical center. Three larger city districts (Sachsenhausen,WestendandNordend) are divided for administrative purposes into a northern (-Nord) and a southern (-Süd) part, respectively a western (-West) and an eastern (-Ost) part, but are generally considered as one city district (which is why often only 43 city districts are mentioned, even on the city's official website).
Some larger housing areas are often falsely called city districts, even by locals, like Nordweststadt (part ofNiederursel,HeddernheimandPraunheim), Goldstein (part ofSchwanheim), Riedberg (part ofKalbach-Riedberg) andEuropaviertel(part ofGallus). TheBankenviertel(banking district), Frankfurt's financial district, is also not an administrative city district (it covers parts of the westernInnenstadtdistrict, the southernWestenddistrict and the easternBahnhofsvierteldistrict).
Many city districts are incorporated suburbs (Vororte) or were previously independent cities, such asHöchst. Some likeNordendandWestendarose during the rapid growth of the city in theGründerzeitfollowing theUnification of Germany, while others were formed from territory which previously belonged to other city district(s), such asDornbuschandRiederwald.
Until the year 1877 the city's territory consisted of the present-day inner-city districts ofAltstadt,Innenstadt,Bahnhofsviertel,Gutleutviertel,Gallus,Westend,Nordend,OstendandSachsenhausen.
Bornheimwas part of an administrative district calledLandkreis Frankfurt, before becoming part of the city on 1 January 1877, followed byBockenheimon 1 April 1895.Seckbach,NiederradandOberradfollowed on 1 July 1900. TheLandkreis Frankfurtwas finally dispersed on 1 April 1910, and thereforeBerkersheim,Bonames,Eckenheim,Eschersheim,Ginnheim,Hausen,Heddernheim,Niederursel,Praunheim,PreungesheimandRödelheimjoined the city. In the same year a new city district,Riederwald, was created on territory that had formerly belonged to Seckbach and Ostend.
On 1 April 1928 the City ofHöchstbecame part of Frankfurt, as well as its city districtsSindlingen,UnterliederbachandZeilsheim. Simultaneously theLandkreis Höchstwas dispersed with its member cities either joining Frankfurt (Fechenheim,Griesheim,Nied,Schwanheim,Sossenheim) or joining the newly establishedLandkreisofMain-Taunus-Kreis.
Dornbuschbecame a city district in 1946. It was created on territory that had formerly belonged to Eckenheim and Ginnheim.
On 1 August 1972, Hesse's smaller suburbs ofHarheim,Kalbach,Nieder-Erlenbach, andNieder-Eschbachbecame districts while other neighboring suburbs chose to join the Main-Taunus-Kreis, theLandkreis Offenbach, theKreis Groß-Gerau, theHochtaunuskreis, theMain-Kinzig-Kreisor theWetteraukreis.
Bergen-Enkheimwas the last suburb to become part of Frankfurt on 1 January 1977.
Flughafenbecame an official city district in 1979. It covers the area of Frankfurt Airport that had belonged to Sachsenhausen and the neighboring city ofMörfelden-Walldorf.
Frankfurt's youngest city district isFrankfurter Berg. It was part of Bonames until 1996.
Kalbach was officially renamedKalbach-Riedbergin 2006 because of the large residential housing development in the area known as Riedberg.
To the west Frankfurt borders theadministrative district(Landkreis) ofMain-Taunus-Kreiswith towns such asHattersheim am Main,Kriftel,Hofheim am Taunus,Kelkheim,Liederbach am Taunus,Sulzbach,Schwalbach am TaunusandEschborn; to the northwest theHochtaunuskreiswithSteinbach,Oberursel (Taunus)andBad Homburg vor der Höhe; to the north theWetteraukreiswithKarbenandBad Vilbel; to the northeast theMain-Kinzig-KreiswithNiederdorfeldenandMaintal; to the southeast the city ofOffenbach am Main; to the south theKreis OffenbachwithNeu-Isenburgand to the southwest theKreis Groß-GerauwithMörfelden-Walldorf,RüsselsheimandKelsterbach.
Together with these towns (and some larger nearby towns, e.g.,Hanau,Rodgau,Dreieich,Langen) Frankfurt forms a contiguous built-up urban area calledStadtregion Frankfurtwhich is not an official administrative district. The urban area had an estimated population of 2.3 million in 2010, and is the13th-largest urban area in the EU.
Frankfurt has atemperate-oceanic climate(Köppen:Cfb). Its climate features cool winters with frequent rain showers and overcast skies, and warm to hot summers. The average annual temperature is 11.4 °C (52.5 °F), with monthly mean temperatures ranging from 2.7 °C (36.9 °F) in January to 20.7 °C (69.3 °F) in July. The descriptions below are based on climate data between 1991 and 2020.
Due to its location at the northern tip of theUpper RhineValley in the Southwest of Germany, Frankfurt is one of the warmest and driest major German cities along withDarmstadt,Mannheim,KarlsruheandFreiburg im Breisgau. Summers in Frankfurt can get quite hot when compared to the rest of the country. On average, it sees 62 days with a daily high temperature above 25 °C and 18 days with a high above 30 °C per year.
Climate changeis elevating the number of hot days. In the year of 2018, Frankfurt recorded 108 days with a maximum over 25 °C and 43 days with a high above 30 °C. This is compared to 52 and 13 days on average per year between 1981 and 2010. The overall tendency for higher temperatures can also be seen when comparing the climate data from 1981 to 2010 with the data from 2010 to 2020. Being anurban heat island, Frankfurt sometimes experiencestropical nights, where the temperature does not fall below 20 °C between May and September. This is exacerbated and made more frequent as the density of the city stores daytime heat overnight.
Thegrowing seasonis longer when compared to the rest of Germany, thus resulting in an early arrival of springtime in the region, with trees typically leafing out already toward the end of March.
Winters in Frankfurt are generally mild or at least not freezing with a small possibility of snow, especially in January and February but dark and often overcast. Frankfurt is, on average, covered with snow only for around 10 to 20 days per year.The temperature falls below 0 °C on about 64 days and the daily maximum stays below freezing for about 10 days on average per year. Some days with lows under −10 °C can occur more often here than at the coasts ofNorthern Germany, but not as frequently as inBavariaor the eastern parts of Germany.
Because of the mild climate in the region, there are some well-known wine regions in the vicinity such asRhenish Hesse,Rheingau,Franconia (wine region)andBergstraße (route). There is also a microclimate on the northern bank of the riverMainwhich allowspalms,fig trees,lemon treesand southern European plants to grow in that area. The area is called the "Nizza" (the German word for the southern French townNice) and is one of the biggest parks with Mediterranean vegetation north of theAlps.
With a population of 763,380 (2019) within its administrative boundariesand of 2,300,000 in the actualurban area,Frankfurt is thefifth-largest city in Germany, afterBerlin, Hamburg,MunichandCologne. Central Frankfurt has been aGroßstadt(a city with at least 100,000 residents by definition) since 1875. With 414,576 residents in 1910, it was the ninth largest city in Germany and the number of inhabitants grew to 553,464 beforeWorld War II. After the war, at the end of the year 1945, the number had dropped to 358,000. In the following years, the population grew again and reached an all-time-high of 691,257 in 1963. It dropped again to 592,411 in 1986 but has increased since then. According to the demographic forecasts for central Frankfurt, the city will have a population up to 813,000 within its administrative boundaries in 2035and more than 2.5 million inhabitants in its urban area.
As of 2015, Frankfurt had 1909ultra high-net-worth individuals, the sixth-highest number of any city in the world.It is also the world's14th-richest city by total wealth, as of 2017.
During the 1970s, the state government ofHessewanted to expand the city's administrative boundaries to include the entire urban area. This would have made Frankfurt officially the second-largest city in Germany after Berlin with up to 3 million inhabitants.However, because local authorities did not agree, the administrative territory is still much smaller than its actual urban area.
Frankfurt has the largest Moroccan community in Germany, numbering about 8,000 people, and theRhine-Main areahas about 20,000. ManyMoroccanscame as guest workers in the 1970s. Today Frankfurt has many Moroccan restaurants, companies, shops, mosques and hamams. Due to the popularity of Moroccan culture in Frankfurt, it also led many people from theMaghreband other African countries to move to Frankfurt. Famous singerNamikawas born in Frankfurt to Moroccan parents.
According to data from the cityregister of residents, 51.2% of the population had amigration backgroundas of 2015, which means that a person or at least one of their parents was born with foreign citizenship. For the first time, a majority of the city residents had an at least part non-German background.Moreover, three of four children in the city under the age of six had full or partial immigrant backgrounds,and 27.7% of residents had a foreign citizenship.
According to statistics, 46.7% of immigrants in Frankfurt come from other countries in the EU; 24.5% come from European countries that are not part of the EU; 15.7% come from Asia (including Western Asia and South Asia); 7.3% come from Africa; 3.4% come from North America (including theCaribbeanand Central America); 0.2% come fromAustraliaandNew ZealandNew Zealand; 2.3% come from South America; and 1.1% come from Pacific island nations. Because of this the city is often considered to be a multicultural city, and has been compared toNew York CityandLondon.
Frankfurt was historically aProtestant-dominated city. However, during the 19th century, an increasing number ofCatholicsmoved to Frankfurt. As of 2013, the largest Christian denominations were Catholicism (22.7% of the population) and Protestantism, especially Lutheranism (19.4%).
The Jewish community has a history dating back to medieval times and has always ranked among the largest in Germany. Over 7,200 inhabitants are affiliated with the Jewish community, making it the second largest in Germany afterBerlin.Frankfurt has four active synagogues.
Due to the growing immigration of people from Muslim countries beginning in the 1960s, Frankfurt has a large Muslim community, estimated at 12% in 2006.According to calculations based on census data for 21 countries of origin, the number of Muslim migrants in Frankfurt amounted to about 84,000 in 2011, making up 12.6% of the population.The most prevalent countries of origin wereTurkeyandMorocco. The Ahmadiyya Noor Mosque, constructed in 1959, is the city's largest mosque and the third largest in Germany. In 2020, the number of Muslims in Frankfurt's total population was estimated at 18%.
The current mayor is Mike Josef of theSocial Democratic Party, who took the office on 11 May 2023.
The most recent mayoral election was held on 5 March 2023, with a runoff held on 26 March, and the results were as follows:
The Frankfurt am Main city council (Stadtverordnetenversammlung) governs the city alongside the mayor. It is located in the city's medieval town hall, Römer, which is also used for representative and official purposes. The most recent city council election was held on 14 March 2021, and the results were as follows:
For elections to theHesse State Parliament, Frankfurt am Main is split up into six constituencies. In total 15 delegates represent the city in theLandtaginWiesbaden. The last election took place in October 2018. Six members of parliament were directly elected in their respective constituencies: Uwe Serke (CDU, Frankfurt am Main I),Miriam Dahlke(Greens, Frankfurt am Main II), Ralf-Norbert Bartel (CDU, Frankfurt am Main III),Michael Boddenberg(CDU, Frankfurt am Main IV), Markus Bocklet (Greens, Frankfurt am Main V) and Boris Rhein (CDU, Frankfurt am Main VI).
Delegates from Frankfurt often serve high-ranking positions in Hessian politics, e.g.Michael Boddenbergis Hessian Minister of Finance and Boris Rhein was elected President of the Landtag of Hesse in 2019.
For federal elections which are held every four years, Frankfurt is split up into two constituencies. In theGerman federal election 2017,Matthias Zimmer(CDU) andBettina Wiesmannwere elected to the Bundestag by directe mandate inFrankfurt am Main IandFrankfurt am Main IIrespectively.Nicola Beer(FDP),Achim Kessler(Linke),Ulli Nissen(SPD) andOmid Nouripour(Greens) were elected as well.
Nicola Beer resigned as a member of parliament in 2019 following herelection to the European Parliamentwhere she now serves as vice president.
Frankfurt is one of the world's most important financial hubs and Germany's financial capital, followed byHamburgandStuttgart. Frankfurt was ranked eighth at theInternational Financial Centers Development Index(2013), eighth at theWorldwide Centres of Commerce Index(2008), ninth at theGlobal Financial Centres Index(September 2013),tenth at theGlobal Power City Index(2011), 11th at theGlobal City Competitiveness Index(2012), 12th at the Innovation Cities Index (2011),14th at theWorld City Survey(2011) and 23rd at theGlobal Cities Index(2012).
The city's importance as a financial hub has risen since theeurozone crisis. Indications are the establishment of two institutions of theEuropean System of Financial Supervisors(European Insurance and Occupational Pensions AuthorityandEuropean Systemic Risk Board) in 2011, and the entry into force in 2014 ofEuropean Banking Supervision, by which the European Central Bank has become the central supervisory authority for the euro area banking sector.
According to an annual study byCushman & Wakefield, the European Cities Monitor (2010), Frankfurt has been one of the top three cities for international companies in Europe, after London and Paris, since the survey started in 1990.It is the only German city considered to be analpha world city (category 3)as listed by theLoughborough Universitygroup's 2010 inventory,which was a promotion from the group's 2008 inventory when it was ranked as an alpha minus world city (category 4).
With over 922 jobs per 1,000 inhabitants, Frankfurt has the highest concentration of jobs in Germany. On work days and Saturdays, one million people commute from all over theRhein-Main-Area. The GRP per capita was €96,670 in 2019.
The city is expected to benefit from international banks relocating jobs from London to Frankfurt as a result of Brexit to retain access to the EU market.Thus far, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup Inc., Standard Chartered Plc and Nomura Holdings Inc. announced they would move their EU headquarters to Frankfurt.
Frankfurt is home to two importantcentral banks: the German Bundesbank and the European Central Bank (ECB).
The European Central Bank (Europäische Zentralbank) is one of the world's most important central banks with a balance sheet total of around 7 trillion.The ECB sets monetary policy for the Eurozone, consisting of 19EU member statesthat have adopted theEuro(€) as their common currency. From 1998 the ECB Headquarters have been located in Frankfurt, first in theEurotowerat Willy-Brandt-Platz and in two other nearby high-rises. The newSeat of the European Central Bankin theOstenddistrict, consisting of the former wholesale market hall (Großmarkthalle) and a newly built 185-meter skyscraper, was completed in late 2014. The new building complex was designed to accommodate up to 2,300 ECB personnel. The location is a few kilometers away from downtown and borders an industrial area as well as the Osthafen (East Harbor), It was primarily chosen because of its large premises which allows the ECB to install security arrangements without high fences.
The city honors the importance of the ECB by officially using the slogan "The City of the Euro" since 1998.
TheDeutsche Bundesbank(German Federal Bank), located inGinnheim, was established in 1957 as the central bank for the Federal Republic of Germany. Until the euro (€) was introduced in 1999, the Deutsche Bundesbank was responsible for the monetary policy of Germany and for the German currency, theDeutsche Mark(DM). The Bundesbank was greatly respected for its control of inflation through the second half of the 20th century. Today the Bundesbank is an integral part of theEuropean System of Central Banks(ESCB) which is formed by all 27 EU member states. Its bilance sheet total is around 2,7 trillion,making it the 4th biggest central bank.
In 2010, 63 national and 152 international banks had a registered office, including the headquarters of the major German banks, as well as 41 offices of international banks.Frankfurt is therefore known as Bankenstadt ("City of the banks") and nicknamed "Mainhattan" (aportmanteauof the localMainriver andManhattanin New York City) or "Bankfurt". 73,200 people were employed at banks in 2010.
Other major German banks includeFrankfurter Volksbank, the second-largestVolksbankin Germany, Frankfurter Sparkasse and old-established private banks such asBankhaus Metzler,Hauck & AufhäuserandDelbrück Bethmann Maffei.
Many international banks have a registered or a representative office, e.g.,Credit Suisse,UBS,Bank of America,Morgan Stanley,Goldman Sachs,Merrill Lynch,JPMorgan Chase & Co.,Bank of China,Banco do Brasil,Itaú UnibancoSociété Générale,BNP Paribas,SEB,Royal Bank of ScotlandandBarclays.
The Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse) began in the ninth century. By the 16th century Frankfurt had developed into an important European hub for trade fairs and financial services. Today the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is by far the largest in Germany, with a turnover of more than 90 percent of the Germanstock marketand is the third-largest in Europe after theLondon Stock Exchangeand the European branch of theNYSE Euronext. The most importantstock market indexis theDAX, the index of the 30 largest German business companies listed at the stock exchange. The stock exchange is owned and operated byDeutsche Börse, which is itself listed in the DAX. Deutsche Börse also owns the Europeanfutures exchangeEurexand clearing companyClearstream. Trading takes place exclusively via theXetra trading system, with redundant floor brokers taking on the role of market-makers on the new platform.
On 1 February 2012 European Commission blocked the proposed merger of Deutsche Börse andNYSE Euronext. "The merger between Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext would have led to a near-monopoly in European financial derivatives worldwide. These markets are at the heart of the financial system and it is crucial for the whole European economy that they remain competitive. We tried to find a solution, but the remedies offered fell far short of resolving the concerns."European competition commissionerJoaquín Almuniasaid.
It is located downtown at the Börsenplatz. Deutsche Börse's headquarters are formally registered in Frankfurt, but it moved most of its employees to a high-rise called "The Cube" inEschbornin 2010, primarily due to significantly lower localcorporate taxes.
Frankfurt Trade Fair (Messe Frankfurt) has the third-largest exhibition site in the world with a total of 578,000 m(6,220,000 sq ft). The trade fair premises are located in the western part betweenBockenheim, theWestendand theGallusdistrict. It houses ten exhibition halls with a total of 321,754 m(3,463,330 sq ft) of space and 96,078 m(1,034,170 sq ft) of outdoor space.
Hosted in Frankfurt are theFrankfurt Motor Show(Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung – IAA), the world's largestauto show, theFrankfurt Book Fair(Frankfurter Buchmesse), the world's largest book fair, the Ambiente Frankfurt, the world's largestconsumer goodsfair, the Achema, the world's largest plant engineering fair, and many more like Paperworld, Christmasworld, Beautyworld, Tendence Lifestyle or Light+Building.
Messe Frankfurt GmbH, the owner and operator company, organized 87 exhibitions in 2010, 51 thereof in foreign countries.It is one of the largest trade fair companies with commercial activities in over 150 countries.
Frankfurt Airportis one of the busiest airports in the world and is also the single largest place of work in Germany with over 500 companies which employ 71,500 people (2010).
Fraportis the owner and operator of Frankfurt Airport. It is the airport's second-largest employer (19,800 workers in 2010).Fraport also operates other airports worldwide, e.g.,King Abdulaziz International AirportinJeddah,Jorge Chávez International Airportin Lima andAntalya Airport.
The largest company at Frankfurt Airport is Lufthansa, Germany'sflag carrierand Europe's largest airline. Lufthansa employs 35,000 people in Frankfurt.The Lufthansa Aviation Center (LAC) is the main operation base of Lufthansa at Frankfurt Airport. The airport serves as Lufthansa's primaryhubwith 157 worldwide destinations (compared to 110 destinations atMunich Airport, Lufthansa's second-largest hub).Lufthansa Cargois based in Frankfurt and operates its largest cargo center (LCC) at Frankfurt Airport.Lufthansa Flight Trainingis also based here.
Condoris a German airline based at Frankfurt Airport.
Three of the four largest internationalaccountancyandprofessional servicesfirms(Big Four)are present.
PricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC) German headquarters are located atTower 185.KPMGmoved its European Headquarters (KPMG Europe LLP) toThe Squaire.Deloitte Touche Tohmatsuare present, whileErnst & Youngis located inEschborn.
The three major internationalcredit rating agencies–Standard & Poor's,Moody'sandFitch Ratings– have their German headquarters in Frankfurt.
DWS Investments is one of the largestinvestment trustcompany in Germany and manages €859 billion fund assets. It is one of the ten largest investment trust companies in the world.Other large investment trust companies areUniversal Investment,Allianz Global Investors Europe (a division ofAllianz SE, and a top-five global active investment manager),Union Investmentand Deka Investmentfonds.
Many of the largest internationalmanagement consultanciesare represented, includingArthur D. Little,McKinsey & Company,Boston Consulting Group,Booz & Company,Oliver Wyman,Bearing Point,Capgemini,Bain & CompanyandRoland Berger Strategy Consultants.
Located in Frankfurt are the German headquarters ofJones Lang LaSalleandBNP Paribas Real Estate.
Frankfurt has the highest concentration of lawyers in Germany, with one lawyer per 97 inhabitants (followed byDüsseldorfwith a ratio of 1/117 andMunichwith 1/124) in 2005.
Most of the large internationallaw firmsmaintain offices, among themAllen & Overy,Baker & McKenzie,Bird & Bird,Clifford Chance,Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton,Debevoise & Plimpton,DLA Piper,Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer,Hogan Lovells,Jones Day,Latham & Watkins,Linklaters,Mayer Brown,Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy,Norton Rose,Shearman & Sterling,Sidley Austin,SJ Berwin,Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom,Sullivan & Cromwell,K&L Gates,Taylor WessingandWhite & Case.
Although it is best known for its banks and financial institutions, Frankfurt is also a media hub. Around 570 companies of the advertising industry and 270public relationscompanies are there.
According to a ranking of GermanFOCUS magazine(November 2007) seven of the 48 largestadvertising agenciesin Germany are based in Frankfurt, includingHavas,Dentsu,McCann-Erickson,Saatchi & Saatchi,JWT, andPublicis.
Frankfurt is home to the German headquarters ofNestlé, the world's largestfood company, located inNiederrad. Other important food companies areFerrero SpA(German headquarters) and Radeberger Gruppe KG, the largest private brewery group in Germany.
The South-Koreanautomobile manufacturerKia Motorsmoved its European headquarters to Frankfurt in 2007. In the same year, Italian manufacturerFiatopened its new German headquarters. The automotive supplierContinental AGhas the headquarters and a major manufacturing plant of its Chassis & Safety division (formerly ITT Automotive) located in Frankfurt Rödelheim.
Some of the largest German construction companies have offices, e.g.,Bilfinger Berger,Hochtief, Züblin and BAM Deutschland.
Frankfurt has Germany's highest concentration of homeowners. This is partly attributed to the financial sector, but also to its cosmopolitan nature, with expatriates and immigrants representing one-fourth of its population. For this reason, Frankfurt's property market often operates differently than the rest of the country where the prices are generally flatter.
Frankfurt is one of Germany's leading tourist destinations. In addition to its infrastructure and economy, its diversity supports a vibrant cultural scene. This blend of attractions led 4.3 million tourists (2012) to visit Frankfurt.The Hotels in central Frankfurt offer 34,000 beds in 228 hotels, of which 13 are luxury hotels and 46 are first-class hotels.
Frankfurt is home to companies from the chemical, transportation, telecommunication and energy industries. Some of the larger companies are:
In addition, severalcloudandfintechstartupshave their headquarters in Frankfurt.
Within Frankfurt's urban area are several important companies.
The business hub of Eschborn is located right at Frankfurt's city limits in the west and attracts businesses with significantly lowercorporate taxescompared to Frankfurt. Major companies in Eschborn includeErnst & Young,Vodafone Germany,Randstad NVand VR Leasing.Deutsche Börsemoved most of its employees to Eschborn in 2010.
Rüsselsheimis internationally known for itsautomobile manufacturerOpel, one of the biggest automobile manufacturers in Germany. With 20,000 employees in 2003, Opel was one of the five largest employers inHesse.
Offenbach am Mainis home to the European headquarters of automobile manufacturerHyundai Motor Company, to the German headquarters of automobile manufacturerHonda, toHoneywell Germanyand toDeutscher Wetterdienst, the central scientific agency that monitors weather andmeteorologicalconditions over Germany.
TwoDAXcompanies are located inBad Homburg vor der Höhe,Fresenius SE & Co. KGaAandFresenius Medical Care. Other major companies areHewlett-Packard,Bridgestone, Deutsche Leasing and Basler Versicherungen.
Kronberg im Taunusis home of the German headquarters of automobile manufacturerJaguar Carsas well as the German headquarters ofAccenture.
Lufthansa Systems, a subsidiary ofLufthansa, is located inKelsterbach.
LSG Sky Chefs, another subsidiary of Lufthansa, is located inNeu-Isenburg.
The German headquarters ofThomas Cook Groupare based inOberursel.
Langenis home toDeutsche Flugsicherung, the Germanair traffic control.
Frankfurt istwinnedwith:
Frankfurt has friendly relations with:
Römer
Römer, the German word forRoman, is a complex of nine houses that form the Frankfurtcity hall(Rathaus). The houses were acquired by the city council in 1405 from a wealthy merchant family. The middle house became the city hall and was later connected with its neighbors. TheKaisersaal("Emperor's Hall") is located on the upper floor and is where the newly crowned emperors held their banquets. The Römer was partially destroyed in World War II and later rebuilt. The surrounding square, the Römerberg, is named after the city hall.
The formerAltstadt(old town) quarter between the Römer and the Frankfurt Cathedral was redeveloped as theDom-Römer Quarterfrom 2012 to 2018, including 15reconstructionsof historical buildings that were destroyed during World War II.
Frankfurt Cathedral
Frankfurt Cathedral(Frankfurter Dom) is not a cathedral, but the main Catholic church, dedicated toSt. Bartholomew. TheGothicbuilding was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the foundation of an earlier church from theMerovingiantime. From 1356 onwards, kings of theHoly Roman Empirewere elected in this church, and from 1562 to 1792,Roman-Germanemperors were crowned there.
Since the 18th century, St. Bartholomew's has been calledDom, although it was never a bishop's seat. In 1867 it was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in its present style. It was again partially destroyed inWorld War IIand rebuilt in the 1950s. Its height is 95 meters. The cathedral tower has a viewing platform open to the public at a height of 66 meters, accessed through a narrow spiral staircase with 386 steps.
St. Paul's Church
St. Paul's Church(Paulskirche) is a national historic monument in Germany because it was the seat of the first democratically elected parliament in 1848. It was established in 1789 as aProtestantchurch, but was not completed until 1833. Its importance has its roots in theFrankfurt Parliament, which met in the church during the revolutionary years of 1848/49 in order to write a constitution for a united Germany. The attempt failed because the monarchs ofPrussiaand Austria did not want to lose power. In 1849, Prussian troops ended the democratic experiment by force and the parliament dissolved; the building was once more used for religious services.
St. Paul's was partially destroyed in World War II with its interior significantly damaged. It was quickly and symbolically rebuilt after the war albeit with modern alterations particularly to the interior; today it is used mainly for exhibitions and events.
Archäologischer Garten Frankfurt
The Archaeological Garden contains small parts of the oldest recovered buildings: an ancient Roman settlement and the Frankfurt Royal Palace (Kaiserpfalz Frankfurt) from the sixth century. The garden is located between the Römerberg and the cathedral. It was discovered after World War II when the area was heavily bombed and later partly rebuilt. The remains were preserved and are now open to the public. From 2013 until 2015 an event building, the Stadthaus ("City house"), has been built on top of the garden, but it remains open to the public free of charge.
Haus Wertheim
Wertheim House is the onlytimbered housein theAltstadtdistrict that survived the heavy bombings of World War II undamaged. It is located on the Römerberg next to the Historical Museum.
Saalhof
TheSaalhofis the oldest conserved building in theAltstadtdistrict and dates to the 12th century. It was used as an exhibition hall by Dutchclothierswhen trade fairs were held during the 14th and 15th centuries. The Saalhof was partly destroyed in World War II and later rebuilt. Today it serves as a part of theHistorical Museum.
Eiserner Steg
The Eiserner Steg (Iron Bridge) is a pedestrian-only bridge across the Main that connects Römerberg and Sachsenhausen. It was built in 1868 and was the second bridge to cross the river. After World War II, when it was blown up by theWehrmacht, it was quickly rebuilt in 1946. Today some 10,000 people cross the bridge on a daily basis.
Alte Oper
TheAlte Operis a formeropera house, hence the name "Old Opera". The opera house was built in 1880 by architect Richard Lucae. It was one of the major opera houses in Germany until it was heavily damaged in World War II. Until the late 1970s, it was a ruin, nicknamed "Germany's most beautiful ruin". Former FrankfurtLord MayorRudi Arndt called for blowing it up in the 1960s, which earned him the nickname "Dynamite-Rudi". (Later on, Arndt said he never had meant his suggestion seriously.)
Public pressure led to its refurbishment and reopening in 1981. Today, it functions as a famous concert hall, while operas are performed at the "new" Frankfurt Opera. The inscription on thefriezeof the Alte Oper says: "Dem Wahren, Schönen, Guten" ("To the true, the beautiful, the good").
Eschenheimer Turm
The Eschenheim Tower (Eschenheimer Turm) was erected at the beginning of the 15th century and served as a city gate as part of late-medieval fortifications. It is the oldest and most unaltered building in theInnenstadtdistrict.
St. Catherine's Church
St. Catherine's Church(Katharinenkirche) is the largestProtestantchurch, dedicated toCatherine of Alexandria, amartyredearly Christian saint. It is located downtown at the entrance to the Zeil, the central pedestrian shopping street.
Hauptwache
Although todayHauptwacheis mostly associated with the inner-city underground train stationof the same name, the name originates from abaroquebuilding on the square above the station. The Hauptwache building was constructed in 1730 and was used as a prison, therefore the name that translates as "main guard-house". Today the square surrounding the building is also called "Hauptwache" (formal:An der Hauptwache). It is situated downtown opposite to St. Catherine's Church and houses a famous café.
Central Station
Frankfurt Central Station(Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof), which opened in 1888, was built as the central train station for Frankfurt to replace three smaller downtown train stations and to boost the needed capacity for travellers. It was constructed as aterminus stationand was the largest train station in Europe by floor area until 1915 whenLeipzig Central Stationwas opened. Its three main halls were constructed in aneorenaissance-style, while the later enlargement with two outer halls in 1924 was constructed inneoclassic-style.
Frankfurter Hof
The Frankfurter Hof is a landmark downtown hotel at Kaiserplatz, built from 1872 to 1876. It is part ofSteigenberger Hotelsgroup and is considered the city's most prestigious.
St. Leonhard
St. Leonhard, on the Main close to the bridge Eiserner Steg, is a Catholiclate Gothichall church, derived from aRomanesque stylebasilicabeginning in 1425. It is the only one of nine churches in the Old Town that survived World War II almost undamaged. The parish serves the English-speaking community. The church has been under restoration from 2011 until 2019.
Gründerzeit quarters
Around the city centre there are wide spread quarters full ofGründerzeit architecture. Buildings of that typ often sport richly-decorated façades in the form of Historicism such as Gothic Revival, Renaissance Revival, German Renaissance and Baroque Revival.
Timber framed old towns
Around the city center of Frankfurt are several former independent villages, now part of the city, withtimber framedcentres and even whole old towns likeHöchst,Seckbach,NiederurselandBergen-Enkheim. Overall there are around 14.500 buildings in Frankfurt built before 1919and around 3.000 of them aretimber framedhouses.
Frankfurt is one of the few European cities with a significant number of skyscrapers, (buildings at least 150 m (492.13 ft) tall). It hosts 20 out of Germany's 21skyscrapers. Most skyscrapers and high-rise office buildings are located in the financial district (Bankenviertel) near downtown, around the trade fair premises (Europaviertel) and atMainzer Landstraßebetween Opernplatz and Platz der Republik, which connects the two areas.
The 20 skyscrapers are:
Other high-rise buildings include:
For centuries,St. Bartholomeus's Cathedralwas the tallest structure. The first building to exceed the 95-meter-high cathedral was not an office building but agrain silo, the 120 m-high (390 ft)Henninger Turm, built from 1959 to 1961.
The first high-rise building boom came in the 1970s whenWestend Gate(then calledPlaza Büro Center) andSilberturmwere constructed and became the tallest buildings in Germany with a height of 159.3 meters and 166.3 meters, respectively. Around the same time,Frankfurter Büro CenterandCity-Haus(142.4 meters and 142.1 meters) were constructed at Mainzer Landstraße andEurotower(148.0 meters) andGarden Tower(127.0 meters; then calledHelaba-Hochhaus) were constructed in the financial district.
None of the buildings constructed during the 1980s surpassed Silberturm. The most famous buildings from this decade are theDeutsche Bank Twin Towersat Taunusanlage, both 155.0 meters tall.
The 1990s featured a second wave.Messeturm, built on the trade fair site, reached a height of 256.5 meters (842 ft) and became the tallest building in Europe by 1991. It was overtaken by the 259 m-high (850 ft)Commerzbank Towerin 1997. Other tall buildings from this decade areWestendstrasse 1(208 meters (682 ft)),Main Tower(200 meters (660 ft)) andTrianon(186 meters (610 ft)).
In 21st-century Frankfurt, more high-rise buildings and skyscrapers (e.g.,Skyper,Opernturm,Tower 185,Seat of the European Central Bank,Taunusturm) emerged, but none have surpassed Commerzbank Tower.
With a large forest, many parks, the Main riverbanks and the two botanical gardens, Frankfurt is considered a "green city": More than 50 percent of the area within the city limits are protected green areas.
With more than 30 museums, Frankfurt has one of the largest variety of museums in Europe. Most museums are part of theMuseumsufer, located on the front row of both sides of theMainriverbank or nearby, which was created on an initiative by cultural politicianHilmar Hoffmann.
Ten museums are located on the southern riverbank inSachsenhausenbetween the Eiserner Steg and the Friedensbrücke. The street itself,Schaumainkai, is partially closed to traffic on Saturdays for Frankfurt's largestflea market.
Two museums are located on the northern riverbank:
Not directly located on the northern riverbank in theAltstadtdistrict are:
Another important museum is located in theWestenddistrict:
Other museums are the Dialogmuseum (Dialogue Museum) in theOstenddistrict,Eintracht FrankfurtMuseum atDeutsche Bank Park, the Frankfurter Feldbahnmuseum (Light Railway Museum Frankfurt) in theGallusdistrict, the Verkehrsmuseum Frankfurt (Transport Museum Frankfurt) in theSchwanheimdistrict, the Hammer Museum in theBahnhofsvierteldistrict and the Geldmuseum der Deutschen Bundesbank (Money Museum of the German Federal Bank) in theGinnheimdistrict.
The Explora Museum+Wissenschaft+Technik (Explora Museum of Science and Engineering) in theNordenddistrict was closed in 2016. Most museums open around 10:00 am local time, and it is possible to comfortably visit four museums in one day, a fact many tourists take advantage of.
EurodanceandTrance musicoriginated in Frankfurt. In 1989 German producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti (under the pseudonyms Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III) formed theSnap!project. Snap! songs combinedRapandSoulvocals adding rhythm by using computer technology and mixing electronic sounds, bass and drums. By doing so a new genre was born: Eurodance.In the early 1990s, DJs includingSven Väthand DJ DAG (ofDance 2 Trance) first played a harder, deeper style ofacid housethat became popular worldwide over the next decade as Trance music. Some of the early and most influential Eurodance, Trance andTechnoacts, e.g.,La Bouche,Jam and Spoon,Magic Affair,Culture Beat,Snap!,Dance 2 Trance,Oliver LiebandHardfloor, and record labels such asHarthouseandEye Q, were based in the city in the early 1990s.
Frankfurt is home to two major botanical gardens:
Frankfurt offers a variety of restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs. Clubs concentrate in and around downtownand in theOstenddistrict, mainly close to Hanauer Landstraße. Restaurants, bars and pubs concentrate inSachsenhausen,Nordend,BornheimandBockenheim.
Inelectronic music, Frankfurt was a pioneering city in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with renowned DJs includingSven Väth,Marc Trauner,Scot ProjectandKai Tracid. One of the main venues of the earlyTrance musicsound was theOmen nightclubfrom 1988 to 1998. Another popular disco club of the 1980s–1990s and a hotspot for Techno/Trance music was theDorian Gray, which was located within Terminal 1 at Frankfurt Airport from 1978 to 2000. Further popular venues were theU60311(1998–2012) and theCoocoon ClubinFechenheim(2004–2012). Notable live music venues of the past include theSinkkasten Arts Club(1971–2011) and theKing Kamehameha Club(1999–2013).
Among the most popular active rock and pop concert venues is theBatschkappinSeckbach, which opened in 1976 as a center for autonomous and left-wing counterculture.
In a 2001 ranking by theUniversity of Liverpool, Frankfurt was rated the richest city in Europe byGDP per capita, followed byKarlsruhe, Paris andMunich.
Frankfurt was voted the seventh in theMercer Quality of Living Surveyby the Mercer Quality of Living Survey (2012),seventh in the Mercer Quality of Living Survey (2010) and 18th at theEconomist'sWorld's Most Liveable Cities Survey (2011).According to an annual citizen survey (2010), arranged by the city council, 66 percent inhabitants are satisfied or highly satisfied with the city, while only 6 percent said that they are dissatisfied. Compared to the 1993's survey the number of satisfied inhabitants has grown about 22 percent while the number of dissatisfied inhabitants was reduced by 8 percent. 84 percent of the inhabitants like to live in Frankfurt, 13 percent would rather choose to live somewhere else. 37 percent are satisfied with the public safety (1993: only 9 percent), 22 percent are dissatisfied (1993: 64 percent).
Frankfurt consistently has the highest levels of crime per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany (15.976 crimes per annum in 2008) and is therefore dubbed the German "crime capital".However, this statistic is often criticizedbecause it ignores major factors: It is calculated based on the administrative 680,000-inhabitant figure while the urban area has 2.5 M inhabitants and on weekdays adds another million people(not counting the 53 million passengers passing through the airport each year). The rate for personal safety-relevant crimes such as murder, manslaughter, rape or bodily harm, is 3.4 percent, placing Frankfurt twelfth in the ranking (related to the official 680,000-inhabitant figure) or number 21 (related to the one-million-figure).In 2018, the state of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located, was ranked the third-safest state in Germany.
The city can be accessed from around the world viaFrankfurt Airport(Flughafen Frankfurt am Main) located 12 km (7 mi) southwest of downtown. The airport has fourrunwaysand serves 265 nonstop destinations. Run by transport companyFraportit ranks among theworld's busiest airports by passenger trafficand is thebusiest airport by cargo trafficin Europe. The airport also serves as a hub forCondorand as the main hub for Germanflag carrierLufthansa. It is the busiest airport in Europe in terms of cargo traffic, and the fourth busiest in Europe in terms of passenger traffic behindLondon Heathrow Airport,Paris Charles de Gaulle AirportandAmsterdam Airport Schiphol. Passenger traffic at Frankfurt Airport in 2018 was 69,510,269 passengers.
A third terminal is being constructed (planned to open in 2026). The third terminal will increase the capacity of the airport to over 90 million passengers per year.
The airport can be reached by car or bus and has two railway stations, one for regional and one for long-distance traffic. TheS-Bahnlines S8 and S9 (directionOffenbach OstorHanau Hbf) departing at theregional stationtake 10–15 minutes from the airport toFrankfurt Central Stationand onwards toHauptwache stationdowntown), theICandICEtrains departing at thelong-distance stationtake 10 minutes to Frankfurt Central Station.
Despite the name,Frankfurt Hahn Airport(Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn) is situated approximately 120 km (75 mi) from the city inLautzenhausen(Rhineland-Palatinate). Hahn Airport is a major base forlow-cost carrierRyanair. This airport can only be reached by car or bus. An hourly bus service runs fromFrankfurt Central Station, taking just over 2 hours.Passenger traffic at Hahn Airport in 2010 was 3.5 million.
Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport(Flugplatz Frankfurt-Egelsbach) is a busygeneral aviationairport located south-east of Frankfurt Airport, nearEgelsbach.
Frankfurt is a traffic hub for the German motorway (Autobahn) system. TheFrankfurter Kreuzis an Autobahn interchange close to the airport, where theBundesautobahn 3(A3),ColognetoWürzburg, and theBundesautobahn 5(A5),BaseltoHanover, meet. With approximately 320,000 cars passing through it every day, it is Europe's most heavily used interchange. TheBundesautobahn 66(A66) connects Frankfurt withWiesbadenin the west andFuldain the east. TheBundesautobahn 661(A661) is mainly a commuter motorway that starts in the south (Egelsbach), runs through the eastern part and ends in the north (Oberursel). TheBundesautobahn 648(A648) is a very short motorway in the western part which primarily serves as a fast connection between the A 66 and theFrankfurt Trade Fair. The A5 in the west, the A3 in the south and the A661 in the northeast form aring roadaround the inner city districts and define aLow-emission zone(Umweltzone; established in 2008), meaning that vehicles have to meet certain emission criteria to enter the zone.
The streets of central Frankfurt are usually congested with cars duringrush hour. Some areas, especially around the shopping streets Zeil, Goethestraße and Freßgass, are pedestrian-only streets.
(Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, often abbreviated asFrankfurt (Main) HbforF-Hbf) is the largest railway station in Germany by railway traffic. By daily passenger volume, it ranks second (493,000 each) afterHamburg Central Station(550,000). It is located between theGallus, theGutleutvierteland theBahnhofsvierteldistrict, not far away from the trade fair and the financial district. It serves as a major hub for long-distance trains (InterCity,ICE) and regional trains as well as for Frankfurt's public transport system. It is a stop for most of ICE high-speed lines, making it Germany's most important ICE station. ICE Trains to London via theChannel Tunnelwere planned for 2013.AllRhine-Main S-Bahnlines, twoU-Bahnlines (U4, U5), several tram and bus lines stop there. Regional and local trains are integrated in the Public transport systemRhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund(RMV), the second-largest integrated public transport systems in the world, afterVerkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg.
Frankfurt Airport can be accessed by two railway stations:Frankfurt Airport long-distance station(Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof) is only for long-distance traffic and connects the airport to the main rail network, with most of theICEservices using theCologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line. The long-distance station is located outside the actual airport ground but has a connecting bridge for pedestrians to Terminal 1, concourse B.Frankfurt Airport regional station(Frankfurt Flughafen Regionalbahnhof) is for localS-Bahntrains (lines S8, S9) and regional trains. The regional station is located within Terminal 1, concourse B.
Frankfurt's third long-distance station isFrankfurt South station(Frankfurt Südbahnhof, often abbreviated asFrankfurt (Main) SüdorF-Süd), located inSachsenhausen. It is an important destination for local trains and trams (lines 15, 16 and 18) and the terminal stop for four U-Bahn lines (U1, U2, U3, U8) as well as three S-Bahn lines (S3, S4, S5). Line S6 also serves the station.
TheFrankfurt Trade Fairoffers two railway stations:Messe stationis for localS-Bahntrains (lines S3-S6) and is centrally located amid trade fair premises, while Festhalle/Messe station is served by U-Bahn line U4 and is located at the north-east corner of the premises.
Two other major downtown railway stations are Konstablerwache and Hauptwache, located on each end of the Zeil. They are the main stations to change from east-to-west-bound S-Bahn trains to north-to-south-bound U-Bahn trains. Konstablerwache station is the second-busiest railway station regarding daily passenger volume (98,000) after the central station. The third-busiest railway station is Hauptwache station (93,000).
This Station, located in Bockenheim, is served by north-heading Long-Distance ICE trains, multiple regional trains, and four commuter S-Bahn lines (S3, S4, S5, S6). Additionally, it is an important terminal stop for three "Metrobus" lines (M32, M36, M73).
There are three stations forintercity bus servicesin Frankfurt: one at the south side of the Central Station, one at the Terminal 2 of the airport and another one at Stephanstraße.
The city has tworapid transitsystems: the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn, as well as an above-ground tram system. Information about the U- and S-Bahn can be found on the website of theRMV.
NineS-Bahnlines (S1 to S9) connect Frankfurt with the densely populatedRhine Main Region. Most routes have at least 15-minute service during the day, either by one line running every 15 minutes, or by two lines servicing one route at a 30-minute interval. All lines, except line S7, run through theFrankfurt City Tunneland serve stations atOstendstraße,Konstablerwache,Hauptwache,TaunusanlageandFrankfurt Central Station. When leaving the city the S-Bahn travels above ground. It provides access to the trade fair (S3, S4, S5, S6), the airport (S8, S9), the stadium (S7, S8, S9) and nearby cities such asWiesbaden,Mainz,Darmstadt,Rüsselsheim,Hanau,Offenbach am Main,Oberursel,Bad Homburg,Kronberg,Friedbergand smaller towns that are on the way. The S8/S9 runs 24/7.
TheU-Bahnhas nine lines (U1 to U9) serving Frankfurt and the larger suburbs of Bad Homburg and Oberursel in the north. The trains that run on the U-Bahn are in factlight rail(Stadtbahn) as many lines travel along a track in the middle of the street instead of underground. The minimum service interval is 2.5 minutes, although the usual pattern is that each line runs at 7.5- to 10-minute intervals, which produce between 3- and 5-minute intervals on downtown tracks shared by more than one line.
Frankfurt has ten tram lines (11, 12, 14 to 21), with trams arriving usually every 10 minutes. Many sections are served by two lines, combining to run at 5-minute intervals during rush-hour. Trams only run above ground and serve more stops than the U-Bahn or the S-Bahn.
A number of bus lines complete the Frankfurt public transport system. Night buses replace U-Bahn and tram services between 1:30 am and 3:30 am.The central junction for the night bus service is at the downtown square of Konstablerwache, where all night bus lines start and end.
Taxicabscan usually be found outside the major S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations, at the central station, the south station, the airport, the trade fair and in the crowded inner-city shopping streets. The common way to obtain a taxi is to either call a taxi operator or to go to a taxi rank. However, although not the norm, one can hail a passing taxi on the street.
Uberceased operations in Frankfurt on 9 November 2015 after operating in the city for 18 months.However,UberXand local cabs are available through the Uber app.
Deutsche Bahnmakes bicycles available for hire through theirCall a Bikeservice. The bicycles are stationed all over the city, including at selected railway stations. They can easily be spotted because of their eye-catching silver-red color. To rent a specific bike, riders either call a service number to get an unlock code or reserve the bike via the smartphone application. To return the bike, the rider locks it within a designated return area (and calls the service number, if not booked via the app).
Nextbikealso makes bicycles available for hire in Frankfurt. They are stationed all over the city. These can be spotted with their blue color scheme.
Cycle rickshaws(velotaxis), a type oftricycledesigned to carry passengers in addition to the driver, are also available. These are allowed to operate in pedestrian-only areas and are therefore practical for sightseeing.
Frankfurt has a network of cycle routes. Many long-distance bike routes into the city have cycle tracks that are separate from motor vehicle traffic. A number of downtown roads are "bicycle streets" where the cyclist has the right of way and where motorized vehicles are only allowed access if they do not disrupt the cycle users. In addition, cyclists are allowed to ride many cramped one-way streets in both directions. As of 2015, 15 percent of citizens used bicycles.
Since 15 June 2019, the use ofe-scooterswas officially permitted by the German federal government. In Frankfurt, companies likeLime, TIER,Bird, voi.,DottorBoltare offering their electric micro mobility vehicles for lease. However, their use is being regarded with increasing weariness due to frequent abuse (parking, speeding, vandalism, accidents) and has sparked a public debate about the need of further regulation of the e-scooter market.
TheEuropean Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority(EIOPA) is an institution of the EU and part of theEuropean System of Financial Supervisorsthat was created in response to thefinancial crisis of 2007–2008. It was established on 1 January 2011.
Frankfurt is one of two locations of the GermanFederal Financial Supervisory Authority(Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, short:BaFin). The BaFin is an independent federal institution and acts as Germany'sfinancial regulatoryauthority.
Frankfurt is home to the German office of theInternational Finance Corporation(IFC), which is part of theWorld BankGroup. The IFC promotes sustainable private sector investment indeveloping countries.
Frankfurt is one of two sites of theGerman National Library(Deutsche Nationalbibliothek), the other beingLeipzig. The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek is auniversal libraryin Germany. Its task, unique in Germany, is to collect, permanently archive, comprehensively document and record bibliographically all German and German-language publications from 1913 on, foreign publications about Germany, translations of German works and the works of German-speaking emigrants published abroad between 1933 and 1945, and to make them available to the public.
As a profoundly international city, Frankfurt hosts 93 diplomatic missions (consulates andconsulates-general).TheConsulate General of the United StatesinEckenheimis the largest American consulate in the world.
Several courts are located in Frankfurt, including:
Frankfurt hosts two universities and several specialist schools. The two business schools areGoethe University Frankfurt'sGoethe Business SchoolandFrankfurt School of Finance & Management.
The oldest and best-known university is theJohann Wolfgang Goethe University, with locations in Bockenheim, Westend, and Riedberg, and the university hospital in Niederrad.Goethe Business Schoolis part of the university'sHouse of Financeat Campus Westend. The Business School's Full-Time MBA program has over 70% international students.
TheFrankfurt University of Applied Scienceswas created out of several older organisations in 1971, and offers over 38 study areas, in the arts, sciences, engineering and law. Some of the most important research projects: Planet Earth Simulator,FraLine-IT-School-Service, quantitative analysis ofmethanein human corpses with the help of a mass spectrometer, software engineering (e.g., fraDesk), analysis of qualitative and quantitative gas in human lungs, long-term studies onphotovoltaicmodules (to name only a few).
The city is also home to a business school,Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, formerly known as theHochschule für Bankwirtschaft(Institution of Higher Learning for Banking Economics), with its new campus near Deutsche Nationalbibliothek U-Bahn stop (recently moving from its previous location in the Ostend (Eastend) neighborhood). In 2001, it became a specialist institution for Economics and Management, or FOM. Frankfurt School is consistently ranked among the best business schools in the world, attributed to its high research output and quality of undergraduate and graduate training.
Frankfurt has the State Institution of Higher Learning for Artistic Education known as theStädelschule, founded in 1817 byJohann Friedrich Städel. It was taken over by the city in 1942 and turned into a state art school.
Music institutions are theFrankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, and theHoch Conservatory(Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium) which was founded in 1878. The InternationalEnsemble ModernAcademy is a significant institution for the study of contemporary music.
TheSankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology(German:Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen), a private institution with membership in the German Jesuit Association, has been located inSachsenhausensince 1950.
Frankfurt schools rank among the best-equipped schools nationwide for the availability of PCs and other media facilities.In order to assure maintenance and support of the school PCs, the city in cooperation with theUniversity of Applied Scienceslaunched the projectFraline– IT-Schul-Service, an initiative employing students to provide basic school IT-support.
The city is home to threeMax Planck Societyinstitutes: theMax Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory,Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, and theMax Planck Institute for Brain Research.
TheFrankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, sponsored by several institutional and private sources, is involved in theoretical research in physics, chemistry, neuroscience, and computer science.
Frankfurt is host to theRömisch-Germanische-Kommission(RGK), theGerman Archaeological Institutebranch forprehistoric archeologyin Germany and Europe. The RGK is involved in a variety of research projects. Its library, with over 200,000 items, is one of the largest archeological libraries in the world.
Goethe UniversityandFrankfurt University of Applied Sciencesare involved in the Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence ("hessian.AI").
Frankfurt is home to multiple trade unions and associations, including:
Trade associationsinclude:
Two important daily newspapers are published. The conservativeFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, also known asFAZ, was founded in 1949 and is the German newspaper with the widest circulation outside of Germany, with its editors claiming to deliver the newspaper to 148 countries every day. The FAZ has a circulation of over 380,000 copies daily. The other important newspaper, theFrankfurter Rundschau, was first published in 1945 and has a daily circulation of over 181,000.
Several magazines also originate from Frankfurt. The localJournal Frankfurtis the best-known magazine for events, parties, and "insider tips".Öko-Testis a consumer-oriented magazine that focuses on ecological topics.Titanicis a well-known and often criticizedsatiricalmagazine with a circulation of approximately 100,000.
Frankfurt's first radio station was the Südwestdeutsche Rundfunkdienst AG (Southwest German Broadcast Service), founded in 1924. Its successor service is the public broadcasterHessischer Rundfunk(Hessian Broadcast Service). It is located at the "Funkhaus am Dornbusch" in theDornbuschdistrict and is one of the most important radio and televisionbroadcastersin Hesse, with additional studios inKassel,DarmstadtandFulda.
Bloomberg TVandRTL Televisionhave regional studios.
Other radio broadcasters include Main FM and Radio X.
From August 1945 to October 2004, theAmerican Forces Network(AFN) had broadcast from Frankfurt (AFN Frankfurt). Due to troop reductions the AFN's location has been closed with AFN now broadcasting fromMannheim.
Frankfurt is home to the German office ofReuters, a globalnews agency.Associated Pressand US-based international news agency Feature Story News have bureaux in Frankfurt.
Frankfurt is home to several professional sports teams. Some of them have won German Championships. E.g. theSkyliners Frankfurtwon theGerman Basketball Championshipin 2004 and theGerman Cupin 2000. Women's side1. FFC Frankfurt(merged with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2020) are Germany's record title-holders;Eintracht Frankfurtare one-time German champions, five-times winners of theDFB-Pokal, and winners of theUEFA Cupin 1980 and theEuropa Leaguein 2022.
Frankfurt hosts the following sports teams or clubs:
Frankfurt is host to theclassic cycleraceEschborn-Frankfurt City Loop(known asRund um den Henninger-Turmfrom 1961 to 2008). The city hosts also the annualFrankfurt Marathonand theIronman Germany. In addition to the former, it is one of 13 global host locations to the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge, Germany's biggest corporate sports event. Rhein-Main Eissport Club forms the base of the Germanbandycommunity.
Besides the tourist attractions in central Frankfurt many internationally famous sites are within 80 km (50 mi) of the city, such as: