Frankfurt – a premier cultural destination in Germany
Known for its characteristic futuristic skyline (and for the airport), this middle-size city, situated on the river Main in central Germany, is much more than a banking capital or a transit hub: Frankfurt spends more money on the arts than any other European city.
Attractions
Most of the city´s attractions are situated around the city centre. The district of The Main's south bank, dubbed Museumsufer, is where the most of the museums are clustered. There you will find for instance: Museum Giersch (art), world culture musem (Museum der Weltkulturen), Jewish museum, and Museum für Kommunikation. Frankfurt has also a Money museum, and Goethe museum (this great writer was born here). This section of the city has also charming Sachsenhausen's houses and narrow alleys with apple-wine taverns.
The famous skyline of this “Mainhattan” is viewed best from the bridges on Main, preferably from Eiserner Steg (Iron bridge). From the viewing platform of the Main Tower, beautiful sunsets can be witness.
Events in Frankfurt
Fastnacht parades in February; International Music Trade Fair in March. During summer months visitors can enjoy a vast range of festivals devoted to apple wine, among them Mainfest (in August), and Dippemess (in September). Frankfurt has also its Sommerfest at Opernplatz; and Museumsuferfest that brings the riverside alive with art, music and exhibition. Moreover, the Wilhelmstrassenfest Theatrium, in nearby Wiesbaden, is one of the country's largest and most exclusive street festivals. In late autumn there is time for Book Fair, followed by the International Jazz Festival. In December, Frankfurt celebrates Christmas time with the fair Weihnachtsmarkt.
Nightlife, entertainment, leisure
Frankfurt is the home of techno; one can party all night long most nights of the week.
Bars, restaurants, and clubs concentrate around Fressgasse ('Munch Alley'), Sachsenhausen, Bockenheim and Bornheim.
Shopping
Frankfurt is a great place to shop wine and food, fashion cloths, high-quality electronics and sports equipment.
Getting here
By air
Flughafen Frankfurt-am-Main is Germany's main gateway and continental Europe's busiest airport.
By train and bus
Frankfurt's Hauptbahnhof is country´s busiest main train stations, nearly 100 long distance trains arrive here (and stop at the airport station as well) every day. Long-distance buses connect Frankfurt with most eastern and western European countries; the bus terminal is next to the main train station.
By car
Most of Germany's Autobahnen (highways) converge in Frankfurt, so the trip here by car is quick and easy. Due to many one-way streets in the centre, it is advisable to leave a car parked close-by.
Getting around
The public transport system is excellent and integrates the city's bus, tram, U-Bahn (subway), and S-Bahn (local train) lines. Bikes can be rented at the main railway station.
Eat & sleep
Being an international fair city, Frankfurt has sufficient hotel infrastructure, although during the Book Fair and the Auto Fair it is hard to find a suitable place to stay. People in Frankfurt love to dine out, the gastronomy is quite sophisticated,
Climate & weather
Early fall and early summer are the best months for a visit; summer can be rainy and temperamental, with temperatures over 30°C (86°F). Winter is quite stormy, and cold, though snowless. However, spending the cold days inside an art museum or a nightclub is a pretty good option.
The average temperature is around 10°C (50°F).
Time zone: UTC (GMT)+1. Daytime saving time (DST) is observed.
Currency: Euro (EUR, €).
History
Already in Roman times Frankfurt had been a trading centre; around the 12th century the city's was famous in whole Europe for its trade fairs. At the same time Frankfurt became the place of elections and coronation of German kings, starting with Frederick I Barbarossa in 1152. Even though the city became later so called free imperial city (freie Reichstadt), it has been occupied on several occasions by Swedes and French.
During the 1848 revolution, Frankfurt hosted briefly the first German parliament. During the Nazi rule, Frankfurt's Jewish community, which had given the city its banking tradition and much of its academic and cultural heritage, was exterminated; the majority of the city centre was destroyed during the Allied bombing raids in March 1944. The historical centre was though carefully restored later. After the end of the war the American Army established theirs headquarter there.
In following post-war years, Frankfurt became a hub of German banking; both the Deutsche Bundesbank and the European Central Bank have their base here. The city became famous for its art museums in the last decades of the 20th century.
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