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About Frankfurt:
The city of Frankfurt (formally known as Frankfurt am Main) is the largest community in the German state of Hesse. It is the fifth largest city in Germany. Frankfurt has a population of approximately 670,000 residents. The overall urban area has a population approaching 2.5 million people. Frankfurt is one of the cities that is part of the much larger Frankfurt-Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region that has a population itself of 5.3 million residents. This Region is the second largest metro-plex in Germany.
Frankfurt is located on the Main River. The city is considered to be the financial and the transport center of the country. Indeed, Frankfurt is the largest financial center in all of continental Europe. For example, Frankfurt is the home of the European Central Bank, the German Federal Bank and other large financial institutions with international reach.
Frankfurt is the location of the most widely used international airports on the planet. Frankfurt Central Station is one of the busiest train stations in Europe. Many travelers from across the globe heading to Europe for holiday or vacation use Frankfurt as their jumping off point for these very reasons.
Frankfurt likely was settled initially during the First Century AD as part of the Roman Empire. With the eventual rise of the Holy Roman Empire, Frankfurt became a very important city. Indeed, it was in Frankfurt that German Kings and Emperors were crowned for centuries. The political importance of Frankfurt would carry forth into the 20th and 21st centuries as well.
Frankfurt lies in what was the American Occupation Zone following the Second World War. However, at this time, the former headquarters of the U.S. Army is now gone from the city.
Following World War II some consideration was made to establishing Frankfurt as the capital of West Germany. Frankfurt was on the short list because of its dominate role as a political, economic, social and cultural center throughout much of the history of the country. In the end, Bonn was selected as the capital of West Germany because of the dominate role Frankfurt previously played in German life.
The theory was that if a cultural powerhouse like Frankfurt was selected as the West German capital it would make reunification (always a primary goal of the West German government) more difficult at a future point in time. The belief was that if reunification could be accomplished, the long standing capital of Berlin would be restored as the capital for a reunified nation – which did in fact occur ultimately. This does underscore the traditional and ongoing importance of Frankfurt, however.
In part because of its major role in international commerce, Frankfurt has become a multi-cultural city. More than 180 different nationalities can be found making their home in the city.
There are many interesting and highly regarded points of interest in Frankfurt. Indeed, many people visit the city in order to take in these sites. Some of the most significant sites in the city include: Saint Bartholomeus' Cathedral, Roemer (the Frankfurt City Hall), Saint Paul's Church, the Old Opera House, Hauptwache (a 17th century prison) and Zeil. Zeil is the main shopping district in Frankfurt and is the most crowded of all retail streets or areas in the entire country.
Frankfurt is the only city in Germany with a significant number of skyscrapers. In fact, until 2003 the tallest skyscraper in all of Europe was located on Frankfurt.
Festivals play a major role in the life of Frankfurt. The largest annual festival held in the city is Museumuferfest. This is one of the largest festivals held in all of Germany. The festival is held at the end of August and involves more than 20 museums in the city. During the three days of this festival, more than 3 million people visit the event.
Trade fairs are also very important in Frankfurt. These commercial gathers have a long tradition in the city. The first trade fairs were held in Frankfurt in the 12th century. Today, Frankfurt has become the third largest exhibition site in the world. This includes the world's largest auto show, the world's largest book fair, the world's largest consumer goods fair.
Frankfurt is home to two major German universities. There are a number of other highly regarded institutions of higher learning located in the city as well. People from across Europe travel to Frankfurt to advance their education.
Frankfurt has a vibrant night life scene. This includes some highly regarded restaurants and bistros located throughout the city. Frankfurt is the location at which a number of internationally identified German dishes originated. There are also a number of very popular nightclubs in the city as well.
Live theater, the opera and the symphony are other favored entertainment attractions in the city. The Frankfurt live music scene is also one of the most lively and highly regarded in Europe at this time
Frankfurt Hotels: (Page 1 of 2)
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