Frankfurt/Main

City Facts

Resident population: 680000 inhabitants
Area: 14,800 sq km
Country code: 0049
Currency: Euros
 
Located on the river Main, Frankfurt is the 4th financial center of Europe and the 3rd business city. The city is home the European Central Bank and the German Stock Exchange, which is by far Germany's largest and one of the the world's most important.

Climate and when to visit
The climate of Frankfurt, typical of Central Europe, is characterized by cold winters and hot summers. During the winter the temperature often drops below zero and rarely rise above. Summers can exceed 30 ° C with high humidity and frequent thunderstorms. If you don’t want to risk the cold weather, summer is the best time to visit.
 
Language
German (Deutsch in German) is spoken by over 100 million people and is one of the most spoken languages in Europe and the most spoken in the European Union. Most Germans understand and can communicate in English since the business language is often English.
 
Useful numbers
Medical Emergencies: 112
Traffic/Circulation accidents: 110

Culture and Traditions

Frankfurt is one of the commercial and cultural centers of Europe. A former economic, financial, and geographical important city in the former West Germany. It is still home to many international banks, and high rise office blocks characteristic of financial districts. Lively and international this city is a melting pot of different cultures, lifestyles and languages.

History

Frankfurt is a city with a glorious past and rich history and has seen the birthplace of one of the greatest romantic poets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1710-1782). Historical sources mention the city already being populated in 3000 BC and first mentionned by name in 794 by Charlemagne. The city was inhabited by many groups from the Romans to the Germans, but finally with the Franks and Charlemagne.
The carefully restored buildings of Römerberg remain one of the few signs of the past glory of the city. The post war reconstruction of the city left room for the building of modern sky scrapers.

Airports

Frankfurt international airport is one of the busiest in the world. Nearly 300 companies offer  domestic, international and intercontinental flights from the airport. With 56 million passengers every year it is the largest airport in Germany, the 3rd in Europe and the 9th in the world.
 
Frankfurt-Hahn is the low-cost airport in the area with an increas in the number of passengers every year. There is a Shuttle-service departing from the central train station of Frankfurt (south side, Stuttgarterstraße/Mannheimerstraße corner) several times a day to the airport (Bus Terminal 1).
 
http://www.hahn-airport.de/default.aspx?menu=car_bus_charter&cc=en
 
By Train

The central train station (Frankfurt HBF), is a European transport hub , with more than 130 million passengers a year.
 
By Car


From the north: federal motorway A5
From the south: federal motorway A67, then take the A5
From the west: federal motorway  A3
From the south-east: federal motorway A3
From the south-west: federal motorway A6, then onto the A5
 
How to get around in Frankfurt


Public Transport


http://www.rmv.de/auskunft/bin/jp/query.exe/en?L=vs_rmv
 

The affective dynamics of the city means it balances tall, modern buildings with small areas of open space to give the city a feeling of openness and space. The city is a set of worlds: Trade and trade shows, the financial, transport and communications, the world of culture, intellectuals, museums, universities, large green spaces.

Things worth seeing and visiting
Frankfurt is an ideal starting point for excursions along the river Rhine to Heidelberg or Rudesheim and only 30 minutes by car or train from Wiesbaden, Mainz or Marburg. In the city the most important things to see are, among others: the Römerberg (the central square) with the Römer (City Hall), the Kaiserdom (church where Kaisers were crowned), the Paulskirche that in 1948, was home to the first German parliament, the Alte Oper (old opera), and the Goethe House.
The Main Tower is worth visiting because it is the only skyscraper in Frankfurt, which offers a lookout point accessible to the public with a restaurant.
 
http://www.maintower.de/hlb/generator/Sites/Maintower/wwwroot/hpMaintower.en.html
 
Cuisine
Traditional German cuisine is available in many places in the city. Including meats, sausages, savory soups and pickled vegetables. Frankfurt, in particular, is famous for the green sauce and cheese slices seasoned with vinegar and garlic. Make sure to walk through the "Fressgass", a pedestrian street where you can literally devour German specialities. In June there is the annual "Fressgass" festival and in August the annual Rheingau wine festival.