Interesting Facts

Frankfurt is the heart of the arts in Germany. In fact, the city spends more on the arts than any other city in Europe! A majority of the city's selection of museums is concentrated along the banks of the River Main.
A majority of central Frankfurt can be explored on foot and a good place to start is the R�merberg, which is the historical and geographical center of the city. Charlemagne built his fort on this low hill, which was the location of earlier Roman and Alemmanic settlements, to protect the ford that gave Frankfurt its name � Frankonovurd, meaning Ford of the Franks.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away! A popular Frankfurt drink is apple wine. Similar to cider, the brew is known locally as Ebbelwoi.
Frankfurt is a cosmopolitan city. One in four inhabitants is foreign! The city, located in the heart of Germany at the river Main, has been nicknamed "Mainhattan", as the city's skyline resembles that of New York instead of an ancient German city.
The Messeturm is a massive multi-story tower with a pointed roof. The building is the venue for trade fairs that are hosted in Frankfurt. Each year in October, publishers from all over the world come to Frankfurt to participate in the International Buchmesse, which is the largest book fair in the world.
Bad Homburg vor der H�he lies about ten miles from Frankfurt in the foothills of the Taunus range. The healing power of the local waters was well known in Roman times. During the later years, emperors, tsars, and kings visited the area in order to take advantage of its precious natural resource.
Despite the fact that Frankfurt is the banking metropolis of Germany and the most populated city in the state, it is not the capital of the federal state of Hesse. The capital, Wiesbaden, lies opposite Mainz on the Rhine.
All that Jazz! Yes, Frankfurt is regarded as the jazz capital of Europe. The Jazzkeller is one of Frankfurt's most important venues for jazz music.
In March of 1944, two massive air raids flattened the historic core of the city. The most significant structure surviving was St. Bartholom�us Dom, which was built in the thirteenth century. Prior to the construction of Frankfurt's skyscrapers, it was the tallest building in the city and was used as the site for the election and coronation of the Holy Roman Emperors in Germany.
Shop �til you drop and then eat! The best place for shopping is at the Hauptwache, which is the city's former police station and is now a caf�! Germany's longest shopping street, the Zeil, starts here. The Fressgass is a nearby pedestrian zone whose name means "Glutton's Lane!" Be sure to take advantage of the many delis and restaurants that dot the area.