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The city’s full name, Frankfurt am Main (“Frankfurt on the Main”), distinguishes it from the other, smaller Frankfurt on the Oder river (Frankfurt an der Oder) on the Polish border. Frankfurt am Main has about 753,000 residents (2018), but the greater Rhein-Main metro region is home to over five million people.
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Frankfurt am Main, city, Hessen Land (state), western Germany. The city lies along the Main River about 19 miles (30 km) upstream from its confluence with the Rhine River at Mainz. Pop. (2021 est.) city, 759,224; urban agglom., 3,210,500.
There is evidence of Celtic and Germanic settlements in the city dating from the 1st century bce, as well as Roman remains from the 1st and 2nd centuries ce. The name Frankfurt (“Ford [Passage or Crossing] of the Franks”) probably arose about 500 ce, when the Franks drove the Alemanni south, but the first written mention of Franconofurt stems from Charlemagne’s personal biographer, Einhard, in the late 8th century. The Pfalz (imperial castle) served as an important royal residence of the East Frankish Carolingians from the 9th century through later medieval times. In the 12th century the Hohenstaufen dynasty erected a new castle in Frankfurt and walled the town. The Hohenstaufen ruler Frederick I (Frederick Barbarossa) was elected king there in 1152, and in 1356 the Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV (the constitution of the Holy Roman Empire) designated Frankfurt as the permanent site for the election of the German kings.
Frankfurt am Main was a free imperial city from 1372 until 1806, when Napoleon I made it the seat of government for the prince primate of the Confederation of the Rhine. In 1810 the city became the capital of the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt, created by Napoleon. From 1815, when Napoleon fell, Frankfurt was again a free city, where in 1848–49 the Frankfurt National Assembly met. From 1816 to 1866 the city was the seat of the German Bundestag (Federal Diet) and thus the capital of Germany. After the Seven Weeks’ War in 1866, Frankfurt was annexed by Prussia and thereby lost its free-city status. It was only after its integration into a united Germany that Frankfurt developed into a large industrial city.
Until World War II, Frankfurt’s Old Town, which had grown up around the imperial castle, was the largest medieval city still intact in Germany. The Old Town was mostly destroyed by Allied bombing campaigns in 1944, however, and was subsequently rebuilt with multistory office buildings and other modern structures. Among the city’s most famous old structures are the Römer (“the Roman”; formerly the site of the Holy Roman emperor’s coronation ceremonies and now Frankfurt’s city hall) and two other gabled houses on the Römerberg (the city square surrounding the Römer). Other historical landmarks include the 155-foot- (47-metre-) tall Eschenheimer Tower (1400–28); the red sandstone cathedral, which was dedicated to St. Bartholomew in 1239; and the Paulskirche, which was the meeting place of the first Frankfurt National Assembly.
International trade fairs have been held in Frankfurt since 1240, and the city is now a leading commercial, financial, and high-technology centre. There is an important stock exchange (first established in 1585). The Rothschild family started building its international banking empire in Frankfurt. The city also is the home of the European Union’s central bank. Annual book, automobile, and computer fairs are popular events, and there are many other fairs held throughout the year. Manufactures include automobiles, machinery, chemical and pharmaceutical products, printing materials, and foodstuffs. The city is traditionally known for its production of high-quality sausages (frankfurters).
Frankfurt has long been a key stopping point for river, rail, and road traffic from Switzerland and southern Germany northward along the Rhine River to the Ruhr region and across the Main River to north-central Germany. It is still the chief traffic hub for western Germany and has also been an important inland shipping port since the canalization of the Main in the 1880s. Frankfurt Airport is the largest airport in Germany and one of the busiest in Europe.
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Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt (1914) is among the largest institutions of higher education in Germany. The Frankfurt am Main City Zoological Garden is one of the country’s finest zoos. Among the city’s other attractions are the Städel Art Institute and Municipal Gallery, the Senckenberg Natural History Museum, and the Liebieghaus Museum of Sculpture. The birthplace of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was burned to the ground in World War II but was later restored. Adjoining it is the Goethe Museum and Library.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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Discover 40 fascinating facts about Frankfurt am Main, from its rich history and stunning architecture to its vibrant culture and bustling financial district. Plan your visit to this captivating city today!
The name Frankfurt first appears in writing in the year 793, but it seems to have already been a considerable city. In 794 a letter from the Emperor to the bishop of Toledo contained " in loco celebri, qui dicitur Franconofurd ", which reads "that famous place, which is called Frankfurt."
About Frankfurt. Frankfurt – the financial centre, the European city, the traffic hub, the smallest metropolis in the world. When you think of the city on the Main, you think of the Frankfurt Airport, the Paulskirche and Goethe, the Stock Exchange, the Book Fair and the skyline. No doubt about it: Frankfurt brings opposites together.
May 27, 2003 · Frankfurt am Main may be the city's official name but it's often referred to as Bankfurt or Mainhattan. That's hardly surprising: the city has more than 40 gleaming skyscrapers, the...
Also known as Frankfurt or Frankfurt on the Main, the city stands on the banks of the Main River, about 19 miles (30 kilometers) from where the river joins the Rhine. Cityscape. © Kristan/Fotolia. Most of the medieval buildings in the city’s Old Town were destroyed in World War II, but several were later rebuilt.
