Plan a trip to Frankfurt

Frankfurt Am Main, less than 40 km from the Rhine, is first and foremost the financial center of Germany. The Frankfurt Stock Exchange, more than 400 years old, was established in 1585. Frankfurt’s modern skyline with its many skyscrapers is what gave it the moniker: "Mainhatten” which is obviously a portmanteau of the two words (Main, the river and New York’s Manhattan). These tall buildings makes for a most impressive modern “skyscraper skytline” with its own “twin towers” of the Deutsche Bank, the Eurotower etc.  Occasionally, there is a (free) Skyscraper Festival – so keep your eyes and ears open and perhaps there will be one this year or next year!

Messe

The city is known for the Messe Frankfurt, (Messe is German for Industrial Fair) which is the world's largest trade fair, congress and event organizer with its own exhibition grounds. In 1240 the Emperor Frederick II launched the first “Autumn Fair” and they’ve never looked back!

The Main Tower

Like most major cities in the world, Frankfurt too has its Tower and observation deck  (Aussichtsplattform) on Neue Mainzer Str. 52–58. This is one of the best places to get an amazing view of this fascinating city and capture that “Kodak Moment” (there is a fee to pay in order to get to the roof).  

Goethe House

 Johan Wolfgang von Goethe was born in this house on Grosser Hirschgraben. As we all know he was a famous writer, poet, scientist, statesman – he was a real polymath. It was here that he wrote the first draft of what was his most famous book “Faust”. During WWII, the original Goethe House was bombed but was eventually rebuilt. The Goethe House and the Deutsches Romantik-Museum which has a permanent exhibition about Goethe’s early years are next to each other.

St Paul's Church (Paulskirche Church)

 Once the main Evangelical Lutheran Church of Frankfurt, stands St Paul's Church which was built in 1833 on Paulsplatz 11. However today it is an exhibition hall or a national assembly hall. A plaque on the outer wall commemorates the visit of the American President J.F. Kennedy to the church in 1963. It was on this visit, at the height of the Cold War, that he gave a speech in Berlin with the famous phrase "I am a Berliner" (Ich bin ein Berliner).

City Hall (Römer)

in the Old Town of Frankfurt on Römerberg plaza you can visit Römer, as the city hall is called. The Rathaus (city hall) was “put together” in the early 1400’s by combining two medieval houses, named "Römer" and "Goldener Schwan", to become one town hall.  Together with the covered bridge called the Seufzerbrücke (the "Bridge of Sighs"- mimicking the “real” Bridge of Sighs in Venice) they are definite, impressive landmarks. In front of these buildings, in the middle of the square is the Fountain of Justice (The Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen) from the mid 1500’s.  Don’t miss the Ostzeile area with six half-timbered houses which were restored to their former selves after being heavily bombed during WWII.

Secret:  You can take time out for a meal in a restaurant called the Haus Wertheym  which is housed in one such half-timber house that remained intact and unscathed.

The Frankfurt Cathedral, Roman Catholic - Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew (German: Kaiserdom Sankt Bartholomäus): A narrow pedestrian street leads you from the Town Hall towards the Dom Cathedral.  All these the buildings were also restored, having been totally ruined during WWII. The interior of the cathedral is impressive and if you can climb the to the top from the observation deck you will have your “Kodak Moment” – a spectacular view of the Old Town

The Opera House

The Frankfurt Opera’s impressive building is easily accessible by public transport and is located near the city's green ring. The original building was built in the late 1800’s and had the honor of Mozart’s Don Giovanni “opening” Frankfurt’s first major opera/concert hall. Unfortunately, this building as well as many treasured older buildings was destroyed in WWII and it took almost 40 years to reconstruct an updated, contemporary concert hall.

Shopping and food: Finally, we can relax on Zeil Street along the pedestrian mall near the Old City where there is a wide selection of department stores, shops, restaurants and cafes. We recommend that you take this opportunity to taste and enjoy the well-known Wurstchen Sausage and for dessert to order the Bethmannchen marzipan cookies.

Museums

If it is icons that are of interest to you, then a visit the Ikonenmuseum Museum of Icons is a must! The high-quality exhibition is presented here for the Aficionado who will appreciate the exciting and extensive collection of diverse items.  This is one of several special and unique museums on the bank opposite the Old City. Frankfurt's old bridge takes you across and the museums are a short walk away on the Sachsenhauser street parallel to the River Main

Money Museum of the Deutsche Bundesbank  Geldmuseum der Deutschen Bundesbank: Everybody loves money and here is an opportunity to find out everything you ever wanted to know about this currency. Explore the world of money! In this fascinating museum, you will find the answers to any questions you have about money. It is entertaining and educational! Exhibits, media stations, interactive games, answers to questions like: How is cash produced? How does monetary policy work and what exactly does a central bank do? What role does money play in a globalised world? You will get answers to your questions as well participate in exciting hands-on exhibits and media stations. Suitable for all ages, the exhibition is both in German and English. 
“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.” George Lorimer
Secret: There is no fee, free entrance

Note: During WWII hundreds of bombs were dropped on Frankfurt and as a result most of the “original” Old Town was wiped out and had to be rebuilt.