Running in Frankfurt: Europe's Manhattan
- audreyubertino
- Mar 31
- 3 min read
Bordered by the River Main, Frankfurt is a dynamic metropolis in the heart of Germany and one of Europe's leading financial centres. From the air, its skyline bristling with skyscrapers has earned it the nickname ‘Mainhattan’. Yet a stroll through its streets reveals a fascinating contrast between modernity and history: between glass buildings and half-timbered houses, lively squares and peaceful riverbanks, world-famous museums and traditional breweries.
‘In a city like Frankfurt, one finds oneself in a strange situation; the strangers who constantly pass one another point to all parts of the world and arouse the desire to travel’, declared Goethe in his autobiography entitled “Poetry and Truth”.
Built on the banks of the River Main, Frankfurt is a true European crossroads, geographically, historically and economically.
The city of emperors
The name Frankfurt is first mentioned in a document dating from the end of the 8th century. It was then called Franconofurd, meaning ‘the ford of the Franks’. Charlemagne himself built a palace here. As a result, Frankfurt soon became one of the largest cities in the Holy Roman Empire. From the middle of the 9th century, German emperors were appointed here, before being crowned in Aachen, which accelerated the city's development. It then became an imperial free city and, in 1250, was granted new privileges.
The Collegiate Church of St Bartholomew, often referred to as the Cathedral, is one of the witnesses to this Holy Empire, which lasted for a thousand years. Your tour of Frankfurt will certainly take you past this building, which was largely rebuilt in the 20th century following the bombings. Despite its modern appearance, the Gothic cloister, the transept and the monumental tower remain of the place where the emperors were crowned from 1562 until the fall of the Reich in 1806.
During your visit, you will also discover the Römerberg square. Typical of the region, it surrounds the town hall - the Römer, with its sculptures representing the German emperors and their symbolic eagle - and hosts numerous fairs, including the Christmas market.
A grüne Soße at the heart of Sachsenhausen ?
During the 16th century, artistic and commercial activities first developed in Frankfurt. Following the invention of movable type printing by Johannes Gutenberg in the Strasbourg region, Frankfurt became home to the most important book fair in the Holy Roman Empire. The subsequent period of prosperity lasted only a century. The craftsmen's uprising at the beginning of the 17th century, followed by the plague epidemic, weakened the city's power.
Historic buildings still stand from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In the Sachsenhausen district, which you can walk through on one of our routes, there are still a few traditional houses along the cobbled streets.
If you feel like it, take a break from your visit to Frankfurt and enjoy a glass of Apfelwein, the local cider, with potatoes covered in grüne Soße, a sauce imported by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's grandfather when he immigrated to Frankfurt from Lyon! Or Frankfurter, the famous hot dog sausages, now popular the world over.
The ‘Mainhattan’ towers
During the Second World War, Frankfurt was almost entirely destroyed by Allied bombing raids. Particularly on 22 March 1944, when a British attack destroyed almost the entire historic centre, killing 1,001 people instantly. The city was rebuilt, sometimes identically, like the Römerberg. But often, the choice was resolutely modern.
Despite the fact that in 1949, following the elections to the first German Bundestag, Bonn was chosen over Frankfurt as the capital of the FRG, the latter quickly became a leading financial centre. Today, it is one of Germany's major cities and its leading economic centre.
This development, and the city's subsequent economic wealth, led to the frantic construction of large buildings in the banking district. Frankfurt is now home to the European Central Bank.
As you run or walk through the centre of Frankfurt, you'll see the twin towers of Deutsche Bank, and the Stock Exchange, which is Germany's biggest trading centre. In fact, it handles 85% of German share trading! In front of it stand the two famous statues of the bear and the bull. The first symbolises falling share prices, the second rising.
Run, walk or ride with JOOKS, from the collegiate church of St Bartholomew to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange!
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