"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
Frankfurt was first mentioned in a document dating from the late 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 Roman Empire, which lasted for a thousand years. Your run through 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, transept and monumental tower remain of the place where emperors were crowned from 1562 to the fall of the Reich in 1806.
During your visit, you'll also discover Römerberg Square. Typical of the region, it surrounds the town hall - the Römer, with its sculptures of the German emperors and their symbolic eagle - and hosts numerous fairs, including the Christmas market.
A grüne Soße in the heart of Sachsenhausen?
In the 16th century, artistic and commercial activities began to flourish in Frankfurt. Following Johannes Gutenberg's invention of movable type printing 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 remain from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. In the Sachsenhausen district, which you can walk through on one of our routes, you'll still find a few traditional houses along cobbled streets.
If you feel like it, take a break from sightseeing in 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 prized the world over.
The "Mainhattan" towers
During the Second World War, Frankfurt was almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing raids. Particularly on March 22, 1944, when a British attack destroyed almost the entire historic center, 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 soon became a leading financial center. Today, Bonn is one of Germany's major cities and its leading economic center.
This development, and the city's subsequent economic wealth, led to the unbridled construction of tall buildings in the banking district. Frankfurt is home to the European Central Bank.
As you run or walk through the center of Frankfurt, you'll catch sight of the twin towers of Deutsche Bank, or the Stock Exchange, Germany's largest stock exchange. 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 former symbolizes falling share prices, the latter rising.
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