German Cities Frankfurt am Main

With a population of more than 670,000, the city of Frankfurt am Main is the fifth largest of the German cities, as well as the largest city in Hesse. Frankfurt am Main covers an area of 95.9 square miles (248.31 km. sq.), although the surrounding metropolitan district, which is known as the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region, is much larger, covering more than 5,000 square miles and encompassing a population of almost six million. The city’s name means, “Frankfurt on the Main” in English, as the settlement was established at a ford, or shallow crossing, on the Main River. The city is traditionally known simply as Frankfurt in English, although the Germans will sometimes use its full title because there is another Frankfurt in Brandenburg. Like many other German cities, Frankfurt am Main has attracted a significant amount of business in the financial sector, and has become a transportation center of Central Europe.

Frankfurt am Main is one of the German cities that were originally settled during the era of the Roman Empire, although only a few of Frankfurt’s districts correspond to settlements that existed during that time. The city got its real start during the Middle Ages, when it became known as the “ford of the Franks,” or Franconofurd, a reference to the ford in the Main River near where the city was based. The first official mention of the city came in 794 CE, at an imperial assembly headed by the Frankish Emperor Charlemagne. Frankfurt am Main later became an important site in the Holy Roman Empire, serving as the center of imperial elections, and later, of the Frankfurt Trade Fair, which was first recorded in 1150. During the late Middle Ages, Frankfurt became a full imperial city, granting visitors who came there the protection of the empire.

Following the Napoleonic Wars, during which Frankfurt and many other German cities had been occupied by the French Emperor, the Holy Roman Empire dissolved, and Frankfurt am Main became a part of Aschaffenburg, The map of Europe”specifically, Germany”was redrawn twice during the nineteenth century, once at the Vienna Conference in 1815 and again during the Prussian bid to create a unified Germany. Frankfurt am Main eventually became a part of Hesse-Nassau. In 1914, the citizens of Frankfurt founded the University of Frankfurt, which is known today as Johann Wolfgang Goethe University. During World War II, Frankfurt was severely damaged in air raids, and much of the city was rebuilt in a modern style afterwards. Frankfurt am Main also served as the US Army’s base of operations in postwar Germany.

During the past few decades, Frankfurt has become one of the most important German cities in terms of finance. Frankfurt am Main is home to many different international companies, and has developed into the city with the highest GDP per capita in all of Europe. Many German banks, such as Deutsche Bank, have their headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, along with the German stock exchange. There are also a number of advertising firms, accounting and professional services, consulting firms, and electronic communications companies that are situated in Frankfurt am Main.