Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

Frankfurt am Main. The most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany.

Frankfurt is home to the European Central Bank, one of the institutional seats of the European Union, while Frankfurt’s central business district is a major financial center with Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Deutsche Bank, DZ Bank, and Commerzbank.

Frankfurt is culturally, ethnically, and religiously diverse, with half of its population, and a majority of its young people, having a migrant background. A quarter of the population consists of foreign nationals, including many expatriates. In 2015, Frankfurt was home to 1,909 ultra high-net-worth individuals, the sixth-highest number of any city. As of 2023, Frankfurt is the 13th-wealthiest city in the world and the second-wealthiest city in Europe (after London).

Frankfurt is a global hub for commerce, culture, education, tourism, and transportation, and is the site of many global and European corporate headquarters. Due to its central location in the former West Germany, Frankfurt Airport became the busiest in Germany, one of the busiest in the world, the airport with the most direct routes in the world, and the primary hub for Lufthansa, the national airline of Germany and Europe’s largest airline.

Frankfurt Central Station is Germany’s second-busiest railway station after Hamburg Hbf, and Frankfurter Kreuz is the most-heavily used interchange in the EU.

Automotive, technology and research, services, consulting, media and creative industries complement the economic base. Frankfurt’s DE-CIX is the world’s largest internet exchange point. Messe Frankfurt is one of the world’s largest trade fairs. Major fairs include the Music Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest book fair.

With 108 consulates, among which the largest is the U.S. Consulate General, Frankfurt is second to New York City among non-capital cities in regard to consulate seats.

Frankfurt is home to influential educational institutions, including the Goethe University with the Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt (de) (Hesse’s largest hospital), the FUAS, the FUMPA, and graduate schools like the FSFM. The city is one of two seats of the German National Library (alongside Leipzig), the largest library in the German-speaking countries and one of the largest in the world.

Its renowned cultural venues include the concert hall Alte Oper, continental Europe’s largest English theater and many museums, 26 of which line up along the Museum Embankment, including the Städel, the Liebieghaus, the German Film Museum (de), the Senckenberg Natural Museum, the Goethe House, and the Schirn art venue.

Frankfurt’s skyline is shaped by some of Europe’s tallest skyscrapers, which has led to the term ‘Mainhattan.’

The city has many notable green areas and parks, including the Wallanlagen, Volkspark Niddatal, Grüneburgpark, the City Forest, two major botanical gardens (the Palmengarten and the Botanical Garden Frankfurt), and the Frankfurt Zoo.