Frankfurt am Main

Good afternoon. My name is Dajana Misic, and Hearing stories from people I have met there,
in this essay, I will be your ‘’tour guide’’, trough most of them say that Frankfurt is very
Frankfurt. Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am underrated city! Most people just know the big
Main, is a metropolis and the largest city of the Frankfurt Airport (about whom I'll talk later) or
German federal state of Hesse, and its 736,414 have heard about it since the European Central
inhabitants make it the fifth-largest city of Bank and other big banks that are located there.
Germany, right after Berlin, Hamburg, Munich But, Frankfurt has so much more to offer!
and Cologne. On the River Main it forms a Frankfurt is the only city in Germany that has big
continuous conurbation with the neighboring city skyscrapers and the skyline! You get the feeling
of Offenbach am Main, and its urban area has a of being in a big city. It’s the big-city-life you are
population of 2.3 million. Frankfurt is the largest offered like nowhere else in Germany! But
city in the Rhine Franconian dialect area. Like there’s also the other charming and calm side:
France and the region of Franconia, the city is you have the old part of town with the old timber-
named after the Franks. Frankfurt was a city frame houses! It’s touristic, yes, but it’s lovely.
state, the Free City of Frankfurt, for nearly five You’ve got the big river Main with both
centuries, and was one of the most important riversides, which are a lovely place to hang out
cities of the Holy Roman Empire; it lost its during summer. Frankfurt has been growing
sovereignty in 1886. Frankfurt is the major over the last few years and more than ever,
financial center of the European continent, with there are so many opportunities to go out, to do
the headquarters of the European Central Bank, sports, to meet people and more! Frankfurt is
German Federal Bank, Frankfurt Stock also said to be a very fancy city, which is partly
Exchange, Deutsche Bank, DZ Bank, KfW, true- big bankers spend their money in the city
Commerzbank etc. In this town we have lots of and therefore lots of things are expensive and
shows and fairs, such as: Messe Frankfurt, you should be suited up. But you just have to
Frankfurt Motor Show, Music Fair, Frankfurt know where to go: there’s plenty of possibilities
Book Fair etc. to go out in the student-style!

Picture 1. ‘’Frankfurt am Main’’ Picture 2. ''Frankfurt in winter''

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 Frankfurt am Main

2.Frankfurt Airport airport’s exit. In the areas A and B, right at the

airport’s exit yet still inside the airport, notice the
When you say to someone ''Oh, Frankfurt , that signs for the regional and long-distance train
big city'', most of them knows it by the famous stations — both of which are to be found at a
Frankfurt Airport , also known as Rhein-Main- separate location.
Flughafen.This airport is fascinating 'cause of its
size.. The airport covers an area of 2,300
hectares of land and features two passenger
terminals with a capacity of aproximately 65
million passengers per year, for runways and
extensive logistics and maintenance facilities.
Frankfurt airport is the busiest airport by
passenger traffic in Germany as well as the 4th
busiest in Europe after London Heathrow
Airport, Paris – Charles de Gaulle Airport and
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. This airport is also
the 13th busiest worldwide by total number of
passengers in 2016, with 60 millions passangers
using the airport. Frankfurt Airport is well-served
and easily accessed by public transportation.
Picture 4.’’ Air view of Frankfurt Rhein-Main
International Airport’’
From talking to people I found out that the
base opened as a German commercial airport
in 1936, with the northern part of the base
used as a field for fixed-wing aircraft and the
extreme southern part
near Zeppelinheim serving as a base for rigid
airships. That section of Rhein-Main later
became the base for the Graf Zeppelin, its
sister ship LZ-130, and, until 6 May 1937, for
the ill-fated Hindenburg. The airships were
dismantled and their huge hangars
Picture 3. ‘’The apron of Terminal 2.’’ demolished on 6 May 1940 during conversion
of the base to military
Since its opening in 1936, the airport has been use. Luftwaffe engineers subsequently
expanded on several occasions. Today it has extended the single runway and erected
two large terminals (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2)
hangars and other facilities for German
with a capacity of about 65 million passengers
military aircraft. During World War II the
per year and four runways. In the last few years,
the ZL has been further rearranged to serve the
Luftwaffe used the field sporadically as a
Airbus A380, which includes a large complex for fighter base and as an experimental station
its maintenance. The fourth runway was opened for jet aircraft.
on October 20, 2011, enabling it to reach the
envisaged 700,000 aircraft landing / takeoff by
2020. For the envisaged flow of around 90
million passengers in 2020, a new part of
Terminal 1 was opened on October 10, 2012 for
an additional six million passengers. The third
terminal for about 25 million passengers is
planned to be built in the near future.There are
two train stations at Terminal 1 for regional and
long-distance travel. The intra-airport Skyline
connects both airport terminals. Get off Terminal Picture 5. ‘’Frankfurt Airport in 1936’’
1, enter the arrival hall and walk towards the

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3.Museums
There are so many fascinating museums in
Frankfurt ,such as ''Archeology museum'',
''German Architecture museum'',
''Karmeliterkloster’’, ‘’Caricature Museum
Frankfurt’’, ‘’Staedel Museum’’, ‘’Dialog
Museum’’, ‘’German Film Museum’’ and much
more.. But, I will tell you more about two
museums which I found very beautiful and
fascinating...
3.1. ‘’Goethe House’’
First of them is ‘’Goethe House’’ which is a
writer’s house museum. The house was bought
in 1733 by Goethe's grandmother, Cornelia
Goethe, a guest house hostess. It was in fact
originally two houses, dating from around 1600
in typical medieval wooden-fronted style, until
1755, when Goethe's father extensively
remodeled and modernized them into the single
structure we see today. Goethe writes in his
‘’Goethe House construction in May 1949.
autobiography that his father was careful to
Goethe House nowadays.’’
preserve the double overhang of the facade,
which was not permitted in new buildings under After leaving the Goethe family in 1795, the
the codes of 1719 and 1749, emphasizing that it house went through a series of owners, until its
was a remodeling of the existing structures and purchase in 1863 by geologist Otto
not a new construction. Volger (1822–1897), who restored it to the
condition the Goethe family had left it in, as a
monument to its famous inhabitant. The house
was destroyed during the Allied bombing of
Frankfurt on May 22, 1944, but was restored
after the war between 1947 and 1951, as closely
as possible to its original condition and
furnishing, giving an insight into what life was
like for a reasonably wealthy resident of
Frankfurt in the 18th century. It is next door to
the Goethe Museum, which opened to the
public along with the restored Goethe House in
1954, and nearby are the excavated foundations
of the Jewish ghetto, which, along with the
Jewish cemetery, gives a further glimpse of the
older Frankfurt as Goethe himself would have
experienced it.

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3.2.’’Naturmuseum Senckenberg’’ also include the Tyrannosaurus rex, an original
If you’re true fan of dinosaurs, like me, you of an Iguanodon, and the museum's mascot,
should definitely visit a ‘’Naturmuseum the Triceratops.
Senckenberg’’ . The Naturmuseum
Senckenberg is a museum of natural history,
located in Frankfurt am Main. It is the second
largest of its type in Germany. The Senckenberg
Museum is particularly popular with children,
who enjoy the extensive collection
of dinosaur fossils: Senckenberg boasts the
largest exhibition of large dinosaurs in Europe.
One notable exhibit is a dinosaur fossil with
unique, preserved scaled skin. The museum
contains a large and diverse collection of birds
with 90,000 bird skins 5,050 egg sets 17,000
skeletons and 3,375 spirit specimens. In 2010,
almost 517,000 people visited the museum. The
building housing the Senckenberg Museum was
erected between 1904 and 1907 outside of the Picture 7. ‘’Original  Triceratops skulls’’
center of Frankfurt in the same area as
the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, which Although the dinosaurs attract the most visitors
was founded in 1914. The museum is owned due to their size, the Senckenberg Museum also
and operated by the Senckenberg Nature has a large collection of animal exhibits from
Research Society, which began with an every epoch of Earth's history. For example, the
endowment by Johann Christian Senckenberg. museum houses a large number of originals
from the Messel pit: field mice, reptiles, fish and
a predecessor to the modern horse that lived
about 50 million years ago and stood less than
60 cm tall. Unique in Europe is a cast of the
famous Lucy, an almost complete skeleton of
the upright hominid Australopithecus afarensis.
Historical cabinets full of stuffed animals are
arranged in the upper levels; among other things
one can see one of twenty existing examples of
the quagga, which has been extinct since
1883.Since the remodeling finished in 2003, the
new reptile exhibit addresses both the
Picture 6.’’Diplodocus longus  dinosaur model
biodiversity of reptiles and amphibians and the
and columnar basalt in front of the Senckenberg topic of nature conservation. An accessible rain
forest tree offers views of different zones of the
Museum.’’
rain forest from the ground to the tree canopy
Today, visitors are greeted outside the building and the habitats to which the exotic reptiles have
by large, life-size recreations of dinosaurs, which adapted .The Senckenberg Museum offers
are based on the latest scientific theories on regular evening lectures and tours. One such
dinosaur appearance. Inside, one can follow the lecture, by Alfred Wegener on 6 January 1912,
tracks of a Titanosaurus, which have been was the first public exposition of the theory
impressed into the floor, towards its skeleton on of Continental Drift.
a sheltered patio.Attractions include
a Diplodocus (donated by the American
Museum of Natural History on the occasion of
the present museum building's inauguration in
1907), the crested Hadrosaur Parasaurolophus,
a fossilized Psittacosaurus with clear bristles
around its tail and visible fossilized stomach
contents, and an Oviraptor. Big public attractions

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 Frankfurt am Main
largest gardens of its kind in Germany. Directly
to the northeast corner of the Palmengarten is
4.Old Opera House the Botanical Garden Frankfurt, which until 2011
belonged to the Faculty of Life Sciences of the
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt.
Behind the historical facade of the previous
Also directly adjacent is the Grüneburgpark.
Frankfurt Opera House , lies one of the most These three gardens form Frankfurt's largest
outstanding concert halls of major importance, downtown area. Until October 2006, the
way beyond the borders of Germany. The visitor American Consulate General was located south
is offered a high-quality program in all sections of the Palm Garden .The Palmengarten
of music: classical music, jazz and world-wide Frankfurt is a member of BioFrankfurt, the
famous musical and show productions. The network for biodiversity.
congress section of the Alte Oper, that
organizes around 50 events per year, enjoys a
high reputation. Glamourous balls and
international congresses take place in the
representative halls and salons of the building.
The history of the house reaches back into the
late 19th century; In October 1880, the building
was constructed, following the plans of the
Berlin architect Richard Lucae. The opening was
celebrated with Mozart's Don Giovanni. After the
destruction at the end of world war II, it took
almost four decades until the so-called most
beautiful ruin of Germany received it's Picture 9. ‘’The front view of Palmengarten’’
magnificent facade and the interior turned into a
modern concert hall, that finally solemnly In 1972, the Parkeisenbahn Palmen-Express
reopened on 28 August 1981. was opened as a battery-powered narrow-gauge
railway with a gauge of 600 mm and a track
length of 650 m. This train operates since then
on a single-track route through the park. For the
driving season 2012, a new multiple unit was
built by SLZ-Maschinenbau GmbH in Hanau.
Due to the elimination of the turning loop on the
Zeppelinallee by the new building of a separate
entrance for the Papageno Music Theater a two-
directional vehicle was required, which can be
used at one end of the route as a turning train.
In the 1980s, old greenhouses were renovated
and a number of new show houses built,
including the Tropicarium and the Subantarctic
Picture 8. ‘’Alte Oper at night’’ House. In spite of fierce protests by those
affected the tennis courts were also moved - the
5.Palmengarten tennis club Palmengarten moved to Frankfurt-
Eschersheim. In 1992 the modifications were
If you like nature, plants, trees, you should visit completed. With the construction of the entrance
Palmengarten, and believe me, you won’t regret
show house on Siesmayerstrasse, the main
it.The Palmengarten is one of three botanical
gardens in Frankfurt am Main and is located in entrance of the Palmengarten has been
the district of Westend. At 22 ha, it is one of the

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relocated from its south side in the Mainkai on the River Main. On the west side of
Bockenheimer Landstraße to the east side. the square is the reconstructed Römer medieval
building. To the east is the Dom-Römer
Project and beyond that is Frankfurt
Cathedral.Römerberg is a major location for the
6.Römer outdoor Frankfurt Christmas Market.
As I said at the beginning of this essay,
Frankfurt also has the charming, calm side
which is the old part of town with the old timber-
framed houses. The Römer is a medieval
building in the Altstadt (old town) of Frankfurt am
Main and one of the city's most
important landmarks. The Römer is located
opposite the Old St. Nicholas church and has
been the city hall (Rathaus) of Frankfurt for over
600 years. The Römer merchant family sold it
together with a second building, the Goldener
Schwan (Golden Swan), to the city council on
March 11, 1405 and it was converted for use as
the city hall. The Römer is not a museum as it is Picture 11. ‘’Christmas Fair on
occasionally used by the city for various Römerberg  Square.’’
purposes, for example as a Standesamt or civil
registration office; the wedding rooms are In this part of town, you will see the largest
located in the first and second floor of the Haus religious building in the city and a former
Löwenstein.
collegiate church. Frankfurt Cathedral
(Frankfurter Dom) is officially Imperial Cathedral
of Saint Bartholomew and it’s a Roman Catholic
Gothic church. Despite its common English
name, it has never been a true cathedral
(episcopal see), but is called the Kaiserdom (an
"imperial great church" or imperial cathedral) or
simply the Dom due to its importance as former
election and coronation church of the Holy
Roman Empire. As one of the major buildings of
the Empire's history, it was a symbol of national
Picture 10. ‘’The  Römer's famous eastern unity, especially in the 19th century. This
facade’’ cathedral is one of the most famous places in
The Haus Römer is actually the middle building Frankfurt, every tourist likes to see.
of a set of three located in the Römerberg (a
plaza). Römerberg is a public space in Frankfurt.
It is located in front of the Römer building
complex, seat of the Frankfurt city administration
since the 15th century. As the site of
numerous Imperial coronations, trade
fairs and Christmas markets, the square is the
historic heart of the medieval Altstadt (old town)
and today a popular tourist destination.
Paulsplatz, another historic square, is to the
north. The Old St Nicholas Church and Historical
Museum are to the south. Beyond that is

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Picture 12. ‘’Frankfurter Dom’’

7. Tallest and most famous buildings

in Frankfurt

7.1.’’Europaturm’’
The tallest structure in Frankfurt is
the Europaturm, which rises 337 meters
(1,106 ft.) however, the observation tower is not
generally considered a high-rise building as it
does not have successive floors that can be
occupied. The top of the tower can turn and
provides a panoramic view of the Rhine Main
area. For a number of years, the upper part of
the structure housed a restaurant and
discothèque, but since 1999, the Europaturm
has been closed to the public. Picture 13.’’ Europaturm in the evening’’

7.2.’’Commerzbank Tower’’
The tallest habitable building in Frankfurt is
the Commerzbank Tower, which rises 259
metres (850 ft) and 56 floors. As of October
2011, the structure is the 197th-tallest building in
the world, the seventh-tallest building in
Europe and the second-tallest building in the
European Union. Commerzbank Tower is
shaped as a 60-metre (197 ft.) wide rounded
equilateral triangle with a central, triangular
atrium. At nine different levels, the atrium opens
up to one of the three sides, forming large sky
gardens. These open areas allow more natural
light in the building, reducing the need for
artificial lighting. At the same time it ensures
offices in the buildings two other sides have a
view of either the city or the garden. In order to

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 Frankfurt am Main
eliminate the need of supporting columns in the ground floor area is just
sky gardens, the building was constructed in 1,681 m2 (18,090 sq. ft.), and features a 36.3 m
steel rather than the conventional (and cheaper) (119.1 ft.) pyramid at the top. The tower uses
concrete. It was the first skyscraper in Germany
numerous geometric shapes in its design such
where steel was used as the main construction
material. as the square footprint which is the main shape
used throughout the tower. It then rises to a
cylindrical shape which finally completes in a
pyramid, probably as expression of the masonry.
There are 900 parking places in a public parking
garage and a direct connection to the subway.

Picture 14. ‘’Commerzbank Tower’’

Picture 15. ‘’Messeturm’’

7.3.’’Messeturm’’
The second-tallest building in the city is Frankfurt is one of the few European cities with
the Messeturm, which rises 257 meters (843 ft.) a large cluster of high rise building in its
tall and has 55 floors. The 10 tallest buildings in downtown area; in many other European cities,
Germany are located in Frankfurt. The skyscraper construction was not well received in
the past due to the historical value of existing
Messeturm is similar in design to towers by
buildings. For this reason, Frankfurt is
other architects including the Bank of America
sometimes referred to as "Mainhattan"
Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia and Key Tower (1991)
(a portmanteau of the local Main river
in Cleveland, Ohio. Frankfurters often call
and Manhattan), and Chicago am Main. Most of
it Bleistift ("pencil") due to its shape. The
Frankfurt's downtown area was destroyed by
construction of the building's foundation set a
Allied air bombardment during World War II, and
world record for the longest continuous concrete
only a small number of the city's landmarks were
pour. Ninety trucks poured concrete for 78 hours
rebuilt. The city has now 14 buildings which rise
into the 6-metre (20 ft.) deep foundation. Its

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at least 150 meters (490 ft.) in height, more than sheep's intestine. The special taste is acquired
any other city in Germany. As of October 2011, by a special method of low temperature
there are 294 completed high-rises in the city. smoking. For consumption, Frankfurters are not
cooked; they are only heated in hot water for
about eight minutes which prevents the skin
from bursting. They are traditionally served
with bread, mustard, horseradish and/or potato
salad.

Picture 16. ‘’Frankfurt’s tall buildings’’

Picture 18. ‘’Frankfurter sausage’’

8.2.’’Handkäs mit Musik’’

Cheese-lovers who visit Frankfurt are in for a
treat. Handkäs mit Musik translates to ‘hand
cheese with music’ and refers to it being formed
by hand, while music is metaphorical speak for
the pungent flavor. The low-fat sour milk cheese
specialty is served in most gastro pubs and
Picture 17. ‘’Frankfurt Deutsche Bank-Twin
restaurants and is marinated in oil and vinegar,
Towers’’
salt, pepper, onions and, most importantly,
caraway.

8. Famous traditional food

Finally, my favorite part of this story, food!

Believe me, I’ve tried lots of their traditional food
recipes, and they are delicious. Let’s start with
number one, most famous Frankfurt food.

8.1.’’Frankfurter Würstchen’’
Once again German sausages make the list of
the top local specialties. Frankfurter, as they’re
commonly called, is a thin parboiled
Picture 19. ‘’Handkäs mit Musik’’
sausage made of pure pork in a casing of

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8.3. ‘’Grüne Soße (green sauce)’’
What Germans outside of Hesse will never
understand is the fuss locals make about their
favorite sauce. Grüne Soße merely describes a
blend of seven chopped herbs and either
mayonnaise, yoghurt, sour cream or quark
cheese. The cold sauce is then poured over
boiled eggs and potatoes or sometimes a brisket
of beef. But given the locals’ enthusiasm, you
should give it a try. You’ll encounter the green
condiment wherever you go.

Picture 21.’’Frankfurt ribs (‘’ Frankfurter

Rippchen’’)’’

8.5. ‘’Frankfurter Kranz’’

It’s time for dessert. The most delicious cake I

have ever tried... (and I’m not even a fan of
sweets and cakes). Frankfurter Kranz refers to
the ring shape of this popular cake. The simple
Picture 20. ‘’Green sauce’’ sponge cake is cut horizontally into three layers;
the two bottom layers are then spread with
8.4. ‘’Frankfurter Rippchen (Frankfurt ribs)’’ buttercream icing and strawberry or cherry jam,
Germans do enjoy good and proper food, and stacked on one another and then coated with
Frankfurt’s traditional dishes are hardly an even more buttercream. The entire mount of
exception. One of the all-time favorite meals is deliciousness is then sprinkled with krokant,
the so-called Frankfurter Rippchen, which are caramelized brittle nuts.
cured and slow-cooked pork cutlets. They’re
most commonly served hot with Sauerkraut,
potato mash and mustard. Cold leftovers are
fantastic with just bread buns and potato salad.

Picture 22. ‘’Frankfurter Kranz’’

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Yet at its heart, Frankfurt is an unexpectedly
traditional and charming city, with half-
timbered buildings huddled in its quaint
medieval Altstadt (old town), cozy apple-wine
taverns serving hearty regional food, village-like
neighborhoods filled with outdoor cafes,
boutiques and street art, and beautiful parks,
gardens and riverside paths. I hope that I made a
good and interesting presentation of Frankfurt
to you. And remember, this city is ‘must see’ city.

9.Conclusion

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