Frankfurt
The Financial Capital
General Information
Other Name: Frankfurt am Main, District: Frankfurt, State: Hesse, Germany
Area: 248.31 km²
Languages Spoken: German and English
Long Distance Code: +49 69
Importance: Frankfurt has been Germany's financial centre for centuries, and it is the home of a number of major banks and brokerages.
Best Time to Visit: April to May and October
International Access: Connected to all major citise of the world by air and has Europes second largest airport.
Description
Frankfurt is the largest city in the German state of Hesse, in Central Germany, known for its futuristic skyline and international airport.Location
The city is located on both sides of the River Main in the south-west part of Germany.Climate
Continental Climate
The well ordered and interesting Botanical Garden in Frankfurt is administered by the University. The gardens are designed to take visitors on a journey through different areas of the plant kingdom, from the hardwood forests of North America to the barren savannah of Africa. The gardens cover more than eight hectares (20 acres) and contain more than 6,000 different botanical species, from exotic rainforest flowers to European weeds.
Address: Siesmayerstrasse 61
Website: www.palmengarten-frankfurt.de
Telephone: (0)69 2123 3939
Transport: Entrance Palmengartenstraße: trains U6, U7 or buses 32, 33, 50 to Station Bockenheimer Warte
Opening time: Daily 9am to 6pm between March and October, with earlier closing during winter months
Admission: €5 (adults), €2 (children 6-17); €9.50 for special events including festivals and certain exhibitions. Concessions available
The Frankfurt Zoo, located in Ostend, was nearly totally destroyed in the Second World War when only 20 animals survived. It was rebuilt in the early 1950s and since then one of the most recent additions to the zoo is the Big Cat Jungle. Frankfurt Zoo features 3,200 animals and 600 species and is renowned for keeping them in environments that most closely resemble their own natural habitats. It has a reputation as one of the most attractive, pleasant and popular to visit in Europe and features two restaurants as well as a Zoo terrace to enjoy in the summer months. A major draw card for the zoo and one of its most unique features is Grzimek House which houses nocturnal animals who think it's night-time during the day. The Exotarium houses fish, insects, reptiles and penguins, all kept in their natural surroundings.
Address: Alfred-Brehm-Platz 16
Website: www.zoo-frankfurt.de
Telephone: (0)69 212 33735
Transport: U6 or U7
Opening time: Open daily 9am to 7pm in summer and 9am to 5pm in winter
Admission: €8 (adults), €4 (children 6-17). Concessions available. Last Saturday of the month: €6 (adults), €3 (children)
The house where Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's world-famous poet and writer, was born in 1749 is now a shrine to his memory, preserved as an example of how the well-to-do lived in the late Baroque era. The house, which is a reconstruction because the original was destroyed during the Second World War, consists of two neighbouring half-timbered houses in Grosser Hirschgraben, and is sited next to the Goethe Museum, which contains a huge library of books, documents and graphics relating to the poet.
Address: Großer Hirschgraben 23-25
Website: www.goethehaus-frankfurt.de
Telephone: (0)69 138 80-0
Transport: U- and S-Bahn to Hauptwache and Willy-Brandt-Platz
Opening time: Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 5.30pm
Admission: €5 (adults); €1.50 (children 7-18)
Situated on the south bank of the river Main, the Liebieghaus was built in 1896 for Czech Baron Heinrich Liebieg, but today is the home of Frankfurt's Museum of Sculpture. Exhibits include sculptures from ancient times, such as Sumeria, Egypt, Greece and Rome to more modern Baroque, Rococo and Renaissance examples. A range of Egyptian and Asian pieces also feature in the range as well as a few works of some world-renowned artists.
Address: Schaumainkai 71
Telephone: (0)69 650049-0
Transport: Tram 15 or 16 to Otto Hahn Square; U1, 2, 3 to Swiss Square
Opening time: Tuesday and Friday to Sunday 10am to 5pm; Wednesday, Thursday 10am to 9pm. Free tours every Wednesday at 7pm and Sunday at 11am
Admission: €7 (adults); €5 (concessions). Children under 12 are free
The 'Well of Justice', Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen, was built in Frankfurt's central square of Romweberg in 1541. About 70 years later the wells received stone interiors and the Statue of Justice watched over them. In 1612, when Kaiser Matthias was crowned, it was not water, but wine that flowed freely from the stone lions' mouths. In 1887, the wells were renovated and the stone figures copied. The original sandstone statues were moved to the Museum of Local History.