The German word "furt" means a place where you can cross. Previously, the territory belonged to the Franks, therefore it was called Franconia. Actually, if you take these two words, you get the "crossing of the francs." At the beginning of our era, the Romans settled in the place where Roemer is now located. Many famous people lived and worked in the city, who glorified Frankfurt in the world community, for example, Alois Alzheimer, Goethe, Schopenhauer. It should also be noted that the city is the birthplace of Anne Frank.
When the Second World War took place, the old city of Frankfurt was almost destroyed. Then it was restored almost by stones. Many say that excursions are not interesting here, only exhibitions or conferences. But in reality there are a lot of attractions. For example, in museums you can see wonderful paintings.
Tourists roam the squares, taking pictures of everything or drinking beer. And if you go to the area where the old Saxon houses stand, you can drink the local cider from apples. So where is the best place to start? What to see in Frankfurt
Architecture
In the Old Town there is a square called Roemerberg, in the center is the town hall with the corresponding name, this is the main symbol of the city. It was built a very long time ago, 600 years ago, the bombing destroyed it, but later the building was restored. Nearby you can find St. Paul's Church. Previously, the church served for the assembly of parliament, now it is an exhibition hall.
The square itself is intended for pedestrians, and its shape is irregular. There are interesting houses, the Historical Museum. If you walk about 15 minutes from the square, the tourist will come to the railway station. Around the 13th century, various fairs were organized at this place. To this day, residents and visitors alike love to come here.
Must see Frankfurt Cathedral. His gothic style was built around the fifteenth century. In the city you can see the quarter of banks and Hauptwache. The building is quite old, located almost in the center of the city. There used to be police, now a cafe is open here. Shopping lovers will find here a busy shopping area with an underground shopping center, walking and entertainment destinations.
The Cathedral of St. Bartholomew is very beautiful, its height is 95 m. The construction time of this building is about the 13th century. Earlier, emperors were crowned here. You can see the tombstone of one of the kings. For the construction of the building was used red sandstone.
The Eschenheimer Tower was built in the early 15th century. Its height is 47 m. Currently, there is a cafe, various historical societies constantly conduct their meetings.
Museums
First you need to see the Museum District. If you pay attention to the banks of the River Main, then in the south there is a whole collection of museums.
In the Museum of Ancient Sculpture you can find products of different time periods and cultures, in the Museum of the Icon - numerous images. The Museum of Cinema offers to know the history of cinema and the Lumiere brothers. In the Museum of Art you can see various paintings by Picasso, Rembrandt and others.
The Museum of Natural History offers you numerous exhibits, including the exhibition of large dinosaurs, it is very popular among tourists and residents. Here you can also see a very large exhibition, which is dedicated to the development of mankind. This museum is considered the second largest in Germany.
Literature lovers cannot but appreciate Goethe's house, he lived here until 1765. Having passed here, you can see the dining room, the writing room, also the museum itself - there are 14 rooms, their works are located in them. There is also the Goethe Tower. Its feature is that it is completely wooden. Many locals spend their leisure time here.
The Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art was opened in 1991, there is a large collection. To open the museum, a very interesting building in the postmodern style was used, which is located in the city center. Here you can see an exhibition of famous artists, such as Francis Bacon, and still unknown masters.
There is also a museum of applied art with stunning examples of glass, books and furniture.
Parks
You can not ignore the delightful Palm Garden, which is famous for Frankfurt, reviews about it are only positive. It is very luxurious, especially in the evening, and its area is as much as 54 acres, it is the largest botanical garden in the country.
There are greenhouses where various plants from the tropics and subtropics are located. You can go boating, have a picnic, there is a playground. And in the evenings, the garden sparkles with lights, attracting not only tourists, but also local residents.
Rothschild - this is the name of the park, which is already 2 centuries old. Once Rothschild acquired a plot of land here and was going to build a residence. The building was destroyed during the war. In the park you can walk near the lake, see the "Ring of Statues" - a work by Georg Kolbe. There is a tower in the neo-Gothic style of the XIX century.
Opera theatre
Be sure to see the Old Opera House. The building itself is worth admiring, it was built in 1885, destroyed during the Second World War, and later rebuilt.
Even if you don’t like opera, you can take a picture near a very beautiful building and take a walk nearby.
Zoos
A lot of people come to the Frankfurt Zoo. The zoo has a large territory with a variety of inhabitants: monkeys, rhinos, llamas and others. In addition to animals, you can see sculptures and waterfalls. In the covered pavilion you can get acquainted with the representatives of the underwater kingdom. There is also a cafe.
There is another zoo called “Cobelt”, it has interesting programs that are interesting for young children.
Hotels
It all depends on which Frankfurt hotels you need.
- If it’s a luxury, then near the Roemerberg there is a five-star Jumeirah Frankfurt, good because nearby is Zeil Street, which is full of shops.
- “Villa Kennedy” is more like a family house, it is elegant, is located near the city center, it only takes about 20 minutes.
- If you need a middle class, then we offer Mid-Range Hotels.
- If you need cheap hotels, next to the train station you can find the Hamburger Hof, which overlooks the River Main.
- The Novum Hotel Continental Frankfurt is not very expensive, it has a nice interior and a view of the city. Located opposite the main train station.
Festivals
Frankfurt am Main (Germany) offers many different festivals, but the main of them can rightly be called Museumsuferfest. This is a festival of museums, and it is held every year, the time is the end of August. When the festival is held, all museums usually work until late in the evening, many fairs are held.
If you go to Frankfurt for Easter or at the end of September, you can get to Dippemess, this is a festival of ceramics. There is historical evidence that the first such festival was held already in the fourteenth century. It sells very beautiful ceramics of good quality, and you can buy it inexpensively.
The main reason you should go to Frankfurt in the fall is the cider festival. Time - mid-August. The holiday is very cheerful, the locals love it. Moreover, in order to serve cider, only jugs made of ceramics are used. Tourists can try the cider of various varieties, served various cocktails and drinks that are made from cider. The festival is attended by street musicians and artists. You can also find markets that sell various interesting things.
Music lovers may be aware of the Frankfurt Sounds festival. This is an annual festival held outdoors. To participate in it, various groups of musicians and artists come. If you like classical or contemporary music, visit this festival. It is usually held in April.
Travel Tips
It is worth knowing that the time difference between Moscow and Frankfurt is 2 hours (i.e., they need to be taken away from the time of the capital)
- The climate in the city is quite mild, but it is rather cold in February, and in August the heat sets in. There is not much rainfall, so they will not ruin the rest. Tourists come to the city usually in the summer. In addition, New Year and Christmas are popular. Various events take place in the city, different markets are organized.
- If you yourself arrived at the airport, want to get to the city center, it is better to use the train, it will take you 15 minutes. During the day, traffic jams are always on the most important roads. The city has many closed areas for cars, pedestrians walk there.
- The city has trams, buses and subways, there are even buses that run at night. Many tourists and residents love bicycles, you can contact the rental center and get one. Near the intersection or train station you can find Deutsche Bahn, this is a rental center, on average you pay somewhere around 15 euros per day.
- The center for tourists is quite safe, but, as elsewhere, unfortunately there are thieves in Frankfurt. Therefore, it is better to go to distant places in a heap or not to go at all.
- Frankfurt sausages, which they prefer to consume with beer, are considered the most interesting food. There are also Frankfurt gingerbread cookies, in fact these are cookies, usually made at Christmas, and marzipan is used to make it.
- To buy yourself something, it is recommended to use the euro, because another currency is not accepted. However, if you took rubles with you (dollars or hryvnias, or anything else), you can go to any local bank and you will be exchanged.
Frankfurt map
The main advice is to buy a Frankfurt card (Frankfurter Tageskarte). It will allow you to visit museums, travel by transport and so on. It is given either to one person or to a group.
Its advantages:
- Some museums offer a discount of up to 2 euros from the entry price, some allow for 50%, some for free.
- Public transport is free.
- Discounts from 15 to 25% for opera and theater.
- Discounts on purchases from some manufacturers 10% in shopping centers, from 10 to 20% - at the zoo, when sightseeing.
When buying cards, they usually give a brochure where all the discounts are indicated. If you have a card for a day, then it is valid until the end of the working day, usually this day is indicated on the ticket itself. If the card is for 2 days, then it already begins to operate on the day of registration and ends with the working time of the next day. The card can be purchased at many retail outlets, for example, take it at the airport. It can also be ordered online and received by mail or purchased at the hotel.