Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [456]
Architecture & Art Explore Darmstadt’s artists colony, surrounded by gardens and a gold-domed Russian chapel Click here
Jugendstil Baths Wander towel-clad between the saunas and pools of Wiesbaden’s historic Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme
Cafe Culture Wander from cafe to wine bar to beer garden in Frankfurt’s Nordend and Bornheim neighbourhoods Click here
Canoeing Paddle along the Lahn River in Weilburg
Baroque Town Take in the ornate baroque splendour of old Fulda
Water Show Spend an hour chasing the water as it cascades down the slope from Kassel’s towering Herkules statue Click here
POPULATION: 6 MILLION
AREA: 21,115 SQ KM
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Getting Around
Deutsche Bahn’s Hessenticket (€30) lets a group of up to five people take regional trains (ie any trains except D, IC, EC or ICE) anywhere within Hesse (plus Mainz and Worms) for a full day (except before 9am from Monday to Friday) – an incredible deal! The weekend version, known as a Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket, costs €37 and is valid on Saturday and Sunday. For one person the price is €13, making it a lot cheaper than many one-way train trips within Hesse (eg from Frankfurt north to Fulda, Kassel or Marburg).
Hesse bills itself as a ‘Radwanderparadies’ (cycling paradise). For help with planning an outing on two wheels, see www.radroutenplaner.hessen.de (in German).
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FRANKFURT AM MAIN
069 / pop 659,000
Unashamedly high-rise, Frankfurt-on-the-Main (pronounced ‘mine’) is unlike any other German city. Bristling with jagged skyscrapers, ‘Mainhattan’ – the focal point of an urban area with over 5 million inhabitants – is a true capital of finance and business, home base for one of the world’s largest stock exchanges as well as the European Central Bank (www.ecb.int). It also hosts some of Europe’s most important trade fairs, including the largest book and motorcar fairs anywhere.
Yet Frankfurt consistently ranks as one of the world’s most liveable cities, with a rich collection of museums (second only to Berlin’s), lots of parks and greenery, a lively student scene, excellent public transport, fine dining and plenty to do in the evening. Nightspots range from cosy neighbourhood apple-wine taverns to some of Europe’s most thumping techno-discos.
Frankfurt’s airport, the region’s biggest employer, is the third-largest in Europe, handling some 53 million passengers per year.
Hotel prices rise precipitously during major trade fairs (Click here), so plan ahead if you don’t want to spend €250 a night for a very average double.
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History
Around 2000 years ago Frankfurt was the site of Celtic and Germanic settlement and then – in the area known today as the Römerberg – a Roman garrison town.
Mentioned in historical documents as far back as 794, Frankfurt was an important centre of power in the Holy Roman Empire. With the election of Frederick I (Barbarossa) in 1152, the city became the customary site of the selection of German kings. International trade fairs – attracting business from the Mediterranean to the Baltic – were held here beginning in the 12th century.
In 1372 Frankfurt became a ‘free imperial city’, a status it enjoyed almost uninterruptedly until the Prussian takeover of 1866. A stock exchange began operating in Frankfurt in 1585, and it was here that the Rothschild banking family began its ascent in the 1760s.
About 80% of the medieval city centre was destroyed – and 1000 people were killed – by Allied bombing raids in March 1944.
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Orientation
The Main River flows from east to west, with the Altstadt (old city) and the Innenstadt (city centre) to the north and the Sachsenhausen district, including the Museumsufer (Museum Embankment), to the south. Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (the main train station), on the eastern side of the partly sleazy Bahnhofsviertel (train station quarter), is about 1.3km west of the Römerberg, a historic