5 reasons to go to Frankfurt as a family: family travel

In Germany, two in Frankfurt - Frankfurt and Frankfurt-on-Oder. The city on the Main is called simply Frankfurt. It is safe to say that Frankfurt - a city of contrasts. Today - it is a large modern metropolis where skyscrapers rush to the clouds and touches look old "Gingerbread" houses, where life is in full swing in the streets from morning to evening, where the streets and squares decorated with cherry blossoms and spreading plane trees.

History of Frankfurt has more than one hundred years. The first mention of the city dates back to 794, when the Frankish king, Charlemagne founded the city on an ancient ford on the river Main (furt translated from German means "the crossing"). Hence the name Frankfurt - the city at the crossing francs.

Now, first things first.

1. Quay Lane - a popular place for relaxation and a cultural mecca

In the center of the city majestically and slowly carries its clear waters of the river Main. On the waterfront with beautiful views - delicate bridges, contrast of skyscrapers and old buildings. Quay - favorite place for residents and tourists. On the wide promenade Lane there is room for everyone: for the young lovers, and for those who follow the health, jogging, and cycling and for leisurely strolling couples elderly and for parents with kids. And yet - for a significant degree of local and Frankfurt geese and ducks, which are clearly consider themselves here full owners. If you arrive in Frankfurt in the spring, you are lucky enough to see the importance of the walk along the promenade the whole goose and duck family vygulivaya nestlings children, and teach them to swim.

Quay - it is not only a place for walks, and is the cultural mecca of Frankfurt. On a relatively small area between the pedestrian bridge Ayzerner-Steg (Eiserner Steg) and Fridensbryukke bridge (Friedensbrücke) is more than a dozen different museums, for example, the icons Museum, Museum of Applied Arts, Sculpture Museum, German kinomuzey. Due to the large concentration of museums embankment it got its name - museumsufer or Museum Embankment. Museum Embankment is always in the center of the most interesting cultural events of the city, the most famous among them - the spring "Night Museums ", when all the museums do not close their doors, even at night, and" Holiday on the Museum Embankment ", which takes place in August.

2. Touch the amazing stories and walk in the footsteps of emperors

The heart of the historic part of Frankfurt - Old Town (Altstadt) and cozy central square Römerberg, built in the style of Half-timbered houses (Fachwerk - Skeleton design), which are very reminiscent of toy "gingerbread" houses, as if made by a professional pastry chef of gingerbread dough and skillfully painted glaze.

It is important to note that during the Second World War, Frankfurt was badly damaged and literally lay in ruins, the historic center was destroyed. To keep the spirit of the ancient city, in the postwar years, the restorers had to do a lot of work to restore the historical part of the Altstadt. And today, and citizens, and tourists have the opportunity to admire the historic buildings, in one of the which, incidentally, was born the famous writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and now it is Museum.

In the center is one of the business cards of Frankfurt - a fountain with a statue of the Goddess of Justice Justice and nymphs, symbolizing fertility. By the way, at one time, during the time of the coronation of the emperors, from the fountain flowed not just water, and the wine, which treated all townspeople.
Area throughout the ages has been the main witness to important events in the city. Here is the process for the coronation of emperors, folk festivals, the noisy fairs. Today, the square is always crowded, full of tourists who want to be sure to take a picture, sit behind a cup of coffee in a cafe or bar to get something to remember in the many souvenir shops, framing area.

Name Römerberg Square is connected to the town hall XVI-XVIII centuries, which is called short - Römer. Gothic Hall decorated facades statues emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Maximilian II, IV and Karl Ludwig II.
There is also a House Roemer (Haus Römer). On the top of which is located Kayzerzal (Kaisersaal) - Imperial hall where crowned heads carried banquet and ceremonies.

Near the square Römerberg compactly settled expo hall Schirn-Kunsthalle (Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt), Church of St. Nicholas (Nikolaikirche), Museum of Modern Art Tortenshtuk (Museum für moderne Kunst Tortenstück) and the Church of St. Paul (Paulskirche). St Paul's Church - a national monument within its walls housed the first parliament.

Very near the central square is another shrine and the main church of the city - the Imperial Cathedral of St. Bartholomew (Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus), towering up to 95 meters. Majestic and solemn, as if woven of lace, the Cathedral in the Gothic style dates back to the XIV-XV centuries and has an important social and political role, once in the cathedral crowned rulers of the Holy Roman Empire.

Like many of the historical buildings of the city, the cathedral was virtually razed to the ground during the Second World War, it has been restored and renovated in peacetime. According to the surviving drawings and photographs of the temple was restored in its original form.
Home relic temple - the top part of the skull of St. Bartholomew, who is considered the patron saint of the cathedral. See the relic only during religious festivals, when you open access to the reliquary.
Tourist entrance to the cathedral is free. Decorations and grandeur of the cathedral: high arches, frescoes and stained glass, reliefs and sculptures in the Gothic style, sleeping altar of the Virgin Mary and the painting "Lamentation" by Van Dyck, organ sounds produce a strong impression:

3. Find yourself in an oasis of skyscrapers and see the city from a bird's eye view

After strolling around historical places, it's time to see the skyscrapers of the modern city quarter. For efficiency and manufacturability called Frankfurt am Main to Chicago or Mine Hatton. In Europe, unlike America, not many big cities can boast skyscrapers. One of them - Frankfurt. Modern Frankfurt belongs to the alpha world cities and is the center of global commerce are concentrated major banks and brokerage houses, which are located mainly in skyscrapers.

This is where the headquarters of the European Central Bank (Europäische Zentralbank), consisting of two buildings, the height of 165 and 184 meters, and the main offices of other financial organizations. The most famous high-rise buildings block: Commerzbank Turm (Commerzbank Turm), a height of 259 m, Basler Messerturm (Messeturm) - 257 m, the Tower Main (Main Tower) - 200 m and the other skyscrapers. On the upper floors of skyscrapers is a restaurant and observation decks, so do not waste time, get up to the top to see the beauty of Frankfurt bird's-eye view!

4. Enjoy shopping and cooking

For shopping lovers the main place in Frankfurt - Zeil shopping street (Zeil). The main shopping street of the city is never lonely, a pedestrian zone, bounded by large shopping centers Hauptwache and Konstablerwache - always noisy and crowded. People come here for shopping with their entire families, and before Christmas Zeil becomes the largest Christmas market in Germany.

On the street there are shops of world famous trade brands, cafes and restaurants, right there in the beginning of the street at the Konstablerwache square It is a local farmer's market where you can buy vegetables, fruits, spices, cheese, wine, tea, fresh pastries and all kinds of sweets and goodies. For example, such pretzels. Pretzels - classic German pastries, salty pretzel with a thousand years of history, which even composed beautiful legends. According to the first legend pretzels he came up with the baker, who strongly guilty before the King of Bavaria. And he promised to forgive the offender, if the baker will bake a loaf of bread, through which you can see the sun three times. According to the second legend, pretzels, whose shape resembles crossed his hands in prayer, the first time the monks baked in gratitude to God.

Walking in the fresh air will certainly lead you to the local restaurants and cafes, which are warmly welcomed and greeted the visitors. The food is here is very tasty and satisfying, especially local cuisine will delight lovers of meat dishes. As in Frankfurt, be sure to try the local sausages and sausages (range of them here is great, try different), shin with cabbage. Lovers of something unusual and original worth trying the local soft homemade cheese handmade "handkäse" (it. Handkäse [hantkɛːzə] - «handmade cheese").

Of course, sausages and schnitzels need to wash down the delicious Bavarian beer, assortment of which Frankfurt is amazing. And do not forget to try the local apple wine apfelvayn (apfelwein) - another business card Frankfurt. Why an apple? The fact is that the land on which the city is unfavorable for the cultivation of grapes, apple and then well take root.

5. See wildlife in the center of the city

An oasis of nature in the modern metropolis - the world-famous Frankfurt Zoo (Zoologischer Garten Frankfurt), which covers an area of ​​13 g and is located in the heart of the city. The zoo opened back in 1850 and was built on donations from city residents, although initially it located outside the city, in the last century it was moved to the center, and today it is the largest zoo Germany. The zoo has collected more than 4,500 inhabitants of flora and fauna (over 400 species), here you will not see the cells and arrays, animals are kept in conditions close to natural.

And this is only a small fraction of what hides in itself an amazing city of contrasts Frankfurt, where the perfect combination of modernity and history, where on the streets today to meet people of different nationalities, where you can enjoy cultural values ​​and long walks on embankment, and that it is necessary to see with his own eyes, to take with them in my heart a piece of amazing town atmosphere francs.