Frankfurt

The city of Frankfurt was first referred to as such in 794 on a document from Charlemagne, who built a palace there. The city’s actual name is Frankfurt-on-the-Main. It is sometimes called the Manhattan of Europe because of its many skyscrapers, or Mainhattan in honour of the river that runs through it, the Main. The tallest building in Frankfurt is Commerzbank Tower, which stands at 259 metres high. It is the fourth-largest financial centre in Europe and the headquarters of the European Central Bank, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, the Deutsche Bundesbank and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Although the city has two well-known breweries, including the country’s highest-volume beer maker, the beverage of choice remains cider, called Ebbelwei. It is important to note that its famous sausage must be cooked in simmering water for 5 to 10 minutes, but that cooking it in boiling water is strongly discouraged.