In the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany

 "Wenn mein Sohn von Frankfurt nach Mainz reist, so bringt er mehr Kenntnis heim als andere aus Amerika" (When my son travels from Frankfurt to Mainz, he brings home more knowledge than others from America.")  -- Katharina Elisabeth Goethe

===================================================================
(in the most populous city in the German state of Hesse) Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (literally "Frank ford on the Main"), is the fifth-most populous city in Germany. The city lies along the Main River about 19 miles (30 km) upstream from its confluence with the Rhine River at Mainz. It forms a continuous conurbation with the neighboring city of Offenbach am Main and its urban area has a population of more than 2.3 million.

+ For nearly 500 years, Frankfurt was a city state, the Free City of Frankfurt, and was one of the most important cities of the Holy Roman Empire, as a site of Imperial coronations. It lost its sovereignty upon the collapse of the empire in 1806, regained it in 1815 and then lost it again in 1866, when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. It has been part of the state of Hesse since 1945.

+ Glinting with glass, steel, and concrete skyscrapers, Frankfurt am Main is unlike any other German city; home to one of the world’s largest stock exchanges and the gleaming headquarters of the European Central Bank, it famously hosts some of the world's most important trade fairs, attracting thousands of business travelers. Yet at its heart, Frankfurt is an unexpectedly traditional and charming city, with half-timbered buildings huddled in its quaint medieval Altstadt (Old Town), cozy apple-wine taverns serving hearty regional food, village-like neighborhoods filled with outdoor cafes, boutiques and street art, and beautiful parks, gardens, and riverside paths. The city's cache of museums is second in Germany only to Berlin’s, and its nightlife and entertainment scenes are bolstered by a spirited student population.

+ Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's largest trade fairs. Major fairs include the Music Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest book fair. Frankfurt is also home to influential educational institutions, including the Goethe University and graduate schools like the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. Its renowned cultural venues include the concert hall Alte Oper, continental Europe's largest English theater, and many museums.

+ Frankfurt's skyline, especially that of its central business district, is shaped by some of Europe's tallest skyscrapers, which has led to the term "Mainhattan." The city is also characterized by various green areas and parks, including the central Wallanlagen, the City Forest, two major botanical gardens (the Palmengarten and the University's Botanical Garden) and the Frankfurt Zoo. In sports, the city is known as the home of the top-tier football club Eintracht Frankfurt, the Löwen Frankfurt ice hockey team, the basketball club Frankfurt Skyliners, the Frankfurt Marathon, and the venue of Ironman Germany.