Frankfurt

Frankfurt (pop. 647,200), city in central Germany, on the Main River. A major transportation center, it is one of the busiest European inland ports, with a large airport and a sophisticated network of highways and railroads. It was the original home of the Rothschild family and remains a banking and commerce center. A Roman fort, it became a Frankish settlement in A.D. 500, and flourished under the Holy Roman Empire. It was rebuilt after being heavily bombed by Allied forces in World War II. The birthplace of Goethe, it is a center of cultural and intellectual activity.

See also: Germany.