Frankfurt, the 'Fair' City
By Anjali Amit

“The three pillars of Frankfurt's economy
are finance, transport and trade fairs,”
states an encyclopedia article in no uncertain terms.

I had heard of the Frankfurt Book Fair. My first published book was exhibited there. That was the only fair I knew about. The idea that there were many other trade fairs and they generated enough revenue to aid the economy, was intriguing. How many fairs were held annually? How large were they? What industries did they serve? And how does the city deal with the constant influx of visitors. It was time to visit Frankfurt and see for myself what made the city tick.
Frankfurt is a Global City. A city that has a direct effect on world affairs. It follows, that such a city would be very well connected with the rest of the world. Frankfurt airport is Europe's second busiest airport (London is the busiest) and you can fly in directly from almost anywhere in the world. I was ready to go.
The airport is huge. You can easily spend a few hours there if you have time between connecting flights (though Changi in Singapore and Dubai airport take the honour of being micro-cities providing food, shopping and entertainment all under one roof). My destination was in the city the bed-and-bath place, I had reserved. I had the address handy, but was a stranger in a strange town and had no idea how to get there.
There was a Lufthansa stewardess nearby. She would know, I thought, as I approached her with the address. It turned out, she was not from Frankfurt. But people in Germany are the friendliest and most helpful. “Wait”, she told me and went to ask her colleagues. An interesting conversation ensued. One of them recognized the place but was sure it was far from the airport. I learned that travel out of the airport is very simple. You take the S-Bahn from the airport to the Hauptbahnhof (the Central Railway) Station and then change there for a train to your specific destination. “Come”, she said and like Alice-in-Wonderland, I followed her. She helped me buy the correct ticket and then we wended our way through the crowd to the platform. She made sure I boarded the right train then waved goodbye and was gone.

Fairs and Festivals Galore
The city indeed has many fairs and festivals. Messe Frankfurt is the corporation that organizes the fairs, not only in Frankfurt, but worldwide. I was beginning to see how fairs and festivals were such a big revenue-earner for the city. Their website www.messefrankfurt.com lists all the fairs that they organize. I was in town for the book fair.
It is the largest book fair in the world in terms of the number of publishers present and has a pedigree going back more than 500 years. With the invention of the Gutenberg printing press, with its movable type, books could be produced in large numbers. The local booksellers figured that a fair would be a good place to display the books and the book fair tradition was born.
The exhibition venue is large and very well organized. Shuttles ferry the visitors from one building to the other. My days were happily spent immersed in the world of books. Frankfurt, though, is not just a city of fairs but also a fair city to wander around. There is much to see and do here.

Wander Around
A good place to begin is the Romer, the 600-year-old city hall. In reality parts of the complex were destroyed during the Second World War, but have been faithfully recreated and a walk through the center of Romerberg transports you back in time. Some of the original rooms still stand. The Romerhalle and the Schwanenhalle are two such rooms. The very first book fair was held here. Goldsmiths and silversmiths sold their wares too. Kaisersaal, the Emperor Hall is where all the Coronation Banquets were held. It now contains portraits of all the emperors.
There are museums galore and a great convenience. The majority of them are clustered on the banks of the river 'Main', in the Museumsufer district. You can take the S-Bahn to Schweizer Platz or the Wily-Brandt-Platz and then stroll along the river bank, choosing the museums you want to visit. Many museums in Europe have a free day or late evening entry at no charge. Frankfurt has the Lange Nacht der Museen, the Long Night of the Museums where most museums are open through the night. Imagine admiring a painting of the starry skies in the museum and then walking out to see the stars reflected in the waters of the river!
The city parks are a good place to relax and people-watch. The Grunebur park is the largest and most popular. The Palmengarten is the botanic garden for those interested in the flora of the place. Like the Kew Garden in London or any other botanical garden worth its salt, the Palmengarten also has a display of plants from other habitats, from the rain forest through the savannahs, to the deserts.
No city in Europe would be complete without churches and at least one opera house. Frankfurt has two opera houses the Alte Opera, inaugurated in 1880, now used only for concerts and congresses. The Oper Frankfurt is where the operas are now performed.
Germany's most famous writer is also Frankfurt's most famous son. Goethehaus is the family home of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Adjacent is the Goethe Museum. A visit to both would gladden the hearts of literary fans.
And that summarizes the story of Frankfurt. Old and new coexist. The Frankfurt skyline symbolizes the new economic power, the Romerberg tells that the city has a long history. Tying it all together is the book fair, for books carry tales from long ago.

Getting There

By Air: It is connected to all the airlines and major cities of the world. All major airlines and their partners fly to Frankfurt.
By Train: Trains come into the Hauptbahnhof (main station) from most of the German cities. The ICE (Inter City Express) connects international destinations also. The Euro rail website is a good source of information on train travel.
By Road: The Autobahns provide good connections. Two things to be aware of, if you chose to drive:
1. Avoid peak time traffic.
2. Know that parking can be difficult. It may be easier to park in a city garage and take public transport to get around.
Best Time to Visit: Spring to autumn. Keep in mind the dates of the two major fairs: the Auto Show- every two years in mid-September and the annual Book Fair in October. During these times the city gets very crowded. Rooms become difficult to get and the prices are sky-high.