Frankfurt: A financial centre with a football pedigree

May 16, 2006, 12:32 GMT

Frankfurt - Frankfurt may be Germany`s financial centre and the home of the European Central Bank but it will also host four group matches as well as a World Cup quarter-final.

The matches will take place at the new 50,000-seater stadium which was completed in the middle of 2005 and is home to Eintracht Frankfurt.

The city has the dubious accolade of being considered Germany`s ugliest because of the skyscrapers belonging to the banks and insurance companies which dominate the skyline, giving rise to its nickname 'Mainhattan' (the Main is the river which runs through the city).

But to judge Frankfurt on this alone is shortsighted indeed. In addition to the extensive financial district, where both the European Central bank and one of the main European stock markets are based, the city has a splendidly restored inner city and colourful districts in which life passes by at a more placid rate.

The locals are renowned for their sociable character and the city is also a cultural metropolis with a long tradition of museums and foundations.

On the banks of the Main, there are no less than eight museums catering for all tastes, among them the Museum of Architecture, constructed by American Richard Meier, the Museum of Cinema, the Museum of Applied Arts and the Jewish Museum.

In Frankfurt it is not difficult to discover traces of its most illustrious citizen. The university, as well as numerous streets and squares, all bear his name: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

The brilliant writer was born in Frankfurt in 1749 and it was in this city that he wrote important works such as 'Goetz von Berlichingen' or 'The Sorrows of Young Werther'. The house where Goethe was born is today one of Frankfurt`s main tourist attractions.

Group games:

June 10: England v Paraguay
June 13: South Korea v Togo
June 17: Portugal v Iran
June 21: Netherlands v Argentina
Quarter-final: July 1: W55 v W56