• Guide to positions
  • Study in Germany
  • PhD in Germany
  • Postdoc in Germany
  • Professor in Germany
  • Industry guide
  • Research & Development in Germany
  • Engineering in Germany
  • Thematic guide
  • Working in Germany
  • Working in Austria
  • Working in Switzerland
  • Higher education in Germany
  • Job profiles
  • Service range
  • Employers
  • Graduate schools
  • Guide overview
Extended job search
Study in Germany PhD in Germany Postdoc in Germany Professor in Germany
Research & Development in Germany Engineering in Germany
Working in Germany Working in Austria Working in Switzerland Higher education in Germany Job profiles
Employers Graduate schools Guide overview
Log in Bookmarks (0) Post a job
academics - Logo
From
Die ZEIT - Logo
Forschung & Lehre - Logo
Career advice Log in Bookmarks (0) Post a job

Working in Frankfurt
Frankfurt - european financial centre and modern metropolis

Frankfurt am Main, the biggest city in the German federal state of Hesse, has a centuries-old tradition as a location for academia and research. In addition to Europe's second largest airport, Frankfurt has the highest concentration of banks. As a venue for trade fairs and the world's fourth biggest stock exchange, the city boasts a truly international atmosphere.

Working in Frankfurt - Skyline Frankfurt
Known as the financial centre, Frankfurt contains many banks and financial institutions © Katzenfee50 / pixabay.com
Contents

Frankfurt as a research location

Frankfurt am Main is home to high-ranking educational and research institutions including the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, which got through the first two rounds of the nationwide Universities Excellence Initiative to promote research, making it one of just thirty that did so. As a financial centre, Frankfurt has its own business school in the shape of the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. As the location of the Stock Exchange it is not suprising that Frankfurt contains many banks and financial institutions. 

Well-known research institutions such as the Max Planck Institutes for Biophysics, for Brain Research and for European Legal History are based in Frankfurt, as is the German Institute for International Educational Research and the Senckenberg Nature Research Society. 

History

Although there were Roman settlements on what is now Cathedral Hill, the first documented mention of 'Franconofurd' was in a letter from Charlemagne dated 794. At that time the place was a fortified royal court. Frankfurt expanded and became a city under the Staufer dynasty and the Frankfurter Messe (Trade Fair) is known to have been established by the late 12th century. By then, the city was an important centre of European trade and continued to grow over the centuries that followed. 

During its history, large parts of Frankfurt have been destroyed time and again due to fires in the Judengasse (Jewish area) in 1711 and 1721 and another major fire, the 'Christenbrand' of 1719, meaning portions of the city had to be rebuilt. Already badly damaged in the First World War, Frankfurt's city centre was virtually obliterated during the Second World War leading to 150,000 new apartments being built once the war ended. The construction of many administrative high-rise buildings and industrial developments totally transformed the face of Frankfurt. 

Today, Frankfurt is home to Germany's leading stock exchange. 


Living in Frankfurt

Housing is expensive in Frankfurt because there is very little space available for new construction. The approximately 670,000 inhabitants live in a relatively small area of the city and the urban landscape is dominated by corporate skyscrapers. 

Frankfurt has a unique array of cultural institutions and museums for residents and visitors to enjoy. With 37 museums, 33 theatres and many other attractions, there is a huge amount of choice. 

One of Frankfurt's most popular districts is Sachsenhausen with its magnificent museums along the embankment and its many parks. The nearby woods contain Germany's tallest wooden observation tower which is named after one of the most famous people to have been born here, the writer and polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. With countless pubs and bars, Sachsenhausen is also known for its vibrant nightlife and is perfect for anyone who enjoys partying until the early hours. 

Continental Europe's biggest airport, known as the Gateway to Europe, together with Europe's busiest passenger rail station makes Frankfurt a major international hub. 

Typical aspects of Frankfurt

The Frankfurt skyline is very different to other German cities and given its skyscrapers, is more easily compared to many cities in the US which explains its nickname, 'Mainhattan'. Culinary specialities include Apfelwein (a type of cider known locally as 'Ebbelwoi') and 'Grüne Soße', a sauce made from various herbs according to a recipe purported to date from Roman times. Frankfurt is one of Germany's most multicultural cities - almost a third of its inhabitants hold a non-German passport. The Frankfurt accent has been described as a 'babble', meaning it is often difficult for foreigners and even people from other parts of Germany to understand them. 

Authors
Maike Mintelowsky
Source
academics - April 2011

Share
Don't miss out on any new jobs

With our job newsletter, you will receive suitable job ads as well as interesting content matching your search profile on a weekly basis.

Please enter an email address in a valid format.
You can stop your newsletter subscription at any time, e.g. by sending an email to info@academics.com. We also use your email address to send you advertisements for similar offers from the ZEIT publishing group. You can withdraw your consent to this use at any time. By registering, you declare your agreement with our terms & conditions and take note of our privacy policy.

Video | Frankfurt - Germany’s Financial Heart | Discover Germany (Deutsche Welle)

Google media is disabled


Current job vacancies from the fields of science and research
  • PhD position (f/m/d) Research Group Neurocognition of Music and Language

    2021-03-19 Max Planck Institute for empirical Aesthetics Frankfurt am Main
  • Tenure track positions (f/m/d) at Lise Meitner Research Group

    2021-03-31 Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. deutschlandweit
    Tenure track positions (f/m/d) at Lise Meitner Research Group - Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. - Logo
  • University Professorship Fine Arts in the department for “Figurative Painting”

    2021-03-24 Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien Wien (Österreich)
    University Professorship Fine Arts in the department for “Figurative Painting” - Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien - Logo
To all job vacancies

Related articles

Notes - Metaphor: Academic German
Learning German - for an international career in academia

Yes, English is by all means the language of science. Less than one per cent of all scientific publications worldwide are today written in German. Despite this, there are still many good reasons to learn German.

Working in Freiburg - Panoramic View
Freiburg - Germany's sunniest town

Freiburg is an important centre for academia and has a number of top notch research institutes to its name, as well as an ancient and internationally respected university which excels both in the sciences and humanities.

Working in Konstanz
Konstanz - an ancient city with a state of the art university

Konstanz is home to one of the most prestigious universities in Germany, making it an obvious destination for many academics.

Files - Metaphor: Academic manager job description
Professional spotlight: academic manager

The profession of academic manager is growing in significance: they manage, control and organise the universities and research institutions. However, in many places, they must still fight for recognition.

Academics
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Legal notice
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy policy
  • Partners
  • Jobnewsletter
  • academics.de
  • academics.at
  • academics.ch
  • Cookies & Tracking
For Employers
  • Post a job
  • Mediapack (PDF)
  • Terms and conditions
You can also visit us at
academics - Logo From Die ZEIT - Logo Forschung & Lehre - Logo Deutscher Hochschulverband
Data privacy
Please deactivate your ad-block plugins to edit your permissions regarding cookies and tracking.