Frankfurt am Main, city in west central Germany, in Hessen, a port on the Main River. It is a major manufacturing, financial, commercial, and transportation center, served by rail lines and the Rhine-Main Airport, the most important in Germany. Manufactures include machinery, electrical equipment, chemicals (notably in the Höchst district), pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, clothing, and printed materials. International trade fairs, including the world's largest annual book fair, are held in the city. Frankfurt is …showed first 75 words of 674 total…

…showed last 75 words of 674 total…city in 1815, and it was the unofficial capital of the confederation until 1866. In the same year, during the Seven Weeks' War, Frankfurt was seized by Prussia. During World War II (1939-1945), the city was badly damaged by bombing, but it has since been rebuilt. In 1993 Frankfurt was chosen as the site of the European Monetary Institute, the European Union body that is the forerunner of the European Central Bank. Population (1997) 652,412. Bibliography Encarta www.frankfurt.de