A good place for ideas

Frankfurt is not only a business metropolis, it is also a market place for words and ideas. Publishing houses define the intellectual profile of the city. And the thinkers of the Frankfurt School, from Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheim to Jürgen Habermas, have left an indelible mark on the intellectual life in Frankfurt. The Institute of Social Research is still here today, as is the German National Library and, of course, the world’s largest book exhibition.

Since it was established in 1949, the Book Fair has become a huge marketplace, for ideas, books and electronic media. The initiators of the first Book Fair had recommended Frankfurt due to its long tradition of trade fairs and of the book trade. During the great Book Fair, the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels awards its peace prize every year in the Paulskirche, the place where the first German national assembly was held in 1848 and where the foundation of German democracy was laid. The Paulskirche still maintains its symbolism today, and many a debate in Germany was sparked off by a speech held here.

The city is disputatious and always communicative. This is ensured, among others, by the renowned Frankfurt daily newspapers. And the new media are not forgotten in Frankfurt either: this is where the heart of the Internet, the German Internet hub is located.

After all, the city of poets and thinkers has always ensured that the next generation of academics has been given an appropriate home. With its move into the Poelzig Building, the University has acquired a wonderful architectural memorial. All around the elegant building, the ‘Campus Westend’ has developed – the opportunity of the century for Frankfurt’s alma mater!