Name	Frankfurt am Main
Art	City
Image photo	Frankfurt collage.jpg
Wappen	Wappen Frankfurt am Main.svg
Lat deg	50 | lat_min 6 | lat_sec 42.5
Lon deg	8 | lon_min 41 | lon_sec 09.4
Lageplan	Hesse F.svg
Lageplanbeschreibung
Bundesland	Hessen
Regierungsbezirk	Darmstadt
Landkreis	urban
Höhe	112
Fläche	248.31
Einwohner	688249
Stand	2010-12-31
Pop ref
Pop urban	2295000
Pop urban date	2010
Pop metro	5600000
Pop metro date	2006
Plz	60001-60599, 65901-65936
Plz-alt	6000, 6230
Vorwahl	069, 06109, 06101
Kfz	F
Gemeindeschlüssel	06 4 12 000
Nuts	DE712
Locode	DE FRA
Gliederung	16 districts (''Ortsbezirke'')46 boroughs (''Stadtteile'')
Website	www.frankfurt.de
Bürgermeister	Petra Roth
Bürgermeistertitel	Lord Mayor
Partei	CDU
Ruling party1	CDU
Ruling party2	Green
Year	1st century }}

Frankfurt am Main (, ), commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,295,000 in 2010. The city is at the centre of the larger Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region which has a population of 5,600,000 and is Germany's second largest metropolitan area.

In English, this city's name translates to "Frankfurt on the Main" (pronounced like English ''mine'' or German ''mein''). The city is located on an ancient ford on the river Main, the German word for which is "Furt". A part of early Franconia, the inhabitants were the early Franks. Thus the city's name reveals its legacy as being the "ford of the Franks".

Situated on the Main River, Frankfurt is the financial and transportation centre of Germany and the largest financial centre in continental Europe. It is seat of the European Central Bank, the German Federal Bank, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the Frankfurt Trade Fair, as well as several large commercial banks. Frankfurt Airport is one of the world's busiest international airports, Frankfurt Central Station is one of the largest terminal stations in Europe, and the Frankfurter Kreuz (''Autobahn interchange'') is the most heavily used interchange in Europe. Frankfurt is the only German city listed as one of ten Alpha world cities. Frankfurt lies in the former American Occupation Zone of Germany, and it was formerly the headquarters city of the U.S. Army in Germany.

Frankfurt is considered an alpha-minus world city, as listed by the Loughborough University group's 2008 inventory, is ranked 21st among global cities by ''Foreign Policy'''s 2008 Global Cities Index and is an international centre for commerce, finance, culture, transport, education, and tourism. According to the Mercer cost of living survey, Frankfurt is Germany’s second most expensive city, and the 48th most expensive in the world. Frankfurt also ranks among the top 10 most livable cities in the world according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

Among English speakers, the city is commonly known simply as Frankfurt, though Germans occasionally call it by its full name when it is necessary to distinguish it from the other (significantly smaller) Frankfurt in the state of Brandenburg, Frankfurt (Oder). The older English spelling of Frankfort is now rarely seen.

Overview

Frankfurt has been Germany's financial centre for centuries, and it is the home of a number of major banks and brokerages. The three pillars of Frankfurt's economy are finance, transport, and trade fairs. The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is by far Germany's largest, and is one of the world's most important. Frankfurt is also the seat of the European Central Bank which sets monetary policy for the Eurozone economy, and of the German Federal Bank. Over 300 national and international banks are represented including the headquarters of the major German banks.

Frankfurt has an excellent transportation infrastructure, and the Frankfurt International Airport is a major European aviation hub. Its central location at the heart of Europe and its excellent accessibility by air, rail and road make Frankfurt Airport City especially attractive.

In addition, many large trade fairs are held in Frankfurt each year, notably the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, the world's largest motor show, and the Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse), the world's largest book fair, and Musikmesse world's largest music fair.

Frankfurt is also home to many cultural and educational institutions including the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, many museums, and two major botanical gardens, the Palmengarten and the Botanischer Garten der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main.

Frankfurt is one of only three cities in the European Union that have a significant number of skyscrapers. With 12 skyscrapers (i.e. buildings taller than ) in late 2010, Frankfurt is second behind Paris with 14 skyscrapers, and ahead of London which has 10 skyscrapers. The city of Frankfurt contains the two tallest skyscrapers in the European Union, the Commerzbank Tower and Messeturm, which rank third and fourth on the continent after the Naberezhnaya Tower and the Triumph-Palace in Moscow.

History

In the area of the ''Römer'', Roman settlements were established, probably in the 1st century; some artifacts from that era are found even to this day. The city district ''Bonames'' has a name probably dating back to Roman times—it is thought to be derived from ''bona me(n)sa''. ''Nida'' (Heddernheim) was also a Roman civitas capital.

The name of Frankfurt on Main is derived from the ''Franconofurd'' of the Germanic tribe of the Franks; ''Furt'' (cf. English ''ford'') where the river was shallow enough to be crossed by wading. Alemanni and Franks lived there and by 794 Charlemagne presided over an imperial assembly and church synod, at which ''Franconofurd'' (-furt -vurd) was first mentioned.

Frankfurt was one of the most important cities in the following Holy Roman Empire. From 855 the German kings and emperors were elected in Frankfurt and crowned in Aachen. From 1562 the kings/emperors were also crowned in Frankfurt, Maximilian II being the first. This tradition ended in 1792, when Franz II was elected. His coronation was deliberately held on Bastille Day, 14 July, the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. The elections and coronations took place in St. Bartholomäus cathedral, known as the ''Kaiserdom'' (en: Emperor's Cathedral), or in its predecessors.

The ''Frankfurter Messe'' (Frankfurt Trade Fair) was first mentioned in 1150. In 1240, Emperor Friedrich II granted an Imperial privilege to its visitors, meaning they would be protected by the Empire. The fair became particularly important when similar fairs in French Beaucaire lost attraction around 1380. Book trade fairs have been held in Frankfurt since 1478.

In 1372 Frankfurt became a ''Reichsstadt'' (en:Imperial city), i.e. directly subordinate to the Holy Roman Emperor and not to a regional ruler or a local nobleman.

thumb|left|Frankfurt in 1612Frankfurt managed to remain neutral during the Thirty Years' War, but suffered from the bubonic plague that was brought to the city by refugees. After the end of the war, Frankfurt regained its wealth.

In the Napoleonic Wars Frankfurt was occupied or bombarded several times by French troops. It nevertheless still remained a free city until the total collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1805/6. In 1806 it become part of the principality of Aschaffenburg under the ''Fürstprimas'' (Prince-Primate), Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg. This also meant that Frankfurt was incorporated into the confederation of the Rhine. In 1810 Dalberg adopted the title of a Grand Duke of Frankfurt. Napoleon intended to make his adopted son Eugène de Beauharnais, already ''Prince de Venise'' ("prince of Venice", a newly established primogeniture in Italy), Grand Duke of Frankfurt after Dalberg's death (since the latter as a Catholic bishop had no legitimate heirs). The Grand Duchy remained a short episode lasting from 1810 to 1813, when the military tide turned in favour of the Anglo-Prussian lead allies, which overturned the Napoleonic order of central Europe. Dalberg abdicated in favour of Eugène de Beauharnais, which of course was only a symbolic action, as the latter effectively never did rule after the ruin of the French armies and Frankfurt being taken by the allies.

After Napoleon's final defeat and abdication, the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815, redrawing the map of Europe) dissolved the grand-duchy, and Frankfurt entered the newly founded German Confederation (till 1866) as a free city, becoming the seat of its ''Bundestag'', the confederal parliament where the nominally presiding Habsburg Emperor of Austria was represented by an Austrian "presidential envoy".

After the ill-fated revolution of 1848, Frankfurt was the seat of the first democratically elected German parliament, the Frankfurt Parliament, which met in the Frankfurter Paulskirche (''St. Paul's Church'') and was opened on 18 May 1848. The institution failed in 1849 when the Prussian king declared that he would not accept "a crown from the gutter". In the year of its existence, the assembly developed a common constitution for a unified Germany, with the Prussian king as its monarch.

Frankfurt lost its independence after the Austro-Prussian War as Prussia in 1866 annexed several smaller states, among them the Free City of Frankfurt. The Prussian administration incorporated Frankfurt into its province of Hesse-Nassau. The formerly independent towns of Bornheim and Bockenheim were incorporated in 1890.

In 1914 the citizens of Frankfurt founded the University of Frankfurt, later called Johann Wolfgang Goethe University. This is the only civic foundation of a university in Germany; today it is one of Germany's largest universities.

From April 6 to May 17, 1920, following military intervention to put down the Ruhr Uprising, Frankfurt was occupied by French troops. The French claimed that Articles 42 to 44 of the peace treaty of Versailles concerning the demilitarisation of the Rhineland had been broken. In 1924 Ludwig Landmann became the first Jewish Mayor of the city, and led a significant expansion during the following years. However, during the Nazi era, the synagogues of Frankfurt were destroyed.

thumb|left|Aerial view of the cathedral in May 1945 after World War IIThe city of Frankfurt was severely bombed in World War II (1939–1945). About 5,500 residents were killed during the raids, and the once famous medieval city centre, by that time the largest in Germany, was destroyed. Post-war reconstruction took place in a sometimes simple modern style, thus irrevocably changing the architectural face of Frankfurt. Only very few landmark buildings have been reconstructed historically, albeit in a simplified manner. The collection of historically significant Cairo Genizah documents of the Municipal Library was destroyed when the city was bombed. According to Arabist and Genizah scholar S.D. Goitein, "not even handlists indicating its contents have survived."

Frankfurt became a ground battlefield commencing 26 March 1945, when the Allied advance into Germany was forced to take the city in contested urban combat that included a river assault. The US 5th Infantry Division and US 6th Armored Division captured Frankfurt after several days of intense fighting, and it was declared largely secure on 29 March 1945. More details of this battle are provided at History of Frankfurt am Main.

After the end of the war, Frankfurt became a part of the newly founded state of Hesse, consisting of the old Hesse-(Darmstadt) and the Prussian Hesse provinces. The city was part of the American Zone of Occupation of Germany. The Military Governor for the United States Zone (1945–1949) and the United States High Commissioner for Germany (HICOG) (1949–1952) had their headquarters in the IG Farben Building, intentionally left undamaged by the Allies' wartime bombardment. Frankfurt was the original choice for the provisional capital of West Germany—they even went as far as constructing a new parliament building that has never been used for its intended purpose. Since 1949 it is used to house the radio studios of Hessischer Rundfunk. In the end, Konrad Adenauer (the first post-war Chancellor) preferred the tiny city of Bonn, for the most part because it was close to his hometown, but also for another reason; many other prominent politicians opposed the choice of Frankfurt out of concern that Frankfurt, one of the largest German cities and a former centre of the old German-dominated Holy Roman Empire, would be accepted as a "permanent" capital of Germany, thereby weakening the West German population's support for reunification and the eventual return of the Government to Berlin.

During the 1970s, the city created one of Europe's most efficient underground transportation systems. That system includes a suburban rail system (S-Bahn) capable of reaching outlying communities as well as the city centre, and a deep underground light rail system with smaller coaches (U-Bahn) also capable of travelling above ground on street rails.

Since the postwar period Frankfurt has emerged once again as the financial and transportation centre of Germany.

Population

As a major centre of international commerce, Frankfurt is a multicultural city, home to people of 180 nationalities. In addition to the ethnic German majority, the city contains sizable immigrant populations from Turkey, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Poland, Greece, Macedonia, Morocco, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan, Spain, Portugal, France, Japan, the United States, Austria, India, the United Kingdom, Romania, Afghanistan, Russia, Bulgaria, Lebanon and China. The Frankfurt area is also home to the second-largest Korean community in Europe, and to Germany's largest Sri Lankan Tamil community.

For a long time Frankfurt used to be a Protestant-dominated city. However, during the 19th century an increasing number of Catholics moved there. In 2006, Catholicism was the largest denomination closely followed by Protestantism, 25% and 23% respectively. But both denominations are losing members and even together make up less than half of the population. According to the Central Council of Jews in Germany, there are 7,300 Jews affiliated with Judaism in Frankfurt, giving it the third largest Jewish community (behind Berlin and Munich) in Germany.

40% of Frankfurt's residents, and 65% of those below the age of five come from an immigrant background.

Geography

Geographic location

The city is located on both sides of the River Main in the south-west part of Germany. The southern part of the city contains the Frankfurt City Forest (''Frankfurter Stadtwald''), Germany's largest forest within a city. The centre of Frankfurt is located on the north side of the river.

Neighbouring communities and areas

To the west, Frankfurt borders the Main-Taunus-Kreis (Hattersheim am Main, Kriftel, Hofheim am Taunus, Kelkheim (Taunus), Liederbach am Taunus, Sulzbach (Taunus), Schwalbach am Taunus and Eschborn); to the northwest the Hochtaunuskreis (Steinbach (Taunus), Oberursel (Taunus), and Bad Homburg); to the north the Wetteraukreis (Karben and Bad Vilbel); to the northeast the Main-Kinzig-Kreis (Niederdorfelden and Maintal); to the southeast the city of Offenbach am Main; to the south the Kreis Offenbach (Neu-Isenburg) and to the southwest the Kreis Groß-Gerau (Mörfelden-Walldorf, Rüsselsheim and Kelsterbach).

City divisions and districts

The city is divided into 46 ''Stadtteile'' or ''Ortsteile'' which are again divided into 118 ''Stadtbezirke''. The largest ''Ortsteil'' is Sachsenhausen-Süd. Most ''Stadtteile'' are incorporated suburbs (''Vororte''), or previously separate cities, like Höchst. Some like Nordend arose during the rapid growth of the city in the Gründerzeit following the unification of Germany. Others were formed from settlements which previously belonged to other city divisions, like Dornbusch.

The 46 city divisions are combined into 16 area districts or ''Ortsbezirke'', which each have a district committee and chairperson.

History of incorporation

Until the middle of the 19th century, the city territory of Frankfurt consisted of the present-day ''Stadtteile'' of Altstadt, Innenstadt, Bahnhofsviertel, Gutleutviertel, Gallus, Westend, Nordend, Ostend, Riederwald and Sachsenhausen. After 1877, a number of previously independent areas were incorporated into the city, see list of current districts of the city.

Climate

Frankfurt has a temperate-oceanic climate with relatively cool winters and warm summers. Its average annual temperature is , with monthly mean temperatures ranging from in January to in July.

Main sights

Saint Bartholomew's Cathedral

Bartholomew's Cathedral (''Dom Sankt Bartholomäus'') is a Gothic building which was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the foundation of an earlier church from the Merovingian time. It is the main church of Frankfurt. From 1356 onwards, kings of the Holy Roman Empire were elected in this church, and from 1562 to 1792, the Roman-German emperors were crowned here.

Since the 18th century, Saint Bartholomew's has been called "the cathedral" by the people, although it has never been a bishop's seat. In 1867, the cathedral was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt in its present style. The height of the cathedral is 95 m.

Saint Paul's Church

St. Paul's Church (''Paulskirche'') is a national historic monument in Germany with great political symbolism, because it was the seat of the first democratically elected Parliament in 1848. It was established in 1789 as a Protestant church but was not completed until 1833. Its importance has its root in the Frankfurt Parliament, which met in the church during the revolutionary years of 1848/49 in order to write a constitution for a united Germany. The attempt failed because the monarchs of Prussia and Austria did not want to lose power, and in 1849 Prussian troops ended the democratic experiment by force of arms and the parliament was dissolved. Afterwards, the building was used for church services again.

St. Paul's was partially destroyed in World War II, particularly the interior of the building, which now has a modern appearance. It was quickly and symbolically rebuilt after the war; today it is not used for religious services, but mainly for exhibitions and events.

Old Opera House

The famous old opera house (''Alte Oper'') was built in 1880 by the architect Richard Lucae. It was one of the major opera houses in Germany until it was heavily damaged in World War II. Until the late 1970s it was a ruin, nicknamed "Germany's Most Beautiful Ruin". There were even efforts to just blow it up. Former Frankfurt Lord Mayor Rudi Arndt called for blowing it up in the 1960s, which earned him the nicknamed "Dynamite-Rudi". (Later on, Arndt said he never had meant his suggestion seriously.)

Due to public pressure, it was finally fully reconstructed and reopened in 1981. Today it functions as a concert hall, while operas are performed in the Oper Frankfurt.

The inscription on the frieze of the Old Opera says: "''Dem Wahren, Schönen, Guten''" ("To the true, the beautiful, the good").

Frankfurt Opera House

The Frankfurt Opera is a leading opera company in Germany and one of the most important opera houses in Europe. It was elected "Opera house of the year" by German magazine ''Opernwelt'' in 1995 and 2003.

Saint Katherine's Church

St. Katherine's church is the largest evangelical (Lutheran) church in Frankfurt. It is located in the city centre at the entrance to the Zeil.

Hauptwache

The Hauptwache (Main Watch) is a baroque building built in 1730, formerly used as a prison. It has given its name to the surrounding square and the transport hub beneath it. It is situated at one end of the Zeil, the city's main retail street.

Zeil

The Zeil is Frankfurt's main shopping street and one of the most crowded in Germany. The street is a pedestrian-only area and is bordered by two large plazas, Hauptwache in the west and Konstablerwache in the east. It is the second most expensive street for shops to rent in Germany after the Kaufingerstraße in Munich.

During the month before Christmas, the extended pedestrian-only zone is host to one of the largest and oldest Christmas Markets in Germany.

Römer

The name of the city hall means "Roman". In fact, nine houses were acquired by the city council in 1405 from a wealthy merchant family. The middle house became the town hall and was later connected with the neighbouring buildings. In the upper floor, there is the ''Kaisersaal'' ("Emperor's Hall") where the newly crowned emperors held their banquets. The Römer was partially destroyed in World War II and later rebuilt. It is located at the ''Römerberg'' (city hall square).

20th-century architecture

Frauenfriedenskirche, consecrated 1929, example of early modernist church building

Grossmarkthalle, built 1926–1928, former wholesale market, future European Central Bank headquarters

IG Farben Building, built 1928–1930, now housing the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University

Goethe House, rebuilt in 1947. The birthplace of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe from 1749 was destroyed in World War II and then rebuilt true to the original. The Goethe Museum is next door.

Museum für angewandte Kunst, built 1985, designed by Richard Meier

Skyscrapers

Frankfurt is the only German city with a significant number of skyscrapers, meaning buildings at least 150 metres tall. There are eleven buildings, with two more (''Tower 185, 205 m'' and ''European Central Bank Headquarters, 185 m'') currently under construction. Only Bonn also has one building (''Post Tower, 163 m'') over . Most of the skyscrapers in Frankfurt are located in the western part of the city centre known as Bankenviertel (financial district). The tallest skyscrapers in Frankfurt are: Commerzbank Tower, — Europe's tallest building (1997–2003), Headquarters of Commerzbank. MesseTurm, — Europe's tallest building (1990–1997). Westendstraße 1, — Headquarters of DZ Bank. Maintower, — Headquarters of Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen with an observation deck open to the public. Tower 185, — Headquarters of PwC Germany Trianon, — Headquarters of DekaBank. Opernturm, - Headquarters of UBS Germany Silver Tower, — Germany's tallest building (1978–1990), Headquarters of Dresdner Bank. Plaza Büro Center, — Germany's tallest building (1976–1978). Deutsche Bank I, — Headquarters of Deutsche Bank. Deutsche Bank II, — Headquarters of Deutsche Bank. Skyper, .

Other tall structures

Europaturm - The Europe Tower is a telecommunication tower known as the Frankfurt TV Tower. It is the tallest tower in the city with a height of 337.5 metres. It was open to the public until 1999, with an entertainment establishment in the revolving top. It is normally referred to by the locals as "Ginnheimer Spargel" (''The Ginnheimer Asparagus'') which is not correct because it is not located in the Ginnheim district but stands a few metres within the Bockenheim district.

Henninger Turm - The Henninger Tower is a 120-metre high grain silo built from 1959–1961 and owned by Henninger Brewery. It has two rotating restaurants at the height of 101 and 106 metres and an open-air observation deck at the height of 110 metres. The tower has been closed to the public since October 2002. Plans to destroy the tower and replace it were abandoned. Today there are new plans to convert it into a residential tower.

Goetheturm - The Goethe Tower is a 43-metre high tower built entirely out of wood on the northern edge of the Frankfurt City Forest in Sachsenhausen. It is the fifth tallest wooden construction in Germany. It was built in 1931 and is still a popular place for day-trippers, especially families, as a large playground and a café have been built at the foot of the tower.

Culture

Festivals

A major festival in the city is the Museumsuferfest (''Museums Riverbank Festival''). It is one of the biggest cultural festivals in Germany which attracts more than 3 million visitors over a period of 3 days. It takes place yearly at the end of August on both sides of the Main riverbank in the city centre. More than 20 museums are located there and they are open far into the night. Furthermore there are special attractions like live-bands, dance shows, several booths for crafts, jewellery, clothes and food from all around the world. It ends with a spectacular firework display .

Frankfurt's oldest folk festival is the Dippemess (''Festival of Stoneware'') which takes place twice a year around Easter and the end of September in the eastern part of the city. Mentioned for the first time in the 14th century as an annual marketplace it is now more of an amusement park. ("Dippe" is a regional Hessian dialect word meaning "pot" or "jar" and which would not be understood in most other German regions. The name of the festival derives from its original purpose, when it was a fair where traditionally-crafted jars, pots and other stoneware were on offer.)

The Frankfurt Wäldchestag (''Woods Day'') is jocularly known as a regional holiday because until the 1990s it was common that Frankfurt's shops were closed on this day. Despite the name, the festival takes place over a period of four days after Pentecost with the actual Wäldchestag being Tuesday. What is special about this festival is its location in Frankfurt's city forest, south of the city centre in Niederrad.

The Wolkenkratzer Festival (''Skyscraper Festival'') is unique in Germany. It takes place irregularly, the last time in May 2007. For two days most of the skyscrapers in downtown Frankfurt are open to the public, which is normally not the case, apart from the Maintower observation deck. Around 1.2 million visitors took the opportunity to see the city from above. Sky-divers, base jumpers, fireworks and laser shows were extra attractions. The next festival will be held in 2013.

The Sound of Frankfurt is a music festival held in the city centre. It took place regularly from 1994 to 2004. Various artists and bands performed open-air and for-free concerts on eight stages located mainly around the Zeil. Different types of music (rock, Latino, techno, house, alternative and pop) attracted about 500,000 visitors each year.

Foreign culture

Instituto Cervantes

Central and Eastern European Online Library

Museums

Most of the museums in Frankfurt are located either alongside the River Main in Sachsenhausen (south side) or in the old part of the city centre (north side). The area is therefore known as Museumsufer (''Museums Riverbank'').

There are 13 museums on the south side between Eiserner Steg and Friedensbrücke, including:

Deutsches Architekturmuseum (German Architecture Museum)

Deutsches Filmmuseum

Ikonenmuseum (icon museum)

Liebieghaus (municipal sculpture museum)

Museum für Angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Art)

Museum Giersch (regional art museum)

Museum für Kommunikation

Museum der Weltkulturen (Museum of World Cultures)

Städel, one of the most famous art museums in Germany

The street itself, Schaumainkai, is partially closed to traffic on Saturdays for Frankfurt's largest flea market.

There are two museums on the north side:

Jewish Museum Frankfurt

Historisches Museum

Not directly located on the Riverbank are:

Museum of Modern Art

Schirn Kunsthalle (Schirn Art Gallery)

Frankfurter Kunstverein (art association) founded in 1829

Another important museum is located in the Westend area:

Senckenberg Natural History Museum, the largest natural history museum in Germany

Culinary specialties

Frankfurter Sausage (hot dog)

Frankfurter Rindswurst

Apfelwein

Grüne Soße

Bethmännchen

Frankfurter Kranz

Handkäs mit Musik

Rippchen mit Kraut

Dance music

The roots of techno music can be traced back to Germany, and in particular, Frankfurt. It was here, in the early 1990s, that local DJs like Sven Väth and DJ DAG (of Dance 2 Trance) first played a harder, deeper style of acid house that became hugely popular worldwide during the next decade. One of the main venues of the early Trance music sound was the Omen nightclub in the city. Accordingly, some of the early and most influential Techno acts, e.g. Jam and Spoon, Dance 2 Trance, Oliver Lieb and Hardfloor, and record labels such as Harthouse and Eye Q, were based in the city in the early 1990s.

Transport

Airports

The city is accessed from around the world via the Frankfurt Airport (''Flughafen Frankfurt am Main'') which is located from the city centre. The airport has three runways and serves 265 non-stop destinations. It ranks among the world's top ten airports and is the biggest cargo airport in Europe. The airport also serves as a hub for Condor and as the main hub for German flag carrier Lufthansa. Depending on whether total passengers or flights are used, it ranks as the second or third busiest in Europe alongside London Heathrow Airport and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Passenger traffic at Frankfurt Airport in 2009 was 50.9 million. The airport can be reached by car or bus and has two train stations, one for regional and one for long-distance traffic. The S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 (direction "Frankfurt (Main) Hbf", "Offenbach Ost or "Hanau"), departing at the regional traffic station take 10–15 minutes from the airport to the Central Station and the city centre, the IC and ICE trains departing at the long-distance traffic station take as well 10–15 minutes. Despite the name, Frankfurt Hahn Airport (''Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn'') is not located anywhere near Frankfurt but is instead situated approximately from the city in Lautzenhausen (Rhineland-Palatinate). This airport can only be reached by car or bus. An hourly bus service runs from Frankfurt Central Station, taking about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Last year over 4 Million Passengers used this airport in order to use Low Cost Airlines like Ryanair.

Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport is a busy general aviation airport located south-east of Frankfurt am Main Airport, near the town of Egelsbach.

Roads

The streets of central Frankfurt are usually congested with cars during the rush hour. Some areas, especially around the shopping streets Zeil, are pedestrian-only streets. There are numerous car parks located throughout the city.

Frankfurt is a traffic hub of the German Autobahn system. The Frankfurter Kreuz is an Autobahn interchange close by the airport where the Autobahnen A 3 (Cologne-Würzburg) and A 5 (Basel-Hannover) meet. With approximately 320,000 cars daily it is the most heavily used interchange in Europe. The A 66 connects Frankfurt with Wiesbaden in the west and Fulda in the east. The A 661 starts in the south (Darmstadt), runs through the eastern part of Frankfurt and ends in the north (Bad Homburg). The A 648 is a very short Autobahn in the western part of Frankfurt.

Railway stations

Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (or short ''Ffm Hbf'') is the largest train station in Germany by railway traffic. Regarding daily passenger volume it ranks second together with München Hauptbahnhof (350,000 each) after Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (450,000). It is located between the Gallus and the Bahnhofsviertel, not far away from the Frankfurt Trade Fair and the financial district (Bankenviertel). It serves as a major hub for long-distance trains (''InterCity'', ''ICE'') and regional trains as well as for Frankfurt's Public transport system. It is a stop for most of the ''ICE'' high speed lines, making it the most important station of Germany's ICE network. All Rhine-Main S-Bahn lines, two U-Bahn lines, several tram and bus lines stop here, too. Regional and local trains are integrated in the Public transport system Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (''RMV''), the second largest integrated public transport systems in the world. Only the Berlin integrated public transport system (''VBB'') is larger.

Frankfurt Airport Long Distance Station connects Frankfurt International Airport to the main rail network, most of the ICE services using the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line. It is one of two railway stations at the airport, the other is for local S-Bahn (lines S8 and S9) and regional trains, called Frankfurt Airport Regional Station.

Frankfurt's third long distance station is the Südbahnhof, located in Sachsenhausen.

The two major stations in the city centre are Hauptwache and Konstablerwache, both located on Frankfurts most famous shopping street, the Zeil.

Public transport

The city has two underground railway systems: the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn, as well as an above-ground tram system. Information about the U and S Bahn can be found on the RMV website.

Nine S-Bahn lines connect Frankfurt with the Rhine Main Region. Most routes have an at least 15 minute service during the day, either by one line running every 15 minutes, or by two lines servicing one route together with 30 minutes schedule each. All lines, except line S7, run through the Frankfurt city tunnel and serve the stations Ostendstraße, Konstablerwache, Hauptwache, Taunusanlage and Frankfurt Central Station. When leaving the city the S-Bahn travels above ground. It provides access to the Frankfurt Trade Fair (S3-S6), the airport (S8, S9), the stadium (S7-S9) and nearby cities such as Wiesbaden, Mainz, Darmstadt, Rüsselsheim, Hanau, Offenbach am Main, Bad Homburg, Kronberg and smaller towns that are on the way.

The U-Bahn has seven lines serving the city centre and some larger suburbs. The trains that run on the line are in fact lightrails as many lines travel along a track in the middle of the street instead of underground further from the city centre. The minimum service interval is 2.5 minutes, although the usual pattern is that each line runs with a 7.5–10 minute frequency which combines to approx 3–5 minutes on the city centre sections served by more than one line.

Frankfurt has 9 tram lines, with trams arriving usually every 10 minutes. Many sections are served by two lines, combining to give a 5 minute frequency during rush-hour. The tram runs only above ground and serve more stops than the U-Bahn or the S-Bahn.

A number of bus lines complete the Frankfurt public transportation system. Night buses take over the service of the U-Bahn and tram at 1:30 am to 3:30 am.

Taxis

Taxis can be found outside most S-Bahn or U-Bahn stations and major intersections. The normal way to obtain a taxi is to either call a taxi operator or go to a taxi rank. However, although not the norm, one can hail one on the street.

Bicycles

Deutsche Bahn also rents out bicycles to the public. One finds them at many major road intersections and railway stations. All one has to do is make a phone call to hire them for €0.06/min or they can be hired per day for €15,-. The bicycles are a bit heavy but they do have shock absorbers to ensure a smooth journey. The silver-red colour of the bikes with their unique frame make them easily visible and difficult to steal.

The public can now use a velotaxi which involves the operator using a tricycle with a sheltered passenger cab. There is room for two people and the service covers all of the city centre.

Frankfurt has also a network of modern cycle routes throughout city. Many of the long distance bike routes into town have dedicated cycle tracks. A number of city centre roads are "bicycle streets" where the cyclist has the right of way and where motorised vehicles are allowed access if they do not disrupt the cycle users. The City also has a dedicated approach towards cyling, take a look at the Radfahrportal

Every first Sunday in the month there is a Critical Mass cycle event which starts at 2 pm at the Old Opera.

Economy and business

Frankfurt is one of the leading financial centres in Europe. According to an annual study (2007) by Cushman & Wakefield it is one of the top three cities for international companies in Europe, along with London and Paris. According to a ranking list (2001) produced by the University of Liverpool, Frankfurt is the richest city in Europe by GDP per capita. After Frankfurt are Karlsruhe, Paris and Munich. The Mercer Human Resource Consulting Worldwide Quality of Living Survey 2007 ranked Frankfurt at the seventh position of the cities with the highest quality of life worldwide. The only German city that did better was Düsseldorf at number six.

Banks

Frankfurt is commonly known as "the city of the banks" in Germany. It is sometimes referred to as ''Mainhattan'' (a portmanteau of the local river Main and Manhattan in New York City) or nicknamed ''Bankfurt''. In 2006, six of the ten major German banks had their headquarters in the city, including the top three (Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, and DZ Bank). Other important banks are ING Diba, KfW, BHF Bank, Bankhaus Metzler, Delbrück Bethmann Maffei, DekaBank, Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen and Frankfurter Sparkasse. More than 300 national and international banks are represented here.

The European Central Bank (''Europäische Zentralbank'') is one of the world's most important central banks, responsible for monetary policy covering the 16 member countries of the Eurozone. Since its foundation in 1998 the headquarters are located in downtown Frankfurt although plans have now been made for a move to a landscaped area on the site of the former wholesale market hall (''Großmarkthalle'') in the eastern part of the city.

The German Federal Bank (''Deutsche Bundesbank'') is an integral part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). It was established in 1957.

Stock exchange

With the stock exchange (''Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse'') and XETRA, which belong to Deutsche Börse, Frankfurt has the second largest stock exchange in Europe after the London Stock Exchange. It is by far the largest stock exchange in Germany with over 90 percent turnover in the German market. In terms of market capitalisation, Deutsche Börse is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world.

Trade fairs

Fairs have a very long tradition in Frankfurt. They were first mentioned in the 12th century. Today, Frankfurt has the third-largest exhibition site in the world. The ''Messe Frankfurt'' corporation arranged 120 fairs in 40 countries in 2006. Hosted in Frankfurt are the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (the world's largest motor show), the Frankfurt Book Fair (the world's largest book fair), the Ambiente (the world's largest consumer goods fair), the Achema (the world's largest plant engineering fair) and many more like Paperworld, Christmasworld, Beautyworld, Tendence Lifestyle or Light and Building.

Advertising agencies

Although it is best known for its banks, Frankfurt is also a centre for media companies. There are around 570 companies of the advertising industry and 270 public relations companies. According to a ranking of FOCUS magazine from November 2007 there are seven of the 48 largest advertising agencies in Germany based in Frankfurt, including McCann-Erickson, Saatchi & Saatchi, JWT, and Publicis. Topping the list is Berlin with nine, followed by Hamburg with eight. After Frankfurt comes Munich with six. Wiesbaden is also on the list with two.

Accountancy and professional services

The ''Big Four'', the four largest international accountancy and professional services firms, are all represented in or nearby Frankfurt.

They are Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, KPMG (European Headquarters), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Ernst & Young is located in the nearby town of Eschborn.

Management consulting

Some of the largest international management consulting firms are represented in Frankfurt, including Accenture, Arthur D. Little, McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Booz & Company, Oliver Wyman, Bearing Point, Capgemini, Bain & Company and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants.

Electronic communication

Frankfurt is also an important location for the internet. It is home to world's largest internet exchange point, DE-CIX, and is where domain names are registered for the top-level-domain ".de".

Lawyers

Frankfurt has the highest concentration of lawyers in Germany, with one lawyer per 99 inhabitants. Most of the large international law firms maintain offices in Frankfurt, among them Allen & Overy, Baker & McKenzie, Clifford Chance, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Debevoise & Plimpton, DLA Piper, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Hogan Lovells, Jones Day, Linklaters, Mayer Brown, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, Norton Rose, Shearman & Sterling, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, K&L Gates, Taylor Wessing and White & Case.

Working in Frankfurt

With over 922 jobs per 1,000 inhabitants, Frankfurt has the highest concentration of jobs in Germany. The high number of around 600,000 jobs with only 663,000 inhabitants of the city itself is explained by the high number of commuters who work in the city, which raises the per capita GDP of the resident population significantly. On work days and Saturdays there are around one million people within the city limits. On other days, the statistics regarding Frankfurt's wealth are reduced, in favour of the communities and towns of the so-called "Speckgürtel" (literally ''bacon belt'', meaning the suburban area), such as Bad Homburg, Königstein im Taunus, Kronberg im Taunus and Bad Soden am Taunus, many of whose inhabitants work in Frankfurt.

Despite that, Frankfurt also had, as of 2008, the highest levels of crime per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany with 15.976 crimes per annum and 3 homicides per 100.000 persons. However, this statistic is a result of the commuter population, for it is calculated based on the 650,000-inhabitant figure, and also includes crimes committed at the airport, such as smuggling. Frankfurt is actually therefore a very safe city, corroborated by surveys among the inhabitants.

Frankfurt International Airport is the single largest place of work in Germany.

Other businesses

Frankfurt is home to chemical industries, software businesses and call centres. Business development and other important departments of the Deutsche Bahn are located at the DB-Headquarters in Gallus. Because of Hoechst AG, Frankfurt is considered the "Apothecary of the World". Höchst's industrial park in Frankfurt is one of the three largest locations for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry in Europe. Frankfurt is also home to several large German industrial associations, such as the Chemical Industry Association; the Association for German Machine- and Equipment-building; the Electrotechnical, Electronic, and Information Technology Association e. V. with its affiliated electrotechnical standards commission; and the Association of German Automobile Producers, which is currently moving to Frankfurt. The Union of German Automobile Producers meets in Frankfurt every two years to coincide with the International Automobile Exhibition, mentioned above. Furthermore, the Trade Association of German Booksellers has its headquarters in Frankfurt, and organises the Frankfurt Book Fair. In terms of labour unions, Frankfurt is home to the headquarters of IG Metall and IG Bau,.

Lufthansa maintains its base of operations, the Lufthansa Aviation Center (LAC), by Frankfurt Airport.

The main water and electricity provider for the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region, Mainova, is based in the city proper.

Businesses with regional headquarters or based in and near Frankfurt include: {| |- | valign="top" |

German Football Association

Fiat

Nintendo (in Großostheim)

| valign="top" |

Maserati (in Wiesbaden)

Ferrari (in Wiesbaden)

Alfa Romeo

| valign="top" |

Lancia

Hyundai (in Offenbach)

| valign="top" |

KIA

Jaguar (in Kronberg)

| valign="top" |

Opel (in Rüsselsheim)

Ferrero

First Solar

|}

Property and real estate

Frankfurt has the highest concentration of home owners in Germany. This is partly attributed to number of financial workers in the city but also because of its cosmopolitan nature with a quarter of the city's population being foreigners. For this reason Frankfurt's property market often operates differently than the rest of the country where the prices are generally much flatter than Frankfurt. German property prices are pulled down nationally because of the former East Germany, however, economically sound cities like Frankfurt and other cities in the west of Germany, have a buoyant housing market, which attracts a lot of buyers from the Far East.

Establishments and organisation

Frankfurt is home of the German National Library, the Hessian State Supreme Court, and the Hessian State Employment Court, and has its own police academy. The fire department, founded in 1874, and the volunteer fire department have eight fire stations. Until their dissolution at the end of 2003, Frankfurt was the location of the Federal Disciplinary Court.

The German office of the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank group, and the Committee of European Insurances and Occupational Pensions Supervisors (Ceiops), the European insurance control, have their headquarters in Frankfurt.

Frankfurt hosts 88 consulates. Only New York and Hamburg have more foreign representation, excluding capital cities. Russia and China have recently opened general consulates in Frankfurt. The Consulate General of the United States in Frankfurt in Eckenheim is the largest American consulate in the world.

Media

Two important daily newspapers are published in Frankfurt. The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung was founded in 1949 and is the German newspaper with the widest circulation abroad, with its editors claiming to deliver the newspaper to 148 countries every day. The ''FAZ'' has a circulation of over 380,000 copies daily. The other important newspaper, the Frankfurter Rundschau, was first published in 1945 and has a daily circulation of over 181,000 copies.

Frankfurt is also home to the German headquarters of the news agency Reuters.

Several magazines also originate from Frankfurt. The Journal Frankfurt is the best-known magazine for events, parties, and "insider tips". An "ecological magazine", Öko-Test, publishes materials for the Green Party of Germany in Bockenheim. Bockenheim is known for the quiz magazine of the same name, and is home to the editorial office of the satire magazine, Titanic.

Frankfurt's first radio station was the Südwestdeutsche Rundfunkdienst AG (Southwest German Radio Service), founded in 1924. Its successor service is the public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk. Its "Funkhaus am Dornbusch" station is one of the most important radio and television broadcasters. There is also the ARD-Stern that broadcasts from individual senders via a high-service network. Bloomberg TV and RTL have regional studios on the ''Neuen Mainzer Straße'', downtown. Other broadcasters in Frankfurt include Main FM and Radio X. The largest private radio station in the region FFH, is located nearby in Bad Vilbel.

Since August 1945, the American Forces Network had broadcasted from Frankfurt. Due to troop reductions, the AFN's Frankfurt location has been abandoned. Since October 2004, the AFN has broadcast its European programs from Mannheim.

Education and research

In Frankfurt am Main, there are two universities and several specialist schools. There are two Business Schools in Frankfurt; Goethe University Frankfurt's Goethe Business School and Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe University

The oldest and best-known university in the city is the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, with locations in Bockenheim, Westend, and Riedberg, and the university hospital in Niederrad. The prestigious Goethe Business School is part of the University's House of Finance at Campus Westend. The Business School's Full Time MBA program has over 70% international students.

Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences

The ''Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences'' (Fachhochschule Frankfurt am Main) was created out of several older organisations in 1971, and offers over 38 study areas, in the arts, sciences, engineering and law. Some of the most important research projects: Planet Earth Simulator, FraLine-IT-School-Service, quantitative analysis of methane in human corpses with the help of a mass spectrometer, software engineering (e.g. fraDesk), analysis of qualitative and quantitative gas in human lungs, long-term studies on photovoltaic modules (to name only a few).

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Alongside the university is the banking academy Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, formerly known as the '''' (Institution of Higher Learning for Banking Economics), with its campus in the Ostend (Eastend) neighbourhood. Since 2001, it has been a specialist institution for the teaching Economics and Management, or FOM.

Städelschule

Frankfurt has the State Institution of Higher Learning for Artistic Education known as the Städelschule, founded in 1817 by Johann Friedrich Städel, that was taken over by the city in 1942 and turned into a state art school.

Music School and Conservatories

Music institutions are the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, and the ''Hoch Conservatory (Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium)'' which was founded in 1878.

Other notable schools

Until September 2003, Frankfurt was also home to a school for library science and administration.

The Philosophical-Theological Institution of Saint George (''Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen')', a private institution with membership in the German Jesuit Association, has been located in Sachsenhausen since 1950.

The city is also home of three Max Planck Society institutes: the Max Planck Institute for European History of Law (MPIeR), Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research.

The Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, sponsored by several institutional and private sources, is involved in theoretical research in physics, chemistry, neuroscience, and computer science.

Frankfurt is host to the ''Römisch-Germanische-Kommission'' (RGK), the German Archaeological Institute branch for prehistoric archaeology in Germany and Europe. The RGK is involved in a variety of research projects. Its library, with over 130,000 volumes, is one of the largest specialised archaeological libraries in the world.

Education and media

Over the past years the city of Frankfurt has been increasingly investing into the IT-infrastructure of its schools. As a result, schools in Frankfurt now rank among the best equipped schools nationwide as far as availability of PCs and other media facilities are concerned. In order to assure maintenance and support of the school PCs, the city of Frankfurt in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences has launched the project Fraline - IT-Schul-Service, an initiative employing students to provide basic school IT-support.

Sport

Frankfurt hosts the following sports teams or clubs: {| |- | valign="top" |

Eintracht Frankfurt, football (soccer)

FSV Frankfurt, football (soccer)

| valign="top" |

1. FFC Frankfurt, football (soccer)

Frankfurter FC Germania 1894, football (soccer)

Rot-Weiss Frankfurt, football (soccer)

| valign="top" |

Frankfurt Lions, ice hockey

Deutsche Bank Skyliners, basketball

|}

Frankfurt used to host these former teams or clubs: {| |- | valign="top" |

1. Bockenheimer FC 1899, football (soccer)

| valign="top" |

Frankfurt Galaxy, American Football

|}

Frankfurt is host to the classic cycle race Rund um den Henninger-Turm. The city hosts also the annual Frankfurt Marathon and the Iron Man European Championships.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Frankfurt twinned with, or has sister city relationships with: Lyon, France, since 1960 Birmingham, United Kingdom, since 1966 Milan, Italy, since 1971 Cairo, Egypt, since 1979 Tel Aviv, Israel, since 1980 Guangzhou, People's Republic of China, since 1988 Toronto, Canada, since 1989 Prague, Czech Republic, since 1990 Budapest, Hungary, since 1990 Leipzig, Germany, since 1991 Granada, Nicaragua, since 1991 Dubai, United Arab Emirates, since 2005

Partnerships

Deuil-la-Barre, France, partnered with Nieder-Eschbach, since 1967; incorporated in 1972 Kraków in Poland, since 1991

Gallery

See also

Frankfurt School

List of mayors of Frankfurt

References

Bibliography

''Frankfurt – City Guide'', Kraichgau Verlag (ISBN 3-929228-21-1)

Notes

External links

Official website

Architecture of Frankfurt

Frankfurt Zoo

Frankfurt before and after World War II

Frankfurt webcam links

Frankfurt photogallery

Visual Frankfurt

Frankfurt Panoramas: 360° City Panoramas Panorama-cities.net; Panorama Frankfurt - Bilder von der Skyline Oopper.de; frankfurt360.de, panorama-frankfurt.de

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Historic Jewish communities Category:Port cities and towns in Germany Category:Turkish communities in Germany Category:1st-century establishments

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name	Robin Gibb
background	solo_singer
birth name	Robin Hugh Gibb
born	December 22, 1949Douglas, Isle of Man
origin	Raised in:Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, EnglandMoved to:Brisbane, Australia
instrument	Vocals, piano, violin, guitar
genre	Pop, rock, soft rock, adult contemporary, blue-eyed soul, disco, funk
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1958–present
label	Polydor, RSO, Mirage
associated acts	Bee Gees
website	Official website }}

Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE (born 22 December 1949) is a singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice (1949–2003), and elder brother Barry.

Born in the Isle of Man to English parents, the trio started their musical career in Australia, and found major success when they returned to England. With record sales estimated in excess of 100 million, the Bee Gees became one of the most successful pop groups of all time.

Origins

Born to Barbara (née Pass) and Hugh Gibb on the Isle of Man, Robin was the twin brother of Maurice Gibb, and was the older of the twins by thirty-five minutes. The third-born of five children, he has one older sister, Lesley (born 1945), and three brothers, Barry (born 1946), twin Maurice (born 1949), and Andrew (born 1958). In late 1958, he and his family moved to Brisbane, Australia, settling in one of the city's poorest suburbs, Cribb Island, which was subsequently demolished to make way for Brisbane Airport. Their music careers began in Australia, and flourished when they returned to England in 1967 and were spotted by Robert Stigwood.

Solo career

Traditionally, Robin's role in the group has been that of lead singer, for which he vied constantly with his elder brother Barry Gibb during the group's first period of British success in the late 1960s. This eventually resulted in Robin leaving the group to begin a solo career after his song "Lamplight" was relegated to the 'B' side of Barry's "First of May". Meanwhile, there were rumours of drug problems, and his parents threatened to have him made a ward of court (the UK age of majority at that time being 21, and Robin then only 19).

Although initially successful, with a number 2 UK hit, "Saved by the Bell" (which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc) his album, ''Robin's Reign'', was less successful and he found that being a solo artist was less than satisfying. His brother Maurice Gibb played bass on the song "Mother and Jack", but was subsequently removed from the project by Robert Stigwood. Despite having almost completed a second solo album, ''Sing Slowly Sisters'', Robin reunited with his brothers, who had disbanded the Bee Gees in search of their own solo careers. They came back on a high note, reaching No.3 on the U.S. charts with the song "Lonely Days" in 1970. The following year, they had their first U.S. No.1 hit, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", but then their success started to ebb. After they started working with producer Arif Mardin in 1974 and reinvented themselves with "Blue-Eyed Soul," the Bee Gees went on to their second period of phenomenal success in the disco-era late 1970s.

He also made an appearance on the ''Sesame Street Fever'' album, singing on the title track, then doing a song for Oscar the Grouch called "Trash", along with speaking on at least one other song.

While continuing in the group, Robin also promoted his solo career, and during the 1980s he released three further solo albums (''How Old Are You'', ''Secret Agent'', and ''Walls Have Eyes'') which were more successful in Continental Europe than in the UK or USA. However, his 1984 single "Boys Do Fall in Love" reached the Billboard top 40. Several extended versions of dance songs were recorded, including ones for "Boys Do Fall in Love", "Secret Agent", "Like a Fool" and the rarest, "You Don't Say Us Anymore"; many only released to DJ's.

In the same week as his twin brother Maurice's sudden death, Robin's next solo album, ''Magnet'', was released in Germany on 27 January 2003 (Label: SPV), and worldwide shortly afterwards. It features the Bee Gees song "Wish You Were Here" (from the 1989 album ''One'') in a new acoustic version. The lead single, "Please", has coincidental lyrics about "loss". With Maurice's death, his two surviving brothers, Robin and Barry, disbanded the Bee Gees for a time; however, it was announced in late 2009 that Barry and Robin would reform and perform as the Bee Gees again.

Robin has recently sung the vocals to the opening titles to ''The Dame Edna Treatment''.

On 18 May 2008, Robin released the song "Alan Freeman Days" in tribute to the Australian DJ Alan Freeman. The song was mainly issued as a download only track although a promotional CD was issued by Academy Recordings. In December of the same year the song was followed by another downloadable song entitled "Wing and a Prayer" which although it shares the same name as a song the Bee Gees issued on their 1989 ''One'' album is actually a reworking of the song, "Sing Slowly Sisters", that had remained unreleased since 1970. A week later Robin issued another song as a download, "Ellan Vannin (Home Coming Mix)", featuring the King Williams College Choir from the Isle of Man.

A new solo album entitled ''50 St Catherine's Drive'', originally scheduled for release in 2008, remains unreleased. In August 2009 a 50 second clip of "Instant Love" from said album appeared as a preview. The song itself is a collaboration with his son Robin-John and a second version featuring Robin-John on vocals appeared in a short film called ''Bloodtype: The Search'' in which Robin-John appeared.

Robin and his son, Robin-John, are currently writing the score for ''The Titanic Requiem'' to be recorded by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

Collaborations

In August 2003, Robin announced that he would be releasing a new single of "My Lover's Prayer", a song first recorded by the Bee Gees in 1997, with vocals by Robin, Wanya Morris, and Lance Bass. This was played on radio, but was never actually released. In October 2003 another version was recorded as a duet with Alistair Griffin, runner-up in the UK television program ''Fame Academy'', on which Robin had appeared as a judge. My Lover's Prayer, was eventually released in the UK in January 2004 as a double A side CD single, and reached number 5 in the UK charts.

In January 2005 Robin joined his brother Barry and several other artists under the collective name of ''One World Project'', to record a charity single in aid of Asian tsunami relief, titled "Grief Never Grows Old". Other artists who performed on the single included Boy George, Steve Winwood, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Sir Cliff Richard, Bill Wyman, America, Kenny Jones, Chicago, Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys), Russell Watson and Davy Spillane.

In June 2005 Gibb joined X Factor runners up G4 at a sell-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, singing the Bee Gees song "First of May". A recording of this performance was released in December 2005 as part of a double A side single, credited as "G4 feat Robin Gibb" together with G4's own cover of Johnny Mathis' "When a Child is Born". This track was also included on the platinum selling album ''G4 & Friends'' which reached number 6 in the UK album charts.

In November 2006, Robin released an album of Christmas carols called ''Robin Gibb – My Favourite Carols'', backed by London choir The Serlo Consort. The album also features a brand new song written by Robin called "Mother of Love", which was released in Europe as a download single. The song was inspired by Maurice Gibb, and is the first new Robin Gibb composition to be published since his twin brother died in January 2003. Royalties of Mother of Love will be donated to the "Janki Foundation for Global Healthcare", and Robin dedicated the song to Dadi Janki, the organisation's spiritual leader. It is also dedicated to Robin's own mother, Barbara Gibb. The album also has a bonus DVD titled ''A Personal Christmas Moment with Robin Gibb''.

Gibb went back to the top of the U.K. charts in 2009 when he collaborated with Ruth Jones, Rob Brydon, and Tom Jones on a new version of "Islands in the Stream", which was written by Gibb and his brothers Barry and Maurice. The new version, inspired by the BBC comedy "Gavin & Stacey", was for the charity Comic Relief.

Concerts

In late 2004, Robin embarked on a solo tour of Germany, Russia and Asia, with Alistair Griffin as the opening act. On his return he released a CD and DVD of live recordings from the German leg of the tour, backed by the Frankfurt Neue Philharmonic Orchestra. A further solo tour of Latin America followed in 2005.

In February 2006, Robin joined his brother Barry live on stage at a charity concert in Hollywood, Florida This was the first time they had performed together since the death of their brother in 2003.

In March 2006 he announced plans for more solo concerts in Shanghai and Portugal. In May 2006, Robin took part in the Prince's Trust 30th Birthday Concert at the Tower of London along with his brother Barry. They sang 3 songs: "Jive Talkin'", "To Love Somebody" and "You Should Be Dancing". In September 2006, Robin Gibb performed "Stayin' Alive" at the Miss World 2006 contest finals in Poland. In November 2006, Robin performed a solo concert, entitled "Bee Gees – Greatest Hits", at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, the Philippines.

Robin Gibb marked his return to his birthplace by playing a concert at the Isle of Man TT festival in 2007. The Peel Bay TT Festival – 12 February 2007. Robin donated all of his share of the money from this gig to the children's ward at Noble's Hospital, Isle of Man and invited all emergency service staff and marshals for the TT to attend for free.

On 8 September 2007, Robin performed a concert in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Energy Arena for the NuSkin Convention singing a set of Bee Gees hits.

On 25 October 2007, Robin Gibb performed a concert in Sofia, Bulgaria and sang the Bee Gees most famous songs.

On 25 October 2008, to mark the 30th anniversary of Saturday Night Fever topping the UK charts, Robin Gibb performed with special guests including Ronan Keating, Stephen Gateley, Sam Sparro, Sharleen Spiteri, Gabriella Cilmi and Bryn Christopher for the BBC Electric Proms.

Personal life

In 1968 Gibb married Molly Hullis, a secretary in Robert Stigwood's organisation. The couple had survived the Hither Green rail crash, which killed 49 people on the 5 November 1967. They had two children together, Spencer and Melissa, but they eventually divorced in 1980 after years of living separate lives, with Robin almost permanently in the USA and Molly remaining in the UK.

Gibb's second wife, Dwina Murphy Gibb, is an author and an artist. She is interested in druidry and is a follower of the Brahma Kumaris. The couple have a son, Robin-John. Robin and Dwina divide their time among the Isle of Man, Miami, and Thame in Oxfordshire. Gibb is "an ardent vegan and teetotaller".

Awards

In 1994, Robin Gibb was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 1997 the Bee Gees were inducted as a group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Robin was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2001/2002 New Year's Honours List, along with his brothers Maurice and Barry. The official presentation ceremony at Buckingham Palace was delayed until 2004 owing to Maurice's death. In 2005, Gibb received the Steiger Award (Germany) for accomplishments in the arts.

Robin and Barry Gibb both received Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Music from The University of Manchester in May 2004.

On 10 July 2009, both Robin and Barry were made Freemen of the Borough of Douglas. The award was also bestowed posthumously on Maurice, therefore confirming the freedom of the town of their birth to all three brothers.

Discography

Gibb's entire song catalogue is published by Universal Music Publishing.

Albums

align="center">– ''How Old Are You?'' ''Secret Agent'' ''Walls Have Eyes'' ''Magnet'' ''My Favourite Christmas Carols''

Title !! UnitedKingdom !! Germany !! UnitedStates !! Switzerland !! Canada !! NewZealand !! Italy
1970	''Robin's Reign''	|	No.19	–	–	No.77	–	–
1983	|	–	No.6	–	No.26	–	No.22	No.13
1984	|	–	No.31	No.97	No.20	–	–	–
1985	|	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2002	|	No.43	No.10	–	–	–	–	–
2006	|	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Singles

align="center">No.2 "One Million Years" "August, October" "Oh align="center" "Help Me!"(Robin Gibb with Marcy Levy) "Juliet" "How Old Are You?" "Another Lonely Night in New York" "Boys Do Fall in Love" "Secret Agent" "In Your Diary" "Like a Fool" "Toys" "Please" "Wait Forever" "Bring It On/My Lover's Prayer "First of May"(G4 (band) "Mother of Love" "Too Much Heaven#US5 "Islands in the Stream"(Comic Relief w/Robin Gibb)

Title !! UnitedKingdom !! Germany !! UnitedStates !! Austria !! Switzerland !! SouthAfrica !! NewZealand !! Italy
1969	"Saved By the Bell"	|	No.3	–	–	–	No.1	No.1	–
1969	|	–	No.14	–	–	No.6	–	–	–
1970	|	No.45	No.12	–	–	–	–	No.11	–
1978	Darling"	– ||	–	No.15	–	–	–	–	No.5
1980	|	–	–	No.50	–	–	–	–	–
1983	|	No.94	No.1	No.104	No.2	No.1	–	–	No.1
1983	|	No.92	No.37	–	–	–	–	–	–
1984	|	No.71	No.16	–	–	No.19	–	–	–
1984	|	No.70	No.21	No.37	No.36	–	No.7	–	No.10
1984	|	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1985	|	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1985	|	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1986	|	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2002	|	No.23	No.51	–	–	–	–	No.48	–
2003	|	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2004	My Lover's Prayer"(Robin Gibb and Alistair Griffin) ||	No.5	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2005	G4 feat. Robin Gibb) ||	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2006	|	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2007	Too Much Heaven"(Robin Gibb and US5) ||	–	No.7	–	–	–	–	–	–
2009	|	No.1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

References

External links

Robin Gibb Official site

Robin Gibb's MySpace page

Gibb Songs ''Magnet'' by Joseph Brennan

Words & Music, Fans Of The Brothers Gibb

Promo Video, My Lover's Prayer

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Manx people Category:People from Thame Category:English-language singers Category:English male singers Category:English pop singers Category:English child singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English vegans Category:Musicians from Manchester Category:People from Brisbane Category:English record producers Category:English tenors Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:Bee Gees members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Reality television judges Category:English expatriates in Australia Category:English expatriates in the United States

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name	Peter Doig
birth place	Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
nationality	Scottish British
field	Painting
training	Wimbledon, St Martin's, Chelsea schools of art
awards	}}

Peter Doig ( ) is a contemporary artist born in Scotland. In 2007, a painting of Doig's, entitled ''White Canoe'', sold at Sotheby's for $11.3 million, then an auction record for a living European artist.

Early life

Peter Doig was born in Edinburgh, and in 1962 moved with his family to Trinidad, where his father worked with a shipping and trading company, and then in 1966 to Canada. He went to London in 1979 to study fine art at the Wimbledon School of Art, St Martin's School of Art (where he became friends with the artist Billy Childish) and Chelsea School of Art, where he received an MA. In the mid-1980s, he lived and worked in Montreal. In 1993, Doig won the first prize at the John Moores exhibition with his painting ''Blotter''. This brought public recognition, cemented in 1994, when he was nominated for the Turner Prize. In 1999, he selected EASTinternational with Roy Arden. From 1995 to 2000, he was a trustee of the Tate Gallery.

Return to Trinidad

In 2002, Doig moved back to Trinidad, where he set up a studio at the Caribbean Contemporary Arts centre near Port of Spain, and also became professor at the fine arts academy in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Artistic practice

Many of Doig's pictures are landscapes, very abstract, with a number harking back to the snowy scenes of his childhood in Canada. Doig’s landscapes are splendidly layered formally and conceptually, and draw on assorted artists from art history, including Edvard Munch and Claude Monet to Friedrich and Klimt.

His works are frequently based on found photographs (and sometimes of his own), but are not painted in a photorealist style, Doig instead using the photographs simply for reference. In a 2008 interview, Doig referred to his use of photographs and postcards as painting "by proxy" and noted that his paintings "made no attempt to reflect setting."

Doig is best known for his series of paintings of Le Corbusier’s modernist communal living apartments known as ''l’Unite d’Habitation'' located at Briety-en-Foret, in France.. The modern urban structures are partially revealed and hidden by the forest that surrounds them. As Doig explains: “When you walk through an urban environment, you take the strangeness of the architecture for granted”.

Peter Doig’s work captures moments of tranquillity, which contrast with uneasy oneiric elements. He uses unusual colour combinations and depicts scenes from unexpected angles, all contributing to give his work a magic realist feel. In ''The Architect’s Home in the Ravine'' the thick undergrowth partly obscures the house. It is the play of twig-like shapes and range of colours overlapping the building which one notices. His scenes that involve lakes with canoes, cabins tucked away in the woods, and skiers dotting mountain scenery are his most well-known subjects.

In 2003, Doig started a weekly film club called StudioFilmClub in his studio together with Trinidadian artist Che Lovelace. Doig not only selects and screens the films; he also paints the poster advertising the week's film. He told an interviewer that he finds this ongoing project liberating because it's "much more immediate" than his usual work.

In 2005, he was one of the artists exhibited in part 1 of ''The Triumph of Painting'' at the Saatchi Gallery in London.

In 2007, a painting of Doig's, entitled ''White Canoe'', sold at Sotheby's for $11.3 million, then an auction record for a living European artist. Paul Schimmel, chief curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles said in an interview that the sale made Doig go from being “a hero to other painters to a poster child of the excesses of the market."

In 2008, a retrospective of his work (entitled "Peter Doig") was held at Tate Britain (February–May) and the Paris Museum of Modern Art (June–September)and the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt (October 8-January , 2009)

Doig is teaching at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.

Notes and references

Sources

Hans-Jürgen Tast (Hrsg.) „As I Was Moving. Kunst und Leben“ (Schellerten/Germany 2004) (z.m.a. K.) ISBN 3-88842-026-1;

External links

Taking the Most Extreme Liberties to Fashion an Alternative World. Lyle Rexer on Peter Doig in Tate Etc. (Issue 12, Spring 2008)

1992 monograph from ''Frieze''

Watercolor, Tate Britain, 2011

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:People from Edinburgh Category:Contemporary painters Category:Landscape artists Category:Scottish emigrants Category:Scottish painters Category:Alumni of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Category:Alumni of Chelsea College of Art & Design Category:Trinidad and Tobago painters Category:Kunstakademie Düsseldorf faculty

de:Peter Doig fr:Peter Doig nl:Peter Doig pt:Peter Doig ru:Дойг, Питер