Frankfurt celebrates Museums on the Main

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Two million people visit the Museum Embankment Festival every year in the banking city of Frankfurt. The event is now taking place again from August 25th to 27th.

It’s counted among the largest and most spectacular art and culture festivals in Europe: the Museum Embankment Festival (Museumsuferfest) in the heart of Frankfurt. It’s therefore no surprise that around two million people are drawn to the Main every year when the museums on the river’s north and south banks open their doors until well into the night.

In front of the impressive backdrop of the Frankfurt skyline, a rich and varied spectrum of stage presentations, colourful live performances and culinary specialities from all over the world complement the programme of the three-day museum festival, which ends on August 27th at 10 pm with a glorious firework display.

Here you can view the programme for the Museum Embankment Festival 2017 online or download the programme booklet in pdf format.

Picture credits: visitfrankfurt  / Holger Ullmann

Frankfurt is growing: taller

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Frankfurt has a lot to offer: in addition to the culinary delights of Apfelwein and Handkäse, it can also boast the only skyline in Germany that can stand up to international comparison. And the city continues to grow tall.

The city on the River Main is getting ready for growth in the wake of the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU). Between 15,000 and 20,000 people could be coming to Frankfurt every year. Indeed, the first few banks have already decided to relocate their European headquarters to Mainhatten. This is because banks outside Europe need a so-called EU Passport to enable them to do business within the EU. If they have a licence in the UK, they can no longer operate in any EU country after the Brexit has been completed.

As a result, office space and living space are both in demand in Frankfurt. 20 new are to be built during the next few years. Around 300,000 square metres of office space are being planned. The intention is that the new buildings should not just impress with their height, but should also captivate through the charm of their architecture. Here’s an overview:

1. Deutsche Bank Area (2021/2022)

Four glass towers with green landscaped terraces on the podium level are to be built by 2022 at the Roßmarkt location that Deutsche Bank has been using for decades as a trading centre. A mixed-use quarter with four high-rise buildings replaces the old buildings: a 228-metre high hotel and office tower, two 120- and 173-metre high residential towers and a 100-metre high office tower. In an architectural competition, the Netherlands firm UN Studio had prevailed against 14 competitors with this design proposal. The first towers are to be finished as early as 2021. The developers Groß & Partner will be starting the demolition this year.

2. Henninger Tower (2017/2018)

Almost finished is one of the most popular of Frankfurt’s landmarks, which has reinvented itself architecturally: the Henninger Tower is one of the winners of the International Iconic Awards 2015 and was acclaimed as an example of “visionary architecture” in the “Architecture/Domestic” category. The new residential high-rise has a height of 140 metres and is higher than the tower built in 1961, which soared up around 120 metres into the sky. The conspicuous barrel-like pod on top of the tower remains preserved. It contains a restaurant with panoramic view along with a viewing platform on the 38th floor. Additional facilities for wining and dining and for shopping are being created in a plinth building next to the Henninger Tower.

3. Tower 90 (2018)

In Frankfurt’s Europaviertel district, opposite the “Grand Tower”, a new tower block with hanging gardens is to rise up on the former Telenorma site by 2018. “Tower 90” is the name that has been given to the 90-metre high building with 28 floors, in which around 212 apartments are being created. The site covering 13,700 square metres will also house a 60-metre hotel tower and an extensive supermarket.

4. Grand Tower (2019)

Looming 172 metres into the Frankfurt sky, Germany’s highest high-rise residential building will soon take its place in the immediate vicinity of the Skyline Plaza. 401 condominium apartments are planned on 47 floors. Penthouse flats with up to 270 square metres will also available in the tower located at the intersection of the Europa-Allee and the Osloer Straße. The luxurious character of the skyscraper will be underscored by a variety of available services. The building shell is scheduled to be ready at the end of 2017, and residents will be able to move in from mid-2019 onwards. The lower floors with the facade’s glass honeycomb structure on the “Skyline Plaza” shopping centre site are already constructed.

5. Porsche Design Tower (2018)

The first European residential high-rise from the luxury and lifestyle brand Porsche Design is to be built in the new development area on the premises of the former freight station (Emser Bridge in the Europaviertel). It is destined to be around 100 metres high and offer fully furnished suites and penthouse apartments in Porsche Design by the end of 2018. It won’t just be striking inside, however: the unusual face of the building is designed to have loggias that jut out like open drawers from the facade.

6. Cascada – Rising Residences (2018)

Construction work on the 60-metre high Cascada – Rising Residences in the Europaviertel has already begun. The base structure of the residential tower is to be built in a C-shape and embrace a central garden. As is the case with the other new residential high-rise projects, a mixture of different apartment sizes and types is also envisaged in this project. The homes will be ready for occupancy as early as 2018.

7. The Marieninsel (2019)

In the heart of Frankfurt’s banking district, directly opposite the twin towers of Deutsche Bank, the so-called Marieninsel is under construction with two new office towers. The 155-metre high Marienturm with around 44,900 square metres of rental space is to be ready for occupancy in early 2019. The 40-metre high Marienforum covering 11,700 square metres is scheduled to be completed in 2018. The interior of the buildings is being conceived by the Milanese designer Patricia Urquiola. The newly created Marienplatz site on the area is to accommodate an appealing spectrum of bars, restaurants and retail outlets.

8. Omniturm (2018)

Life like it is in New York: the new “Omniturm” in the banking district is intended to combine living, hotel offers, cuisine, business, offices and public spaces under one roof with a unique urban flair. The 183-metre high glass skyscraper is planned as an “innovative mixed-use high-rise”. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2018.

9. One Forty West (2020/2021)

The 140-metre high “One Forty West” is being built close to the exhibition grounds, on the site where a former university tower was spectacularly demolished by a controlled explosion a few years ago. A hotel will be moving into the first 15 of the 40 floors, three floors are reserved for service apartments, and up to 300 apartments are to be installed on the upper floors. The topping-out ceremony for the new building is planned for the first quarter of 2019.

10. Axis

Two further new residential towers will already be ready for occupancy at the end of 2017 at the address Europa-Allee 165: the first owners are already living in the 60-metre high “Axis”. The “Praedium”, which is also 60 metres high, is well on its way to completion. The 19 storeys of the building have room for 242 freehold apartments, eight shops, a restaurant and an office area.

11. Drei Schwestern (Three Sisters)

Downtown living: that’s the possibility opened up by the “Three Sisters” high-rises situated directly next to the “MyZeil” shopping centre starting in mid-2020. The heights planned for the three residential towers are 44, 60 and 85 metres. They are designed to contain up to 500 small apartments as well as rentable common dining areas for larger celebrations and social events. In addition, the project is to be given a new name.

12. Winx (2017)

In the middle of this year, the shell construction of the “Winx” office tower is to be finished on the so-called “Maintor-Areal” site next to the Schauspiel Frankfurt theatre. The 110-metre high tower will accommodate offices and restaurants totalling 42,000 square metres. Its location directly on the River Main will offer a fabulous view of the city and river.

13. One (2021)

The 49 floors of the hotel and office tower “One” are to be completed by 2021. The 190-metre high tower, which will rise up in front of the entrance to the Kap Europa congress centre in close proximity to the Tower 185, Pollux and Castor high-rises, will be available for a mixture of hotel and office use.

14. Blue Horizon (2018)

“Blue Horizon” is a new residential tower that will be erected on the site of the former Hesse Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVH) by the end of 2018. The old 19-storey office building is being gutted and will then be reborn as a residential high-rise with 118 apartments and a total area of 9,000 square metres. Four commercial units are to be established on the ground floor. The facade is being designed in a natural sandstone look.

15. Westend Ensemble (2018)

In the prime Westend district of the city, prestigious apartments for owner-occupation are being created by 2018 in the listed building formerly used by the Regional Post Directorate.  The building, which is located directly opposite the exhibition grounds, is being completely gutted and lovingly refurbished with great attention to detail. The Senckenberg Carré, situated next to the historical section of the former “Oberpostdirektion”, will be completely demolished and replaced by a new structure containing rental apartments. The Westend Ensemble will be rounded off by an elegant high-rise with a view over the Frankfurt skyline.

Up-to-date news about these projects can be found at Skyline Atlas.

Picture credits: Groß & Partner

歓迎される – Welcome

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Frankfurt am Main will be the future EU location of the finance companies Mizuho Securities, Daiwa Securities, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Nomura. But why are foreign banks deciding in favour of Frankfurt? And what are the chances and challenges presented by moving? Here’s an interview with Dr. Oliver Wagner, Managing Director of the Association of Foreign Banks in Germany (VAB).

Why are foreign banks coming to Frankfurt?

Dr. Oliver Wagner: There’s a whole bundle of motives involved when banks choose Frankfurt. From the regional perspective, it’s not only the central location of the Rhine-Main area in the heart of Germany, the good transport connections thanks to the international airport and the central railway station with its ICE links, and the motorway network, it’s also the comparatively inexpensive office rents and the comprehensive IT infrastructure that count. This is supplemented by the closeness to the German stock exchange, the just under 200 banks who are represented in the Frankfurt region – including around 160 foreign banks – with their 70,000+ employees, and the presence of diverse consultants, auditors and law firms. Independent of the location Frankfurt, another decisive factor is certainly the effective, reliable and open-minded supervision of the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the Bundesbank, which also provides for dialogue and, to a major extent, documentation in the English language. That’s hardly an exhaustive list, but it’s worth stressing that Frankfurt has never promised tax reductions or other benefits and privileges, which are incentives we have certainly heard from other locations.

What are the greatest challenges faced by a company that is now relocating its EU headquarters in the wake of Brexit?

Wagner: It’s impossible to give a general answer to that question since it very much depends on the available structures that one can build upon. Banks not active in Germany before have to apply for appropriate authorisation from the supervisory authorities, and experience shows that can take around a year. That also applies to companies that have been operating up to now on the basis of the EU Passport. They also need a new permit and will be particularly expanding their back-office employees and infrastructure. If additional business domains such as broker-dealer operations are to be newly set up, this will require extensive investment. The key question is how one can continue to utilise the structures that already exist, possibly through channels of outsourcing. In general, it’s clear that a number of regulatory and tax issues will have to be faced.

And what are the greatest opportunities?

Wagner: First of all, I believe that Brexit is not a positive development, either for the European Union or for the United Kingdom. In an era of globalisation and networked markets, a mosaic of fragmented markets means additional costs and effort for almost all the parties involved. If one tries to find a positive side in this disruptive event, it might be the chance for companies to readjust themselves, question the status quo, and reassess previous practices.

What should definitely be borne in mind during the Brexit negotiations from the standpoint of the financial sector?

Wagner: Transition periods should certainly be agreed. It is foreseeable that it won’t be possible to regulate everything in the coming months up until the end of March 2019 so that a legally incontestable and smooth shift can become made on March 20th, 2019. This legal certainty for products and services is necessary, not least for the sake of financial stability.

Who is settling in the Financial Centre Frankfurt?

“Japanese banks warned very early on about the consequences of Brexit and are now among the first to react,” says Hubertus Väth, Managing Director of Frankfurt Main Finance. “Next, we’re now expecting decisions from the American and European banks, and we’re also confident as far as they are concerned.” Exactly who the financial companies are who will be coming to Frankfurt is shown below with an overview of selected key figures in comparison to the Deutsche Bank Group.

 

 

IRONMAN European Championship in Frankfurt IRONMAN European Championship in Frankfurt

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On July 9th, 2017 the financial metropolis Frankfurt am Main is once again host to the long-distance Ironman European Championships.

Around 3,000 triathletes take part in the Ironman Frankfurt race every year. What that means for all participants is 3.8 kilometres of swimming, 180 kilometres of cycling, and then nothing less than a marathon run. The athletes start off swimming in the calm waters of the Langen Forest Lake south of Frankfurt. The following cycle route leads through Frankfurt, among other areas, and is hilly and challenging. Cheered on by thousands of spectators, the athletes will then crown their achievement by running a distance of 42.195 kilometres on a thankfully flat course along the River Main. As it is every year, the highlight of the Ironman European Championships will be the glorious finish on the historic Römerberg city square in Frankfurt.

Copyright: Getty Images for IRONMAN

Running for team spirit and a good cause

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On June 13, 2017, we were off again. More than 63,000 runners from 2,419 companies have been at the start in Frankfurt am Main for the 25th J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge. As they do every year, salaried employees from companies of various industries have taken part. As befits an international financial centre, banks, asset managers and other financial service providers have also been well represented. Sport itself wasn’t the main purpose pursued by participants in this company run over a distance of 5.6 kilometres or 3.5 miles: values such as team spirit, communication, collegiality, fairness and health were the focus instead.

Even before, the exceptional athlete Markus Rehm was an honoured guest at the press conference held on May 31, 2017. He won two gold medals at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and was supported through funds from the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge. For every runner taking part in the race, four euros flow into the promotion of sport projects for young people with disabilities. As a result, a total of more than 2.5 million euros has come together for this purpose over the course of eleven years, which has enabled and is enabling the German Sports Aid Foundation and the Deutsche Behindertensportjugend, the youth organisation of the National Paralympic Committee Germany, to realise a number of important projects. As the top athlete Rehm points out: “My training group at the sports club TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen benefits from the funds being raised by the run. As a result, it has been able to further professionalise its work and introduce children and youngsters with disabilities to top-class paralympic sport and establish them there.”

Kunst privat! – Art Collections of Hessian Companies

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It is well-known that companies often own representative art collections. But, they rarely are open to public. The two-day event called Kunst privat! Hessian companies show their art, on the 24th and 25th of June 2017, is going to change that. The companies open their doors for tours through their collections. Frankfurt Main Finance members DekaBank, Deutsche Börse, Deutsche Bank, DZ BANK, Helaba and UBS will also open their doors to show their comprehensive collections.

About work and leisure time, social criticism and contemporary art

Since 2003, DekaBank traditionally opens its doors to its collection of contemporary art in occasion of the event Kunst privat!  This comprises nearly 1,400 works of painting, photography, sculpture, installed art and filming.

In the ultra-modern Cube in Eschborn, the Deutsche Börse shows its still quite young art collection: In 1999, it started to build up a collection of contemporary photography and presents these in changing exhibitions. In occasion of the two-day event it also opens up on the weekend and welcomes the visitors to its current exhibition. Work & Leisure is devoted to the two living worlds that shape the human daily life the most: work and leisure.

One of the worlds’ most meaningful collections of drawings and photographs after 1945 is owned by the Deutsche Bank. Under de name Art Works, it regularly opens its doors for a wide audience to visit the works. As also within the scope of Kunst privat!.

The collection of the DZ BANK is focused on photographs. Regularly, it welcomes visitors to survey exhibitions in the in-house ART FOYER at the place of republic and promotes young artists with scholarships. On the 24th and 25th of June, tours through the portfolio of photographic works happen in the DZ BANK tower.

In the MAIN TOWER, Helaba invites people to visit its collection of contemporary art. Besides paintings, photographs, drawings and sculptural works, that includes also numerous extensive artistic wall works locally realized in the MAIN TOWER during the past few years.

UBS creates a symbiosis of architecture and functionality of the opera tower on the one side and of the artworks on the other side. Their whole collection includes impressive 30,000 works of art. At their location in Frankfurt, there are exhibits of German artists. Additionally, with their app Planet Art, UBS campaigns for more education in art: through that, subscribers receive the most important information out of the world of contemporary art.

Besides the introduced ones, nearly 30 further Hessian companies open their houses for a tour through their art collection. From the 24th to 25th of June there will be artworks from different epochs since the renaissance from painting over drawing, photography up to sculpture and installation.

You will find further information under the following Link.
Registration for the tours begins on the 24th of May 2017.

J.P.Morgan Corporate Challenge

Europe’s Largest Run Comes to the Financial Centre

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Since 1993, the Financial Centre Frankfurt has been a host city for the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge, a 5.6 kilometer run through the city centre. The first year 527 participants from 57 companies took to the streets and began a great tradition in the Main Metropolis. In 2016, 68,119 runners from more than 2600 companies took part in what is now the largest run in Europe and one of the largest in the world.

To celebrate the 25th J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Frankfurt, winners from the global series will come to Frankfurt for the Championship race. On June 13, 2017, the world’s top runners will join nearly 70,000 participants representing Frankfurt’s businesses and organisations, ranging from international investment banks to the smallest FinTechs. The race aims to promote team spirit, communication, collegiality, fairness and health. Starting in the city centre, the course passes the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the old opera house before surrounding runners with the towering skyscrapers in the heart of the banking district. Along the course, colleagues and friends cheer on the runners on creating a festive atmosphere throughout the whole city. Following the race, runners join their colleagues for company parties along the Main river and all over the city. The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge does not just bring together employees but also the entire Financial Centre Frankfurt.

Money Museum

Bundesbank’s new Money Museum opens its doors

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For a little over two years, the Bundesbank’s Money Museum has been closed to visitors. Following extensive renovation and expansion, it has now reopened. At a ceremony on 16 December 2016, invited guests were able to view first-hand the completely redesigned – and now considerably larger – exhibition. The Money Museum opened its doors to the public on 17 December 2016.

Visitors walking around the museum will visit four themed areas in turn: cash, book money, monetary policy and global money. The cash area will explain payments, discuss the role of banks and give an insight into the new world of banking supervision. Financial stability, which will be presented in the global money section, is another new topic area. One of the highlights of this area will be the “banknote swarm,” a glass wall several square metres in size in which a host of different banknotes from all over the world will be displayed. Visitors will also be able to touch a genuine bar of gold.

The monetary policy area will focus mainly on monetary stability. The showpieces of the Bank’s coin collection will take pride of place in a special money cabinet. Other cabinets branching off from the route of the tour will take visitors on a trip through the history of money. The visitors will learn all about how banking came into being, experience the hyperinflation of the 1920s and delve into the history of central banking in Germany.

In order to convey abstract central banking themes, the exhibition will address visitors’ real-life concerns and relate its artefacts to specific everyday affairs (ATM machine, bank branch, supermarket). Some glass display cases will showcase money-related themes in a manner designed specifically for children (eg a model cash-in-transit vehicle, banknotes with fairy-tale motifs). Interactive media stations (quizzes, memory games, puzzles) convey information about the exhibits in an entertaining way. Experts and interested parties will find more in-depth information at the media stations.

Not only the exhibition rooms are larger

The four themed areas – cash, book money, monetary policy and global money – are arranged around a 360° cinema. The new Money Museum has a total of 1,000 square metres of floor space. It has not only a more spacious vestibule with an information counter but also additional rooms for museum education experiences and special exhibitions. The new coffee shop with an integrated museum shop is much larger as well.

Frankfurt Marathon

Frankfurt Marathon – Runners Celebrate after 42.195 KM

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On Sunday, October 30, 2016, runners from 104 countries tested their endurance in the 35th Frankfurt Marathon. Behind the Germans, the French and British, with 589 and 360 runners respectively, made up the largest participant groups. In addition, runners from Belarus, India, Madagascar and even one from Greenland were drawn to the marathon in the Mainmetropolis. Thirty percent of the 15,850 participants, the second most in the race’s history, came from abroad for the sporting event and combined their experience with shopping, museum visits and even an early Glühwein. For the prominent field of professional runners, the Frankfurt Marathon is particularly popular. Due to its generally flat course, with a total elevation change of only 27.8 meters, the Frankfurt Marathon is considered the third fastest course in the world. Thanks to the many professional athletes from around the world, the Frankfurt Marathon is the only German city besides Berlin that has been awarded a Gold Label from the International Association of Athletics Federations.

According to the Frankfurt police department and event organizer estimates, around 500,000 spectators came to watch the race and enjoy the nearly 100 parties featuring bands and DJs along the course. The marathon came to an end after 42.195 kilometers in Frankfurt’s Festhalle, where runners crossed the finish line and continued on to a red carpet leading to the finisher’s party. Participants celebrated their accomplishment in a disco atmosphere with music, lighting effects and the enthusiasm of the spectators. The last runner crossed the finish line at 4:25 PM, marking the close of 2016’s Frankfurt Marathon. At the Festhalle, around 7,000 people watched broadcasts from the race, the awards ceremonies and, of course, further enjoyed the huge party to honor the finishers of the 35th Frankfurt Marathon.

EUROPEAN CULTURAL DAYS: Multifaceted Germany

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Each year, the ECB’s EUROPEAN CULTURAL DAYS showcase the rich culture of one of the EU’s member states. The events, hosted by the ECB and the national bank of the featured country, are always a cultural highlight for the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region. This year, between 17 October and 1 December, the ECB and the Deutsche Bundesbank will present Germany’s multifaceted culture. Hosted in and around Germany’s most international city, Frankfurt am Main, events range from a classical symphony to electronic music, from modern dance theatre to literature and contemporary art.

“Working together to enhance awareness of a country’s cultural heritage that is part of our roots and our identity offers a good opportunity to educate and prepare future generations, who will have a key role in strengthening cohesiveness and community spirit and in deciding the way in which the European institutions will develop. The mission of the EUROPEAN CULTURAL DAYS fully meets this aim.”

– Mario Draghi, President of the ECB

Under the motto, “unity in diversity,” the EUROPEAN CULTURE DAYS have celebrated cultural diversity and European Unity since 2003. Celebrating in Frankfurt am Main is particularly special, since more than 180 nationalities live and work together in the Mainmetropolis. This years events will be held under the patronage of Mario Draghi, President of the ECB, and Jens Weidmann, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank.

Frankfurt Main Finance is proud to sponsor these events and looks forward to an exciting and enriching program. More informationa and a schedule of events can be found here.

Bildquelle: European Central Bank