Essentials: Frankfurt

1) Among the 1,712 taxis in Frankfurt is also a Porsche Panamera. However, it's ivory-colored like all taxis – so it doesn't stand out.

2) The baggage conveyor system at Frankfurt Airport has a length of 80 kilometers. That's where a suitcase might take the wrong turn.

3) The building The Squaire above Frankfurt's long-distance train station at the airport (resembling a stranded whale a bit) is 660 meters long: Almost as long as the part of Frankfurt's Zeil shopping street, which has been car-free since 1973...

4) With over 7,000 exhibitors, the Frankfurt Book Fair is the largest in the world – and one with a long tradition. People were already trading in Frankfurt centuries ago. However, when Johannes Gutenberg invented letterpress printing in nearby Mainz in 1440, the city became a centre for printed matter. And the secret capital of bookworms.  

5) That rings a bell! In 1861, physics teacher Philipp Reis presented a special device. He called it a "telephon".