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Mainhattan is a term referring to Frankfurt's skyline, especially that of its 
The first tall buildings were built in the 1960s. Banks and other financial institutions settled there, which resulted in the district also being referred to as "Bankfurt" (''Bankford''). Originally, both expressions were sometimes used derisively, but the connotation has changed to a purely positive one.
The seat of the
What does Mainhattan mean?
* {{Commons inline, Skylines in Frankfurt am Main, Mainhatttan Districts of Frankfurt Financial districts in Germany
Mainhattan is a term referring to Frankfurt's skyline, especially that of its central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
, the Bankenviertel. The word is a portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of Main, the river on which Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
lies, and Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, a reference to the inner city area's visually impressive high rises and skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...
s, a special feature for a European city. Together with the historically important Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew and St. Paul's Church, these buildings form the skyline of the city.
The first tall buildings were built in the 1960s. Banks and other financial institutions settled there, which resulted in the district also being referred to as "Bankfurt" (''Bankford''). Originally, both expressions were sometimes used derisively, but the connotation has changed to a purely positive one.
The seat of the European Central Bank
The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central component of the Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) as well as one of seven institutions of the European Union. It is one of the world's Big Four (banking)#International ...
is located in Mainhattan. The Commerzbank Tower
Commerzbank Tower is a 56-story, skyscraper in the Bankenviertel, banking district of Frankfurt, Germany. An antenna tower, antenna spire with a signal light on top gives the tower a total height of . It is List of tallest buildings in Germany ...
was the tallest building in the European Union until the Shard
The Shard, also referred to as the Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 72-storey mixed-use development supertall pyramid-shaped skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, that for ...
in London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
was built. After the United Kingdom voted to withdraw from the European Union (Brexit), plans were made for several financial institutions to move from the City of London
The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
to Mainhattan. However, a report by the think tank New Financial
New Financial is a London-based think tank created in 2014 by William Wright, a former journalist.
Background
Wright studied history in the early 1990s at Merton College, Oxford and at University of London. He started his career in banking. In ...
found that even after Brexit, there is still around five times more international financial activity in the UK than in France and Germany, suggesting that London will remain the most important financial centre
A financial centre (financial center in American English) or financial hub is a location with a significant concentration of commerce in financial services.
The commercial activity that takes place in a financial centre may include banking, ...
on the European continent, ahead of Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and Frankfurt.
See also
* Sanhattan *Manhattanization
''Manhattanization'' is a neologism coined to describe the construction of many tall or densely situated buildings, which transforms the appearance and character of a city to what is similar to Manhattan, the most densely populated borough of New ...
References
External links
What does Mainhattan mean?
* {{Commons inline, Skylines in Frankfurt am Main, Mainhatttan Districts of Frankfurt Financial districts in Germany