Hesse is right in the center of western Germany. Its southern part - the Rhine-Main area around Frankfurt - is one of the most heavily populated and economically developed areas in the country.

Frankfurt is the largest city in the state, with some 650,000 inhabitants. The Frankfurt airport, just outside the city, is one of the world’s most important international travel hubs. Some 70,000 people work at the airport - 35,000 of them with national air carrier Lufthansa, which makes it the largest employer in the state.

"Mainhattan," documenta, and more

Just like Manhattan, many large banks are headquartered in Frankfurt, which explains the financial center's nickname, "Mainhattan." Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Bank and Commerzbank are all headquartered there and many international banks have branches there as well.

The Frankfurt Trade Fair is a key international player. The Frankfurt Auto Show, which takes place each autumn, is one of the most important events on the industry’s annual calendar. A few weeks later, the International Book Fair takes place.

By contrast, the international art scene has a center in the city of Kassel. That city hosts the documenta exhibit of contemporary art every five years.

Spa towns, Goethe and Grimm

Wiesbaden is the state capital, and also a well-known spa town, with noble buildings and a certain faded charm. Outside the major metropolises, Hessen is in fact rather countrified, with many villages and towns.

It has some culinary specialties - a sort of hard apple cider called "Aebbelwoi," and "hand cheese" - a hard, waxy cheese marinated in vinegar and served with chopped onions.

One of Hesse's best-known citizens was the great German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe was born in 1749 in Frankfurt am Main. The brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm - known for their fairytales - were born in the city of Hanau in the 1780s.