0.79m – Frankfurt metropolitan area is home to around 5.8 million residents.
Location:
Western Germany
Industry:
Deutsche Bank AG, Commerzbank AG, KfW and DZ Bank, European Central Bank and German Federal Bank.
Background:
Birmingham and Frankfurt have been partner cities since 1966.
About Frankfurt:
It is the capital city of the German state of Hesse and home to 791,000 inhabitants according to the 2022 census.
Frankfurt is a global hub for commerce, culture, education, tourism and transportation, and hosts numerous corporate headquarters of both European and global significance.
The annual Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham is the longest-standing and most publicly visible partner city project Birmingham has with Frankfurt.
Further co-operation between the cities include: the long-standing partnership between the University of Birmingham and the Goethe University.
Birmingham City Council and the City of Frankfurt (through the federal state of Hessen) participate in the EU’s Climate KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) bringing together academia, businesses, and public authorities to develop solutions to address climate change challenges.
Both cities are part of the Europod exchange.
Europod is a trilateral programme between Birmingham, Frankfurt, and Lyon.
The aim of Europod is to enable young people to become physically active and to gain skills development, improved mental wellbeing and an opportunity for cultural exchange and language learning.
The annual Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham is the longest-standing and most publicly visible partner city project Birmingham has with Frankfurt.
latest activity and Current Projects:
Frankfurt Christmas Market
This yearly market began in 2000. Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market is the most visited authentic German market outside Germany and Austria, which usually attracts up to 5 million visitors to the city.
In 2021, the first year the market returned following the pandemic, nearly 3 million people visited the market (2.9m).
Visitor expenditure generated by the Frankfurt Christmas Market was sufficient to support 7,140 jobs in 2021.
Education
Partnership between educational institutions
Carl-Schurz-Schule and Small Heath School and Schule am Ried and King Edward VI Camp Hill School engage in a school exchange programme.
There is a long-standing partnership between the University of Birmingham and the Goethe University.
Birmingham participated in the Global House of Young Voices project in Frankfurt in 2024.
Young Women Into Leadership (You WIL) Summit – You WIL is BCC initiative and an empowering programme for the future generations of young women, aspiring to be the leaders of tomorrow.
