Mainhattan is a nickname for the German city of Frankfurt, located on the Main River. The word Mainhattan is a portmanteau of two words: Manhattan (the island borough which holds most of New York City‘s skyline) and the river Main which runs through Frankfurt.
The name Mainhattan signals the economic surge of the Frankfurt metropolis in recent decades. The increasingly compact high-rise skyline and the resulting perception of a cosmopolitan city contribute to the spread of the nickname.
“Mainhattan“ did not originate from a marketing firm or the Frankfurt Economic Development Agency. In fact it began as a dirty word for investor greed and massive residential displacement in the 1970s.
Numerous historical developments have reversed the city’s negative image over the past few decades. Today Mainhattan stands in a positive sense for economic prosperity and future orientation. Frankfurt has become Europe’s booming metropolis and is the new “place to be”.
