Due to its 43 meter high dome, the building constructed between 1874 and 1879, which since that time has housed the city's stock market transactions, is also referred to as the 'Kapitalistendom', capitalists' cathedral. In front of the building are two statutes that symbolize the speculators: a bull (for the rising market) and a bear (for the declining market).

The origins of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange date back to the 9th Century, when the privilege of holding an autumn fair in the city, granted by Emperor Luis the Germanic, allowed the city to gradually increase its wealth, until in the 16th Century, Frankfurt was a central point for wholesale trading and banking transactions.

In 1585 the market's merchants and traders got together and established a monetary exchange unit in order to face the pitiful state the German currency was in; extremely inefficient due to the many principalities, dukedoms and kingdoms. And so the Frankfurt Stock Exchange came into being.

Between 1935 and World War II the Frankfurt Stock Exchange consolidated its position more and more until the time when Berlin was divided by occupying forces. This prompted national and international investors to move permanently to the Main , making Frankfurt the most important stock market in Germany today.

The visitor's gallery at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is open from Mondays through to Fridays. Tours begin with an audiovisual display explaining how the Stock Exchange works, followed by a walk through the spectator's gallery, from which you will get a glimpse of the daily activities going on at this financial center.

A German Language Course in Frankfurt will give you the chance to experience the city's fascinating and bustling stock exchange.