Interesting facts

1. **Not the Capital:** Although Frankfurt is the largest city and financial heart, the much smaller, elegant city of Wiesbaden is the state capital. 2. **Financial Hub:** Frankfurt is home to the European Central Bank (ECB), the German Bundesbank, and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. 3. **Brothers Grimm:** Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm lived, studied, and collected their famous fairy tales in the Hessian cities of Hanau, Steinau, Marburg, and Kassel. 4. **Forest State:** With over 42% forest cover, Hesse is the most densely wooded state in Germany alongside Rhineland-Palatinate. 5. **Internet Capital:** The DE-CIX in Frankfurt is the world's largest internet exchange point by data throughput. 6. **State Drink:** *Apfelwein* (Ebbelwoi), a tart, still apple cider, is the traditional beverage of Hesse, typically served in a ribbed glass called a *Geripptes*. 7. **Green Sauce:** *Grüne Soße* is a protected regional specialty made of exactly seven specific herbs, traditionally served with hard-boiled eggs and potatoes. 8. **Documenta:** Every five years, Kassel hosts Documenta, one of the most important exhibitions of contemporary art in the world. 9. **Oldest Protestant University:** Philipps-Universität Marburg, founded in 1527, claims this title. 10. **Aviation Giant:** Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is Germany's busiest airport and one of the most important logistics hubs in Europe. 11. **Messel Pit:** This UNESCO World Heritage site near Darmstadt is one of the world's richest sites for understanding the Eocene environment, famous for intact early horse fossils. 12. **Mathildenhöhe:** Located in Darmstadt, this artists' colony was a center of the Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) movement and is a UNESCO site. 13. **Birthplace of Goethe:** Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's greatest literary figure, was born in Frankfurt in 1749. 14. **Book Fair:** The Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse) is the world's largest trade fair for books, continuing a tradition dating back to the 15th century. 15. **Roman Borders:** The *Limes*, the ancient border of the Roman Empire, runs through Hesse (including the reconstructed Saalburg fort) and is a UNESCO site. 16. **Lorsch Abbey:** Another UNESCO site in Hesse, famous for its Carolingian gatehouse, one of the most important pre-Romanesque relics in Germany. 17. **Highest Point:** The Wasserkuppe (950m) in the Rhön Mountains is the highest peak in Hesse and the historic birthplace of glider aviation. 18. **Wine Country:** Hesse has two distinct wine-growing regions: the world-famous Rheingau (known for Riesling) and the smaller Hessische Bergstraße. 19. **Automotive History:** The Opel automobile company was founded in the Hessian city of Rüsselsheim, where it is still headquartered today. 20. **Weather HQ:** Offenbach am Main is home to the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), the German national meteorological service.