The Frankfurt Book Fair is celebrating its 60th anniversary / Theanniversary website goes live today "Rheumatism Fair" (1950), "Police Fair" (1968), "Media Fair" (2007) - the Frankfurt Book Fair has had many nicknames since the hour of its birth in 1949.

The world's largest international Book Fair will open its doors for the 60th time from 15 to 19 October 2008. Once upon a time with only 200 exclusively German exhibitors, the Fair has increased to over 7,000 exhibitors from 100 countries. What were initially 10,000 exhibited titles have grown to about 400,000. During the upcoming five Book Fair days, the organisers are anticipating over 280,000 visitors - in 1949, there were only 14,000.

The German trade magazine "Börsenblatt" once described the premiere of the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1949 as a "Prelude to a new phase of the German book trade".

It has become much more than that. Today, the Book Fair is a media event, which successfully manages a balancing act between culture and commerce. But how has the Frankfurt Book Fair developed from a humble book show to a major cultural event on an international scale? How will the sector's largest get together progress?

Let's have a look at the past - and at the future!

In honour of the anniversary, a special website has been launched today. At http://www.book-fair.com/anniversary/ the history of the Frankfurt Book Fair is revealed from the point of view of its many visitors and exhibitors. Media and history are reflected in the Book Fair's transformations - the website is a treasure trove of anecdotes, photos, vodcasts and podcasts.