Here’s a superb visualization of the fastest travel times by rail to major European cities from Frankfurt am Main (here rendered in its obsolete English form of “Frankfort”) in 1928.

The striking time bands – a form of isochrone – are rendered in bold alternating concentric “target” circles around the city itself, represented by a modernist “F” logo. For the most part, the cities seem to placed along correct headings relative to Frankfurt, although the time scale means that actual distances aren’t necessarily conveyed accurately. Poor old Lisbon takes some 72 hours to get to, far more than even distant Moscow or Odessa!

The map is from a publication produced by the City of Frankfurt entitled Frankfurt-on-Main: Economic Facts and Statistics, almost certainly produced to entice foreign (English?) economic investment in the city.

Our rating: A wonderful little graphic, highlighting Frankfurt’s central location in Europe in a bold, compelling way. Five stars!

Source: @chaosforscherin/Twitter (account no longer active), with a H/T to Taras Grescoe