Frankfurt am Main - Sightseeing

The core district of the south Main quarter is one of the oldest parts of the city. Once a working class... quarter, Alt-Sachsenhausen has now transformed itself into a picturesque area to be enjoyed where the chic seeks its nightly amusement. The legendary atmosphere that once made the name of this quarter a synonym for rustic cider drinking culture is now hardly to be found in Sachsenhausen, but there are pubs where "the stuff" is still available - more here than anywhere else. The main permanent areas in this going-out area are the Große Rittergasse and the Kleine Rittergasse and the Rauschergasse, Textorgasse and Klappergasse. Not far away, the "Museumsufer am Mainkai" (museum embankment along the Main quay) where imposing villas of the grand bourgeoisie house one museum after the other, testifies to the golden age when the city coffers were so well endowed that there was also an open ear for culture. The "Städelsche Kunstinstitut" (City Art Institute), a magnet for art enthusiasts from around the world, offers not only an extensive collection of international rank, but also interesting temporary exhibitions. more

Real animals a thousand times over in one of the oldest zoos in the world. Frankfurt Zoo has over 4500... animals - from the tiniest birds to the tallest giraffes. There is a dwarf goat enclosure without fences or gates, where children are encouraged to get 'hands on'. The famous animal park was opened after a citizens' initiative in 1858. Back then, the focus was on relaxation and the opportunity to observe animals. The zoo director Bernhard Grzimek, who was very popular in the media, made real achievements when it came to rebuilding the complex after the Second World War. Building work continues all the time, in order to provide species-appropriate space for the animals where possible and to give visitors an insight into their way of life at the same time. Major attractions include the cat jungle, the Grzimekhaus of nocturnal animals, the aquariums, the African savannah enclosure and the aviaries. more

The idea for the museum came from Gerhard Stief's (born in 1937 in Thuringia) childhood fascination with... 3D images. After a first museum founded in Dinkelsbühl, EXPLORA in Frankfurt opened its doors in 1994. Stief's two areas of specialisation - mechanical engineering and photo design - fuelled his fascination with stereo images, optical illusions and holography. This was combined with a passion for collecting curious things from all over the world. Among the classic exhibits are the anaglyphs, which look three-dimensional through red-green glasses, or examples of optical and acoustical deception of the brain. The latest achievements for this exciting museum include moving prism images, known as lenticulars, and Escher's piano. Children enjoy the interactive parts of the exhibition and adults are genuinely amazed by the illusions our senses give us. Here, science becomes entertainment. more

The extravagant Museum of Modern Art designed by architect Hans Hollein soon became known by the locals... as the "Tortenstück" or "piece of cake". It attracted international attention not only for the daring design of the building, but also for the collection of works by American and European artists from the 1960s to the present day. The basis of the permanent exhibition is the collection by Darmstadt entrepreneur Karl Stöher, who died in 1977. The City of Frankfurt then acquired the collection in 1981. Although the focus had been on 1960s artists, the expansion of the collection is now concentrating on contemporary art. The museum was opened in 1991. The management is now seeking to purchase groups of works by certain artists to highlight the continuing artistic influence on the makers and how it has developed over the last 25 years. The exciting art experience is accompanied by changing exhibitions and by a room with a special children's programme, where a single artist is responsible for the design for a certain time. The Triangulo Restaurant serves food in a post-modernist atmosphere until 1 in the morning. more

This, the largest palm garden in Germany, covers 29 hectares. It is connected to a magical botanical... garden which has huge glasshouses featuring the plants of the tropics and sub-tropics and which, in conjunction with the adjacent Grüneburgpark, is among the most popular places to relax in Frankfurt. It is thought to have opened in 1868. Initially, the Prince of Nassau's collection of tropical plants formed the heart of the ever-growing collection of Botanical rarities. Today, there are wonderful rose-beds which are at their most magical in early summer, herbaceous borders which blossom all year round, and massive bamboo plants. A Korean garden gives an insight into Far Eastern garden culture and philosophy. Children love the areas close to the ponds and there are some wonderful places for them to play. The people of Frankfurt like to meet for a picnic at the popular Rose and Light Show at the park at the end of June. The Café Restaurant Siesmayer (named after the main landscape gardener of the park) and the Villa Leonhardi serve culinary delicacies all year round - including after performances by the Papageno Music Theatre. The extensive Grünburgpark was once owned by the Rothschild banking family. more

In Schwanheim, a suburb located left of the Main River, west of Frankfurt, between Martinsweg, Kelsterbacher... Weg and Leunastraße, a surprise of nature lies protected in a river bend next to the Hoechst factory and industrial site. The nature conservation area Schwanheimer Dune extends over a 58 ha area. The name is not misleading, the preserve really does protect one of Germany’s very rare inland dunes. It is a remnant of the most recent ice age, which ended about 10,000 years ago. Next to the actual dune area, a kind of miniature seashore by the banks of the Main, grasslands and traditional orchards, grey hair grass and some gnarled pine trees take up the rest of the sanctuary. Several ponds trace back to earlier days of sand mining. The largest is the Schmitt’sche Grube, whose green shores accommodate lizards and birds, some of which are rare. The Schwanheimer Dune’s fauna and flora is exceptional in other ways as well. One can see shepherd’s cress and Little Mouse-ear, with German heath grazing in between and woodlarks taking flight. For visitors, signposts mark two paths. In part, they are constructed as a boardwalk in order to protect the delicate vegetation. In order to assure that all hikers abide by the rules and stay on the path, blackberry and rose bushes to the north and south of the conservation area prevent trespassing. more

On one side is the Römerberg, on the other is Sachsenhausen: the two sides of the city on the Main have... been joined by the Eiserne Steg since 1869. Back then, the city's coffers were empty and it could not afford a new bridge for the increasing goods traffic and especially for the transport of beer. So the funds for the project - 120,000 guilders - were raised through a citizen initiative involving the sale of shares. The design by architect Peter Wilhelm Schmick is based on the neo-gothic style ideal and at the same time was symbolic of Frankfurt's entry into the industrial age. Just shortly after the beginning of the project and the completion of the bridge, the population took to strolling along the banks of the Main to admire the construction. These days, it is a popular spot to watch the lights in the skyscrapers in the evenings and on Saturdays it is the best way to get to the flea market on the Schaumainkai. The 165 m long Eiserne Steg had to be renewed twice: the first time after it was destroyed in the Second World War and again in 1993 when the ravages of time, or more specifically rust, began to threaten the stability of the bridge. more

Between the Eiserne Steg and the Friedensbrücke lies the Museum Embankment (Museumsufer) that was redesigned... in the 1980s and partly rebuilt, which has become one of Europe's most important museum locations. On the Schaumainkai in Sachsenhausen, patrician villas have been converted into attractive homes for art, with a total of 13 museums. Of outstanding importance amongst them are the Deutsches Filmmuseum (German Film Museum), the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (German Architecture Museum), the Museum für Angewandte Kunst (MAK, Museum of Applied Art), the Liebieghaus, the Völkerkundemuseum (Ethnology Museum), and the Museum für Kommunikation (Museum of Communication). One highlight is the "Städel" that is considered to be one of Germany's leading art museums. The collection covers 700 years of European art, comprising numerous paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints. The exhibition organisers like to combine modern artists with old masters such as Dürer, Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, Cézanne and Picasso. more

The History Museum united three museums in one and occupies a prominent position just a stone's throw... from the Römer. When designing the exhibition concept, its creators also thought of children for whom museums are often boring. The children's museum with exciting stories about history and things to make, things to touch and things to try will be temporarily moved to the main police station (level B) in September 2008. The various exhibits at the Caricatura Museum which can be seen from October 2008 in the nearby Leinwandhaus will make you laugh, make you smile and even make you think. The documents in the museum of city history stretch back as far as the Carolingian Kaiser's court. Historic fragments from the Hohenstaufen period were discovered during the construction of the building, which incorporated the Saalhof, the Burnitz and the Bernus building and the old Palais am Römerberg. The individual exhibitions each cover about 150 to 200 years of Frankfurt's past. The "From the palatinate to the early town" exhibition is followed by the city portrait "Frankfurt in the late Middle Ages: church - monasteries - piety". The industrial age is also well documented. more

The only classic period religious building in the exhibition city was completed in 1833 as a Protestant... sermon church and become a symbol of democracy in Germany: After the confusion of the March Revolution, it was home first to the 'Vorparlament' (Pre-Parliament) from 31 March to 3 April 1848 and then the German National Assembly on 18 May. It was the first freely elected parliament with representatives from all over Germany and was called to decide on a constitution. In 1852, the building reverted to its religious purpose before being destroyed in the Second World War and finally rebuilt as a banqueting hall. The hall is now used for exhibitions and for representative occasions, such as a stylish backdrop for the prize-giving ceremony for the City of Frankfurt's Goethe Prize or the German Book Trade Peace Prize sponsored by the German Book Trade Association. In 1991, painter Johannes Grützke finished his panoramic painting "The procession of people's representatives" in the lobby. The main aim of the artist's work was to encourage people to think for themselves. more

The museum is located in the Bockenheim district and is one of Germany's largest and by far its most... important natural history collection. Exhibits extending over 6,000 m2 cover principally geology, paleontology and zoology. The museum was renovated in 2003, and attracted much attention with its huge reconstructed skeletons of dinosaurs up to 20 m high. A Tyrannosaurus Rex stands in front of the entrance indicating what awaits visitors in the spacious and artistically designed interior. Some exhibits are interactive; for example exhibits relating to the earth's history can trigger volcanic eruptions at the press of a button. The museum is, of course, a magnet for families with children. more

Election place of the German kings since 1356 and coronation site for the German Kaisers as of 1562,... the chapter church St. Bartholomäus was awarded the title of cathedral even though it has never been the seat of a bishop. The Gothic building with its 95 m (103.89 yd) tower - which is striking even among Frankfurt's skyscrapers - was built between the 13th and 16th centuries. The coronation church lost many of its art treasures in the great fire of 1867 and during the destruction of the Second World War. Subsequent renovation work has changed the face of the interior, although the shades of red are historically documented. This is one of the reasons why the cathedral now looks more sober than other Gothic churches. Particular treasures include the late Gothic Virgin Mary at Sleep Altar by a Rhenish master (around 1434-1438) in the Marienkapelle, the "Mourning of Christ" by Anthony van Dyck (1627) and a crucifixion group by Hans Backoffen (1509). There are also the tombs of important figures in the city's history, including members of the Holzhausen family, which date back to the end of the 14th century. The Old Cloister is home to the Cathedral Museum (Tue-Fri 10 am-5 pm, Sat, Sun 11 am-5 pm) which contains valuable religious objects and a girl's grave dating bake to the Late Merovingian Period. more

There are only a few medieval buildings in Frankfurt that have survived the destruction of various different... wars. The Karmeliterkloster (Carmelite Monastery) is one of the oldest, dating back to the 13th century. The church is now home to the Archaeological Museum, which includes some amazing exhibits from Roman times. The monastery's architecture reflects the characteristic styling of the late Gothic period, although the use of bunter sandstone is seen as typical of the Hesse region even into the modern era. Jörg Ratgeb created a magnificent work of art in the years between 1513 and 1519. He painted a series of pictures in the refectory and the cloister which is thought to be the largest north of the Alps and is considered one of the most remarkable pieces of art of its time. He was commissioned by the Monastery to create an impressive series of pictures about the history of the Carmelites. Among the most impressive exhibits of the Archaeological Museum are the excavations of the Roman town of Nida (Nordweststadt). more

The centrally located expanding exhibition centre strives to make its mark as an important artery of... the city. The highlights of the major events being held on the 400,000 m2 exhibition site include the International Automobile Exhibition and the International Book Fair. The Festival Hall (Festhalle) - built in 1907-1909 by the Munich architect Friedrich Thiersch in the monumental style of historicism - was the largest hall structure in Europe when it was built, with a dome 65 m in diameter. The present exhibition architecture clearly follows the post-modern style, with the buildings of the Cologne architect Oswald Mathias Unger of the '90s making bold contrasts. The gallery forms an entrance hall with its 100 m long glass vault and the "gate house", a glass tower rising above a cubic base. A 257 m high post-modern exhibition tower dominates the whole complex, another height record in the Frankfurt high-rise forest by the Chicago firm Murphy & Jahn. It is now in 2nd place after the Commerzbank skyscraper. more

Frankfurt has been growing and becoming more affluent since the Middle Ages. The new late Gothic tower... became a symbol of the new town, which was founded in the 14th century and surrounded by a new circle of walls. The city walls that once adjoined it had to give way in the 19th century. However, the Eschenheimer Turm still towers over many new buildings in the major traffic intersection of the Eschenheimer Tor. The zigzag course of the old city walls and defences is now a ring of green spaces around the heart of the inner city. The city tower rises up with its turrets and crenellations like something out of a fairy tale. Cathedral builder Madern Gerthener - the leading proponent of the Gothic style in Frankfurt - is said to have designed it himself. The following tale is told about the golden weather vane: a delinquent convicted of poaching is said to have shot it several times. This outstanding achievement saved him from the gallows. more

Frankfurt’s children’s museum wants children aged 7 years and above to feel comfortable and explore... their city through play. To make this possible, topics of local historical and cultural relevance are presented in an especially child-friendly manner in the mezzanine of the Hauptwache. Whether a child lives in Frankfurt or is only here for a visit, exploring and playing are strictly allowed. Visitors are also encouraged to touch, investigate, try out through independent thinking and active participation. Engaging in arts and crafts is also possible here - several workshops and changing temporary exhibits provide ample opportunity. For example, kids can participate in a pottery workshop, a radio studio or an old coutry store, they can create paper, experiment, paint, sew, or work on computers. The large exhibits also offer a wide hands-on program. Since “Unter the City” ran successfully for almost two years, the current motto from June 2010 to July 31st 2011 is “Shadow and Light”. Who knows what the folks at the museum have come up with for this exciting topic? more

Not far from the Zeil, the Gothic Liebfrauenkirche and its pleasantly calm courtyard are the ideal spot... for a short break from the city’s hectic bustle. Both have belonged to the Capuchin monastery, located immediately to the north of the church, since 1923. The octagonal church tower with its hood-shaped cap roof serves as an orientation mark. The Liebfrauenkirche can be traced back to a chapel founded in 1318, which was expanded to a Gothic hall church in 1344. Only few of the original structural elements have been preserved. Among them, luckily, is the 1420 tympanum relief above the small southeastern portal. It is also called Dreikönigsportal (“Portal of the Three Kings”), because the tympanum depicts the worship of the kings in a vivid landscape with many figures and naturalistic details. It is an extraordinary masterpiece of Soft Style and presumably originated in the workshop of Madem Gerthener, who also contributed to the equipment of the Dom and St. Leonhard church. The beautiful tracery windows on the south side of the Liebfrauenkirche, however, were reconstructed after the war. more

The 200 m high Main Tower comes "only" fourth in the skyscraper hit parade of "Mainhattan", but unlike... the other skyscrapers in the city, public interest is expressly invited in this case. Before going up in the lift, it is worth having a closer look at two works of art in the foyer. "The Frankfurt Staircase/20th century" depicts 56 important personalities of the city's recent history over 100 m2. The special feature is the wall mosaic consisting of 1.9 million pieces of Murano glass. Work of art number 2 is a video installation called "The World of Appearances". The world of skyscrapers finally awaits visitors on the panorama terrace on the 54th floor. The view out over the cathedral, the old opera house and the exhibition centre and all the neighbouring skyscrapers can make emotions soar. At night, visitors can enjoy Frankfurt's twinkling skyline over a drink at the "Main Tower Bar" on the 53rd floor. There is also an exclusive restaurant there. more

Frankfurt has been a city of trading and finance since the Middle Ages, and Jewish families became wealthy... and influential early on. The grand Rothschild Palais - Mayer Amschel Rothschild laid the foundation stone for a flourishing financial company in the 18th century - is now home to the Jewish Museum. The permanent exhibition and changing special exhibitions on periods, artists or special themes give a tangible feel for the situation and significance of the Jewish community in Frankfurt and all over the world. There is evidence of the Jewish community in the city on the Main going back to the 12th century. Back then, they settled near the cathedral, where they also maintained a graveyard. Frankfurt was also the site of the first ghetto - in Judengasse (which is now a museum) in 1458 on the orders of Kaiser Friedrich - and there were 30,000 known Jews in Frankfurt in the 1930s. more

This spacious complex of buildings with its splendid façade of staggered gables facing the Römerberg... evolved from eleven patrician houses with several courtyards and wings that the city council bought up gradually from 1405 to combine into an impressive town hall complex. Arches were created under the arcades on the ground floor that were used as market halls when trade fairs were held. The name "Römer" initially referred to the middle of the three central houses, and was subsequently applied to the whole complex. The Römer attained its pre-eminent historic significance as the historic cradle of the German Empire from 1562 when the coronation banquets of the German Emperors were held here. In the upper floor of the house "Zum Römer" the lovingly restored Emperor's Room recalls this event, now used for banquets and receptions. 52 German Emperors and Kings have been preserved for posterity in life-sized portraits, created in the 19th century by an initiative of the citizen's committee. more

The Struwwelpeter book has been translated into 35 languages. It is constantly imitated and always the... subject of lively discussion. This interesting museum in a townhouse in Westend in Frankfurt also covers this aspect of the children's book by Heinrich Hoffmann published in 1845. Heinrich Hoffman (1809-1894) practised as a doctor in Frankfurt and was in charge of the "Institute for the Epileptic and Insane". He was just as committed to writing poetry and black satires for adults - and for children. He also sat in the Vorparlament (Pre-Parliament) in the Paulskirche following the March Revolution in 1948. Nobody could have predicted that his Struwwelpeter would become a best-seller. The stories about the unruly little monsters captured the hearts of children at once. Later, they came in for strong criticism from educationalists. The museum is designed to be exciting for children and documents the life of Hoffman and the story of Struwwelpeter. more

The lovingly restored 17th century patrician house in which Johann Wolfgang Goethe came into the world... on 28 August 1749 reflects the expansive lifestyle of the well situated Frankfurt bourgoisie in the 18th century. The family rooms above the kitchen on the ground floor where his mother "Frau Aja" ruled, extends over three floors and has been restored with historical accuracy. This includes the "blue room" with its baroque furniture, the well-stocked library of the "worthy councillor", and the portrait room with works by contemporary Frankfurt artists from the family's circle of acquaintances. In the modest study under the roof, the young Goethe wrote his early works - such as "Werther" and "Clavigo" - at a sparade upright desk. The neighbouring Goethe Museum of the Freie Deutsche Hochstift displays portraits of the poet, and a richly endowed collection depicting personalities from Goethe's circle in Frankfurt, Italy and Weimar. more

The Schirn Art Hall is one of Europe's renowned exhibition houses. Temporary exhibitions are shown here... on Renaissance, Baroque, 19th century and Classic Modern art, but it clearly emphasizes the art of the 20th and 21st century. In 2010, for example, from February to May an exhibition will be dedicated to the neo-impressionist Georges Seurat with his main theme of the figure in space. Important artistic oeuvres are therefore always presented from a contemporary perspective. A wealth of educational material and numerous supporting events provide additional opportunities to explore the themes of the exhibitions in greater depth. The space between the Schirn and the “Technisches Rathaus” (Municipal Technical Centre) also includes the Archaeological Garden where remains from the Roman and Carolingian age have been excavated. more

On the city map, one can clearly make out the unusually wavy or zagged line of the streets, which surround... Frankfurt’s old town semicircularly from the opera in the west to the Literaturhaus in the east (Untermain-, Gallus-, Taunus-, Bockenheimer, Eschenheimer, Friedberger and Obermainanlage). They trace the course of the city’s former fortification; the “zags” were the protruding bastions of the 8 m high protective walls. Its construction was begun in the mid-14th century. About 40 defense towers and, in front of the rampart, a moat that was up to 10 m wide promised further safety. But in the end of the 18th century, this defense fortification seemed archaic and out-dated. It was torn down from 1806 to 1812 and the moats were filled. The strip of land thus gained was greened and in their new ramparts, Frankfurt’s citizens received a public park with a tree-shaded promenade. The responsibility lay in the hands of commissioner Jakob Guiollett, while the landscape architect Sebastian Rinz took over the design. The parts of the green strip, which have been preserved until today, have maintained their charm. Thus, a fairytale fountain with a Main-mermaid adorns the Untermainanlage, the Taunusanlage introduces calming green into the otherwise rather steel-grey banking district and, by the Rechneigrabenweiher, the Obermainanlage even has water games to offer. more