Frankfurt am Main Attractions, Germany

Cathedral
The Gothic Frankfurt Cathedral (R.C.), in red sandstone, was built in the 13th-15th centuries (restored after suffering heavy damage in 1944). Its 95 m/312ft high tower is a city landmark. From 1562 onwards the coronation of the Emperor took place under the crossing (Election Chapel on south side of choir). Beneath the tower is a magnificent "Crucifixion" by Hans Backoffen (1509). In the Marienkapelle can be seen the Maria-Schlaf-Altar (Dormition of the Virgin Altar, 1434). In the choir is the grave-slab of King Günter von Schwarzburg, who died in Frankfurt in 1349. In the south transept is a large organ (80 stops). There are also a number of carved side altars (15th-16th C.).

Eschenheim Tower
A little way north of the Stock Exchange in Frankfurt is the Eschenheimer Turm (1400-28), the finest relic of the old town walls, which are now replaced by the ring of gardens enclosing the old town.

St Paul's Church (photo - right)
To the south of Frankfurt's Hauptwache, in Paulsplatz, stands the Paulskirche (built 1790-1833, restored 1948), a plain neo-classical building on a centralized plan in which the first German National Assembly met in 1848-49. The presentation of the Frankfurt Goethe Prize and the annual Peace Prize of the German Book Trade takes place here.

Goethe House
To the south of the Rossmarkt in Frankfurt, at Grosser Hirschgraben 23, is the Goethe House (completely rebuilt on the basis of old plans in 1946-51), in which the great German writer was born on August 28, 1749, and lived until 1765. The interior (now a museum) has been restored to its original condition.
Adjoining is the Haus des Deutschen Buchhandels (Book Trade House), headquarters of the central organization of publishers and booksellers.

Römer (photo - left)
On the west side of the Römerberg in Frankfurt is the Römer, a complex of eleven formerly separate buildings of the 15th-18th centuries, including the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus), with an Imperial Hall (Kaisersaal) which was once the scene of splendid banquets. To the west stands the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus; 1900-08). To the south of the New Town Hall, on the banks of the Main, is the Gothic church of St Leonhard (14th C.; R.C.), with Romanesque doorways.

Hauptwache
In the center of Frankfurt lies the square called An der Hauptwache (large shopping area in underpass; S-Bahn and U-Bahn station), with the Baroque Hauptwache (Guard-House; renovated 1981-82). From this square Frankfurt's main shopping and commercial streets radiate: the Zeil (pedestrian zone), going east, and Kaiserstrasse (with many places of entertainment in side streets), which runs southwest by way of the Rossmarkt (Gutenberg memorial) and Kaiserplatz to the city's main station (Hauptbahnhof; 1883-88, with later renovation), one of the largest stations in Europe.

Old Opera House (photo - right)
At the old Bockenheimer Tor can be found the Old Opera House (originally built 1880), which was reopened in 1981, after rebuilding, as a congress and concert hall. The exterior of the Opera House is in the style of the Italian High Renaissance. Its main hall seats 2,500 people.

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