Frankfurt am Main - of Half-Timbered Houses and Skyscrapers

The last time I was in Frankfurt am Main was to drop off our rental car and catch a flight home. This time around, I was planning to stay in Frankfurt for a couple of days before leaving for the U.S. But as luck would have it, I had to change my itinerary and stayed a little bit longer than expected. Which was a good thing. Because Frankfurt has changed in the years since I visited and I had a lot of catching up to do.

Most of Frankfurt was destroyed during World War II. But its historical center was painstakingly reconstructed in the 1980s from original floorplans. These pretty half-timbered buildings on the Römerberg in the Alstadt (Old Town) provide a rich contrast to the city of skyscrapers.

This building in the Alstadt has an unusual roofline. The grey-tiled roof flows into the dormer windows like a wave.

The Römer with its three-gabled façade has been the City Hall of Frankfurt since the 15th century.

The Gothic-style Frankfurter Dom or the Imperial Cathedral of St. Bartholomew is a Roman Catholic church. It was constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries of red sandstone. Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were elected and crowned here. Gutted during World War II, it was reconstructed in the 1950s.

Frankfurt is a predominantly Protestant city. But there are many statues of Mary and the baby Jesus as well as the saints that hang from corners of buildings within the city.

The Euro-Skulptur by Ottmar Hörl on Willy Brandt Platz with the blue euro sign is surrounded by 12 stars symbolizing the original members of the European Union. Behind it is the Eurotower.

Frankfurt is an important financial hub, the seat of the European Central Bank, Deutsche Bundesbank and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, one of the largest stock exchanges in the world.

The Inverted Collar and Tie is the work of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen. It is made from polymer concrete, steel, glass-reinforced plastic and is found at the entrance to Westendstrasse 1, a 53-storey skyscraper designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox.

Where to stay:
Holiday Inn Express - Hauptbahnhof
Elbestrasse 7
This hotel is a 10-minute walk from the main train station. Rooms are spacious and quiet. It is in a neighborhood surrounded by restaurants, ethnic grocery stores and weekly outdoor market. There´s an Ubahn stop nearby on Münchner Strasse. The Römerberg is a 20-minute walk from the hotel. The continental breakfast buffet offers a varied selection and is served in the dining room.

Where to eat:
Nordsee Restaurant - several locations in the city including one near the Cathedral, at Skyline Plaza and the Hauptbahnhof. Nordsee serves seafood dishes and salads.

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie

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