4
Frankfurt
In Your Pocket
Foreword
frankfurt.inyourpocket.com
5
June - July 2009
frankfurt.inyourpocket.com
ESSENTIAL CITY GUIDES
EditorialEditor-in-Chief
Jeroen van Marle
Editorial Contributor
Wendy Wrangham
Research
Monika Kierewicz
Layout & Design
Tomáš Haman
Photos
Mario Andreya (MA),Andrea Schweiger (AS),Jeroen van Marle (JvM)
Maps
Kartographie Eichner,kaeichner@online.de, www.ellomap.de
Cover:
Frankfurt skyscrapers© istockphoto.com
Sales & CirculationGeneral Manager
Stephan Krämer
Production Manager
Philippe Krueger
Accounting
Martin Wollenhaupt
Advertising
Marcus Pons, Thomas Sauer
As the theatre season winds down for summer and business is reduced to a whimper, and a very quiet one at that this year, Frankfurt suddenly becomes the friendly, relaxed and slow-paced city that we wish it would be all year long. It’s important to make the most of the warmer months, andthere are plenty of events, exhibitions, concertsand great places to eat and drink in the sunshine.The renowned Städel museum has exhibitions ontwo great geniuses this summer, Michelangeloand Edvard Munch, and starts a new exhibitionwith Baroque art by the Utrecht Caravaggists. If that’s all too old for you, sample the great modernart retrospective at the Schirn Kunsthalle. Just remember to catch the sunrays as they come in– and maybe the best thing to do is to grab your blanket and picnic hamper, and go sunbathe near the cafés along the grassy banks of the Main river.Whatever your bank manager says, have a goodtime in Frankfurt, and let us know of any commentsor updates at frankfurt@inyourpocket.com. Enjoy Frankfurt.
Copyright notice
Text and photos copyright In Your Pocket GmbH 2009. Maps copyright cartographer. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproducedin any form, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, without writtenpermission from the publisher andcopyright owner. The brand name In Your Pocket is used under license from UABIn Your Pocket (Vokieciu 10-15, Vilnius,Lithuania tel. (+370-5) 212 29 76).
Editor’s note
The editorial content of In Your Pocket guides is independent from paid-for advertising. Sponsored listings areclearly marked as such. We welcome allreaders‘ comments and suggestions.We have made every effort to ensurethe accuracy of the information at thetime of going to press and assume noresponsibility for changes and errors.
In Your Pocket GmbH
Axel-Springer-Str. 3910969 BerlinTel: (+49)(0)30 27 90 79 81 Fax: (+49)(0)30 24 04 73 50germany@inyourpocket.comwww.inyourpocket.comISSN 1611-9010© In Your Pocket GmbH, a company of UAB In Your Pocket Vokieciu 10-15Vilnius, Lithuaniatel. (+370-5) 212 29 76Printed by Druckteam GbR Berlin.Circulation: 15,000 copies bimonthly Three of Frankfurt’s office giantstower over the city centre on asunny day. For European terms,Frankfurt is unique for being oneof few cities with a concentrationof skyscrapers in the city centrearea. Flip to page 41 for moreon skyscrapers and how to best view them.
Cover story
Frankfurt is perhaps the most international city in Germany.Despite its small size in comparison with the more popular cities of Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, Frankfurters speak more English and do more international business. One canperceive the dynamic energy just by viewing the skyline,an impressive array of modern towers and businessinstitutions.
Altstadt
The backbone of Frankfurt, the
Römer
square in the
Altstadt
(OldCity), dates back hundreds of years. The well-kept appearance of Römer with the Rathaus (Town Hall) is impressive. However, do not be deceived, most of these old buildings were virtually destroyedafter World War II and were only recently rebuilt as replicas of theprevious structures. Here also lies the birthplace of the Germanconstitution, founded in 1848 at the Paulskirche (Paul’s Church),which were both destroyed less than one year later by the riotsarising from the French revolution.
Innenstadt
The inner city covers the area from Konstablerwache all theway up to Alte Oper. It is home to the Zeil, Germany’s longest
Fussgängerzone
(pedestrian shopping street) with its array of shops. There is also the
Freßgass
(a concentration of restaurants) and Goethestr, holding the smaller, morerefined shops and cafés, and the
Friedberger Warte
, oneof Frankfurt’s two medieval watchtowers.
Bahnhofsviertel
Those looking for the excitement of the city’s famous red-light district need not travel far from the Hauptbahnhof. The
Bahnhofsviertel
(train station area) offers all kinds of naughty treats for lonely businessmen, including peep shows, sexshops and countless women of ill-repute. Nonetheless, theBahnhofsviertel contains some nice architecture as well assome of the city’s best ethnic restaurants. Though the city hasspent much time and money cleaning up the area, the faint of heart are recommended to stay on Kaiserstr. when walking intothe city centre. Others may say that the area with its red-light activities north of Kaiserstr. is the liveliest spot in town.
Sachsenhausen
Sachsenhausen retains charm, making it popular withtourists and young locals. Schweizerstraße is the mainstreet and offers some of the city’s better shopping. Thebars along the cobbled streets of
Alt Sachsenhausen
(E-3,
M
Lokalbahnhof) are popular with locals and touristsalike. Many of the city’s
museums
are located along the Schaumainkai, as is a large flea market on Saturday mornings.
Bornheim
Bornheim, northeast of the centre and nicknamed
das Lustige Dorf
(The Funny Village) is the most highly populatedarea in Frankfurt. Find a wide variety of cafés, bars, andrestaurants with terraces. There is also some great shopping to be found on the Bergerstraße. Every Wed and Sat, thesquare
am Uhrtürmchen
(at the clock tower) hosts the farmer’s market.
Nordend
Back in the 1970s the area north of the centre was home tothe liberal community where many freethinking minds joined forces with famous Green Party members like the former
FrankFurt distriCts
German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer. Today it holds alarge crowd of young professionals while still maintaining itseclectic character. Numerous bars and restaurants can be found between Friedberger Landstraße and Oederweg.
Westend
The area of choice for business types. It’s a green, meanpower machine: lots of cash, affluent city living and home toGrünebergpark, with spacious green grounds to jog, sunbathor flirt with the natives. The
Palmengarten
is another great Westend asset, holding a wonderful array of plant speciesin its botanical garden.
Bockenheim
You will find both rags and riches in Bockenheim. It containsimpressive estates and foreign consulates on the outskirtsof the
Palmengarten
, but on the other side it is lined with thedull concrete university campus. Perched in the middle of it allis the city’s other remaining medieval watchtower.Welcome to Frankfurt am Main!In Frankfurt am Main, the world-wide leading Trade Fair centre,the doors are always wide opento visitors from all over the world.The Main metropolis, as one of themost interesting German cities,is characterized above all by theextraordinary variety of its culturalactivities.The Frankfurt’s Opera House is first class. It has even been chosen“Opera House of the Year”!But also the shopping streets such as Zeil and Goethes-traße – just to mention two of them – will certainly meet all your wishes.I hope that you will thoroughly enjoy your visit to Frankfurt am Main and remember with pleasure your stay in our city, too. Frankfurt am Main has very much to offer toits visitors indeed.Yours sincerely
Petra Roth, mayor of Frankfurt am Main
Message from the Mayor
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