Frankfurt
Spend 48 hours amid soaring towers – and some medieval treasures
By Gareth Huw Davies
SOMETHING remarkable is taking place close to the skyscrapers of Frankfurt’s financial heart. The city is recreating a medieval quarter, and it is set to open this year. It’s just one more compelling reason to visit this vibrant German city….
DAY ONE MORNING
Start your break at one of the highest viewpoints in Europe – the 656ft
Main Tower. The viewing platform, open to the elements, is on the 52nd floor. Back at ground level, enjoy a coffee and a slice of Frankfurt crown cake in one of the many independent coffee shops, such as Naschmarkt am Dom.
Suitably fortified, look up and admire the twin towers of the Deutsche Bank headquarters, which are known as ‘Credit and Debit’ by locals. These glass towers display different colours depending on your angle of view.
Seen from above, they appear to be black, but looked at from the ground they reflect the blue sky. At night, all of the city’s skyscrapers are bathed in light.
A Frankfurt Card costing €15.50 for two days is the best way to get around the city. To get your bearings, hop aboard any tram and glide through the narrow, windy streets.
Alternatively, take a stroll around the city centre, perhaps taking in the Emperor’s Cathedral and the statues honouring two local heroes: Gutenberg, who invented printing by movable type, and the poet Goethe. For lunch, sample the German sausage as a superior form of fast food at the Best Worscht in
Town, on Gruneburgweg.
AFTERNOON
Any tour of Frankfurt’s medieval heart must refer back to two nights in March 1944, when 90% of the old city was destroyed during Allied bombing raids.
A few old buildings survived, notably the Romer, with a stepped gable facade dating from 1405. The area – the DomRomer Quarter – is now undergoing a remarkable renaissance and is due to open in October. The district comprises apartments, shops, bars and restaurants, and Roman remains – 15 buildings are being rebuilt to the original medieval design. Nearby are the new Historical
Museum and the Stadel Museum, the city’s largest art gallery. The star attraction is Albrecht Durer’s monumental woodcut print, the Triumphal Arch of Emperor Maximilian, held behind an ‘invisible’ glass security screen.
Frankfurter Wurstchen, the city’s gift to the world of fast food, is everywhere. Other favourites are pork chops with sauerkraut, and grune sosse – a cream sauce flavoured with seven herbs, served with eggs or potatoes. The Sachsenhausen
area, south of the River Main, is packed with pubs that serve hearty food. The ethnic cuisine ranges from Tibetan to Ethiopian.
DAY TWO MORNING.
After brunch at
Ginkgo on Berger Strasse, it’s time for a stroll (or public transport to Bockenheimer Warte) to the Botanical
Gardens, founded on the Duke of Nassau’s tropical plant collection.
Afterwards it’s worth taking a stroll past the formidable front of the restored City Library, for 40 years the finest war ruin in town.
Bombed in 1943, it was restored to its former grandeur as the Literaturhaus in 2005. Its restaurant, Goldmund, is a good place for lunch, and a read. Another recommendation is Haus Wertheym (built 1479), on Fahrtor. This is one of the few half-timbered buildings in the medieval centre to survive the Second World War bombings. Inside you’ll find lots of wood panelling, swords and coat-of-arms.
And there’s also conclusive proof that Germans can cook. Try the national dish, sauerbraten (sour roast).
AFTERNOON
If the weather is fine, cross the River Main on the romantic pedestrian bridge Eiserner Steg (Iron Bridge), and stroll along Museum Embankment. The Deutsches Filmmuseum screens extracts from classics such as Casablanca and Close Encounters, and is staging a definitive exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey until September 23.
Try to squeeze in a 50-minute sightseeing trip on the Main (primus-line.de) before indulging in a little retail therapy. Goethestrasse is one of the most exclusive shopping streets in Germany.
The other big draw is Fressgass, Frankfurt’s culinary mile, where many bankers meet for lunch and discuss deals. One fine-dining option is Max On
One in the Jumeirah Frankfurt. For those on a tighter budget, try
Ebbelwoi Unser Gastropub on Abtsgasschen, one of many taverns serving apple wine and traditional German fare.