Frankfurt

:For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation)

Sights

Cathedral

Saint Bartholomeus' Cathedral (Dom Sankt Bartholomäus) is a Gothic building which was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the foundation of an earlier church from the Merovingian time. It is the main church of Frankfurt. From 1356 onwards, kings of the Holy Roman Empire were elected in this church, and from 1562 to 1792 emperors were crowned here.

Related Topics:
Saint Bartholomeus' - Gothic - Merovingian - Holy Roman Empire

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Since the 18th century Saint Bartholomeus' has been called "the cathedral" by the people, although it has never been a bishop's seat. In 1867 the cathedral was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt in its present style. The height of the cathedral is 95 m.

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Römer

For the full article, see Römer (Frankfurt am Main).

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The name of the town hall means "Roman". It is in fact nine houses that were acquired by the city council in 1405 from a wealthy merchant family. The middle house became the town hall and was later connected with the neighbouring buildings. In the upper floor there is the Kaisersaal ("Emperor's Hall") where the newly crowned emperors held their banquets.

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The Römer was partially destroyed in World War II, and later rebuilt.

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Saint Paul's Church

For the full article, see Frankfurter Paulskirche.

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St. Paul's Church (Paulskirche) is a national historic monument in Germany with great political symbolism, because it was the seat of the first democratically elected Parliament in 1848. It was established in 1789 as a Protestant church but was not finished until 1833. Its importance has its root in the Frankfurt Parliament, which met in the church during the revolutionary years of 1848/49 in order to write a constitution for a united Germany. The attempt failed because the monarchs of Prussia and Austria did not want lose power, and in 1849 Prussian troops ended the democratic experiment by force of arms and the parliament was dissolved. Afterwards, the building was used for church services again.

Related Topics:
1789 - 1833 - Frankfurt Parliament

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St. Paul's was partially destroyed in World War II, particularly the interior of the building, which now has a modern appearance. It was quickly and symbolically rebuilt after the war; today it is not used for religious services, but mainly for exhibitions and events.

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Old Opera

For the full article, see Alte Oper.

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Alte Oper, Frankfurt's famous opera house, was built in 1880 by the architect Richard Lucae. It was one of the major opera houses of Germany, until its was destroyed in World War II. It was not until 1981 that the old opera was fully rebuilt and reopened. Today it functions as a concert hall and operas are performed in the Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt.

Related Topics:
1880 - Richard Lucae - Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt

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The inscription on the frieze of the Old Opera says: "Dem Wahren, Schönen, Guten" ("To the true, the beautiful, the good").

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Skyscrapers

Frankfurt is unique for its skyscrapers, and it is the only European city to allow skyscrapers within the old central part of town. Along with Paris and London, it also is one of the few European cities to have significant numbers of skyscapers.

Related Topics:
Paris - London

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The major skyscrapers are:

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• Commerzbank Tower - Europe's tallest building until 2005.
• Silver Tower
• Eurotower
• MesseTurm - Europe's tallest building (1990 ? 1997)
• Kronenhochhaus with its interesting crown.
• the Maintower
• Trianon (Frankfurt am Main).

Other structures

;Henninger Turm :a grain silo owned by Henninger Brewery with observation deck

Related Topics:
Henninger Turm - Henninger Brewery

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;Europaturm :a telecommunications tower known as the "Frankfurt TV Tower"

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These two constructions are not open to the public.

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