Frankfurt am Main is perceived by tourists from New York, Chicago, and other American cities as 'their own,' very close and familiar to them in its architectural landscape. Frankfurt tour guides like to joke about them. When asked about the capital of Kentucky, Americans typically answer: 'Louisville.' They are corrected: 'That is the largest city in the state, but its capital is Frankfort.' – 'And which city is the capital of the German state of Hesse?' – 'Of course, Frankfurt!' Then they are corrected a second time: 'No, not the huge, skyscraper-filled Frankfurt am Main, but quiet Wiesbaden.' And although there are two Frankfurts in the country, one on the Oder and the other on the Main, in everyday usage it is 'by default' understood that the name Frankfurt means Frankfurt am Main.
Frankfurts scattered around the world make one think about the amazing zigzags of history – about the famous Franks (Franken), who, led by Charlemagne, founded a huge empire. There is a legend about how, returning from a campaign in Saxony, they stopped before the wide Main, unable to find a crossing over the river. And then suddenly a white doe appeared before the army and showed them the place of a ford (furt). The city founded on the opposite bank came to be called Franken-furt, 'ford of the Franks.' And for the captive Saxons, houses were built on the southern bank, naming their settlement, accordingly, Sachsenhausen. Now this district of the city is a colorful tourist corner, where dozens of wine taverns and restaurants offer guests the city's signature apple wine.
In the same part of Frankfurt along the Main embankment, 9 museums are housed in historic mansions. Among them are such famous ones as the galleries of the Städel Art Institute, the German Film Museum, the Museum of Communication, or the Municipal Museum of Sculpture. That is why this embankment along the Main was named the Museum Embankment.
To get from here to the historic center of the city, it is best to use the pedestrian iron bridge over the Main – Eiserner Steg. Its history is curious. In the mid-19th century, tired of appealing to the city council for the construction of a pedestrian bridge over the Main, the city's residents decided to organize a joint-stock company themselves and build the bridge. To recoup the costs, crossing was made paid – 1 kreuzer each, with the expectation that after 20 years all these costs would be recouped. And the 170-meter 'iron bridge' itself was put into operation in 1869. Built in the Neo-Gothic style, it became a true monument of its time, a symbol of the industrial era. The bridge is adorned with a quote – an appeal from Homer's 'Odyssey' in ancient Greek: 'Sail over the wine-dark sea to people who speak a different language.'
From here opens a surprisingly beautiful panorama of a modern city filled with skyscrapers. Its dominant feature is a huge banking complex. Being the financial capital of the country, the city has placed several hundred credit and financial companies and banks here, including the buildings of the 'big three': Commerzbank – 259 m high, Dresdner Bank – 166 m, and Deutsche Bank – 155 m. Therefore, by analogy with New York, this district of the city is called 'Frankfurt Manhattan.'
But let us return to the Main embankment. How can one talk about anything else when we approach the most beautiful square of the city – Römerberg. And although the times of medieval fairs and knightly tournaments are long gone, the square still attracts numerous guests.
The half-timbered buildings are magnificent, the Old St. Nicholas Church is unique. From here, the city guard announced city news, fires, or the arrival of merchant ships with a horn signal. Next to it, in a complex of buildings from the 15th-18th centuries, the exhibition of the Historical Museum is located. These buildings were erected on the site of the Imperial Palace Saalhof, from which only a 12th-century chapel remains – the oldest structure in the city.
But our attention will be primarily attracted by the beautiful Gothic facades of the building complex from the 15th-16th centuries – the Römer. Today, in three buildings with stepped gables and a large balcony in the middle part, the mayor's office is located and civil registration ceremonies are held. Be sure to go up here. It is here, in a room decorated with portraits of 52 kings and emperors, according to the 'Golden Bull' of Charles IV, that the prince-electors gathered for consultations before electing a new king. Here, banquets were also held to mark the conclusion of the elections.
An outstanding monument characterizing the role of Frankfurt in German history is St. Paul's Church. In 1848, the first national assembly of the country, which drafted its first constitution, convened here. Not far from here is the Goethe House Museum. Here the genius poet was born, spent his childhood and youth. Here he wrote the world-famous 'The Sorrows of Young Werther.' However, during the last war, the house was completely destroyed, and the current museum exhibition is now located in a restored and renovated building. A little higher is St. Catherine's Church, which the Goethe family often visited. Most likely, it was here that the poet was baptized.
On a small square opposite the church, there is a monument to Gutenberg. It would seem, what does the printer have to do with Frankfurt? This can be easily learned by looking at the pedestal of the monument. There are indicated the first centers of printing in the world – the cities of Mainz, Strasbourg, Venice, and Frankfurt. Since 1564, regular book fairs have been held in the city, now known throughout the world.
Frankfurt is remarkable for its special combination of modernity and antiquity. Listen to the polyphony of this city, where every fourth resident is a foreigner. Walk through its parks and squares, visit the zoo, rummage through the stalls of the world's most famous book fair. On the Main embankment, visit the Rothschild Palace (now the Jewish Museum) or the old Jewish cemetery in the museum's branch, where the founder of the famous banking dynasty is buried.
From the Iron Bridge, take another look at this beautiful city. The entire history of the country unfolds before you. This is Frankfurt. Yielding only to Berlin and Munich, it is one of the most visited cities in Germany by tourists. And you have a wonderful opportunity to change that ratio in favor of Frankfurt!
Leonid RAEVSKII,
«Russkaya Germaniya».