83-571: The Römer (German surname, "Roman") is a medieval building in the Altstadt of Frankfurt am Main , Germany, and one of the city's most important landmarks. The Römer is located opposite the Old St. Nicholas Church and has been the city hall ( Rathaus ) of Frankfurt for over 600 years. The Römer merchant family sold it together with a second building, the Goldener Schwan (Golden Swan), to
166-598: A considerable part of the city departments are located in Römer square, either in the town hall itself or in the surrounding properties. In the past years, two other important facilities abandoned the Altstadt and the city as a whole: the German Federal Court of Auditors of Berliner Straße which was relocated to Bonn , and the headquarters of Degussa from Weißfrauenstraße which moved to Düsseldorf . While
249-430: A limited view". There were numerous half-timbered buildings in the old town area, however by the time of their destruction in the war, many went with little documentation and recognition because their status as notable historical buildings was only just being realised. As the war progressed, it became clear that the old town of Frankfurt am Main could become the target of aerial bombardment. The Federation of Friends of
332-622: A militarily organised citizen's resistance under the command of a civilian captain, which the only democratically elected department in the otherwise corporate composed imperial city. Substantial changes to the cityscape only occurred after a large fire in 1719 when 430 houses burnt down in the north east Altstadt. In order to prevent such disasters in the future the council intensified construction specifications in 1720. Between 1740 and 1800 around 3,000 houses were either adapted or built anew. The number and width of overhangs were drastically limited. As well as that houses had to be built in future with
415-611: A newly erected building to the east. This new building is divided into two wings by the Braubachstrasse . These two wings (the north wing and south wing) are connected by a bridge. The Frankfurt citizens, who paid their taxes in the north wing, named the covered bridge the Seufzerbrücke (the "Bridge of Sighs") in reference to the other Bridge of Sighs in Venice. The two towers in the south wing attracted nicknames as well:
498-723: A political and economic decline. The Frankfurt fair, which was held twice a year in the old town, had passed to Leipzig in the middle of the 18th century. With the end of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, imperial coronations no longer took place. The economic and political focus of Frankfurt has been the Neustadt since the Napoleonic Wars . After the restoration of the Free City of Frankfurt at
581-651: A rather confusing interior. At the beginning of the 19th century, Frankfurt historian Anton Kirschner [ de ] remarked that the Frankfurt city hall had "stairs, yards, halls and rooms in a labyrinthian mixture". In 1424, the city bought the Frauenrode house, in 1510 the Viole house and in 1542 the Schwarzenfels house, which were all architecturally connected to the main complex. Then, in 1596
664-495: A style in keeping with the historical styles in the old town. Frankfurts old town was gradually recognised for its cultural and historical value as one of the best preserved old towns in Central Europe. The National Socialists planned to replace large parts of the old town with modern buildings in accordance with their ideology. A citizens' initiative, the association of active friends of the old town founded in 1922 under
747-588: Is a lightly sweetened pancake that takes its name also from Franz Joseph I. Also with the Austrian Kaisersemmel (" Kaiser roll "), Kaiserfleisch ("Kaiser meat") or Kaisersuppe ("Kaiser soup") the word kaiser is supposed to denote the ultimate highest increase, the best of its kind. Kaiserjäger and Kaiserschützen were special elite units of the Imperial and Royal (k.u.k.) Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces , especially expressed by
830-775: Is derived from the personal name of the Julii Caesares , a branch of the gens (clan) Julia , to which Gaius Julius Caesar , the forebear of the Julio-Claudian dynasty , belonged. It has been suggested, on the grounds of an anecdote reported in e.g. Suetonius ( Divus Julius 79.2), that Caesar himself once used his cognomen by way of a title; but this is ultimately unlikely. Although the British monarchs styled " Emperor of India " were also called Kaisar-i-Hind in Hindi and Urdu , this word, although ultimately sharing
913-761: Is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I and is located on the northern Main river bank. It is completely surrounded by the Innenstadt district, Frankfurt's present-day city centre. On the opposite side of the Main is the district of Sachsenhausen . The historic old town of Frankfurt was one of the largest half-timbered towns in Germany until the extensive destruction in World War II with its around 1250 half-timbered houses, most of which date from
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#1732771991023996-517: Is remarkably open because of its attachment to the suburban traffic network. The underground station "Dom/Römer", opened in 1974, connected the historical core of the city to the Underground lines 4 and 5. The building of the track and the station in the years 1968–74 represented a special technical challenge. The underground junction of Willy-Brandt-Platz connects parts of the Altstadt, the rapid-transit system of Hauptwache and Konstablerwache to
1079-629: Is still associated with Der Kaiser (the emperor) today. As a result of his long reign from 1848 to 1916 and the associated Golden Age before the First World War, this title often has still a very high historical respect in this geographical area. Like the Macedonian , Bulgarian , Serbian , Ukrainian , Russian , and Belorussian title tsar , kaiser is directly derived from the Roman emperors ' title of Caesar , which in turn
1162-654: The Alt-Limpurg displays the so-called Frankfurtia , the female embodiment of the city. In the middle, the Haus Römer shows the four kaisers of the Holy Roman Empire , two city coats of arms, a clock face, and a placard describing the most important facts about the building. The four kaisers are Frederick Barbarossa (the first king to be elected in Frankfurt), Louis the Bavarian (who gave convention rights to
1245-534: The Haus Löwenstein . The former old town quarter between the Römer and St. Bartholomew's Cathedral has been redeveloped as the Dom-Römer Quarter until 2018, including several reconstructions of historical buildings that were destroyed during World War II. The building complex has been continuously extended over the years, with eventually eleven houses connected to each other, resulting in
1328-718: The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, but the title of kaiser was retained by the House of Habsburg , the head of which, beginning in 1804, bore the title of Kaiser of Austria. After 1273, the Habsburgs provided most of Holy Roman Kings or Emperors, so they saw themselves as legitimate heirs to the title they adopted. Despite Habsburg ambitions, however, the Austrian Empire could no longer claim to rule over most of Germany, although they did rule over large areas of lands inhabited by non-Germans in addition to Austria. According to
1411-465: The Holy Roman Empire , coronation banquets took place there. Today, the Kaisersaal is well known for its unique and unparalleled collection of 19th century portraits of all of the emperors, including works by Eduard von Steinle of Albert I and Ferdinand III . Altstadt (Frankfurt am Main) The Altstadt ( old town ) is a quarter ( Stadtteil ) of Frankfurt am Main , Germany . It
1494-763: The Römerberg plaza. Other streets around the Römer are the Limpurgergasse to the south and the Buchgasse and the Berliner Straße to the north. The Braubachstraße divides the south and north wings. The exterior features of the set of buildings reflect a wide breadth of Frankfurt and Germany's history, even though they were designed at the beginning of the 20th century. The famous three-peaked façade has medieval elements of design. The left-hand corner of
1577-486: The eaves side facing the road. Only small attics were certified as opposed to gabled dormers . In 1785, Johann Georg Christian Hess took office as city architect. In 1809 he wrote a set of articles for the city of Frankfurt on behalf of the Grand Duke Carl Theodor von Dalberg, which basically remained in force until 1880. It made classicism mandatory as an architectural style. Hess was influenced by
1660-417: The "renovation by demolition" that was common until the 1970s, which was carried out in some of the courtyards that were completely built up over the centuries. The Nazi city administration under Mayor Friedrich Krebs used the project to change the social structure of the old town in terms of its ideology. They believed that old-established residents of the old town should be placed in new housing developments on
1743-579: The 12th century. King Conrad III had a royal castle built on the Main in the middle of the 12th century with the Saalhof, which is still preserved in part. A little later, the urban area was enclosed by a wall named after the Swabian noble family, the course of which is still clearly visible in the shape of the city due to minor remains above ground. Until the destruction of the Second World War,
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#17327719910231826-482: The Altstadt over the Main; Alte Brücke , Eiserner Steg and Untermainbrücke. The Mainkai (Main quay), as the name suggests, stands on the oldest harbour in the city. Ships are still moored there today; however, these only serve tourists along the Main and the Rhine . Ships transporting goods are instead found, as in the city's early days, in the main harbours of Frankfurt. The city's founding legend names Charlemagne as
1909-410: The Altstadt, Liebfrauenberg to Römerberg and further towards the south lying Fahrtor on the bank of the Main and the harbour there. The Fahrgasse ran east of the cathedral from Bornheimer Gate near today's Konstablerwache to the Main bridge. It was one of the most busy streets for Frankfurt traffic in the 20th century. The majority of Frankfurt's inhabitants lived in the densely populated Altstadt, while
1992-520: The Austrian Empire (1804–1918) were: Karl von Habsburg is currently the head of the House of Habsburg. With the unification of Germany (aside from Austria) in 1871, there was some debate about the exact title for the monarch of those German territories (such as free imperial cities, principalities, duchies, and kingdoms) that agreed to unify under the leadership of Prussia , thereby forming
2075-796: The Dienstmädchen line was never successful and had been shut down after the First World War , the east–west line remained and is now known as the Altstadtstrecke. In 1986 its redundant status was brought to an end due to the intervention of the district president in Darmstadt . In the meantime the Altstadtstrecke gained a firm place in local public passenger transport, especially with the Ebbelwei-express, which serves an exclusive tourist route. Three bridges lead out of
2158-552: The German Customs Union and as early as 1839 was an important node in the emerging German rail network. This economic boom passed the old town by. At the latest after the annexation of Frankfurt by Prussia in 1866, the wealthy citizens moved to the new districts outside the ramparts, especially to the Westend. The city centre gradually shifted to the new town, where numerous Wilhelminian style buildings were erected at
2241-454: The Habsburgs are often referred to as Imperial Highnesses (German: Kaiserliche Hoheit) and, for example, the members of the Imperial and Royal Order of Saint George as Imperial Knights. There were four kaisers of the Austrian Empire who all belonged to the Habsburg dynasty. They had an official list of crowns, titles, and dignities ( Grand title of the emperor of Austria ). The kaisers of
2324-628: The Hauptwache, the Zeil and the Roßmarkt. The former exhibition halls in the buildings of the old town were transformed into warehouses or second-hand shops, and the long-established craftsmen were forced to move to the new town with their customers. When the new small market hall between Fahrengasse and Hasengasse was built between 1877 and 1878, the traditional parapets also disappeared. The former Coronation Trail Markt no longer deserved its name, which
2407-522: The Jews on the one hand and the Muslims on the other hand were particularly loyal to the emperor (German: "kaisertreu"). In 1867 the Austrian Empire was divided into the state of Austria-Hungary (the so-called Danube Monarchy), with Franz Joseph I , like his successor Karl I , being Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. As a result of this centuries-long uninterrupted tradition, today family members of
2490-491: The Middle Ages. It was one of the most important tourist attractions for Germany. The historic old town was largely destroyed by the air raids on Frankfurt am Main in 1944 . The streets and the entire district are predominantly characterized by quickly and easily erected buildings from the 1950s and 60s. A handful of the most important historic buildings, churches and squares were restored or reconstructed, especially around
2573-560: The Neustadt remained characteristically suburban until far into the 18th century with loose land development and agriculture featuring prominently in contrast with Altstadt. The city in general was divided into fourteen parts after the Fettmilch uprising of 1614. Seven of these formed the relatively small Altstadt, five belonged to the Neustadt (which made it three times bigger than the Altstadt) and two for Sachsenhausen . Each area placed
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2656-603: The Old Town, therefore, often with the help of external institutions such as the students from the Frankfurt School of Engineering or retired architects, had the entire existing building stock photographed and drawn as of summer 1942. Kaiser Kaiser is the German title for emperor . In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king ( König ). In English,
2739-660: The Vienna Congress, the Bundestag took its seat here in the Palais Thurn and Taxis. Frankfurt became the European financial centre with the banking houses Bethmann, Rothschild and Gontard. The trade fair business no longer played a role in goods traffic; instead, the city's good transport links became the engine of the economic upswing. Around 1830 steam shipping was introduced on the Main, in 1836 Frankfurt joined
2822-517: The acquisition of numerous imperial privileges. The Altstadt is on the right bank of the Main on the outer edge of a gentle bend in the river. Here was the ford which gave the city its name. In the place of today's cathedral was a raised, flood-proof plateau, the Dominsel (cathedral island). At the time it was protected to the north by a branch of the Main, the Brauchbach. This island represents
2905-531: The archaeological findings. Around the start of the 2nd millennium, the city expanded to the west of today's Römerberg. One of the oldest city walls, the Staufenmauer , was built round these two areas, which make up today's Altstadt. The adjacent district of the Innenstadt equated to the historic Neustadt, an expansion in 1333. The Jewish ghetto of the Judengasse was established On the border between
2988-462: The city administration to preserve the old town as an overall monument; they took place simultaneously in Hamburg , Cologne , Braunschweig , Kassel and Hanover , among others. In Frankfurt, the distinction was made between 'clearing out'; newbuild or reconstructive addition, and the exposure of half-timbering. 'Clearing out' was a euphemism for in part extensive gutting measures, in modern usage
3071-458: The city and allowed an expansion of the city), Charles IV (who made Frankfurt the location of the Kaiser selection vote), and Maximilian II (the first kaiser to be crowned in Frankfurt cathedral). Like the neogothic façade, the balcony was added after the rebuilding in 1900, replacing a wooden roof. The balcony was and is used as a public stage for state visits and sporting events – for example,
3154-423: The city bought the Alt-Limpurg house to the right of the Haus Römer . The current neogothic front with a balcony was built from 1896 more imposing, but mayor Franz Adickes decided against Kaiser Wilhelm 's suggestion and had the front designed in a more welcoming manner. At the same time, the houses Frauenrode and Viole were demolished to make way for streets through the city centre. They were replaced by
3237-619: The city council bought the Wanebach house, which stood next to the Goldener Schwan , as well as the building to the left of the Haus Römer , the Haus Löwenstein , and had both of them connected to the Römer . These construction projects were very complicated, since the floor heights of Löwenstein and Römer were radically different. In 1843, the Frauenstein house and the Salzhaus for 32,000 Guilders were added. Finally, in 1878
3320-455: The city council on 11 March 1405 and it was converted for use as the city hall. The Haus Römer is actually the middle building of a set of three located in the Römerberg plaza. The Römer is not a museum as it is occasionally used by the city for various purposes, for example as a Standesamt or civil registration office; the wedding rooms are located in the first and second floor of
3403-579: The city's founder, which corresponds to the oldest surviving documentary mention on the occasion of a donation to the St. Emmeran monastery near Regensburg on 22 February 794, but not to any archaeological finds. Accordingly, the Royal Palatinate Frankfurt was only created under the son of the legendary founder, Ludwig the Pious, between 815 and 822. According to the current state of research,
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3486-564: The core settlement was on the Samstagsberg. Archaeological digs on the Römerberg , and most recently near the Alte Nikolaikirche, revealed slight remains of a wall to be considered Carolingian, which would presumably have surrounded the settlement on the Samstagsberg and, in a continued process, would also satisfactorily explain the striking rounding of the plots on the former Goldhutgasse . If one follows this assumption, to
3569-399: The course of industrialisation after 1870, numerous workers flocked to the city and quickly found cheap housing in the dilapidated buildings. Large parts of the old town were now considered to be the residential area of the proletariat and poorer petty bourgeoisie, where poverty, prostitution and crime were rampant. At the same time, however, people began to discover the picturesque sides of
3652-492: The direction of art historian Fried Lübbecke, opposed these efforts. As of the early 1940s, when these restorations came to a stand still due to the war, more than 600 buildings had been renovated. After the National Socialist seizure of power in 1933 , the new regime elevated Altstadtgesundung (old town healing) into a prestige project. In Nazi Germany , this neologism was an umbrella term for measures taken by
3735-426: The façade was restored two additional times, in the years 1974 and 2005, and the houses on the Römerberg regained the neogothic look of 1900. The interior has also been redesigned. In 1988 the renovated city council meeting hall was completed. The entire three-storey building complex occupies about 10,000 square metres and consists of nine houses, encircling six courtyards. The front, with today's main entrance, faces
3818-472: The hand of the person living on the other side of the alley. The Altstadt began to display a clear structure with three north–south axis identifiable: in the west the Kornmarkt ran between Bockenheimer Gate (to the church later erected and named Katharinenpforte) and Leonhardstor (tower) next to Leonhardskirche (church) on the Main. In the middle of the district Neue Kräme connected the two largest squares of
3901-660: The historian Friedrich Heer, the Austrian Habsburg emperor remained an "auctoritas" of a special kind. He was "the grandson of the Caesars", he remained the patron of the holy church, but without excluding other religions. In this tradition, the Austrian emperor saw himself as the protector of his peoples, minorities and all religious communities. In this regard, minorities in the Habsburg Monarchy, but also
3984-417: The historic origin of the city and was presumably settled in the Neolithic era . Archaeological excavations in the 1950s and 1990s brought to light the remains of a Roman military camp, an Alamanni property yard and a Merovingian king's court. Legends of the city's founding name Karl the Great as the city's founder, which corresponds to the oldest known documents (Frankfurt council, 794), but contradicts
4067-409: The historical coronation route of German emperors through the old town from the cathedral. The Altstadt is the smallest district of Frankfurt, covering less than half a square kilometre. The area is completely built-up with the only open spaces being accounted for by the Main and the river bank, the streets, squares and backyards. The construction descends predominantly from the reconstruction phase of
4150-406: The imperial title with that of King of the Romans (assumed by the designated heir before the imperial coronation); they saw their rule as a continuation of that of the Roman Emperors and used the title derived from the title Caesar to reflect their supposed heritage. From 1452 to 1806, except for the years 1742–1745, only members of the Habsburg family were "Holy Roman Emperors". In 1806,
4233-403: The larger one was called Langer Franz (Tall Franz) in homage to the city's tall mayor and the smaller one the Kleiner Cohen (Small Cohen) after a popular song of the time. On the night of 22 March 1944, the Römer , along with the rest of the centre of Frankfurt, was largely destroyed in one of the heaviest Allied bombing attacks of the Second World War . When the building was rebuilt after
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#17327719910234316-408: The main square, the Römerberg . However, from 2012 to 2018, a small section of the old town was reconstructed. A construction project known as the Dom-Römer project , restored a small section of the old town between the Imperial Cathedral and the Römer town hall, following a decision by the city council in 2007. A few former streets and squares that once stood in the area were rebuilt, most notably
4399-420: The massively built structures had survived the war practically undamaged. The two halls are located on the ground floor of the houses Römer and Goldener Schwan , and they can be entered directly from the main entrance on the Römerberg . Perhaps the best-known room of the Römer , the Kaisersaal , or Emperor Hall , is located above the Römerhalle on the second floor and is a major tourist attraction. During
4482-405: The medieval city weighhouse was demolished. Cathedral master builder Franz Josef Denzinger created a much larger neo-Gothic building, which was completed in 1877. Other large medieval buildings such as churches or patrician houses were restored or decorated in traditional style. The best-known example is the conversion of the Römer by Max Meckel (1896–1900). By the beginning of the 20th century,
4565-400: The monument-listed building of the German Federal Court of Auditors is currently being redeveloped, the former Degussa building had been torn down, and the area has been redeveloped into flats and offices. Other important factors of the economy are the retail and tourist industries. Although there were still numerous small industrial businesses in the narrow lanes up until the Second World War,
4648-477: The new German Empire. The first kaiser himself preferred either Kaiser von Deutschland ("Emperor of Germany"). In the end, his chancellor Bismarck 's choice Deutscher Kaiser ("German Emperor") was adopted as it simply connoted that the new emperor, hearkening from Prussia, was a German, but did not imply that this new emperor had dominion over all German territories, especially since the Austrian kaiser would have been offended as Austria, inhabited by Germans,
4731-407: The new public buildings emerging in the old town, e.g. B. the Paulskirche (1833) or the Alte Börse (1843) on Paulsplatz corresponded to his classicist ideal. In the 19th century, Frankfurt was considered one of the most beautiful cities in Germany due to the numerous classical buildings. The medieval old town, on the other hand, was considered backward and outdated. Goethe made Mephisto scoff at
4814-430: The north. Tram lines 11 and 12 operate along the central thoroughfare of Bethmannstrasse-Braubachstrasse-Battonnstrasse. At the start of the 20th century, two tram lines were laid through Altstadt, the first—the so-called Dienstmädchenlinie (Handmaid's line)—from the Zeil past the Trierischen Hof (hotel) in the direction of the cathedral, the other along the newly laid Brauchbachstrasse in an east to west direction. While
4897-441: The old town and to open it up to tourism . On many half-timbered buildings, the early 19th century plaster was removed and the infill was often painted traditionally, referring to Frankfurt's important past, so that well-known postcard motifs were created in the touristically important places such as the Roseneck or the Five-Finger Square . As in the classicist era, however, many measures were limited to public buildings: in 1874,
4980-414: The old town took place in the years 1904–1908 with the creation of a new road breakthrough; Braubachstrasse. This was in order to better open up the old town to traffic, especially for the tram. Around 100 old town houses, including art-historical complexes that date back to the Middle Ages, such as the Nürnberger Hof or the Hof Rebstock, were demolished. On the new road, historizing buildings were built, in
5063-436: The old town: The city historian Anton Kirchner also wrote about the buildings of the old town in 1818 in his panel work Views of Frankfurt am Main . The classicist zeitgeist is clear from the description: The overload with carving and lappy artistry and the shapeless three- and four-story roofs make them easily recognizable by the eye. They do not belong to any order of architecture. The loss of prestige corresponded to
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#17327719910235146-482: The outskirts of the city and the renovated old town apartments should primarily be awarded to traders, craftsmen and party members. In doing so, the city also wanted to correspond to its Nazi honorary title awarded in 1935 as the city of German crafts. Fried Lübbecke and the poet Alfons Paquet opposed the destruction of medieval buildings. Her submissions were disqualified as "shouting from old town fanatics who judge things of community life not even out of bad will but from
5229-405: The part of the name Kaiser. Der Kaiser is the nickname of both Franz Beckenbauer , a German footballer active in the 1960s and 1970s who captained West Germany to the 1974 World Cup title, and of the Austrian ski racer and 1976 Olympic champion Franz Klammer - both in an allusion to the Austrian Kaiser Franz I . The Holy Roman Emperors (962–1806) called themselves Kaiser , combining
5312-401: The political centres of the eastern Franconian empire. Around the year 1000, the old town area was fortified under the Ottonian dynasty with a wider wall ring. It is unclear whether the core settlement had already expanded beyond the Carolingian wall at this time. Recent publications cautiously point out that at the earliest from the middle of the 10th century there was a very long transition from
5395-404: The post house to the half-timbered building with stone foundations. The scanty finds actually point to a slow expansion of the city limits at that time. After the Carolingian Palatinate probably ended with a fire between 1017 and 1027 and the rulers of the Salians showed little interest in the city, the settlement activity only expanded again significantly with the active support of the Staufers in
5478-445: The post-war era, aside from which there are numerous historical buildings partly reconstructed after their destruction in the Second World War . Approximately 3,400 people reside in the Altstadt of which an estimated 32% are of foreign origin. This is above the ratio of the entire town, but far under that of the other town quarters. The adjacent Neustadt, for example, is home to 44% non-German inhabitants. Museums and theatres dominate
5561-400: The retail industry is well represented, particularly in Neue Kräme and Töngesgasse. Residential flats are found in the east in an area which also contains most of Frankfurt's art trade (Braubachstraße and Fahrgasse). By far the largest employer in the old part of the city is the city's administration. Even today the Altstadt is the political centre of the city. The city council, magistrates and
5644-407: The retail sector now outweighs all other types of business. Particularly in Neue Kräme and Töngesgasse many niche eateries can be found. In Berliner Straße there a numerous shops specialised on Asian tourists who come to the city for extensive shopping trips. The Fahrgasse and the quarter around the Weckmarkt at the cathedral form the traditional centre for antique dealers in Frankfurt. The Altstadt
5727-405: The same Latin origin, is derived from the Persian Kaysar , not the German Kaiser . Kaiserwetter (Weather of the emperor) is a colloquial expression and means in German "Sunny weather" with a deep blue, cloudless sky. According to Duden, this proverb goes back to the mostly bright sunshine on 18 August, the birthday of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. Kaiserschmarrn (Emperor's Mess)
5810-507: The second half of the 19th century in order to better open the old town to traffic. In 1855 the Liebfrauengasse between Liebfrauenberg and Zeil was built, and in 1872 the Weißfrauengasse in the west to connect the old town with the railway stations at the Taunusanlage. The associated demolition of historical buildings, in particular the Weiße Hirsch , was accepted. The Lower Main Bridge and the Upper Main Bridge were built in 1874 and 1878. The Old Bridge and Fahrgasse lost their importance because
5893-469: The soccer world champions in the Women's World Cup in 2003 and the runners up in the 2002 FIFA World Cup . Another approach was chosen for the design of the fronts of the two north-east houses (the Wanebach and the Salzhaus ). In contrast to the other houses in the complex, instead of reconstructing the old Wilhelminean front, the architects created a completely new design using a combination of medieval timber framing and modern styles. The mosaics in
5976-486: The south the wall roughly followed the course of the later Bendergasse; however the northern and western extent can only be guessed at. Overall it is a typical, ring-like fortification, the former row of buildings in the eastern part until the destruction of the Second World War was reflected by the parcels within their former borders. In the 9th century the Palatinate Franconofurd developed into one of
6059-537: The spirit of the Enlightenment and campaigned radically for the architecture of classicism. He refused to preserve the numerous medieval buildings in Frankfurt because they did not meet his hygienic and aesthetic requirements. In the new town and in the new neighbourhoods emerging outside of the city walls, which were torn from 1804 to 1808, he effortlessly prevailed with his ideas, but in the old town he encountered stubborn resistance from conservative citizens. Only
6142-446: The street map was still recognisable from this period. This is clear from an impression of the street network from the early 14th century which shows that the Altstadt had already taken the form it would take for centuries. Most of the church and monastery foundations and the construction of the most important public buildings, most recently the town hall which was rebuilt in 1405, fell into this first political and economic heyday through
6225-452: The structure of the old town had remained largely unchanged since the Middle Ages, as a comparison with Merian copper engravings shows. In the old town alone there were around 2,000 historic buildings. The wooden half-timbered houses were still predominant, although there were a few stone patrician houses and numerous public buildings. Almost all stone buildings were made of local red sandstone. The first really far-reaching structural change in
6308-431: The timber frames feature the motif of a phoenix , a symbol for modern Frankfurt's new start after the war. These two halls are the oldest remaining rooms in the building and are virtually unchanged after 600 years. At one point, the first Frankfurt book fairs took place in these rooms and gold and silversmiths sold their merchandise there. After the Second World War, the rooms continued to be used for this purpose because
6391-467: The traffic flowed around the old town as far as possible. The medieval houses, not to mention their backyards, were now often in poor condition. The hygienic conditions improved with the construction of an alluvial sewage system based on the English model from 1867. More and more houses were connected to the drinking water network, especially after the construction of a pipeline from Vogelsberg in 1873. In
6474-408: The two. Over the course of the centuries, the population of the city always continued to increase, whereby the population density of the Altstadt continuously increased. The buildings finally had up to five full storeys and (due to the usual, very steep roofs) several attics. Each floor protruded outwards in excess of the one beneath it so the inhabitants of the highest floors could reach out and touch
6557-457: The war, the Alt-Limpurg , the Römer , and the Löwenstein houses, whose roof structure had in part withstood the attack, were restored in a simplified form. The completely destroyed houses Frauenstein and Salzhaus were rebuilt in a simplified style. The Löwenstein house has an open stairwell. The Römer was re-inaugurated in 1955 by president Theodor Heuss . In the following decades
6640-473: The western part of Altstadt and service jobs are a major part of the economy, especially along Weißfrauenstraße and Berliner Straße. The centre of Altstadt is a hot spot for the city's tourism industry, with tours around the most meaningful sights such as Paulskirche , Römer , and the Frankfurt Cathedral , as well as being the seat of the city's administrative branch. In the north of the district
6723-654: The word kaiser is mainly applied to the emperors of the unified German Empire (1871–1918) and the emperors of the Austrian Empire (1804–1918). During the First World War , anti-German sentiment was at its zenith; the term kaiser —especially as applied to Wilhelm II, German Emperor —thus gained considerable negative connotations in English-speaking countries. Especially in Central Europe, between northern Italy and southern Poland, between western Austria and western Ukraine and in Bavaria, Emperor Franz Joseph I
6806-451: Was a symbol of the beginning of the social and structural deterioration of the old town. The horse-drawn tram, which started operating in 1872, did not reach the old town either. Early photographs of the old town, for example by Carl Friedrich Mylius, or the watercolors by Carl Theodor Reiffenstein, not only show the picturesque and beautiful sides of the old town, but are also witnesses of their decay. The first street widenings were made in
6889-547: Was still considered part of the German lands. There were only three kaisers of the (second) German Empire. All of them belonged to the Hohenzollern dynasty, which, as kings of Prussia, and had been de facto leaders of lesser Germany (Germany excluding Austria). The kaisers of the German Empire (1871–1918) were: Georg Friedrich Ferdinand , Prince of Prussia, is currently head of the House of Hohenzollern, which
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