old Frankfurt am Main

Today Frankfurt am Main is one of the major financial hubs of the world and its skyscraper skyline dominated by banks since the 1970s has earned it the nicknames of Mainhattan and Bankfurt.

In WW2, like most other German cities, it was reduced to rubble, so these old views from around 1900 provide an appreciation of what it used to look like.

Kaiserstrasse

Römerberg (see below)

Eschenheimer Turm (Tower)

Goetheplatz

Rossmarkt (Horse market)

The Main River in the foreground

The Operhaus (Opera Hause).  This was destroyed in WW2, but eventually rebuilt as it used to be.

The Römerberg (meaning Romans Hill), destroyed in WW2, but restored later.

The Ostzeile consisted of: Haus Grosser Engel, Goldener Greif, Wilder Mann, Kleiner Dachsberg (Schlüssel), Grosser Laubenberg, Kleiner Laubenberg (Houses of the Large Angel, The Golden Claw, The Wild Man, The Little Dachsberg, The Large and Small Laubenberg.)

In 1980 the model railway equipment firm of Faller produced a 1:87 scale kitset of this row of old houses seen here.

For more old views, go to the Old Frankfurt website.