Frankfurt tourist attractions include Frankfurt Cathedral, Römer city hall, Alte Oper, Zeil shopping street, and Paulskirche church.
Cathedral of Frankfurt (dom-frankfurt.de) is the main church in the city, built during the 14th and 15th centuries.
The cathedral has played a significant role in the history of Europe, as from 1356 onwards, the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were elected in this Catholic church, and between 1562 and 1792, the emperors were also crowned here.
Frankfurt cathedral has also had a special status as a symbol of German unity, since the 19th century.
Römer city hall was Frankfurt’s official city hall for a period of over 600 years, and today, it is one of the most important historical buildings in the city.
The old city hall is, in fact…
- a three-story complex of around 10,000 square meters (107,639 sq.ft),
- of nine buildings, and
- six courtyards.
Highlights within the buildings include Kaisersaal (Emperor’s hall), on the second level of the the main building.
Kaisersaal is famous for being the place, where the newly crowned Holy Roman Empire emperors had their coronation parties.
Today, the Emperor’s hall contains a collection of 19th century portraits of all the Holy Roman Empire emperors, including Eduard Von Steinle’s paintings of Albert I and Ferdinand III.
Alte Oper (alteoper.de), on the other hand, is Frankfurt’s Old Opera House, a major concert hall and a historic landmark in the city.
The opera house was completed in 1880, with several major operas having premiered in the building ever since, including Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana“, in 1937.
Sections at the opera house include…
- Grosse Saal (Great Hall), with seating for 2,500 people, and
- Mozart-Saal, with seating for an audience of 700 people.
In addition to these two main sections, the building also has several smaller halls, used for conventions.
Zeil (Zeil-online.de) is about 1.2 km (0.74 mile) long commercial/shopping street, centrally located in Frankfurt.
Since the late 19th century, the street has been one of Germany’s best-known and most successful commercial areas.
Western part of Zeil, between the major squares of Hauptwache and Konstablerwache, is entirely a pedestrian area.
Significant highlights within the commercial street include…
- Kaufhof Zeil,
- Zeilgalerie, and
- Karstadt Zeil.
Of these, Zeilgalerie mall has more than 70 stores, and features a rooftop observation platform (at 41 meters, 134 ft), with great views over the rooftops of Frankfurt.
Finally, of the Frankfurt tourist attractions, Paulskirche church is one of the world’s most significant Protestant churches.
The church has had a significant role in the political history of the German state, ever since it was completed in 1789.
As an example of this historical role, the church housed the first elected government of the unified Germany, the Frankfurt Parliament…
…and it was also the place, from 1848-1849, where the first German constitution was created.