Frankfurt, Germany — Attractions
Well of Justice (Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen)
The Well of Justice, or Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen, was built in Frankfurt's central square of Romweberg in 1541. About 70 years later the wells received stone interiors and the Statue of Justice watched over them. In 1612, when Kaiser Matthias was crowned, it was not water, but wine that flowed freely from the stone lions' mouths. In 1887, the wells were renovated and the stone figures copied. The original sandstone statues were moved to the Museum of Local History.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Römerberg, Frankfurt
Eschenheimer Turm
The Eschenheimer Turm is one of the few remaining towers of the medieval fortifications that encircled the city of Frankfurt. The 154-foot high (47m) gothic tower was built as part of the medieval wall which encircled the city in the 15th century when approximately 60 towers surrounded the city. Citizens used to build high walls and watchtowers to protect Frankfurt from danger.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Eschenheimer Tor 1
- Phone Number
- (069) 292 244
Goethe-Haus
The house where Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's world-famous poet and writer, was born in 1749 is now a shrine to his memory, preserved as an example of how the well-to-do lived in the late Baroque era. The house, which is a reconstruction because the original was destroyed during the Second World War, consists of two neighboring half-timbered houses in Grosser Hirschgraben, and is sited next to the Goethe Museum, which contains a huge library of books, documents and graphics relating to the poet.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Großer Hirschgraben 23-25
- Phone Number
- (0)69 138 80-0
- Website
- www.goethehaus-frankfurt.de
- Transport
- U- and S-Bahn to Hauptwache and Willy-Brandt-Platz
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 5.30pm
- Admission
- EUR5 (adults); EUR1.50 (children 7-18)
Botanical Gardens
The well-ordered and interesting Botanical Garden in Frankfurt is administered by the University. The gardens are designed to take visitors on a journey through different areas of the plant kingdom, from the hardwood forests of North America to the barren savannah of Africa. The gardens cover more than eight hectares (20 acres) and contain more than 6,000 different botanical species, from exotic rainforest flowers to European weeds.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Siesmayerstrasse 61
- Phone Number
- (0)69 2123 3939
- Website
- www.palmengarten-frankfurt.de
- Transport
- Entrance Palmengartenstraße: trains U6, U7 or buses 32, 33, 50 to Station Bockenheimer Warte
- Hours
- Daily 9am to 6pm between February and October, 9am to 4pm November to January
- Admission
- EUR5 (adults), EUR2 (children 6-17); EUR9.50 for special events including festivals and certain exhibitions. Concessions available
St Bartholomeus Cathedral
The St Bartholomeus Cathedral, or Dom Sankt Bartholomäus, dominates the Frankfurt skyline with its imposing 311 foot (95m) spire, contrasting sharply with the modern skyscrapers in the downtown area. The Cathedral was built in the 14th and 15th centuries, and has seen the crowning of kings and emperors in this time. St Bartholomeus has been rebuilt several times, once in 1867 after a fire, and again in the 1950s following damage suffered in World War II. There is a small museum and shop inside.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Domplatz 14
- Zip Code
- 60311
- Phone Number
- 0 69 29 70 32 0
- Email Address
- pfarrbuero@dom-frankfurt.de
- Website
- www.dom-frankfurt.de
- Transport
- U4 from Central-Station, Stop Römer
- Hours
- The museum is open Tuesday to Friday 10am-5pm, and Saturday to Sunday 11am to 5pm.
- Admission
- Free
Heidelberg
The historic university town of Heidelberg, about 55 miles (89km) south of Frankfurt, is billed as a city of music and romance. It is one of the few German cities that escaped relatively unscathed from air raids during World War II, and still has numerous buildings from the Middle Ages and Renaissance to explore. The modern part of the city around the Bismarckplatz has some good hotels and restaurants, and enticing shopping plazas. The city is built along the banks of the Neckar River, and has a colorful atmosphere lent by its large student population, particularly in the student quarter with its narrow streets and lively inns. The university was established in 1386.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Website
- www.heidelberg.de
Liebieghaus
Situated on the south bank of the river Main, the Liebieghaus was built in 1896 for Czech Baron Heinrich Liebieg, but today is the home of Frankfurt's Museum of Sculpture. Exhibits include sculptures from ancient times, such as Sumeria, Egypt, Greece and Rome to more modern Baroque, Rococo and Renaissance examples. A range of Egyptian and Asian pieces also feature in the range as well as a few works of some world-renowned artists.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Schaumainkai 71
- Phone Number
- (0)69 650049-0
- Website
- www.liebieghaus.de
- Transport
- Tram 15 or 16 to Otto Hahn Square; U1, 2, 3 to Swiss Square
- Hours
- Tuesday and Friday to Sunday 10am to 6pm; Wednesday, Thursday 10am to 9pm. Free tours every Wednesday at 7pm and Sunday at 11am
- Admission
- EUR9 (adults); EUR7 (concessions). Children under 12 are free
German Film Museum (Deutsches Filmmuseum)
One of Germany's finest film museums, the Deutsches Filmmuseum shows old films from its collections continuously. These can be viewed on the second floor of the museum while the downstairs rooms tell the story of Germany's filmmaking history while exhibits are also on display, including models illustrating how special effects are shot as well as Emile Reynaud's 1882 Praxinoscope and Edison's Kinetoscope from 1889. The museum is closed for construction until Spring of 2011.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Schaumainkai 41
- Phone Number
- (0)69 961 220 220
- Transport
- Bus 46; U1, 2, 3 to Schweizer Platz
- Hours
- Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday 10am to 5pm; Wednesday 10am to 7pm; Saturday 2pm to 7pm
- Admission
- EUR2.50 (adults), EUR1.30 (children); Film screenings EUR6 (adults), EUR5 (children)
Historical Museum (Historisches Museum)
The Historical Museum (Historisches Museum) has many permanent exhibitions on display featuring objects and works of art ranging from the Middle Ages to present day. The museum's changing exhibitions covers a range of themes such as cultural history, art history and general history. Collections feature examples of gold and silver crockery and jewelry; pottery and porcelain; paintings, photographs; and scaled-down models of the Altstadt at various periods of its development. The Children's Museum, which lies adjacent to the Historical Museum, features a variety of special offers and exhibitions for youngsters of all ages.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Saalgasse 19
- Phone Number
- (0)69 212 355 99
- Transport
- U-bahn to Römer
- Hours
- Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm, Wednesday 10am to 9pm, closed Mondays.
- Admission
- EUR4 (adults), EUR2 (children over 6 years). Concessions available
Städel Gallery
Frankfurt's most important art gallery is the Städel Gallery, containing a fantastic collection of most European schools of painting. The first floor features the works of German painters of the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as famous French Impressionists such as Renoir and Monet. The second floor offers visitors the pleasure of viewing an outstanding collection of Flemish primitives, 17th-century Dutch artists, and 16th-century German masters such as Dürer, Grünewald, Memling, Elsheimer, and many others with one of the most impressive paintings being Jan van Eyck's Madonna(1433). The gallery is closed through October 27th, 2010.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Schaumainkai 63
- Phone Number
- (0)69 605 0980
- Website
- www.staedelmuseum.de
- Transport
- U1, 2, 3 to Schweizer Platz; trams 15 and 16 to Otto-Hahn-Platz
- Hours
- Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10am to 6pm; Wednesday, Thursday 10am to 9pm; closed Mondays
- Admission
- EUR7 (adults); EUR5 (children 12-16). Concessions available
Frankfurt Zoo
The Frankfurt Zoo, located in Ostend, was nearly totally destroyed in the Second World War when only 20 animals survived. It was rebuilt in the early 1950s and since then has grown its features to include several innovative new sections such as the highly popular Big Cat Jungle and the Exotarium which houses fish, insects, reptiles and penguins, all kept in their natural surroundings. Frankfurt Zoo is home to over 3,200 different animals across 600 species and is renowned for keeping them in environments that most closely resemble their own natural habitats. It has a reputation as one of the most attractive, pleasant and popular zoo faciltiies in Europe. Away from the fauna there are two restaurants as well as a terrace to enjoy in the summer months. A major draw card for the zoo and one of its most unique features is Grzimek House which is home to nocturnal animals who think it's night-time during the day.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Alfred-Brehm-Platz 16
- Phone Number
- (0)69 212 33735
- Website
- www.zoo-frankfurt.de
- Transport
- U6 or U7
- Hours
- Open daily 9am to 7pm in summer and 9am to 5pm in winter
- Admission
- EUR8 (adults), EUR4 (children 6-17). Concessions available. Last Saturday of the month: EUR6 (adults), EUR3 (children)
Palmengarten
This spectacular garden was opened to the public in 1871 and features 50 acres (20 hectares) of flora from rain forest and mangrove, to savannah and thorn forest vegetation. During the summer months, families can rent rowboats on the pond, tour the post-war reconstructed greenhouses, stop and smell the roses in the rose garden, and on warm summer evenings, head to the bandstand to enjoy some live music or dancing. Children will love Palmengarten as there's plenty to see and loads of space to run around and let off some steam. Guided tours of the gardens are available in English, French and Spanish.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Siesmayerstraße 63
- Phone Number
- 069 212 33391
- Email Address
- info.palmengarten@stadt-frankfurt.de
- Website
- www.palmengarten.frankfurt.de
- Hours
- November January: 9am 4pm; March to October: 9am 6pm
- Admission
- EUR6 (adults); EUR2 (children)
Children's Museum of Frankfurt
The Children's Museum of Frankfurt gives provides an interactive and exciting glimpse of what life is like under the streets of Frankfurt. Exhibitions take in the various geology, biology and archaeology of the city.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- An der Hauptwache 15 Mezzanine
- Phone Number
- 069 2123 5154
- Email Address
- info.kindermuseum@stadt-frankfurt.de
- Website
- kindermuseum.frankfurt.de
- Hours
- Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am - 6pm
- Admission
- EUR4 (adults); EUR2(children)
Senckenberg Museum of Natural History
One of the biggest natural history museums in Germany and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History features exhibits of recent biodiversity of life and evolution of organisms as well as the Earth. A popular attraction of the museum is the fascinating paleontology exhibit which features fossils that date back over 50-million years. Children of all ages will love exploring this fascinating museum and learning about the evolution of not only world, but also mammals and other life.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Senckenberganlage 25
- Phone Number
- 069 7542 0
- Website
- www.senckenberg.de
- Hours
- Open daily from 9am 5pm; Wednesdays: 9am 8pm; Saturday Sunday & public holidays: 9am 6pm
- Admission
- EUR6 (adults); EUR3 (children)
Struwwelpeter Museum
The Struwwelpeter Museum features memorabilia of the children's books, Struwwelpeter (' Slovenly Peter'), which were written and illustrated in the early 19th century by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman. These tales reflect the draconian parenting style of this bygone age, although today modern kids are more likely to be amused by the macabre morality of stories like the boy who played with scissors and cut off all his fingers! The museum has a children's theater where kids can enjoy watching a performance of stories such as 'The little dog Schnuffel' or 'The Little Elephant' or children can dress up in costumes and play in the playroom.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- Schubertstr. 20
- Phone Number
- 069 747 969
- Email Address
- info@struwwelpeter-museum.de
- Hours
- Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am 5pm
- Admission
- EUR3 (adults); EUR2 (children)
Rebstock Bath
A visit to the Rebstock pool on a hot summer's day in Frankfurt is a must for children of all ages. It features a huge 394-foot (120m) water slide, wave pool, hot tubs, saunas and even an Olympic lap pool. For parents looking to relax and make use of some of the other facilities such as massage or steam bath, there are child care facilities, children's playground and volleyball court, so parents can relax and enjoy themselves while the kids let off some steam.
- Region/City Name
- Frankfurt
- Address
- BäderBetriebe Frankfurt GmbH
- Phone Number
- 069 271 089 1111
- Email Address
- info@bbf-frankfurt.de
