First stop when visiting Frankfurt is the Römerberg, Frankfurt's old city center. The fountain in the center of the Römer square used to be filled with wine for the "Volk" when German kings or Holy Roman emperors were crowned. Standing (or squatting) next to the Justitia fountain makes for a good photo opportunity.
The Historical Museum overlooks the River Main. It has an exhibition room with models of how Frankfurt looked before the war, after the war, and today. These models, more than anything else, made the physical devastation of WWII clear to me and the children. Frankfurt used to have the largest square footage of half-timbered houses; now it just has this one Disneyland-like square. In the museum's room with the models, children can also play with wooden blocks and ships, recreating the Main River traffic, while adults can look at a documentary film in German.
Although the Roman ruins between the Historical Museum and the Cathedral (Dom) are small, my boys have always loved climbing on them, and I've loved sitting on the stairs of the Schirn art gallery thinking how lucky I am that my children have the experience of clambering on old Roman walls.
For more other great things to do in Frankfurt, see Frankfurt on Foot's great blog or take one of their walking tours in English.
No comments:
Post a Comment