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Germany - Frankfurt

by Mike Levy

What does Frankfurt conjure? banks, money and sausages? - it is not by any means the whole story. Yes, the city is home to the mighty European Central Bank (a kind of mini state within a state which has its own rules and even police force – a kind of Vatican City where money is the true god). It is also the birthplace of the hot dog and Goethe.

A weekend exploring this compact German city reaps many rewards apart from stable Euros and delicious bangers with mustard and mash. First it has its very own culinary traditions such as the profusion of apfelwein – try it without sweet flavouring and you get a rather delicious aromatic dry cider. If the eaterie is a traditional one such as the restored 18th century Café Hauptwacher (oddly stranded in the centre of a high rise shopping district), then you must try ‘Hand Cheese with Music’. This is not some LSD-fuelled fantasy but a dish of round local Harz cheese marinated to a strangely fleshy goo and topped with onion and cumin seeds (the latter representing the musical notes of the improbable named dish). Locals will be mightily impressed if (a) you order this and (b) actually enjoy it (I did).

Apart from excellent food and drink (the local beers are rather wunderbar) the city has a lot of fascinating corners. Though the centre of Frankfurt was flattened by Allied bombing in 1944, the locals have done a lot to renovate some of its former glory. The main square, the Rom is a convincing confection of half timbered gabled houses and grand Renaissance edifices such as the local town hall which has a rather charming keller bar below. It’s where bankers and tourists hang out in summer so you may prefer to find a quieter corner.

The city’s Dom (not actually a cathedral but looking amazingly like one) still towers over this city of finance towers and the interior with its striking pink painted walls and soaring Gothic lines guarantees to take the breath away – though not too far. A stone’s throw is the archaeological gardens showing that Frankfurt was a Roman town and a very impressive Jewish museum which traces the often tragic but sometimes glorious history of the city’s Jews and includes its own archaeological finds. A few minutes away is the Goethe House Museum which celebrates the life and work of Germany’s Shakespeare. Though born and home educated in the city, he did most of his writing elsewhere as he found Frankfurt too bourgeoise and money obsessed. The grand house (restored) is furnished in the simple but elegant style of an 18th century household of a well-to-do family. There is an impressively comprehensive pda guide to the building – well worth the extra two euros on top of the €5 entry fee,

Though central Frankfurt was flattened – a much older and more traditional city can still be experienced both south of the river and way out west. Sachsenhausen over the wide river Maine is still a pretty suburb of narrow alleys, winding streets and old timbered houses (somehow escaping the attention of Bomber Harris and his men). These days the suburb is full of bars and restaurants and though there is a feeling that it has seen better days, there are attempts to enliven and gentrify the area. Over to the west of the city and easily reached via the city’s excellent U and S-bahn system (or tram if you have a bit more time) is Hochst – a gem of a place – still very traditional and not as commercialised as Sachsenhausen. We found a wonderfully friendly tiny inn (the Catherine Parr) which is an inn that time forgot; its colourful regulars seem extraordinarily friendly and willing to chat (in English of course – this seems like a bilingual city).

Where to stay? Insiders told me to avoid anywhere near the main railway station which is colourfully seedy at night. We stayed in the wonderful Lindner Main Plaza hotel on the edge of Sachsenhausen. Apart from the great breakfast, very friendly (seemingly genuinely so) service and comfy piano bar (smokers encouraged by the way), the river-facing upper rooms have the best views in Frankfurt – a sweeping panoroma of the old city with a backdrop of the high rise financial district dubbed by locals as Main-hattan. The hotel changes its rates according to old fashioned demand and supply so it’s always worth checking on their website.