Why Frankfurt?
Frankfurt am Main, Germany – sometimes called MAINhatten or Bankfurt thanks to it being the home of the European Central bank as well as being home to many sky scrapers. For anyone studying the iGCSE curriculum about German reunification Frankfurt is a great place to visit for a day or longer to witness firsthand history & also tie in some of the themes on the syllabus. Frankfurt was almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing in World War Two and is a really recent (2010s) example of how cities have been rebuilt true to their original style.
Take a Walk Around
Willy Brandt Platz – We hopped on the tram to get here and our first stop was the massive Euro Statue. We took some fun photos &
looked at the building of the European Central Bank and many other banks / insurance firms, spoke about how Frankfurt was the first city in which the new Euro currency was rolled out and did a quick google of who Willy Brandt was (the chancellor of Germany during its division).
MyZeil – There wasn’t a whole lot of learning done here but there was stocking up on a picnic (from ReWe pronounced Raver – as in Craig David “this one is for the ravers”) and riding the longest escalator in Europe. This was a highlight for most of the kids! other than that this shopping centre is much like any other large shopping centre but its fun for a stop and shop if thats your thing.
Pauls Kirche – Sadly this was closed so we couldn’t go in! We stood outside and revisited the unification of Germany (Igcse curriculum) and did a quick game of “share a fact” in a round between the older kids.
Der Römer – This old town was obliterated by allied forces (mainly the brits) during ww2. We walked around and enjoyed the sunshine and the new old buildings. Look up as many have inscriptions in German but also Latin which makes you think they are really old but the years are 2010 and sometimes later!. The girls especially thought it was cool that the building work happened within their lifetime.
Frankfurt Cathedral – I Loved this more than Cologne, you can pay to walk up the tower but to go into the main area for worship it is free. So refreshing since most large places of worship now charge entry. A beautiful modern cathedral on the inside with a small shrine to St Joseph & the Cathedral namesake St. Bartholomew. There is a very impressive Pieta, some medieval style frescoes and it was relatively empty. We lit candles & also enjoyed the photos in the vestibule showing the bombing and rebuilding process.
We were lucky to visit on the day that Conclave selected our new Pope – so heard the bells ring out in celebration.
Eiserne Steg – This has seemingly become Frankfurts love lock bridge (seriously does anywhere in Europe not have these & why do we all think this is a cute thing to do?). For learning it was great to see an iron suspension bridge, we compared to our own town railway bridge (also Iron) and the engineering marvels of of Brunell in the UK as part of the industrial revolution. We also saw barges and river cruises on the Main river and mapped how its connected to the Rhine and thus is still important for trade (and tourism). Interestingly from a WW2 perspective this bridge was blown up by the Nazi’s to slow the advancing allies. See the photo here.
Stadel Art Museum & Frankfurt Kitchen – As part of our learning about truly kick ass women who are largely ignored by history I really wanted to see a Frankfurt Kitchen. Start here to learn more about Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky one of Europes first Architecture graduates. Sadly the art museum itself wasn’t the most child friendly place (which is cool, kids aren’t for everyone!) and I think we visited on some sort of free retirement day out for the upper echelons of stylish Frankfurt society. We got in and out super quickly and happened upon a completely empty Spielplatz (playground) on the grounds which was the perfect place for lunch and to run around.
Wackkers Coffee – This was a short walk along the river & then down a beautiful early 1900s street. Admittedly this was an instagram find and yes, there were many influencers in the wild. The coffee was delicious, the branding was beautiful and the chairs outside were perfect for our large gang! Those of our crew with phones and Snapchat appreciated the photo op.
Galleria Kaufhaus – We got the tram back to the main shopping area & headed to this free viewing area to get a great view of the skyline. You head up to the top, are checked in and given a card which you use if you want to buy anything (they have food and drinks), but you can just go out to the terrace and take photos / enjoy the view and hand the card back on the way out.
The Breakdown –
Fly
Ryanair 9.99 into Hahn, Flibco Bus to Frankfurt 20 return. You can fly direct to Frankfurt Airport which is much closer to the city but for us it was cheaper to do this, even after factoring in the transfer bus.
Stayed
A&O Hostel, Galluswarte. 110 for 7 of us in a 6 person bunk room – This was a double bed and two sets of bunks so Daphne slept in with us. Private bathroom and toilet. We used the kitchen to fill up our water bottles and it was spotless.
One really easy S-Bahn stop to the HBF. Simple, No frills and all the amenities – fun vibe downstairs with music a bar & games area.
Not an amazing part of town but I felt safe walking around with the kids & it was quiet the night we stayed.
Food
Breakfast – Bakery Eiffel at the station (there are so many concessions here all super cheap)
Lunch – Picnic lunch from ReWe. Ham, cheese, bread & Hungarish potato chips which are hands down the best flavour!
Dinner – Burgermeister in the food court of MyZeil
Drinks – Rooftop of the Galleria Kaufhaus. DJ in the sunshine, the vibes were imaculate.
Do
Visit Frankfurt Cathedral & old town. Its really special and not mad busy or rammed with people. Also the Galleria views.
Dont
Bother with the art museum unless you are over 65 sans kids OR hang around the outside of the Hbf too long. The city is failing a huge demographic of people who are addicted & unhoused so drug use is open and obvious there was no trouble the few times we passed through but its just not nice to be around.
Buy
The kids fairy tale Struwwlepeter which was written here, or any works by Gothe who also lived here. I picked up a copy of Faust for a fiver which I will read when I complete Duolingo!!!
You can visit museums dedicated to both, but we opted to stay in the sunshine.
For football fans there are two fab soccer shops in the main centre as well as the Eintracht Frankfurt club shop which was cool.
