Today's post covers three sights in Frankfurt: the old town, Cathedral and Jewish Museum. All are within easy walking distance of each other.
Altstadt
After WWII, each German city was given the choice to rebuild as it was or to become more modern. Many towns chose the former; Frankfurt, the latter. They realized the value of tradition, though, and recently reconstructed a portion of the old town. Below are pictures of the center of that area.
Emperor's Cathedral St. Bartholomew
In the old town you can find the cathedral. It's of historical interest to those studying the Holy Roman Empire; for over 200 years, the emperor was crowned here.
Jewish Museum and Cemetery
As you can imagine, Jewish history in Germany (and Europe at large) is a sad story, full of tragedy and loss. The Jewish Museum covers the history of the Frankfurt Jewish ghetto, the area where Jews were forced to live (separate from the local populace). It has a helpful introductory video (about 10 minutes long), various artifacts and a fascinating display of building remains uncovered during work in the area; it's amazing how much lower street level was then.
Next to the museum, you can see the Jewish cemetery, with a sobering wall with names of all Jews from Frankfurt killed during World War II. To access the cemetery, you must go to the museum first and ask for the key. Inside, haphazard placement and piles of destroyed grave markers are poignant reminders that even in death, the Jews were terrorized by the Nazi regime.
Altstadt
After WWII, each German city was given the choice to rebuild as it was or to become more modern. Many towns chose the former; Frankfurt, the latter. They realized the value of tradition, though, and recently reconstructed a portion of the old town. Below are pictures of the center of that area.
Emperor's Cathedral St. Bartholomew
In the old town you can find the cathedral. It's of historical interest to those studying the Holy Roman Empire; for over 200 years, the emperor was crowned here.
Jewish Museum and Cemetery
As you can imagine, Jewish history in Germany (and Europe at large) is a sad story, full of tragedy and loss. The Jewish Museum covers the history of the Frankfurt Jewish ghetto, the area where Jews were forced to live (separate from the local populace). It has a helpful introductory video (about 10 minutes long), various artifacts and a fascinating display of building remains uncovered during work in the area; it's amazing how much lower street level was then.
Next to the museum, you can see the Jewish cemetery, with a sobering wall with names of all Jews from Frankfurt killed during World War II. To access the cemetery, you must go to the museum first and ask for the key. Inside, haphazard placement and piles of destroyed grave markers are poignant reminders that even in death, the Jews were terrorized by the Nazi regime.
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