Only a small number of cities in Germany provide an online guide to their current architecture scene (in the German version of this website). This may be because historically architecture in Frankfurt has always been spectacular and controversial in equal measure – and not just since the debate on Frankfurt’s skyscrapers. Since the old free city experienced major upheaval in the 19th century, there have been numerous occasions for heated debate: the wave of Wilhelminian historicism, the “New Frankfurt” during the era of Ernst May, the city’s director of town planning (1925-1930), post-WWII functionalism or the reconstruction of Frankfurt’s old town – a debate, which is still ongoing.
Frankfurt is the only European city with a „downtown“ of skyscrapers and a Museum Riverbank, which has set international standards. Very few examples of historic architecture have survived here. Contemporary architecture, in contrast, features strongly and often is revolutionary.
This information was compiled by a team from the Deutsches Architekturmuseum.