Hallo, Frankfurt !

Contrary to what I usually say about the places I visit… I did not fall in love with Frankfurt after my trip there. Right after the moment I stepped out of Frankfurt’s Hauptbahnhof, I already found it difficult to find reasons to love the city. The streets were littered with trash, and the whole city exuded an unpleasant atmosphere: a strange mix of business men, prostitutes and drug dealers, perfumed with exotic smells coming from Asian grocery shops. It was a bit of a rude change from the southern and affable atmosphere of Munich.

But slowly and progressively, one comes to appreciate the hustle and bustle of Frankfurt and its multicultural faces. Its streets are made to be lived, not to be photographed. Fankfurt is a real and living city, not like some European cities that had become a museum or even a quasi-Disneyland for the sake of tourism… And surprisingly, I found Frankfurt and its metropolitan area a very livable place.

Finally, as my taxi drove along A5 from Darmstadt to Frankfurt’s city centre, I understood. I saw the Autobahn leading up to the so-called Mainhattan (the skyscrapers of Frankfurt), and this image struck me. Suddenly, Frankfurt was like a mini New York City: a metropolis crisscrossed by motorways and of endless opportunities. For someone waking up to a devastated country in the aftermath of WWII, the image of urban America with gigantic skyscrapers must have been the most ambitious dream, and they realised it in Frankfurt. At the end of my trip, I still was not in love with Frankfurt, but I have developped a soft spot for the city.

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I must note that the Städel Museum alone is actually a good enough excuse to visit Frankfurt. The Museum looks quite unimpressive from the outside, but hides an impressive collection of European art spanning several centuries within its walls (from around the Renaissance period to the present). One can find paintings by the famous artists such as Botticelli, Rembrandt and Vermeer.

For me, the exhibition called “The Mysteries of Meterial” (Geheimnis Der Materie) showcasing some of the wood prints and carvings by the German artist group, “Die Brücke,” was, I swear, the most interesting art discovery I have made this year. I was struck by the immense beauty of these pieces of art, as well as the turbulent times during which they were created.

Who are Die Brücke ?

theartstory.org