Frankfurt: the European Big Apple
What would you think the geographic midpoint of the European Union is? Well, I don’t know either, but what I can tell you is that Frankfurt is located just 40 km away from it. And this city offers you absolutely everything: not only is it the very center of Europe but it also is a major cultural, financial and contemporary lifestyle center.
It is common knowledge that Germany is a country full of history. And a large part of what makes Frankfurt-am-Main what it is today, is the darkness lying in the past: a city where history shares a room with progress, visible in its random and interesting mix of old and brand new buildings: just two blocks away from the cutest townhouses that you could picture in “Snowhite” is also one of the finest skyscrapers skyline of Europe, unquestionably. Welcome to the new Big Apple. Welcome to Mainhattan.
You need to open your mind to really appreciate the beauty in this city. It is just like the Roman god Janus who has two faces: one looking to the past and the other one to the future. Now, just pretend for a second to be the first of these faces. What will you see? The Alt Stadt (old town) where the most picturesque public square, the Römerberg, is located. Suddenly you are immersed in a fairy tale, where everything seems to be taken from a Disney movie (this actually happens in a lot of German cities). There, you can truly breathe magic, above all, when Christmas and its markets come to town. Personally, the most authentic building, taken from the movie Shrek (I’m sure) is the Eschenheimer Tower today managing to simultaneously conserve its beauty and whilst functioning as a marvelous café.
Now turn your back to the past for a while (architecturally speaking) and look at the sky. Suddenly you’re back to reality. That’s the new Frankfurt.. That’s Frankfurt trying to reach the sky, to be on the top of the world through different skyscrapers like the Commerzbank tower, Messeturm, tower185 or Main tower ( which is actually the only skyscraper you can visit in Frankfurt).
On a very practical level, I would recommend you to experience Frankfurt at two different seasons: right in the middle of the winter when it’s cold and white and in the crazy sunny and hot summer. Just so you know, because Frankfurt is in the very center of Europe it’s got one of the most severe winters as well as the mildest summers on the whole continent.
Note: Another parallel to the big apple is that there’s one neighborhood that never sleeps: Sachsenhausen. Walking through this genuine and well-conserved part of the city, you will find a bunch of nice and original cider-bars, wine places and restaurants. Also good places, why not, for party.
To end with, maybe Frankfurt isn’t likely to be voted Germany’s most beautiful city but we have learnt another lesson: the beauty is always found within.
