Bahnhofsviertel (Frankfurt am Main)
Encyclopedia
The Bahnhofsviertel is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I. It was developed between 1891 and 1915 on the land of the established Westbahnhof.
, making it the second smallest borough of the city. The longest border line is just short of a kilometre long. Almost trapeze shaped, this borough lies between the Alleenring to the west, Mainzer Landstraße in the north and the Anlagenring to the east. The River Main forms a natural border in the south. Adjacent boroughs to the west are Gutleutviertel
and Gallus
around Frankfurt Central Station
, Westend-Süd
in the north and Innenstadt
in the east. To the south, on the opposite side of the Main, lies Sachsenhausen-Nord
.
, still part of the Duchy of Nassau
, the original Taunus station (Taunusbahnhof) was constructed on the Anlagenring. The track of the Taunus station ran through the middle of the district of today's station quarter. Later the stations of the Main-Neckar
and Main-Weser lines
were added to that. The western stations
were grouped together until 1888, after which time they were replaced by the new Frankfurt central station
, which was situated another 500m further west. Thus the railway tracks also became redundant, and the year 1889 was able to begin with a dividing up of the area. As there was still no significant residential zone existing in 1891, the area became the central site of the International Electro-Technical Exhibition led by Oskar von Miller. In the meantime, the large civil land development in the style of the Wilhelminian period
was placed under monument protection. In the Second World War the quarter was not so strongly bombed as the inner city, but nevertheless many buildings were destroyed, particularly in the north. In the time of the occupation by the American armed forces the district developed an active nightlife, allowed soldiers free rein to endless brothels.
station and Taunusanlage
S-Bahn
station are also easily reachable. The well-known meaning of Kaiserstraße has been lost among the street traffic, travel from the Alleenring to the Hauptbahnhof is no longer possible through the Kaisersack. Instead the main traffic vein today is Gutleutstraße, which flows into the theatre tunnel and offers a connection to the old part of town. The roads arrange in a chessboard-like fashion and make orientation easy. The wide east-west streets are constructed like boulevards and communicate the charm of a big city. Numerous nineteenth century buildings have survived through World War II
and became chaste residential houses in the 1950s and 1960s, whilst several supplemented skyscrapers. Best known are the Silvertower and the Gallileo at Jürgen-Ponto-Platz (named after the murdered president of Dresdner Bank), the Skyper and the Gewerkschaftshaus in Wilhelm-Leuschner-Straße. The latter was built in 1931, (the architect was Max Taut), and was then the biggest skyscraper in the city. The best known of many hotels in the Bahnhofsviertel, the InterContinental, is also in Wilhelm-Leuschner-Straße.
There are no large parks but in the south of the district lies the Main Riverbank, one of the most popular green areas in Frankfurt. In 1860 a silted branch of the Main, the Kleine Main, was filled up and the offshore island Mainlust was connected to the main bank. On this land Sebastian Rinz, the city gardener, laid out a green area with Mediterranean vegetation which was soon named Nizza in common speech. The Frankfurt families Guaita and Loeen had already possessed large landscaped gardens in the climatically favoured area of the river west of the old city walls since the seventeenth century.
and Syrian Arab Airlines
operate their Frankfurt offices in a facility in Banhofsviertel. Other airlines with Frankfurt offices in Banhofsviertel include Aeroflot
, China Airlines
, and Iran Air
.
Geography
The Bahnhofsviertel is scarcely half a square kilometre larger than the AltstadtAltstadt (Frankfurt am Main)
Altstadt or old city is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, located on the northern Main bank. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I. It is surrounded by the Stadtteil of Innenstadt...
, making it the second smallest borough of the city. The longest border line is just short of a kilometre long. Almost trapeze shaped, this borough lies between the Alleenring to the west, Mainzer Landstraße in the north and the Anlagenring to the east. The River Main forms a natural border in the south. Adjacent boroughs to the west are Gutleutviertel
Gutleutviertel (Frankfurt am Main)
Gutleutviertel is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I.It takes its name from the medieval town "Gutleuthof", once a refuge for lepers. There is a similar multicultural meeting as in neighboring Central Railway Station District. The...
and Gallus
Gallus (Frankfurt am Main)
Gallus, former Gallusviertel, is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I, and is subdivided into 7 Stadtbezirke....
around Frankfurt Central Station
Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
is the central station for Frankfurt am Main. In terms of railway traffic, it is the busiest railway station in Germany. With about 350,000 passengers per day the station is the second most frequented railway station in Germany and one of the most frequented in Europe.- Proto-history :In the late...
, Westend-Süd
Westend (Frankfurt am Main)
The Westend area of Frankfurt contains the two districts of Westend-Nord and Westend-Süd. The Westend with its Wilhelminian style buildings is a beloved residential quarter...
in the north and Innenstadt
Innenstadt (Frankfurt am Main)
The Innenstadt is the central district of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I, and is subdivided into 5 Stadtbezirke. It stretches in the north and east round the district of Altstadt...
in the east. To the south, on the opposite side of the Main, lies Sachsenhausen-Nord
Sachsenhausen (Frankfurt am Main)
Sachsenhausen is a part of the city of Frankfurt, Germany. Composed of two districts: Sachsenhausen-Nord and Sachsenhausen-Süd, it is part of the Ortsbezirk Süd. It is located on the South bank of the Main river, right in the city center, opposite the Old Town.Sachsenhausen was founded as...
.
History
The area between the Frankfurt city wall and field of the gallows had hardly been constructed by the early nineteenth century. Only farming estates were to be found in this area. Near to the city gallows and as an unprotected site outside the city walls, it was left alone for a long time. As industrialisation came in, the city walls and its gallows were torn down to be replaced initially by villas with large gardens. The technical advances were especially noticeable here. When in 1839 the Taunus Railway was built to the town of HöchstHöchst (Frankfurt am Main)
Höchst is a district of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk West, and is subdivided into 4 Stadtbezirke.Höchst am Main became part of Frankfurt am Main in 1928 together with its boroughs Sindlingen, Unterliederbach and Zeilsheim. It is situated 10 km west of downtown...
, still part of the Duchy of Nassau
Nassau (state)
Nassau was a German state within the Holy Roman Empire and later in the German Confederation. Its ruling dynasty, now extinct in male line, was the House of Nassau.-Origins:...
, the original Taunus station (Taunusbahnhof) was constructed on the Anlagenring. The track of the Taunus station ran through the middle of the district of today's station quarter. Later the stations of the Main-Neckar
Main-Neckar Railway
The Main-Neckar Railway is a main line railway west of the Odenwald in the Upper Rhine Plain of Germany that connects Frankfurt am Main to Heidelberg via Darmstadt, Bensheim and Weinheim...
and Main-Weser lines
Main-Weser Railway
The Main-Weser Railway is the railway line in central Germany that runs from Frankfurt am Main via Gießen to Kassel and named after the railway company that built the line and also operated it until 1880. It was opened between 1849 and 1852 and was one of the first railways in Germany.- Route...
were added to that. The western stations
Frankfurt western stations
The Frankfurt western stations were a group of three stations on the western edge of the former city walls of Frankfurt am Main, Germany between the modern Willy-Brandt-Platz, then the location of Gallustor and Taunustor...
were grouped together until 1888, after which time they were replaced by the new Frankfurt central station
Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
is the central station for Frankfurt am Main. In terms of railway traffic, it is the busiest railway station in Germany. With about 350,000 passengers per day the station is the second most frequented railway station in Germany and one of the most frequented in Europe.- Proto-history :In the late...
, which was situated another 500m further west. Thus the railway tracks also became redundant, and the year 1889 was able to begin with a dividing up of the area. As there was still no significant residential zone existing in 1891, the area became the central site of the International Electro-Technical Exhibition led by Oskar von Miller. In the meantime, the large civil land development in the style of the Wilhelminian period
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
was placed under monument protection. In the Second World War the quarter was not so strongly bombed as the inner city, but nevertheless many buildings were destroyed, particularly in the north. In the time of the occupation by the American armed forces the district developed an active nightlife, allowed soldiers free rein to endless brothels.
Infrastructure
The Bahnhofsviertel is well connected to the public transport system because of its central location. The Hauptbahnhof, which borders the borough, offers connection to regional and long distance trains. Two tram lines (11 and 12) cross the Bahnhofsviertel on Münchner Straße. The Willy-Brandt-Platz U-BahnFrankfurt U-Bahn
The Frankfurt U-Bahn, together with the Frankfurt S-Bahn and the Frankfurt Straßenbahn, is the backbone of the public transport system of Frankfurt, Germany. Its name derives from the German term for underground, Untergrundbahn. The U-Bahn opened in 1968 and now consists of 87 stations on nine...
station and Taunusanlage
Taunusanlage station
Taunusanlage station is an underground S-Bahn station in central Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is in the Westend district, close to Taunusanlage Park. The name Taunusanlage refers to a section of the now demolished city walls, named in the 19th century after the nearby Taunusbahnhof of the Taunus...
S-Bahn
Rhine-Main S-Bahn
The Rhine-Main S-Bahn system is an integrated rapid transit and commuter transport system for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region, which includes the cities Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Offenbach am Main, Hanau and Darmstadt...
station are also easily reachable. The well-known meaning of Kaiserstraße has been lost among the street traffic, travel from the Alleenring to the Hauptbahnhof is no longer possible through the Kaisersack. Instead the main traffic vein today is Gutleutstraße, which flows into the theatre tunnel and offers a connection to the old part of town. The roads arrange in a chessboard-like fashion and make orientation easy. The wide east-west streets are constructed like boulevards and communicate the charm of a big city. Numerous nineteenth century buildings have survived through World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and became chaste residential houses in the 1950s and 1960s, whilst several supplemented skyscrapers. Best known are the Silvertower and the Gallileo at Jürgen-Ponto-Platz (named after the murdered president of Dresdner Bank), the Skyper and the Gewerkschaftshaus in Wilhelm-Leuschner-Straße. The latter was built in 1931, (the architect was Max Taut), and was then the biggest skyscraper in the city. The best known of many hotels in the Bahnhofsviertel, the InterContinental, is also in Wilhelm-Leuschner-Straße.
There are no large parks but in the south of the district lies the Main Riverbank, one of the most popular green areas in Frankfurt. In 1860 a silted branch of the Main, the Kleine Main, was filled up and the offshore island Mainlust was connected to the main bank. On this land Sebastian Rinz, the city gardener, laid out a green area with Mediterranean vegetation which was soon named Nizza in common speech. The Frankfurt families Guaita and Loeen had already possessed large landscaped gardens in the climatically favoured area of the river west of the old city walls since the seventeenth century.
Life
The red-light district occupies a small part of the Bahnhofsviertel which is concentrated mainly along Taunusstraße and in parts of its side roads.Economy
Air ChinaAir China
Air China is the flag carrier and one of the major airlines of the People's Republic of China. Based in Beijing Capital International Airport, Air China is the world's 10th largest airline by fleet size. The airline ranked behind its main competitors China Southern Airlines and China Eastern...
and Syrian Arab Airlines
Syrian Arab Airlines
Syrian Arab Airlines , operating as Syrian Air , is the flag carrier airline of Syria. It operates scheduled international services to over 40 destinations in Asia, Europe and North Africa, as well as domestic services. Its main base is Damascus International Airport. Syrian Air has a fleet of...
operate their Frankfurt offices in a facility in Banhofsviertel. Other airlines with Frankfurt offices in Banhofsviertel include Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
, China Airlines
China Airlines
China Airlines is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of Republic of China . Although not directly state-owned, the airline is owned by China Airlines Group, which is owned by the China Aviation Development Foundation...
, and Iran Air
Iran Air
Iran Air , formally Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 60 destinations, 35 international and 25 domestic. The cargo fleet operates services to 20 scheduled and 5 charter destinations...
.