Frankfurt has a new tourist attraction: The reconstructed Old Town
After six years of construction, the new 'Old Town' in Frankfurt has been opened to visitors and residents. The new district includes 35 buildings. Fifteen of the buildings are reconstructions of buildings from different eras and twenty are brand-new houses.
Only two buildings are reconstructed on historic buildings: The buildings 'Rotes Haus" ("red house") and the 14th century gothic building "Goldene Waage" („golden scales“). Both buildings are attractions already since they were built centuries ago.
One of the oldest replica buildings is the „Würzgarten“ („spice garden“) on Krönungsweg. The half-timbered building was first documented in 1292. Most other buildings were restored or reconstructed according to old photographs or even drawings.
The new centre houses shops, cafes and restaurants, museums and 70 apartments.
Although many criticise the new district as Frankfurt's 'Disneyland', most residents praise the reconstruction. The newly built apartments in the quarter were actually so popular that the construction company had to hold a raffle for the sale of the expensive apartments.
"We‘ve invested a great deal of effort in, for example, working natural stone, the roofing and the window construction" Michael Guntersdorf, Director of DomRömer GmbH
Frankfurt is a metropolitan city in central Germany while Frankfurt's airport is the main transport hub in Europe. The historic city centre was largely destroyed during World War II.
The official inauguration of the Frankfurts new 'Old Town' will take place from 28 to 30 September 2018, when the city will celebrate the massive achievement of reconstructing the city centre. The renovation has cost more than 200 million Euro.
Take a virtual tour through the town here.
source: The Frankfurter and Hessenschau
image: Joel Gräff