Frankfurt ArchitekTour

Frankfurt's architecture is immensely interesting because of the contrasts between the old and the modern that can be observed everywhere. Each era has produced very special buildings, of which the one hundred most important have been collected in the book "Frankfurter ArchitekTour" by Silke Wustmann and Christian Setzepfandt. The buildings are presented with short texts (in German and English) and with appealing photos. The result is a very nice overview of the versatility of the Main metropolis, which can then be explored for yourself in six thematic city tours.

Whether the Sachsenhäuser Warte from the 15th century or the Commerzbank Arena. Whether the Liebfrauenkirche or the Main Plaza, whether the Fernmeldeturm known as "Ginnheimer Spargel" or the Städel, whether the traditional stock exchange or the newly built OpernTurm, as with the cityscape itself, versatility is also writ large in the book.

The tours presented take the reader along the museum embankment, into Höchst's old town, to Sachsenhausen, into the world of Frankfurt classicism, right through the city centre or to selected special features of Frankfurt's architecture. Although the accompanying texts are relatively short, it is evident that the authors know what they are writing about. No wonder, really, since Silke Wustmann is a historian and city guide and Christian Setzepfandt is an art historian and long-time organizer of guided tours in and around Frankfurt. The two know the Main metropolis with all its peculiarities and share here their knowledge in a condensed and very entertaining way.

This is what makes this city guide so worth reading - both for long-established Frankfurt residents and for those unfamiliar with the area. Certainly, with the relatively limited selection there will be for many readers certainly one or the other building that is missed in the listing and actually would have belonged in this book. But overall, the compilation of the two authors is comprehensive, varied - and simply successful. Absolutely recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp