SchauLust - in Frankfurt's Bahnhofsviertel

Much has already been written about the Bahnhofsviertel. About the versatility that can be observed in this melting pot. About the exciting history of the quarter, about the artistic scene as well as about the many sad fates that one encounters here day after day. Not only in this difficult year marked by the Corona pandemic, Frankfurt's station district is not really an idyllic place. But it is a part of Frankfurt that you can appreciate and love with all its facets - if you know it right. One person who definitely does is author and photographer Ulrich Mattner. He has written a book about the Bahnhofsviertel, offers various city tours through the Kietz and lives here. For many years he has been documenting the life and people in his neighbourhood.

Mattner knows the people here - the brothel operators as well as the investment bankers, the artists as well as the bar owners. He not only writes about them, he talks to them. He is a part of this quarter, which he has now impressively portrayed in "SchauLust - im Frankfurter Bahnhofsviertel", On 114 pages Mattner perfectly captures the contradictions of the quarter. His photos are raw and authentic, sometimes dazzlingly colorful, sometimes gray and dirty. Sometimes they show snapshots, sometimes they portray people from the neighborhood. The demolition of the legendary PIK DAME is captured here as well as the communal breaking of the fast on Elbestraße or the annual Bahnhofsviertel night.

Only a few short, yet very concise texts accompany the pictures. Quite clear. Ulrich Mattner lets the photos tell the stories of everyday life in the Bahnhofsviertel. And that is exactly what makes "SchauLust - im Frankfurter Bahnhofsviertel" a very fascinating and recommendable book. A book that also offers a glimpse into days gone by, when the legendary music store "Cream Music" or "Mama Afrikas" Waschsalon were still located here. Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp