The first museum in the new Old Town is open. Well, almost. Because it is not yet open to the public. For that, final construction work still has to be done. Nevertheless, the new Stoltze Museum of the Frankfurter Sparkasse has already been opened by the Mayor of Frankfurt, Peter Feldmann, the Hessian Minister of Culture, Boris Rhein, and by Robert Restani, the Chairman of the Board of the Frankfurter Sparkasse. The museum is dedicated to the Frankfurt literary figure and satirist Friedrich Stoltze, who also adorns the fountain on the market square. The museum is located in the heart of the new old town in the Haus zum Weißen Bock, Markt 7. In future, the new permanent exhibition on Stoltze's life and work will be on display here and in the fireplace room of the neighbouring Goldener Waage on the 1st floor.
At the opening, Peter Feldmann emphasized in his speech not only Stoltze's significance for the city, but also the satirist's political commitment: "The city of Frankfurt is the cradle of democracy. Friedrich Stoltze repeatedly stood up for democracy in difficult times and against opposition, such as the censorship of his works," said Feldmann. "He was a convinced poet of freedom and can thus be a real role model for us today. It's fitting for Frankfurt that the Stoltze Museum is memorializing this commitment."
For Boris Rhein, too, the poet and satirist is a great and important son of the city, but whose work has significance far beyond the borders of Hesse: "Friedrich Stoltze may have been a Frankfurter in body and soul, but his work extended far beyond the city's borders," Rhein emphasized. "I am delighted that the Stoltze Museum is picking up on the poet's supra-regional significance. This is made clear, for example, by the museum's traditional participation in the Days for Literature in Hesse. Even in Berlin, Swabia and Switzerland, people paid attention to Stoltze from Frankfurt. I am particularly pleased that the exhibition also shows this aspect."
"Friedrich Stoltze belongs to Frankfurt and the Stoltze Museum belongs to Frankfurter Sparkasse," Robert Restani referred to the credit institution's long-standing commitment to the satirist. "With our new museum, the popular dialect author returns to the place of his childhood and youth." Stoltze grew up in the heart of the old town, he said, first coming into contact with the ideals of freedom, equality and justice at his father's inn ‚Zum Rebstock'. "I am very proud that we can commemorate Friedrich Stoltze in a lasting way at this very location with an architecturally impressive building and in a contemporary presentation," emphasized Restani.
The permanent exhibition of the Stoltze Museum at the new location is equipped with state-of-the-art media technology. Visually, the presentation in newspaper layout is reminiscent of Stoltze's satirical magnum opus "Frankfurter Latern". The heart of the exhibition is the multifunctional media table, which provides information about historically significant locations in Frankfurt, such as St. Paul's Church or the Römer, in images, sound and Stoltz's words. In addition to the permanent exhibition, regular special exhibitions are planned.
Even though the museum is finished and officially opened, interested visitors will still have to be a little patient before they can immerse themselves in the life and work of Friedrich Stoltze in the new Old Town. This is because the final construction work on and in the building will be completed in the next few weeks. It is expected that from the end of November the Stoltze Museum of the Frankfurter Sparkasse will be open to visitors daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Admission is free
