Römerberg

The Römerberg is the historic heart of Frankfurt's old town, a public square where city life has gathered since the ninth century. Markets, tournaments, festivals, executions, imperial elections and coronations have all taken place on these cobblestones. In the sixteenth century, contemporaries ranked it the most beautiful square in the Holy Roman Empire. On the west side stands the reconstructed Römer, home to the city administration since the fifteenth century. The ground stays level, so wheelchair users cross it without trouble.

To the east lies the Dom-Römer Project, with Frankfurt Cathedral rising beyond it. Half-timbered houses rebuilt in 1986 to historical plans line the eastern side. The Great Angel housed Frankfurt's first bank in the seventeenth century. Beside it stand the Golden Griffon, the Wild Man and the Black Star. The Wertheim House at the Fahrtor, towards the river, is one of the few half-timbered houses to survive the 1944 air raid. The Old St Nicholas Church and the Historical Museum sit on the south side. Paulsplatz lies to the north, and beyond the museum the Mainkai promenade runs along the River Main. In winter, the Frankfurt Christmas Market fills the square and draws visitors from around the world.

The centre belongs to the Fountain of Justice, Frankfurt's first fountain, dating from the sixteenth century. Its statue of Justice holds a scale and a sword, with her eyes left unbound. A plaque set into the cobblestones nearby commemorates the book burning the National Socialists held here in 1933.