Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [130]
Return to beginning of chapter
Orientation & Information
The Hauptbahnhof is on the southwestern edge of the city centre. Walking north on Bahnhofstrasse and east on Heilbronner Strasse delivers you to the landmark Oderturm, a GDR-era high-rise. It borders the giant Brunnenplatz, where the tourist office ( 325 216; www.frankfurt-oder-tourist.de; Karl-Marx-Strasse 1; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat May-Sep, 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 2pm Sat Oct-Apr) is ensconced in a glass pavilion. The Marktplatz is just northeast of the square, a short walk from the Oder River and the bridge to Słubice.
There’s 24-hour internet access inside a gambling hall called California ( 685 1316; Slubicer Strasse 10-11; per hr €2; 24hr).
Return to beginning of chapter
Sights
Much of Frankfurt might be called ‘aesthetically challenged’, but you wouldn’t know it standing on the Marktplatz. To the south looms the crenulated tower of the Marienkirche ( 10am-8pm), one of Germany’s largest brick Gothic hall churches. Ruined by wartime and GDR disregard, it now boasts a proud new roof and fantastic medieval stained-glass windows, which had been kept as war booty in Russia and were only recently returned.
Back on Marktplatz, standing almost as tall as the Marienkirche, is the Rathaus with its ornate south gable. Besides the mayor’s office, it houses the Museum Junge Kunst ( 401 530; www.museum-junge-kunst.de, in German; Marktplatz 1; adult/concession €4/3; 11am-5pm Tue-Sun), which has one of the most comprehensive collection of art created in eastern Germany since 1945. Works by such artists as Willy Wolff, Werner Tübke and Cornelia Schleime are displayed here and in the riverside PackHof (CPE-Bach-Strasse 11; admission free; 11am-5pm Tue-Sun), a short walk east.
Adjacent to the PackHof, in a restored baroque mansion, the Museum Viadrina ( 401 560; www.museum-viadrina.de, in German; CPE-Bach-Strasse 11; adult/concession €3/2; 11am-5pm Tue-Sun) presents regional history in a comprehensive but rather turgid fashion.
If you’re a fan of German dramatist Heinrich von Kleist (1711–1811), you might want to follow the Oderpromenade river walk south to the Kleist-Museum ( 531 155; www.kleist-museum.de; Faberstrasse 7; adult/concession €3/2; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun), which chronicles the life, works and importance of Frankfurt’s famous son.
Kleist contemporary Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–88), Johann Sebastian’s second son, studied in Frankfurt in the 1730s. The local concert hall, the Konzerthalle CPE Bach ( 401 00; Lebuser Mauerstrasse 4; admission €1; 9am-7pm), in a Gothic monastery church at the northern end of the Oderpromenade, past the bridge to Słubice, was named in his honour. It also harbours a small exhibit on this rather quirky composer known for his emotionally charged works.
Return to beginning of chapter
Sleeping & Eating
Pension Am Kleistpark ( 238 90; Humboldtstrasse 14; s €35-39, d €56-62; ) If you put a premium on value and can do without most mod cons, you’ll be happy in the large and bright rooms at this property opposite Kleistpark.
Hotel Gallus ( 561 50; www.hotel-gallus.com; Fürstenwalder Strasse 47; s €50-70, d €63-83; ) Also near the Kleistpark, behind a lovely art-nouveau facade, Gallus has 25 bright and uncluttered rooms decked out in warm tones.
Frankfurter Kartoffelhaus ( 530 757; Holzmarkt 7; mains €5-19; 11.30am-10pm; ) The humble potato finds its destiny in soups, salads and casseroles, paired with steak or salmon and umpteen other dishes at this congenial bistro right on the river promenade.
Turm 24 ( 504 517; Logenstrasse 8; mains €9-19; 11.30am-11.30pm Mon-Sat, to 10pm Sun; ) The chef’s ambitions are as lofty as the 24th-floor setting of this smart restaurant. The spectacular views definitely compete with such dishes as boar with walnut-herb sauce or homemade tagliatelle with salmon and lobster.
Return to beginning of chapter
Getting There & Around
Frankfurt is served twice hourly by regional trains from central Berlin (€9.10, 70 minutes) and Cottbus (€10.40, 1¼ hours).
Bike hire is available through Fahrrad Schondau