Frankfurt Römerberg

The Römerberg was the civic heart of Frankfurt for centuries, where emperors were elected in the cathedral nearby and celebrated in the Römer, the town hall the city bought in 1405. Bombing on the night of 22 March 1944 destroyed the old town almost completely. The Römer facade and the row of half-timbered houses on the eastern side were rebuilt in the 1980s from photographs and surviving plans, and between 2012 and 2018 a further block, the Dom-Römer quarter, reconstructed fifteen lost buildings and built twenty new ones on the medieval street lines. The Christmas market fills the square each December.

What to look for

• The Römer - the town hall facade with its stepped gables, rebuilt.
• The Ostzeile - a row of half-timbered houses reconstructed in the 1980s.
• The Dom-Römer quarter - fifteen buildings rebuilt between 2012 and 2018.
• The Christmas market - one of Germany's oldest, filling the square.

When to go

April to October, or December for the Christmas market, which is very crowded. The square is small and busy with tour groups through the day.

What to expect

Everything visible is reconstruction, in some cases from 2018, which disappoints visitors expecting original fabric. The square is small and crowded.

Nearby

The cathedral stands beside it; the Main runs south.

Key facts