The best running trails around Frankfurt am Main

From the Mainkai, you can enjoy a particularly beautiful view of the impressive Frankfurt skyline. The modern high-rises of the city center, together with the Main river, the historic buildings on the bank, and the numerous bridges, form a varied cityscape.

From the Main riverbank, there is a beautiful view of Frankfurt's distinctive skyline. The imposing skyscrapers tower over the city and, together with the Main river, the bridges, and the riverside promenade, form an impressive backdrop.

The high-rise revolution eats its own children“ Not everything that made up Frankfurt's skyline is still there When you think of Frankfurt, you inevitably think of the skyline. It's no coincidence that the city has the nickname Mainhattan, sometimes used with recognition, sometimes rather dismissively. But how did it all start with the high-rises and how did it happen? Anyone looking for answers to this question will find that a part of the once distinctive buildings no longer exists. Furthermore, it should be clarified, what actually is a high-rise? Aerial view of the Zürich-Haus and the Old Opera House from 1965, Photo: Kurt Weiner Aerial view of the Zürich-Haus and the Old Opera House from 1965 © Institut für Stadtgeschichte, Photo: Kurt Weiner The Hessian Building Code specifies a minimum height of 22 meters. That doesn't help, because the candidates are all above it. So, for some, the Mouson Tower, completed in 1926 and 33 meters high, is the city's first high-rise. For many, it doesn't count, as it owes its height solely to the staircase. Or is it rather the IG Farben-Haus, used today by the university, with construction starting in 1928, at least 35 meters high? For many, it's not that either, because it doesn't rise high enough. "It's rather not a classic high-rise with its disc-shaped design," says Martin Hunscher, head of the Urban Planning Office. For him, it's more like the Gewerkschaftshaus on Wilhelm-Leuschner-Straße, built in 1931 according to plans by Berlin architects Max Taut and Frank Hoffmann. It stands rather inconspicuously with its 31 meters between the bank towers. But after completion, it clearly rose above the Wilhelminian-era villas. Officially, the matter should be clear: in 1998, the city nominated the building for the Hessian Monument Protection Prize, justifying it by stating that it was the "first real office high-rise in Frankfurt". It is clearly evident from the steel-frame construction that it was built in the style of New Objectivity: clear straight lines, with steel, glass, and concrete dominating the materials. It was the era of New Frankfurt and the city building director Ernst May, during which Römerstadt, Höhenblick, or "Zickzackhausen" emerged as settlements in the style of classical modernism. AEG-Hochhaus with Theodor-Stern-Kai1960, Photo: Kurt Roehrig AEG-Hochhaus with Theodor-Stern-Kai 1960 © Institut für Stadtgeschichte, Photo: Kurt Roehrig What these three buildings have in common is that they still belong to the cityscape today. The situation is different with buildings that were constructed during the economic miracle of the 1950s and later. Built during the so-called post-war modern period, many have disappeared. For example, the AEG-Hochhaus. The first office high-rise after World War II was completed by 1951, stood 43 meters high, and housed the headquarters of the electrical group. When the company was dissolved after 1996, Allianz acquired the site, had the buildings demolished, and built a new office center on the property at Theodor-Stern-Kai in Sachsenhausen.

Indeed a well usable bridge to avoid detours. I don't use it often, but always gladly.

Transition to the city and modernity 1926: Purchase of the property by the city of Frankfurt am Main, which converted it into a publicly accessible citizens' park. 1930: Construction of the Brentanobad as a river swimming pool in an old arm of the Nidda river. 1944: Destruction of the historic country house of the Stumpf-Brentano family during World War II. 2010: Fundamental renovation of the park according to the rules of garden monument preservation.

Origin and Brentano Era 1770: The garden and country house on the banks of the Nidda were laid out by the Prussian court councillor Friedrich Wilhelm Basse. 1808: Purchase of the estate by Georg Brentano, who enlarged the park to up to 14 hectares by 1848 and designed it in the Romantic style. 1819: Acquisition of the neighbouring estate with the present-day Petrihaus. The place served as a popular meeting point for artists and scholars such as Adele Schopenhauer and Marianne von Willemer.

The Brentanopark in Frankfurt-Rödelheim dates back to 1770, when it was laid out by court councillor Hofrat Basse. Important milestones include the acquisition by Georg Brentano in 1808 and the takeover by the city of Frankfurt in 1926.

Technical dataHeight: Both towers are 155 meters high each.Floors: West tower with 40 above-ground floors, East tower with 38 above-ground floors.Usable area: Approx. 60,000 square meters.Year of construction: Opened in 1984, fundamentally core-renovated and energetically modernized between 2007 and 2011.Energy saving: Reduction of heating and cooling energy demand by approx. 67 percent and electricity consumption by 55 percent compared to the state before renovation.