The Jewish Cemetery
On the left side, you will see the old Jewish cemetery between the two next stops at Allerheiligentor and Börneplatz. This is the second oldest Jewish cemetery in Germany and was used as such until 1828.
5,500 gravestones have been counted on and below surface. These date back the year 1272. 11,134 small memorial plaques on the wall of the cemetery serve as a reminder of the Jewish citizens of Frankfurt murdered during the holocaust.
Museum Judengasse
At the end of the 80s, during the construction of the administrative building of the public utilities of Frankfurt, the foundations of five houses from the Judengasse and the Börneplatz synagogue were uncovered. Some of these foundation walls and archaeological finds were secured and integrated into the “Museum Judengasse”, which was opened in 1992 in the basement of the administrative building. The “Museum Judengasse” is a branch office of the Jewish Museum Frankfurt. It is located at Kurt- Schumacher-Straße 10 on the left side. As mentioned, it displays archaeological relics from the Frankfurt Judengasse in an exhibit on the history of the Jewish community since the 15th century, regarding everyday life in the Jews' lane and the history of Börneplatz since the 19th century.
Börneplatz
Historically, Börneplatz was the site of the Börneplatz synagogue. It was constructed 1881/1882 to replace the Fremdenhospital built in 1780 at the southern end of the former Judengasse and dedicated on 10 September, 1882. The Börneplatz synagogue served as the spiritual centre of the orthodox wing of the community as one of the four large Frankfurt synagogues. In November of 1938, it was set on fire by the national socialists during the November pogroms and completely destroyed except for the outer walls. The remnants of the synagogue were demolished immediately thereafter.
The reconstruction of the surrounding area of Börneplatz, which was completely destroyed during World War II, began in 1952 although the former Börnestraße was not restored. In its place, a broad street was designed, Kurt-Schumacher-Straße.
Zeil
Just before the Börneplatz stop, look to the right in the direction of Konstablerwache and Zeil. Zeil, which was created in 1330, is the best-known shopping street in Frankfurt. Today, the 1,100 m long and 40 m wide pedestrian zone is one of the most profitable “shopping miles” in Germany. Zeil owes its name to the construction of the buildings along it, which are reminiscent of lines in a book with their dense rows. We will travel parallel to this shopping mile for a while past Börneplatz to the Römer, where you can once again look to the right in the direction of Zeil.
Museum für Moderne Kunst
On the right side, you see the Museum for Modern Art. The “piece of cake”, as it is popularly referred to. The distinctive triangular structure with its peculiar interior design, shows alternating exhibitions of modern art. Due to the construction of the building, the individual paintings are illuminated by natural light during good weather. The building, which was designed by the Viennese architect Hans Hollein, opened its doors in 1991. In the Frankfurt Museum für Moderne Kunst, you will find works by Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol as well as Joseph Beuys and James Turrell, among others.
Frankfurt Cathedral
On the left side, you will see the cathedral, constructed on the cathedral hill, when you look down the next intersection. This has been the centre of the settlement of Frankfurt since the Bronze Age. To be precise, the former collegiate and parish church is not a cathedral, as Frankfurt was never the seat of a bishop. But the church was referred to as a cathedral in the Middle Ages so that the emperor could be crowned there. Starting in 1356, it was the site at which German kings were elected and coronation church of the German Kaiser from 1562 to 1792.