Der jüdische Friedhof (The Jewish Cemetery)
On the left side, between the two upcoming stops Allerheiligentor and Börneplatz, you will find the Old Jewish Cemetery. This is the second oldest Jewish burial place in Germany and was used as such until 1828.
Situated both on (and under) the grounds, 5,500 gravestones have been counted. These date back to the year 1272. On the cemetery wall, 11,134 small plaques commemorate the Jewish citizens of Frankfurt who were murdered during the Holocaust.
Museum Judengasse
At the end of the 1980s, during the construction of the administration building of the Stadtwerke Frankfurt, the foundations of five houses in Judengasse and the Börneplatz Synagogue were uncovered. Some of these foundation walls and archaeological finds were secured and integrated into the “Museum Judengasse” in the basement of the administration building, which then opened in 1992. The “Museum Judengasse” is a branch of the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt. You will find it on the left-hand-side at Kurt-Schumacher-Straße 10. As peviously mentioned, it displays archaeological relics of Frankfurt's Judengasse, explained by an exhibition on the history of the Jewish community since the 15th century, everyday life in the alley and the history of Börneplatz since the 19th century.
Der Börneplatz
Historically, Börneplatz was the location of the Börneplatz synagogue. It was built in the years 1881/1882 in place of the “Fremdenhospital”, which was erected in 1780 at the southern end of the former Judengasse, and which was inaugurated on 10 September 1882. As one of the four major synagogues in Frankfurt, the Börneplatz Synagogue served the Orthodox wing of the community as its spiritual centre. In November 1938, during the November pogroms, it was set on fire by the National Socialists and completely destroyed, except for the outer walls. The remains of the synagogue were demolished immediately thereafter.
1952 saw the start of reconstruction work in the surrounding area of Börneplatz, which was completely destroyed in the Second World War; the former Börnestraße itself was not rebuilt. Instead, a broad street breakthrough was created, known as Kurt-Schumacher-Straße. The VGF administration building is also located here.
Zeil (Frankfurt’s main shopping street)
Directly before the Börneplatz stop, look right in the direction of Konstablerwache and Zeil. Zeil, built around 1330, is Frankfurt's most famous shopping street. Today, the Zeil is one of the top-selling “shopping miles” in Germany. The Zeil owes its name to the construction of the houses, which, when placed close together, are reminiscent of a row of books (or “Bücherzeile” in German). We drive a little way parallel to this shopping mile past Börneplatz to Römer, where you can take another look to your right, in the direction of the Zeil.
Museum für Moderne Kunst (Museum of Modern Art)
On the right side you will see the Museum of Modern Art. The “piece of cake” or “Tortenstück”, as it is popularly called. This eye-catching triangular building with its unconventional interior design shows contemporary art in temporary exhibitions. When the weather is good, the individual paintings are illuminated by the natural light as it enters the building. The building, designed by the Viennese architect Hans Hollein, opened its doors in 1991. The Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt houses works by Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol as well as Joseph Beuys and James Turrell, among others.
Der Frankfurter Dom (Frankfurt Cathedral)
On the left-hand-side you will see the Cathedral when you look down the next adjacent street. The imperial cathedral of St. Bartholomew's was built on “Domhügel”, the settlement centre of Frankfurt since the Bronze Age. Strictly speaking, the former collegiate and parish church is not a Cathedral, as Frankfurt never had a bishopric. But in order to be able to perform the emperor’s coronation, the church had already been classified as a cathedral since the Middle Ages. Thus, from 1356, it was the seat of the German royal election and, from 1562 to 1792, it also served as the coronation church for the German emperors.