Eschenheimer Tor

Eschenheimer Tor marks Frankfurt’s northern city-centre edge, with Hauptwache lying nearby. The Eschenheimer Turm stands at its centre. The Gothic tower preserves the most prominent surviving part of Frankfurt’s medieval fortifications. Local legend links the tower to the Neuner in der Wetterfahne. Frankfurt developed the square around the early nineteenth century, as its fortifications became the Wallanlagen green spaces. Green spaces replaced the former defensive works.

Several streets meet here, including Große Eschenheimer Straße, Schillerstraße and Eschersheimer Landstraße. Schillerstraße forms a pedestrian zone near the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Große Eschenheimer Straße links the old city centre with the northern city gate, while Eschersheimer Landstraße leads beyond Frankfurt. Frankfurt’s U-Bahn runs beneath the square through a station designed in the minimalist style of the 1960s. The square also has a long history of tram and underground transport.

Surrounding buildings include the Bayer-Haus, the former Volksbildungsheim, Turmpalast and Rundschau-Haus. The former Volksbildungsheim now houses the Metropolis cinema. The Bayer-Haus represents post-war architecture and contains Fleming’s Hotel Deluxe. Turmpalast recalls the area’s cinema history through original film screenings. The Rundschau-Haus once accommodated the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper headquarters. Hermann Goepfert designed the Goepfert Fountain for a traffic island inaccessible to pedestrians. The Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank building stands at the square’s western edge.