Hammering Man
Hammering Man rises twenty-one metres beside Messeturm at Frankfurt Trade Fair, giving the skyline a stark black silhouette. Its painted steel body forms a two-dimensional figure.
Jonathan Borofsky created this kinetic sculpture for the building in 1990, placing a motorised arm at its centre. Its motorised arm moves in a hammering motion. The design belongs to a worldwide series whose monumental figures connect labour, industry and public space across different cities. Craftspeople, miners, farmers and computer operators all find a place in its symbolism of effort and dedication.
Only the Seoul version stands taller within the series. Wheelchair access makes the Frankfurt setting available to visitors with mobility needs.
- City
- Frankfurt
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Take this page with you
The myTuur app is free, and once you are standing at a spot its story starts by itself.
Spots like this one are the stops myTuur strings into tours through Frankfurt. In the app, each story begins where you stand: walk up to a spot and it starts, read it on screen or listen as you go, then follow the route to the next one.
What is myTuur?
myTuur is a free city-guide app. Its tours are built from spots, and each spot carries a story that starts when you get there, to read or to listen to as you like.