Forgetting The Finance in Frankfurt: 6 Attractions in Frankfurt That Prove It’s More Than A Business Hub

Frankfurt is often pigeon-holed as Germany’s financial hub, characterised by the European Central Bank and Commerzbank Tower, but those keen to see past the skyscrapers will discover that there’s more than what meets the eye. 

Home to pastel-coloured houses lining Römerberg public square, it’s the birthplace of the writer, Goethe, and it’s brimming with quirky gems to explore. Step off the beaten path to discover the city’s hidden attractions.

Visit Frankfurt’s Pinkelbaum AKA The Peeing Tree

California is famous for its giant sequoia trees and Kyoto is well known as a bamboo haven, but one look at Frankfurt’s Pinkelbaum will leave you wanting to explore the city’s green spaces. 

Embracing the tradition of Komische Kunst — a playful artistic initiative that promotes the use of comedy in art — the Pinkelbaum is an eyebrow-raising, ​‘peeing tree’. 

Carrying the inscription: ​“for 300 years I was pissed at, starting today, I piss back”, the wooden wonder indiscriminately releases it’s ​“pee” stream onto unsuspecting passersby, taking a hiatus only in the winter to avoid any frost damage to the installation.

See it for yourself by taking a short walk through Frankfurt city forest to reach lake Jacobiweiher.

The Wishing Wells of Frankfurt

With an average of $3,000 thrown into Rome’s Trevi Fountain each day, there’s a good chance your wish will be forgotten if you rely on this as your wishing well. Instead, save your copper coins for one of Frankfurt’s funky fountains.

The city is home to beautiful baroque wishing wells peppered throughout its streets. Ditch an ordinary walking tour, and instead, make your way from the Marshall-Brunnen fountain next to the city’s old opera house, down to the Stoltze-Brunnen and Liebfrauenberg-Brunnen fountains, passing Goethe’s House and St Paul’s Church.

Why visit Eiserner Steg? 

Eiserner Steg is no ordinary bridge, embellished by thousands of multi-coloured love locks, each one unique, here star-crossed lovers come to declare their everlasting devotion to one another. 

Take your time strolling across the Eiserner Steg, admiring the rainbow of love locks running along either side and the impressive ​‘Mainhatten’ skyline; a cityscape outlined by a jungle of museums fringing the calm Main River.

Used by over 10,000 pedestrians a day, the iron footbridge also connects the ​‘downtown’ area to Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt’s ​“museum embankment”, paving the way for visitors to uncover more of the city’s cultural treasures.

Luftbrückendenkmal AKA The Candy Bombers

The Berlin Blockade was one of the most infamous events of the Cold War. West Berlin became a ticking time-bomb of rapidly depleting supplies when Soviet Forces cut off trade links to the area.

Airlifts were carried out by the Allied Forces who dropped care packages into West Berlin to relieve the citizens trapped in the zone. Milk, cereal and fuel was dropped from the skies, however, one group stood out among the heroes. 

Lead by Gail Halvorsen, the ​‘candy bombers’ tied assortments of confectionary to tiny parachutes and spread joy to the children of West Berlin.

This sweet story is immortalised at the Luftbrückendenkmal memorial at the abandoned Rhein-Main Airbase in Frankfurt.

Try Handkäse mit musik AKA Handcheese with Music

It’s clear from a city with ​‘peeing trees’ that Frankfurt doesn’t take itself too seriously. In fact, its light-hearted attitude permeates into the city’s culinary tradition, evident by a dish called Handkäse mit musik.

‘Handcheese with music’ is a suspicious-looking specimen, and certainly one of Frankfurt’s more alternative attractions. 

Extremely pungent, it should be eaten with a generous topping of raw onion marinade — known to cause flatulence, or as the name suggests, ​‘make music’. You can try it at Kanonesteppel on Textorstrasse.

The Dialog Museum in Frankfurt 

Frankfurt boasts museums dedicated to art, film and even comedy. However, the Dialog Museum is perhaps the most quirky given there’s nothing you can see!

A museum filled with pitch-black rooms and totally invisible exhibitions, it’s designed to mimic the experiences of the visually impaired.

Walk ​“blind” through a maze of lightless rooms where everyday situations are simulated

To uncover more things to do in Frankfurt, check out our other travel guides!