Susanna's Blog: Archaeology and views of the city

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in Frankfurt, and took so many photos it has taken me until today to get organized. First, I went to the Archaeology Museum. It is housed in the Carmelite Monastery and Church. Originally built in the 15th C and continually added to, first by the monks and then by the city, it has survived quite well. The museum has sections focusing on Frankfurt history from the pre-historic, Roman, and middle-ages. There is also some Greek pottery. These are all housed in the church. In the monastery you can visit the cloister and the refectory to see the restored frescoes by Jörg Ratgeb, painted in the 16th C. After the building came to the city they were white-washed over and some destroyed due to renovations. Still much of the paintings were able to be restored in the 1980s. They are all biblical depictions sponsored by monks and local people. I couldn't take any photos inside, but here is one of the church:

Carmelite Church - now the Archaeology Museum

After spending a couple hours in the museum I walked over to the Römerberg, via the Main. And what did I discover, but that there was a fair going on! Earlier I had to navigate my way around a triathlon (yes, another one!). So while almost all stores are closed on Sundays, apparently Frankfurt makes up for it by special events. Here are some things I saw at the fair:

Bubbles!

Mainufer and a Riesenrad

I then headed to the Archaeological Garden. Behind the main square and infront of the Dom, it is the ruins of various foundations. You can see:

- walls of a Roman military camp
- Roman baths from the 1st and 2nd C with characteristic heating under the floor
- remains of the Carolingian Imperial Palace, erected by Ludwig the Pious in the 9th C
- large rectangular king's hall (Aula regia) with centre piers
- parts of the northern passage to the Salcator Chapel (under the present-day cathedral)
- foundations and cellars of medieval middle-class houses

Pretty cool! In the museum they had a computer model of the Imperial Palace and how it was added to and adjusted with the king's hall and chapel as well as the Merovingian church that was where the cathedral is.

View of the Dom from the Archaeological Garden

Ancient walls and foundations

And finally, I went up the Dom. 328 stairs (of course a tiny spiral staircase) to go up 66m. The view from the top was amazing! I took a lot of photos, and here are some of the best: