Römerberg

Römerberg is the historic heart of Frankfurt am Main in the Hesse region of Germany, a compact cobbled square in the Altstadt that has served as the city's marketplace, coronation backdrop and festival ground for centuries. Much of what visitors see today is a reconstruction: the bombing of March 1944 destroyed the old town, and the square was rebuilt in stages after the war. The western side is occupied by the Römer, the town hall complex made of three linked buildings whose stepped Gothic gable is the emblem of Frankfurt. Opposite stands the Ostzeile, a row of seven half-timbered, gabled houses reconstructed in the early 1980s. At the centre, the Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen (Fountain of Justice) shows a figure of Justitia, and the Alte Nikolaikirche closes the south side of the square. The Römer interior is not freely open: the Kaisersaal, with its portraits of Holy Roman Emperors, can be seen only on guided tours or during events, so most visitors spend their time outside. A typical visit takes 30 to 45 minutes and combines naturally with the nearby cathedral, the Schirn Kunsthalle and the riverfront. The best photographs of the Ostzeile are taken from the middle of the square in soft morning or evening light, with the Römer gables framed from the southwest corner near the fountain. Midday is the busiest period, when guided groups and cruise-boat passengers fill the square; early morning and late evening are quiet. From late November the square becomes the centrepiece of Frankfurt's Christmas market, one of the oldest in Germany, with stalls selling Bethmännchen marzipan, mulled wine and Frankfurt-style gingerbread, and crowds are then dense on weekends. Cafés and restaurants around the edge of the square tend to be priced for tourists, and cheaper options lie a short walk away toward Kleinmarkthalle.