Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt

The Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt stands on the Römerberg in the Altstadt of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, directly beside the cathedral, and is one of the country's best-known venues for large temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. Unlike the city's museums, it holds no permanent collection and instead stages changing shows, often drawing on loans from international institutions, that range from Surrealism and Expressionism to current artists and themes in photography, installation and design. The building opened in 1986 and was set into the historic area between the cathedral and the Römer, with a long glass-roofed arcade that links the two sides of the site and a rotunda that forms part of the exhibition space. Visitors enter from the Römerberg or from the cathedral side and typically spend one and a half to two hours in the galleries. Because the programme changes several times a year, the content of a visit depends entirely on the current exhibition, and the venue's website at schirn.de lists the present show, the opening hours, which are normally Tuesday to Sunday, and the current ticket prices, which are set by the Schirn and should be checked before going. The venue is often open late on one evening each week, which is a quieter time than weekend afternoons. Large exhibitions can draw queues at weekends and at opening, so weekday mornings and late evenings are generally calmest. The arcade and the area around the Römerberg are good for photography of the cathedral tower and the gabled houses, and a café is attached to the hall. The Schirn is two minutes on foot from Dom/Römer U-Bahn station and combines easily with the Römerberg, the cathedral and the Struwwelpeter-Museum in a half-day of old-town sightseeing. Guided tours and workshops for families are listed with each show.