The Katherinenkirche, located near the busy Hauptwache Plaza in Frankfurt is the city’s largest Lutheran Church. The present structure was constructed between 1678 and 1681.
The Katherinekirche was built at the site of a vestal cloister and hospital run by the Teutonic Knights. Later a small parish church existed at the location and gained importance in history because in 1522, it became the setting of the first protestant sermon in Frankfurt. The church was consecrated in 1681 and dedicated to the martyred Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The building is a single vessel hall church with a tower at the side and ornamental gateways. The church was also destroyed like other well known buildings during the bombings of 1944. The parishioners and citizens of Frankfurt rebuilt the structure to resemble the original exterior although with a simple interior in 1954.
Among the well known parishioners who worshipped at Ketherinenkirche was the Goethe family and Wolfgang von Goethe was confirmed here. He is known to have spent hours at the library reading Greek literature and at the age of 22 was witness to the beheading of child murderer Susanna Margaretha Brand. Goethe described the incident in his famous work, ‘Faust’.

Between the Zeil shopping street and the busy Romerberg square in Frankfurt lies this gothic style church that dates back to the early middle ages. The building is a functioning catholic parish church and Capuchin monastery. It is open to the public and the Capuchin fathers provide food for the needy and homeless near the main building. The Liebfraukirche was donated by a Frankfurt aristocrat, Wigel of Wanebach whose epitaph still remains in the church in 1322. His son Wigel Frog and his widow Catherine of Wanebach added a chapel and expanded the building. The small church building was further enlarged in 1344 and a three aisle gothic hall was constructed. In 1415 the façade of the church was adorned with what is considered its greatest treasure, a Tympanum depicting the Adoration of the Magi from the workshop of artist Madern Gertheners. In 1923, the Capuchin order made the church their home. The building was completely destroyed in World War II and remained in ruins till its recent reconstruction in 1956. Visitors to the cathedral can spend a few moments of peace and contemplation in the simple yet spiritual ambience of Liebfraukirche located in the busiest part of the city of Frankfurt.

The ancient Carmelite Monastery, Karmeliterkloster is located on the Karmelitengrasse in Frankfurt. The old structure houses the Archeological Museum, the Institute for Municipal History with the city’s municipal archives and a theatre in the cellar called Die Schmiere or The Grease where satirical plays are staged. The Carmelite monastery in Frankfurt has a gothic architectural style and was built between 1460 and 1520. It is a single vessel church to which the Carmelites added a chapel and a 2 aisle refectory hall. The hall is covered with Northern Europe’s largest frescoes including a painting of the history of the Carmelite order and a 16th century depiction of Christ’s birth and death by artist Jorg Ratgeb. The artist was later cruelly executed for taking part in the German peasant’s revolution of 1525. After the secularization of the city in 1803, the building became the possession of the city. Over the years the structure served as a warehouse, garrison, fire department and a theatre. It was almost completely destroyed during World War II and the frescoes were badly damaged. The building was finally refurbished between 1987 and 1989. Visitors to the archeological museum can find many objects from the Stone Age and the Roman civilization and objects and jewelry from Frankish and Alemanic graves.

The elliptical shaped St. Pauls Lutheran Church is located near the Zeil shopping area of Frankfurt. The building is significant not only for its architecture but the role it played in shaping German democracy in 1848.
The Paulskirsche was built as a protestant Evangelical Lutheran church in an oval neoclassical style with red sandstone exterior walls between 1789 and 1833. Meetings were held in the church because of its rounded shape. In 1848, elected representatives from Germany and Austria met in the hall to draft a Charter of Basic Rights and a Constitution to unify Germany on the basis of popular self determination. The attempt subsequently failed and the structure was used for church services again. Paulskirsche suffered extensive damage during the World War II bombings. After the war its exteriors were restored painstakingly and the interiors were simplified and modernized. The building is now used for exhibitions and meetings. The hall on the first floor is used for municipal and city functions. The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade and the Goethe prize by the city of Frankfurt are awarded at this historic setting.
The striking feature of the building is a modern mural that encircles the interior wall by Berlin based artist Johannes Grutzke showing the procession of the people’s representatives into Paulskrische that stands today as the symbol of German democracy.

The St. Nikolai Church was the chapel used by the imperial court from 1290 to the 14th century. The building is located near the Romerberg Square in Frankfurt.
The St. Nikolai church was dedicated to St. Nikolai of Bari the patron saint of boatmen. The style of architecture is early Gothic. In the 15th century a tower with a leveled roof and balcony were added to the existing structure. The church has a double aisle hall with a high Gothic choir. A watchman sat in the steeple of the church and sounded a bugle when boats or ships went up and down the Main River. The bugle was also sounded when fires were sighted like the modern day fire alarm. The church has three bells and a carillon with 47 bells. The balcony at the top served as a viewing gallery for aristocrats when passion plays and other events took place in the Plaza below.
The acoustics in the church is well known among German and international visitors. Organ concerts, hand bells, trumpets, choirs and brass bands are hosted through the year at the building. Visitors can also climb the spiral stairway to the gallery for a spectacular view of the Romerberg Plaza.

This 13th century church is the site of the coronation of German kings and Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire for centuries. This event has earned the building the name Kaiserdom. The cathedral is the largest church in Frankfurt and lies on the banks on the River Main. The present cathedral is the fifth church on the same site. The early church was constructed over a 7th century Merovingian chapel in 1250. The church was subsequently adorned with architectural ornamentation and became the splendid architectural wonder it is today. Emperor Charles IV decreed by his Golden Bull that all German Kings would be crowned in the Kaiserdom from 1356 and from 1562 all emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were also crowned at the cathedral. The church has many splendid works of art including a unique high altar and the Maria Schlaf altar located in the St. Mary’s chapel. A Gothic tower was added in the 15th century. It has an Anthony Van Dyke Painting, ‘The Lametation’ and a museum with many historic pieces including objects discovered in a grave of a Merovingian girl. Visitors can also take in panoramic views of the City of Frankfurt by climbing the 328 steps that lead to the top of the cathedral’s tower.

The Dominican Monastery in Frankfurt was the earliest church and Christian monastery in the city. Today, it serves as an exhibition hall and meeting place and is the seat of the Protestant Evangelical Association consisting of Evangelical Churches and Deaneries in the region. The Synod of the Evangelical Church in Hessen and Nassau is convened here, twice every year.
The monastery established in 1233 had humble beginnings. The first Dominican brothers built a small house with four rooms and set about their task of providing religious instruction to the local people. This small house served as the entrance to the monastery. In the 14th century the monastery consisted of many scholars and received generous donations from citizens in appreciation of the good work performed by the monks and a richly decorated monastery and chapel were constructed. The building was taken over by the Lutherans after the reformation. The city obtained the monastery during the secularization period and put it to several non religious uses.

The design of the monastery was Gothic and the structure was made of rubble stone. It was almost completely destroyed after the Second World War. After the war, architect Gustav Scheinpflug designed a new structure based on the layout of the old monastery. The new structure has a Gothic style with modern interiors. Of the old building, only the choir of the Holy Ghost Church remains. The courtyard of the monastery plays host to a folk theater performance every summer and concerts by the Church Music Association Frankfurt.