page_title: Altstadt (Frankfurt am Main)
section_title: Römerberg and surroundings
hierarchical_section_title: Altstadt (Frankfurt am Main) / Districts and sights of the Altstadt / Römerberg and surroundings
caption_attribution_description: An old half timbered house in Romerberg in Frankfurt
context_page_description: The Altstadt is a city district of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I.
  The Altstadt is located on the northern Main river bank. It is completely surrounded by the Innenstadt district, Frankfurt's present-day city centre. On the opposite side of the Main is the district of Sachsenhausen.
  The historic old town of Frankfurt was one of the largest half-timbered towns in Germany until the extensive destruction in the Second World War with its around 1250 half-timbered houses, most of which date from the Middle Ages. It was one of the most important tourist attractions for Germany. The historic old town was largely destroyed by the air raids on Frankfurt am Main in 1944. The streets and the entire district are predominantly characterized by quickly and easily erected buildings from the 1950s and 60s. However, several striking buildings and some important city squares have been restored or reconstructed, especially around the main square, the Römerberg.
  Under the name of the Dom-Römer project, a new old town district was built between 2012 and 2018 between the imperial cathedral and the Römer town hall, following a decision by the city council in 2007.
context_section_description: The Römerberg is the centre of the old town. Here stands the Römer, the historic town hall and symbol of the city. It was acquired in 1405 by the city, which needed a new town hall, as the previous town hall had to be demolished to build the cathedral tower. By 1878 the ten neighboring houses were also acquired by the city and structurally connected to the Roman. The five houses next to each other, whose facade faces the Römerberg, are called Alt Limpurg, Zum Römer, Löwenstein, Frauenstein and Salzhaus. Before its destruction, the salt house was one of the most beautiful half-timbered houses in Germany. It was rebuilt in a simplified manner after the war was destroyed.
  In the middle of the square is the Justice Fountain, which was built from sandstone in the 17th century. The construction was replaced in 1887 by a bronze replica. His name comes from the statue of Justitia that crowns him. In contrast to her depictions, Justitia was not blindfolded in Frankfurt. According to tradition, the fountain was fed with red and white wine at imperial coronations.
  Since the Middle Ages, the square has been surrounded by residential and commercial buildings - the reconstructed half-timbered houses of the Samstagsberg (also known as the Ostzeile ), including the houses Großer and Kleiner Engel and Schwarzer Stern, are particularly worth mentioning here.
  The Wertheim House (around 1600), is the only completely undamaged preserved half-timbered house in the old town. It is an ornate three-story Renaissance house with the stone ground floor common in Frankfurt. Opposite is the Rententurm, an important Frankfurt port building, where customs duties and port fees were collected. It was completed in 1456. 
  North of the Römerberg on Paulsplatz is the New Town Hall, built around 1900 with rich Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque decor, as well as the Paulskirche, where the German National Assembly met in 1848/1849.
caption: Wertheim House, the only original half-timbered house in the old town (2013)
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