Frankfurt — Goethe's Genesis Secret

Your quest begins in front of the Goethe-Haus, Großer Hirschgraben 23-25, where Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born on August 28, 1749. This house, built in 1590, was his childhood home until 1765, a period when he wrote his first poems there. Becoming a museum in 1874, then restored after its destruction in 1944, the building houses 15,000 Goethesian objects. Here you will look for the first traces of his inspiration, where he began to forge the verses that would mark German literary history. This historic site, classified as a historical monument in Germany, is the starting point for your immersion in the heritage of Frankfurt am Main.

Continuing your journey towards the Katharinenkirche, a Gothic church built between 1340 and 1510, you will discover a place closely linked to Goethe's family. Its tower, 48 meters high, dominates the district. Goethe himself was buried there in 1832, and his family's tomb is in the crypt. This church, bombed in 1944 and rebuilt between 1955 and 1964, houses a historic organ from 1709 by Johann Heinrich Silbermann. The echoes of Frankfurt am Main's history resonate within its walls, inviting you to search for clues in the silence of this centuries-old edifice.

Your route then leads you to the Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen, a Baroque fountain erected in 1611 on the Römerberg by Samuel Petrequin. Standing 7.5 meters high, it is topped by a statue of Justice surrounded by allegories of virtues. Restored after the 1944 bombings, this fountain is classified as a historical monument. The Römerberg, a historic market square since the Middle Ages, with its Renaissance and 18th-century gabled houses, including the Rathaus Römer acquired in 1405, provides an ideal setting to unearth a fragment of Goethe's writings. The historic district of Frankfurt am Main is a UNESCO World Heritage Altstadt 2011.

Cross the Eiserner Steg, a steel bridge built in 1868-1869, 140 meters long. It replaced the medieval wooden bridge destroyed in 1864 and connects the Sachsenhausen district to the center of Frankfurt am Main. This bridge, famous for its love locks since the 2000s, offers a view of the Alte Brücke, first mentioned in 1220 and rebuilt in 1911-1912 after the 1784 flood. The Alte Brücke, 170 meters long with its 13 arches, is prized for its view of the modern skyline of Hesse. These bridges are witnesses to the city's evolution and may hide a coded message.

Finally, your journey ends at the Paulskirche, built between 1786 and 1789 by Johann Philipp Bethmann. It was the seat of the first German parliament in 1848-1849. Its dome, 68 meters high, dominates the landscape. Burned in 1944, it was rebuilt between 1947 and 1948. By exploring these historically rich places in Frankfurt am Main, from the Große Eschenheimer Gasse with its 15th-18th century half-timbered houses, you will have reconstructed the itinerary of Goethe's first literary steps. You will not only gain the satisfaction of having solved a riddle, but also a deep understanding of Hesse's heritage and the environment that shaped one of Germany's greatest writers.