A lot has changed in Frankfurt’s city center: since 2018, the new Old Town has emerged east of the Römerberg. Through the reconstruction of selected buildings and the restoration of historic pathways and squares, it recalls the area’s appearance before its destruction during the Second World War. Where the brutalist Technical Town Hall housed municipal offices for more than 36 years, narrow alleyways, slender houses, and steep gabled roofs have since appeared. Yet the redesign of the quarter changed not only its architectural form, but also its uses: today, the newly built Old Town buildings contain cafés, souvenir shops, and museums.
For visitors and for people from Frankfurt alike, something new has emerged — architecture that is new and seemingly old at the same time, new offerings, a new part of the city. But how are these changes perceived? What effects does the new Old Town have on different groups of people? How do they use these newly created places in their everyday lives, and for whom are these offerings intended — and for whom are they not?
After the emergence of the New Old Town had been accompanied by intense debates about aesthetics and (inauthentic) images of the past, urban researcher Leonie Plänkers investigated the actual impact of the reconstruction project following its completion. On the occasion of the second edition of the series “Kontroverse Architekturen,” she will present her findings on Frankfurt’s New Old Town for the first time, examining the project at the intersection of planning research and urban sociology. Together with urban sociologist Sybille Frank, Frankfurt’s Head of Planning Marcus Gwechenberger, local residents, and the audience, we would then like to discuss the project’s many different effects.
Lecture by: Leonie Plänkers [Urban Researcher]
Panel with: Leonie Plänkers [Urban Researcher], Sybille Frank [Urban Sociologist], Marcus Gwechenberger [Head of Department for Planning and Housing of the City of Frankfurt]
10.06.2026, 18:30
Stadthaus Frankfurt
Markt 1, 60311 Frankfurt
Free admission, no advance registration required.
The event will be in German.
“Kontroverse Architekturen” is a series of events organized by the interdisciplinary Research Training Group “Organizing Architectures” in cooperation with the Volkshochschule Frankfurt (Adult Education Center) as part of Frankfurt World Design Capital 2026.