Frankfurt’s many high-rises combine to form Europe’s most impressive skyline. No other place on the continent has so many skyscrapers nestled together in such a small space. On 25th and 26th May 2013, visitors of the famous Skyscraper Festival will have the chance to get a closer look at these behemoths of the skies while at the same time being offered magnificent views of Frankfurt and its surrounding region.
Starting at 7:00 am on 24th April, fans of high-rise architecture will be able to book free tickets to the Skyscraper Festival at www.ffh.de. Up to four tickets are bookable per person, individual selection depending on availability. The names of accompanying persons must be specified at the time of booking. Children under the age of six, if accompanied by a parent, do not require tickets. A ticket grants its holder admission to a particular high-rise at a predetermined time and on a predetermined date.
On 25th and 26th May, the 18th Skyscraper Festival will once again take place in Frankfurt. Participating high-rises include the following: having been fully refurbished between 2007 and 2011, the twin towers of Deutsche Bank now feature the highest standards of sustainability. The Commerzbank Tower, designed by Sir Norman Forster, is one of Frankfurt’s most impressive high-rises. It is also home to a light installation created by Thomas Emde. Westend 1, meanwhile, serves as the headquarters of DZ BANK, while the Main Tower is home to the headquarters of the State Bank of Hessen, the sky-high Main Tower Restaurant & Lounge and a publicly accessible rooftop observation platform, situated some 200 metres above Frankfurt’s city streets.
The industrial union, IG Metall, has some of its offices at the main forum. Yet another light installation may be found in the Gallileo, this one created by the famous light artist, James Turrell, and spanning two storeys. The Jumeirah Hotel, meanwhile, is one of the city’s premier accommodation establishments. The upper storeys of Torhaus Messe Frankfurt offer visitors unusual views of the skyline. ING DiBa will soon be moving its German headquarters to the LEO. The Silberturm, seat of Deutsche Bahn, was a shooting location for the 1984 film, “Abwärts”. Tower 185, where PricewaterhouseCoopers has its offices, is one of the city’s newest skyscrapers. The staff of the European Central Bank will only be working at the Eurotower for another year, with the ECB’s new headquarters in the city’s “Ostend” district scheduled for completion in 2014.
The Trianon, meanwhile, is home to the main office of Deka Bank. It is at the same time Germany’s sixth-tallest building. The Opernturm, right next door to Alte Oper, was designed by the renowned Frankfurt architect, Christoph Mäckler. The Eurotheum is home to INNSIDE Frankfurt, an elegant hotel featuring a cosy bar, a first-class restaurant, numerous conference and congress rooms as well as some 74 guest-rooms of sizes varying between 35 and 75 square metres. Locals refer to the famous Messeturm – one of Frankfurt’s premier landmarks – as “the pencil”. Its designer, the celebrated Chicago-based architect, Helmut Jahn, was said to have been inspired by the art deco-style American skyscrapers of the early 20th century. The WestendGate, a stylish hotel belonging to the Marriott Group, features 588 guest-rooms. A final and somewhat surprising participant in the 2013 Skyscraper Festival is Eschenheimer Turm, which was erected at the beginning of the 15th century, yet has somehow managed to remain in almost original condition to this day.
There will be plenty of attractions on show along the 5-km-long skyscraper route, which runs from the LEO high-rise in the city’s west to the heart of Frankfurt’s financial district.
On the nearby Tower 185, Reinhard Kleidel, a professional athlete from Switzerland, will be attempting to set a new world record: He’ll be taking his high-wire act to a height of 185 metres, where he will be traversing the 30-metre distance between two skyscrapers on a 2.5-cm-wide slack-line wire.
In other entertainment news, Nena, the famous German 1980s singing star (“99 Luftballons”), will be performing at Opera Square on Saturday evening, followed by a massive fireworks display.
Details and further programme information are available at www.wolkenkratzer-festival.de.
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