Frankfurt, Germany, is one of the few European cities with a large cluster of high rise buildings in its downtown area. In many other European cities, skyscraper construction was not well received in the past due to the historical value of existing buildings. For this reason, Frankfurt is sometimes referred to as "Mainhattan" (a portmanteau of the local Main river and Manhattan), and Chicago am Main.[1][2][3] The 15 tallest buildings in Germany are located in Frankfurt.
The tallest structure in Frankfurt is the Europaturm, which rises 337 metres (1,106 ft).[4] However, the tower is not generally considered a high-rise building as it does not have successive floors that can be occupied. The tallest habitable building in Frankfurt is the Commerzbank Tower, which rises 259 metres (850 ft) and has 56 floors.[5] As of September 2022, it is the 21st-tallest building in Europe and the second tallest building in the European Union.
Most of Frankfurt's downtown area was destroyed by Allied air bombardment during World War II, and only a small number of the city's landmarks were rebuilt.[6] This left ample room for and little opposition against the construction of modern high-rises in the city. Frankfurt went through a first high-rise building boom in the 1970s; during this time, the city saw the construction of nine buildings over 100 metres (330 ft). In the 1990s, Frankfurt went through another building boom, with eight buildings over 100 metres (330 ft) completed, including four of five 200 metres (660 ft) skyscrapers. Since 2000, Frankfurt has been experiencing a continuous building boom, starting with 5 (2000-2009), 7 (2010-2019) and probably 13 (2020-2029). As of 2022[update], the city has 18 buildings which rise at least 150 metres (490 ft) in height, more than any other city in Germany.
There are several proposed and approved plans for new skyscrapers, including Millennium Tower I, 288 metres (945 ft), Das Präsidium, 175 metres (574 ft), Millennium Tower II, 157 metres (515 ft).
- ^ "Mainhattan: Trade show, convention epicenter of Europe". USA Today. 2004-04-10. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ "Frankfurt: The Mainhattan of Germany". Der Spiegel Online International. 2006-06-26. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ "skyscrapers frankfurt". 2004-04-10. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ "Europaturm". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Commerzbank Tower". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Commerzbank Tower". aviewoncities.com. Retrieved 2008-06-11.