In the cover photo, Frankfurt am Main looks really beautiful. The skyscrapers are unique in Germany, the Römer looks beautifully historic, and fundamentally, Frankfurt is perfectly located in the middle of Germany. But if you look closer, the only advantage that remains is its location, because you can get away from Frankfurt quickly.

I didn’t actually want to write a post like this. Normally, the only part of Frankfurt I see is the main train station. A disgrace, but a well-known one. Homeless people, drug addicts, and filth. But it’s easy to get away from, and it’s the closest major station to me. So you can just ignore the fact that you have to watch out not to step on heroin needles outside the station. Or that the path from the station to the city center (and to the skyscrapers) goes through a red-light district. A hurdle that tourists simply have to overcome. Everyone else only leaves the station on a train.

Yesterday, however, we wanted to see Dune: Part Two. A trip to the cinema again, and for that, we went all out at the Astor Film Lounge in the MyZeil, right in the city center. So we had to go via the Stadion station to Hauptwache. The station at the stadium is already shabby, but Hauptwache truly shocked me. Thanks to Corona, I hadn’t been there for several years. I wasn’t expecting a renovation, but I did expect some maintenance over the years. Wrong. The ravages of time have been happily gnawing away at the underground passage, and apparently, nobody cares. Who needs ceiling panels anyway? Or why should anyone clean anything? This isn’t vintage, it’s just decayed.

The Zeil itself was renovated only a few years ago, and whoever planned it simply deserves a beating. Although, it was also approved by some politicians. Lots of concrete and stone, plus a few trees in two rows. But the trees just look sad. Why isn’t there more green? The Zeil is very wide, so why not put in a lawn, flower beds, or something else green? But not just gray on gray on gray.

Unfortunately, the cinema has adapted to the city, and we were disappointed, especially since the price is oriented towards its premium claim. But here too: Cleaning and renovating? Why bother? Apparently, no one in Frankfurt wants to. But I also suspect that the people in charge hardly ever move around the city themselves. At least, I don’t want to believe that someone walks through there and thinks: “Beautiful city, everything is fine here, this is perfect.”

But maybe everyone has just become desensitized by now, and I only notice it because I haven’t been there in a long time. Or maybe I’m just not made for big cities, and it’s just how it’s supposed to be—shabby, broken, and dirty. As a farewell, a pigeon at least shat on my jacket in the passage. There are enough gaps in the ceiling panels for them to build their nests there. In the end, is it all just about animal and environmental protection?