Away from Home, by Will Stanton

Two generations ago (or was it two centuries ago?), I was away from home at university in England.  At the same time, my father was in charge of a university-student group in Frankfurt am Main in Germany.  My mother was with him.

During session-breaks during Christmas and summer, I went to join them.  This was long before the “Chunnel” days, so I took a channel ferry from Dover across the rough waters.  Then I took the train to Frankfurt am Main (not to be confused with the eastern Frankfurt am Oder in the federated state of Brandenburg.)  Trains in Europe always have been up-to-date, modern, fast, comfortable, and on-time.  (I wonder why America stopped doing that seventy years ago.)

Once I had arrived in Frankfurt, my parents met me at the station.  They were staying in a typical apartment, theirs on the second floor with a view of the narrow street below.  I enjoyed walking with them the short distance to the many little markets for fresh fruit and vegetables, meats and sausages, and pastries.  I was especially impressed with Frankfurt's famous Christmas markets with their hand-crafted gifts and traditional, beautiful Christmas carols.  I could not help but contrast that with our own commercial shopping malls with piped-in renditions of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”  For Christmas, my parents gave me a 35 mm. camera.  I strolled all over the inner city, taking color slides.

Frankfurt always has been, and continues to be, one of the most important cities in Germany in regard to almost everything - - - size, culture, business, finance.  Frankfurt even was considered to be an excellent choice for the provisional German capital after the Germans lost 40% of their lands when the Soviets forced-marched twelve million Germans out of their homes in the eastern regions of East and West Prussia, Pomerania, and Silesia, and then took complete control of the central regions surrounding Berlin.   In 1949, however, Konrad Adenauer (the former mayor of Köln who was sacked by the Nazis in 1933) became West Germany's first Chancellor; and he was concerned that Frankfurt was such a good choice that, if and when West and Central Germany ever were reunited, Berlin never again would become the capital.  He, therefore, chose the lesser city of Bonn. 

As for the old city of Frankfurt, for several hundred years, the two square miles of the central region was known world-wide for having the greatest expanse of stereotypically charming, half-timbered houses and shops, so charming that Johanna Spyri, who wrote the popular children's story “Heidi”, chose Frankfurt as the town where Heidi lived.  It was filmed there in 1937, just two years before the start of the war.

Typical half-timbered, pre-war shops and residences.

Unfortunately, the bombing of Frankfurt late during World War II obliterated all of that, along with so much more, including the elegant civic buildings, cathedrals, the university with all of its archives, and many fine houses.  When I explored Frankfurt during Christmas, 1966, I saw a  large manor-house, damaged in the war and still boarded-up.  Apparently, the original owners were missing and never found.  I was very moved viewing the hulking, blackened remains of the huge, former grand opera house.  With so much of Frankfurt to rebuild, the great expense of recreating the building in its original form was beyond the city's means.

Frankfurt, May, 1945

 After the war, Frankfurt chose, unlike many other cities in Germany, to rebuild mostly in the modern style with steel and glass buildings.  Today, the city is referred to as “the German Manhattan” with towering skyscrapers dominating the financial district.  So that the citizens would not be deprived of operas and classical concerts, Frankfurt built a modern hall.

I attended there the seasonal production of “Hänsel und Gretel,” flying witch and all.  One of the most emotional moments that I have experienced came during the “Fourteen Angels” scene.  I noticed near the top of the backdrop, what I thought was, a tiny hole in the scenery with a light shining through it.   In some mysterious way, the stage and lighting designer had  made that light a “star” that increased in size and brightness until it became a conical shaft of brilliant light reaching the children on the stage.  And, through that beam of light descended fourteen “angels” who slowly surrounded the children to guard them in their sleep.  I noticed that this moment, combined with Humperdinck's beautiful “Evening Prayer” and the subsequent orchestral music, had brought tears to some eyes.  

The citizens of Frankfurt, with more recent financial donations, voted to rebuild the destroyed old opera in the exterior's original Baroque style but with a very modern interior.  Some original interior mosaics were reconstructed.  A replica of the iconic Pegasus statue was returned to the roof.  The hall is used for concerts, ballets, conferences, and some operas.  Frankfurt hopes to complete rebuilding the city by 2016, seventy-one years after the war.

The rebuilt Alte Oper.

In my strolls through one of Frankfurt's parks, I found a circle of life-size, human statues, four males and three females, all nude in their youthful beauty.  I can just imagine the indignant outrage some Americans would bring should we attempt to place such statues in our parks.

Frankfurt Statues

I also came across the huge, I.G. Farben office building constructed in the typically bland, 1930 style.  It once housed the offices of that giant chemical-company conglomerate, which notoriously once owned 42.5 percent of the Degesch company, responsible for the production of Zyklon B, used to gas Jews, homosexuals, Gypsies, and anyone else considered by the Nazis to be a threat.  After the war, company officials stood trial for crimes against humanity.  The Americans spared the building in the bombing so that the military and American occupation forces could use it after the war. Then the Marshall Plan was administered from there.  After extensive restoration, it recently became the Western Campus of the University of Frankfurt.

I.G. Farben Building.

The stereotypical notion of Germans is that they are hard-working but rather severe.  I've noticed, however, that they are not immune to the European penchant for Karneval, as proved by their wild partying during Fasching in late December to Lent.  From my witnessing an overabundance of injudiciously thrown fireworks, I would guess that the “Frankfurters” had consumed a lot of beer and wine.

Time flies “when you're having fun,” and two generations have passed since I last was in Frankfurt.  The majority of the population has been born since then.  The city's massive expansion outward and upward would render much of it unrecognizable to me if I were to go back for a visit.  That's not likely, partly because Frankfurt now is about the most expensive city in Germany. 

Fireworks Over Modern Frankfurt 

© 25 July 2015 

About the Author 

I have had a life-long fascination with people and their life stories.  I also realize that, although my own life has not brought me particular fame or fortune, I too have had some noteworthy experiences and, at times, unusual ones.  Since I joined this Story Time group, I have derived pleasure and satisfaction participating in the group.  I do put some thought and effort into my stories, and I hope that you find them interesting.