Tu viện Carmelite (Karmeliterkloster)

Historic buildings are rare in Frankfurt, so the existence of the Carmelite Abbey means a lot to the city. The remains are evidence of the former free city's status as a center of commerce and fairs, as well as the site of the election of kings and emperors. The only preserved medieval monastery in Frankfurt am Main, and with its murals by artist Jörg Ratolt, it is one of the city's outstanding historical art treasures.

Founded after 1240, the Carmelite convent from a humble beginning gradually became a vast monastic complex with its own church, functional buildings and cemetery dating back to the 15th century.

The main sponsors of the monastery were the nobility in Frankfurt, the four royal princes who visited Frankfurt to elect an emperor in 1519, the nobility and church, the knights serving the city, and the merchant brothers. from out of town. Portraits of passion and salvation in the monastery and of the historical Carmelite order during the Reformation are presented on the extensive murals around the monastery. It is one of the most important murals in the northern European Alps.

Disbanded in 1803 during secularization and transfer of ownership to the city, the monastery was used in later years as a hospital, barracks, customs headquarters, school, and so on. fire brigade headquarters. Restoration and expansion took place in the 1930s and 40s, but the March 1944 attack destroyed major parts of the complex. After an authentic reconstruction in 1955, the monastery served as the center of various institutions until the Municipal Archives took over it in 1959.

In 1987-1989, thanks to the establishment of the Archaeological Museum, the monastery church was finally renovated so that locals and other tourists can visit it as it is today.

Address: Münzgasse 9, 60311 Frankfurt

Opening hours: - Reading room: Mon - Fri: 8:30 - 17:00

- Gallery: Mon - Fri: 10:00 - 18:00 / Sat & Sun: 11:00 - 18:00

Website: www.stadtgeschichte-ffm.de/en/home