St. Paul's Church, Frankfurt am Main

Welcome to the Paulskirche, or POWLS-keer-khuh, in the heart of Frankfurt's old town. This building is far more than a former house of worship; it is a national symbol of German democracy and a monument to the long, difficult…

We begin our deeper look at the historic year of 1848. Imagine this circular hall filled with 585 delegates from across all German-speaking lands. …

We move now to the dark chapter of the twentieth century. On March 18, 1944, exactly 96 years after the start of the 1848 revolution, the Paulskirche was hit by Allied incendiary bombs. …

Let us step inside the main hall to examine the radical architectural choices made during the reconstruction. The architect Rudolf Schwarz, a 'coryphaeus of church building,' was tasked with creating a space that served the…

Descending to the lower level, we enter the Wandelhalle, or Van-del-hal-luh, the entrance foyer. This space serves as a transition between the outside world and the sacred assembly hall above. …

Stepping back outside onto the Paulsplatz, or POWLS-plats, we are surrounded by reminders of the 'long and difficult path' that this building represents. The square itself was once a dense network of medieval streets, but after…

Finally, we look up at the tower of the Paulskirche. Although it has lost its original dominance of the skyline, its presence remains a powerful 'caller for freedom.' The tower was one of the first parts of the building to be…

Our journey through the Paulskirche concludes here, but the 'discourse power' of this place remains as strong as ever. We have walked through the 'sedimented layers' of history—from the idealistic fervor of the 1848 National…