The Great Peal of Bells in Frankfurt am Main

Published: 07th February 2007

Frankfurt's Große Stadtgeläut (the town's great peal of bells) is said to be unique in the world. This event takes place on four afternoons every year, namely on the Saturday before the First Advent; on Christmas Eve; on the Saturday before Easter Sunday; and on the Saturday before Pentecost¹. The 50 bells of the ten churches in the city centre are rung at the same time for about 30 minutes in harmony. Especially during Advent, many people go to the city centre to listen to the sound of all the bells. Depending on where you are, this can be almost deafening, but it is an experience you should try to make if you happen to be in Frankfurt on the right day!

The Explora Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Published: 21st December 2006

Explora Museum, Frankfurt; Photo by Bel

Although known to most people for its airport, banks and the stock exchange, Frankfurt has much more to offer than just commerce. Visitors interested in museums will be spoilt for choice; nearly every district of the city has one, and there is a whole 'Museum Embankment' on the southern bank of the river Main.
For a museum appealing to your visual and acoustical senses, you have to go to Frankfurt's Nordend, where the Explora, a museum for science and engineering, is housed in the Glauburg Bunker at Glauburg Platz.

The Brezel Bub - Selling Pretzels in Frankfurt am Main

Published: 15th December 2006

The soft pretzel, soaked in a solution of dissolved baking soda and sprinkled with coarse salt grains, is considered a staple food by many families in the south of Germany. Children as young as toddlers can be seen sucking on or chewing a soft pretzel, and it's not surprising that pretzel vendors are to be found throughout the region.

Frankfurter 'Green Sauce' (Grüne Soße)

Ingredients for Frankfurter Green Sauce. Photo by Bel

Published: 19th May 2006

Frankfurter Grüne Sauce, locally known as Grie Soß¹, is a dish of seven or more herbs that is traditionally eaten on Gründonnerstag ( Maundy Thursday) in Frankfurt. Rumour says it was Frankfurt's most famous son Goethe's favourite dish and that he asked his mother, Katharina Elisabeth Textor-Goethe, known locally as Aja Textor², to serve it on the Thursday before Easter.