Station: [01] Staufer Harbour

The highlight at the heart of the museum quarter, a section of the Medieval harbour, was unearthed in 2012 four meters down during construction work for the new building. The Frankfurt river harbour was a hub of long-distance trade as early as the Staufer Age (approx. 1150– 1250). Some 20 meters of the southern enclosing wall of the royal palace “Saalhof” have survived, with a berth in front of it. The trees used for the beams were felled between 1303 and 1314. During the city extension in 1333 under emperor Louis the Bavarian, the Staufer harbour was filled in, the walls torn down, and the harbour shifted further toward the riverside. Thanks to the fill-in, the harbour is very well preserved, better than any other from this period!