Römer

Brief information

Römer Town Hall did not grow out of a single building, but out of several townhouses. The whole complex took its name from the middle one of the three former buildings, the “House of the Roman,” although the origin of the name itself has remained unclear. In 1405, the city authorities bought two prestigious residential houses in the center of Frankfurt: the “House of the Roman” and the “House of the Golden Swan.” After reconstruction they became the town hall, and later neighboring buildings were gradually added to them.

That is why the Römer is important not only as old civic authority set in stone. Its form shows how private houses were transformed into a town hall complex where elections and coronation ceremonies of the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire took place. After damage in the Second World War, the building was restored; despite its modern interior, it is still regarded as an important secular Gothic structure.

What to notice first

The main principle for looking at it here is to search for traces of the transformation of residential houses into the city town hall. The most recognizable detail is the stepped gable: it makes the facade not a flat wall, but a silhouette with a “staircase” along the upper edge. This form is directly connected with the image of the Römer as an old town hall.

• You can compare the three former independent buildings: the middle one gave the whole place its name, although the name itself remained without a reliable explanation.
• It is worth keeping in mind the first two houses of the complex: the “House of the Roman” and the “House of the Golden Swan.” The later town hall began precisely with their purchase and reconstruction.
• The Imperial Hall and the room for the emperor’s election help explain the interior history. Frescoes with coats of arms and portraits of the estates showed that this was not an ordinary administrative room, but a place of political ritual.

The contrast is also important: from the outside, the Römer reads as an old Gothic civic building, but inside, after postwar restoration, it has a modern interior.