Westhafen Frankfurt

Beautiful urban path along the quay wall on the way from Untermainkai to the Main-Neckar Bridge

As early as the beginning of the 1860s, the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce called for the construction of a Main side canal for local trade. In 1876, the preparatory work for the Main canalization began, the realization of which by the Prussian government was conditional on the construction of a new commercial and security port at the expense of the city of Frankfurt. In 1883 weirs were built to make the Main navigable for Rhine ships. Three years later, the new shipping route was inaugurated, including the western port with a dock more than 500 m long and 75 m wide, as well as rail and crane systems, a pressurized water plant and warehouses. According to the latest technical developments, the Westhafen had the special feature that all cranes, conveyor systems for the railway wagons and lifting devices in the warehouses were not operated with steam but hydraulically with pressurized water. In 1999, the Westhafen was finally abandoned and work began on developing the new »Westhafen« district.

NEW DISTRICT »WESTHAFEN«
In 1993, the city council decided to develop the port area with a total area of 12 hectares into a modern city quarter with offices, apartments, shops, restaurants and with the extension of the promenade. The development work began at the end of 1999. In the east, the 109 meter high Westhafen Tower, completed in 2003 according to the design by the architects Schneider+Schumacher, forms the striking entrance to the new quarter. Because of its diamond-shaped facade, the people of Frankfurt call it "Geripptes", the local name for the typical cider glass. The conclusion in the west is formed by the former pressure water works and the Westhafen pier with its striking stilt substructure for parking spaces. Some of the twelve solitaires along the harbor mole stand on stilts in the water and have their own jetties. The new district will offer living space for around 2,000 people and around 3,200 office jobs. The different contemporary architecture has emerged from several competitions.