St Paul's Church Festival
The City of Frankfurt has organised a vast urban festival to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the gathering of Germany's first national congress at St Paul's Church in 1848.
On 18th May 1848, members of the very first pan-German parliament met at St Paul's Church in Frankfurt to deliberate on a democratic constitution as well as the creation of a unified Germany state. Like no other place across all the nation, St Paul's Church stands for the history of Germany's democratic movement. The imperial constitution adopted here by Germany's first national congress on 28th March 1849 laid out the basic rights of the German people while at the same time serving as the basis of the Weimar Constitution of 1919 and the German Basic Law of 1949, which applies for the present-day Federal Republic of Germany. As such, St Paul's Church is, naturally, one of the most important symbols of Germany's democratic traditions as well as one of the country's most significant historical sites, one that illustrates in no uncertain terms how difficult it was for Germany to achieve its democratic rights and privileges. As a national symbol of freedom, St Paul's Church underlines with great emphasis the value of a liberal and democratic fundamental order.
Opening hours*
Thursday: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Friday: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Saturday: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Sunday: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
*Subject to change
The many highlights of the St Paul's Church Festival
- 18th May 2023: Official ceremony at St Paul's Church (Invitation only!)
- 20th May 2023: Römer Open (Open-house event at Römer City Hall)
- Special evening orchestration along the River Main
- Daily numerous jubilee tours
- Main stage at the Römerberg featuring music, theatre and performing arts with local and national artists
- Further performance stage along the northern bank of the River Main featuring a colourful cultural programme
- Numerous cultural offerings incl. choirs, theatre, walking acts, art installations and more, all publically accessible
- Information booths and interactive offers at the Main Quay
- Special theme exhibitions on show at various Frankfurt museums
- Workshops, lectures, symposia, conferences on the subject held at various establishments and institutions
- Diversified food and beverage offers featuring local, regional and international cuisine
Programme booklet and Orientation map (German)
Download the official programme booklet and orientation map as PDF.
Event locations
The festival will take place at various downtown locations, including the Römerberg old town centre, St Paul's Square, Weckmarkt Square, Hühnermarkt Square, Cathedral Square, the Main Quay and the riverside promenades. A number of additional establishments and institutions, including various co-operating partners, will be hosting exhibitions, discussions, lectures and specially themed activities.
How to get there
There are no public parking lots available for this event. Visitors are asked to use Frankfurt's public transport system.
- Subways (U-Bahn) U 4 and U5 – Station: Dom/Römer
- Trams (Straßenbahn) 11 and 12 – Station: Römer/Paulskirche (The opening ceremony will take place on Thursday, 18 May, at around 11:00 a.m. in St Paul's Church. During this time, Braubachstraße may be closed briefly for tram lines 11, 12 and 14).
- In case you're travelling with the fast trains S 1– 6, 8, 9 or subway lines U 1 - 3, exit at the station Hauptwache, from there it's a 5 minute walk to St Paul's Church.
This is how the St Paul's Church Festival was!
Jubilee Tours during the St Paul's Church Festival
Please note: There is currently a problem with the booking channel for our tours. We are already working on a solution and will let you know as soon as everything is working normally again.
There are still plenty of tickets available. Please book on site at the Tourist Information Römer and the information tent Braubachstraße/Römerberg, as well as at the Tourist Information Hauptbahnhof.
Unfortunately, the error still persists. As of 21.05.23 - 11:00 am.
Take part in one of these special one-hour tours, which have our certified tour guides leading participants around St Paul's Church while following the footsteps of Germany's freedom movement. The tour will acquaint you with a variety of historical locations, all of which played a major role in Germany's struggle for democracy in the revolutionary year of 1848. The visit to St Paul's Church during the tour depends on the number of visitors and cannot be guaranteed.