The Römerberg (Roman Mountain) in Frankfurt. A year ago today.

The Römerberg (Roman Mountain) in Frankfurt.
Numerous coronations of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire took place on this square. Afterwards they met for the coronation meal in the town hall. The town hall, called Römer, built in the 15th century, was destroyed in the Second World War. You see a bit on the very right side. Since it was foreseeable that Frankfurt would be the target of bombs, much could be saved from the destruction beforehand and the building was documented as well as possible. So a very authentic reconstruction was possible.

The church is the medieval Lutheran Old St Nicholas Church. It was only slightly damaged by the bombing. Construction of the church began in the 13th century. It has had its current appearance since the 15th century. In the course of the Reformation, the church temporarily lost its function. It was leased for over 150 years and used as an archive of the municipal lay judge's court and at times as a warehouse during trade fairs. The lease was terminated in 1719 and the church was inaugurated again in 1721 after restoration.

In the building on the very left there is a small coffee and exchange office. There is a connection between the owner and me. His father was the American Ernest Biberfield from District Information Services Control Command. When my great-grandfather was still assigned administrative tasks in the Buchenwald concentration camp after the end of WW2, Bieberfield informed my family about the early takeover of Thuringia by the Soviet occupying powers and about my grandfather, who was missing in the West.
So my great-grandfather traveled to the American zone at the invitation of the American headquarters in Frankfurt.