Cross the Main River between the north and south areas of the city on foot and you’ll invariably find yourself on the green Eiserner Steg. This bridge for pedestrians is today one of the most distinctive landmarks in Frankfurt. It was initially opened in 1869 to take some of the traffic off the only other bridge in the city.
Like much of the city, the bridge was destroyed during World War II but rebuilt shortly after. Today 10,000 people cross the Eiserner Steg every day. Cross the bridge with a camera in hand to capture photos of the city, river and a slice of historic Frankfurt.
The bridge is 170 metres (560 feet) long and runs from the Altstadt (Old Town) in the north to Sachsenhausen in the south. Look from the Museumsufer (Museum Embankment) across to some of Frankfurt’s oldest buildings and the modern skyline beyond. Look up to see the line from Homer’s Odyssey that hangs over the bridge. It reads “While sailing over the wine-dark sea to men of strange speech”.
The bridge was initially built by and for the people of Frankfurt. In the middle of the 19th century, residents regularly complained to the government about traffic on the one and only bridge across the Main River at the time. When nothing was done they took things into their own hands and funded the Eiserner Steg through private donations.
It wasn’t until the final days of World War II that German soldiers trying to stop Allied troops from getting into Frankfurt blew up the bridge. It was rebuilt in 1946 and is still one of the easiest routes for navigating between attractions in the centre of the city today.
Access the Eiserner Steg from the north via the main Altstadt U-Bahn station and tram stop. There are stairs and a special elevator for wheelchairs. Cross the bridge free of charge at any time of the day and night.
