St. Paul's Church

St. Paul's Church

St. Paul's Church (Paulskirche), also translated as St. Paul’s Church, is located in Frankfurt, Germany. Originally built in 1787, it is an oval-shaped Protestant church and an important political symbol in Germany. It was constructed at the time to replace the Franciscan Church (Church of the Barefoot Friars) (Barfüsserkirche) and was designed by the city’s master architect Johann Andreas Liebhardt. In 1833, this magnificent classical sandstone church was finally completed.

Fifteen years later, in 1848, the first freely elected German parliament convened a constitutional assembly here. Over two thousand people attended the constitutional assembly. The assembly drafted Germany’s first democratic constitution, comprising a total of 59 articles. Due to its centralized layout, it served as the seat of the Frankfurt National Assembly from 1848 to 1849. In 1852, St. Paul's Church resumed its religious function.

In 1944, the Paulskirche was bombed. As one of the city’s oldest buildings and a symbol of the new democratic system, it was rebuilt after the war. Today, award ceremonies for the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade and the Goethe Prize are held in the church. At other times, it is open to visitors for tours.

St. Paul's Church (Paulskirche)

Address: Old Town, north bank of the Main River

Admission: €1.60 for adults; €0.80 for students

Transportation: Accessible via city railway lines U4 and U5