Visiting a church en femme vs. going to church en femme

The first church of the day, “Paulskirche” (St. Paul's Church), right in historic downtown, is not used for church services anymore. Originally built between 1789 and 1833, it served as a protestant church until 1944, before being converted (no pun intended) into an assembly hall. One of the most significant current uses is for the award ceremony of the “Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels” (Peace price of the German book trade). Recipients of this price range from Max Tau in 1950 to Salman Rushdie in 2023. 

Franziska, taking seat in the audience. Unfortunately, there was no event that day to attend.

The speaker’s desk

Paulskirche in Frankfurt also has high significance for Germany’s democratic development. It served as assembly hall for the first ever democratic convention on German ground, the Frankfurter Nationalversammlung, which took place in 1848/49.

On display in the main hall of Paulskirche, you find the German national flag (above Franzi) and the flags of the 16 states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. Top left corner is the flag of my home state.

From there, Franziska went on to what locals call "Freßgass." Frankfurt’s “Freßgass” (Große Bockenheimer Straße), a pedestrian-only street between “Hauptwache” and “Alte Oper” is frequently used for festivities, such as wine festivals. And as you all know, wine is one of Franzi’s favorite drinks.

In the background, you can see one of the many access points to the subway station “Hauptwache.” As I had recently written, “Hauptwache” (main guard house)” is the central subway station in Frankfurt. If you take the subway from the airport into the city, you might leave the station right here. And if you are lucky, there will be a wine festival.

While strolling (I guess “strolling” is very much a European mode) through Frankfurt’s “New Old Town,” I heard the bells of the nearby “Frankfurter Dom” or better “Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus“ (Frankfurt Cathedral or better Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew), which you have already seen in my last posting. The first church on this site dates back to the 7th century, while construction of the current „Dom“ started in 1239. As of the middle of the 12th century already, this central church in the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation had been the site for numerous coronations of European kings, queens, emperors, and empresses.

With no other plans before dinner remaining, I thought to myself “Why not – you haven’t been to a church service (apart from weddings and funerals) in probably around 40 years.” So, there I was, in my cute little dress and blazer, sitting on a hard wooden bench, modestly pressing my knees together, holding a songbook in my hands, listening to preaching, prayer, and song (somehow this rhythm sounds familiar). Unfortunately, the pictures I took during the service at didn’t turn out at all. Christ!

This wonderful day out and about in early September 2023 ended with a great dinner at a French restaurant in Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen. Given the pleasant temperature, Franzi was able to enjoy her dinner outside.