Römerberg is a picturesque scenery of wooden timber architecture with a fountain in the square but was drained when we visited. This is where a lot of the picture postcards of Frankfurt are photgraphed.

Römer U-bahn U4; Hauptwache S-bahn S1-6, U8, U9, U-bahn U1-3, U6, U7

The Romer, along the western edge of the square, was and still functions as the town hall. The Romer also houses the Kaiseraal, which served as the imperial coronation hall for German emperors, starting with the great Charlemagne. A collection of portraits is found here, which may interest only the most dedicated history hound. A few grandiose banners and other decorative touches usually front the Romer. It is part of a rowhouse of medieval, half-timbered stepped gable facades that originated from the 15th Century but heavily reconstructed during the 1970's. If you stare at the Romer side from a distance, the rooflines create a peculiar optical illusion that is neither two-dimensional nor three-dimensional. A row of seven reconstructed houses on the east side of the Romerberg mimics the style of the Romer side. The look of the square definitely attempts to recreate the feeling of Old Germany, with such a cohesive effect that the average tourist is not aware of how recent the traditionally constructed facades really are.

The south side of the square features the smallish and squarish Alte Nikolaikirche (Old Nicholas Church), which originally were an early gothic court chapel and also a church for the city fathers. It now serves as the parish church for St. Paul's Congregation. The exterior features historic sandstone sculptures and a glockenspiel, which plays its forty bells three times a day. This is a nice space to pop into if you are trying to escape from the Romerberg crowds, and you can pick up a nice walking guide depicting historical churches in Frankfurt.

The Romerberg is richly decorated during the annual Christmas Market. Of course, all the booths, carnival rides and a 30-meter tall tree that occupy the square take away from the overall openness of the square that exists during the rest of the year. There is a main branch of the city's tourism bureau here, but there seems to be just a sprinkling of handy brochures here

The square is a must-see, so of course there were many tourists wandering around. But it never felt overrun with tourists, and it also seemed like a gathering place for locals. The many cafes and restaurants provide a good chance to people-watch, so it’s probably a good place to relax before heading for the Frankfurter Dom or the Historisches Museum.

Römerberg is very close to the river, and when I first stepped into it, I came from a walk along the river. To my right was the Historisches Museum, and an outside cafe and a tourist shop to the left. There were also some seats arranged in a circle around a small tree, and two young artists were perched there sketching Römerberg scenes.

Further along I could see the bright tan, reconstructed Römer, which currently serves as the registry and the mayor’s office. It lies on the western side of the square. Normally you can visit Kaisersaal and see portraits of several rulers, but sometimes the building is closed for official functions, and I believe the day I was there was such a day. The flags outside are supposed to indicate this, but I also saw formal-looking activity happening on the steps of the right-most entrance, and a crowd standing around watching and snapping photos. Leave it to me to run out of film at all the wrong moments…

The tourist information center is also along this side of the square, next to the Römer. It is a fairly small info center, but they have several leaflets, and maps. The woman I spoke to wasn’t exactly overly helpful, but maybe I wasn’t asking the right questions.

In front of the Römer, in the center of the square, is a fountain called Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen (the ‘Font of Justice’). The fountain harbors a large statue of a woman holding the scales of justice (surprise!) in her left hand. She is facing the Römer.

Directly across from the Römer are several reconstructed townhouses, and more cafes with outside seating. There are six distinct houses, of different heights, colors and design. Beside them is a walkway that leads back to several restaurants, cafes, the Frankfurter Dom and more. You can see my entry Walking Through Frankfurt for more about what’s off in this direction. The Dom can be seen quite easily from the square, but unfortunately when I was visiting, it was covered in scaffolding.