10 May 2025 – 11 January 2026
In 2025, The New Frankfurt is celebrating its 100th birthday. The Museum Angewandte Kunst is marking the occasion by hosting numerous exhibitions dedicated to the modernist design movement of the 1920s. The core exhibition What was the New Frankfurt? is planned as an initial launch pad for the city wide campaign and will raise the following questions: What exactly was The New Frankfurt? Who were the protagonists? What ideas and influences formed the basis of this modernist design movement? What were its key themes, and how did these effectively transform society?
In the years after the First World War, Frankfurt was characterized by a strongly socially and culturally oriented municipal administration as well as a broad civic engagement and both had an impact on the entire living space. In particular, the achievements of the Lord Mayor Ludwig Landmann and the City Planning Officer Ernst May as well as the employees of the Building Department such as Martin Elsaesser, Adolf Meyer, Ferdinand Kramer or Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky are often at the center of attention.
Numerous housing and industrial construction projects were successfully implemented: the housing estates Römerstadt (1927-28), Praunheim (1926-30), Bornheimer Hang (1926-30) and Westhausen (1929-32) are just a few examples of the housing developments that created around 12,000 apartments for the Frankfurt population within the space of just 5 years. Numerous municipal school buildings and a retirement home run by the Henry und Emma-Budge-Stiftung as well as industrial facilities such as the power station and the Großmarkthalle are also among the buildings that were to establish Frankfurt’s reputation as a modern metropolis. In addition, the design of public green spaces and sports facilities was also a priority and realized from the beginning.
Most of the residential buildings and estates as well as numerous public buildings of The New Frankfurt are still functional and visible, used, inhabited and utilized today. On the other hand, public knowledge about the achievements of this building program is still little known outside the specialist fields of architectural and design history. The exhibition aims to change this: The aim is, on the one hand, to establish a broader awareness of the historical planning and, on the other, to carry questions of city life and housing from a present-day viewpoint into the future.
The exhibition consists of a multimedia room in which the key questions regarding the building program are posed and answered, as well as taking a closer look at where its’ initiatives, people and fields of action are presented in the context of the 100th anniversary. The multimedia room assembles significant objects from the time of The New Frankfurt, texts and original quotes, images, films, infographics and photographs that come together to tell the story of what The New Frankfurt was and will continue to be.
The questions formulated in this initial room pave the way for more in-depth exhibitions in other parts of the museum, with partner institutions and in the Rhine-Main region; and ultimately extend into the program of World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026, thus providing an updated perspective on The New Frankfurt and other national and international design movements that have always led to changes in societal models.
Curator: Grit Weber
With Dr. Jutta Frieß
Meeting point: Ebelfeldschool
Price: 13€
Participation with online ticket. The ticket entitles you to an additional museum admission as part of the exhibitions for the Jubilee 100 Years of the New Frankfurt.
You can find the ticket here .
Without registration. Included in the admission price.
Without registration. Included in the admission price.
Without registration. Included in the admission price.
Without registration. Included in the admission price.
Sound has always been attributed with a healing effect: from the low frequencies of the Earth’s magnetic field to Solfeggio tones, which are said to release inner blockages and promote spiritual awakening. Yet care is more than a vibration. It is human affection, it requires taking time for empathy. It is, at the latest, when we can no longer eat, dress, or wash ourselves without help that we become dependent on other people. With the dissolution of the family as the center of care, a sophisticated system of home health care has developed, especially in Western countries. A business model, a strenuous job in which mobile caregivers rush from door to door by car.
In Your World – an Audio Drive, Marc Behrens and Hannes Seidl take the audience on a tour of Frankfurt. Wrapped in calming frequencies, a connection between the daily routine of home health care and (self-)care emerges. While the healing frequencies tenderly envelop the audience, the conversations build a bridge to the harsh world beyond the window panes. Your World oscillates between singing bowls and bedpans and takes time—for the audience and those who care for us.
Eine Produktion von Hannes Seidl & Briefkastenfirma in Koproduktion mit Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt am Main. Gefördert aus Mitteln der Stadt Frankfurt am Main und dem Hessisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Forschung, Kunst und Kultur.
The audio drive lasts about 50 minutes and costs 18 euro per person / 10 euro reduced price.
The audio drive starts at 2, 3, 4, and 5 pm.
The tickets can be purchased here.
The installations (cars) can be viewed from the outside and inside in the museum courtyard. The cars can be opened upon request by the supervisory staff.
Sound has always been attributed with a healing effect: from the low frequencies of the Earth’s magnetic field to Solfeggio tones, which are said to release inner blockages and promote spiritual awakening. Yet care is more than a vibration. It is human affection, it requires taking time for empathy. It is, at the latest, when we can no longer eat, dress, or wash ourselves without help that we become dependent on other people. With the dissolution of the family as the center of care, a sophisticated system of home health care has developed, especially in Western countries. A business model, a strenuous job in which mobile caregivers rush from door to door by car.
In Your World – an Audio Drive, Marc Behrens and Hannes Seidl take the audience on a tour of Frankfurt. Wrapped in calming frequencies, a connection between the daily routine of home health care and (self-)care emerges. While the healing frequencies tenderly envelop the audience, the conversations build a bridge to the harsh world beyond the window panes. Your World oscillates between singing bowls and bedpans and takes time—for the audience and those who care for us.
A production by Hannes Seidl & Briefkastenfirma in co-production with Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt am Main. Funded by the City of Frankfurt am Main and the Hessisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Forschung, Kunst und Kultur.
The audio drive lasts about 50 minutes and costs 18 euro per person / 10 euro reduced price.
The audio drive starts at 2, 3, 4, and 5 pm.
Registration at: sabine.huth@stadt-frankfurt.de
The tickets can be purchased here.
The installations (cars) can be viewed from the outside and inside in the museum courtyard. The cars can be opened upon request by the supervisory staff.
Without registration. Included in the admission price.
Outlook on the Social City
With Frankfurt Babylon.