In 1987, while building an administrative complex in Frankfurt, construction workers stumbled across something unexpected: the foundations of 19 houses that had once been part of the Judengasse, the city’s old Jewish ghetto, dating back to the 15th century.
Instead of preserving this rare historic find, the city—which was running the project—planned to just build over it. What they clearly didn’t expect was the public backlash. Ordinary Frankfurt locals, along with the Jewish community, pushed back hard. Protests broke out, and in the end, the city had to change course.
The result? The foundations were saved and became part of the new building—now known as the Museum Judengasse (“Judengasse” literally means “Jewish Lane”).
The museum lets visitors walk through part of the ghetto itself, with five original house foundations still in place. The exhibition focuses on the everyday lives of the people who once lived there. It’s absolutely worth a visit—actually, even more so than the main Jewish Museum in town.
Why? Because these bricks are the real deal. Hundreds of years old, they make the past feel close—like stepping straight into Jewish life in Frankfurt 500 years ago.
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