The Zeil () is a street in the city centre of
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian dialects, Hessian: , "Franks, Frank ford (crossing), ford on the Main (river), Main"), is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as o ...
, Germany. The name, which dates back to the 14th century, is derived from the German word ''
Zeile'' "row" and originally referred to a row of houses on the eastern end of the north side; the name was not extended to the entire street until later.
[''Archiv für Frankfurts Geschichte und Kunst'' 5, dritte Folge (1896), p. 350.]
Since the end of the 19th century it has been one of the most famous and busiest shopping streets in Germany. Before
World War II it was also known for its grand buildings, but most of them were destroyed and not rebuilt. The western part of the Zeil is a
pedestrian zone
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
between two large plazas,
Hauptwache in the west and
Konstablerwache in the east. These two plazas serve as major intersections for underground trains, trams and buses. The eastern part of the Zeil, called "New Zeil", connects Konstablerwache with the Friedberger Anlage.
The Zeil underwent a major renovation from spring 2008 until summer 2009. The pedestrian zone was extended to the west as far as the Börsenstraße. This brought drastic changes for motorists because the route via Hauptwache, which is an important north-south connection for individual traffic, was closed.
Gallery
File:Frankfurt_Am_Main-Zeil-Palais_Quartier-Ansicht_vom_Maintower.jpg, View from Main Tower
Main Tower is a 56-storey, skyscraper in the Innenstadt district of Frankfurt, Germany. It is named after the nearby Main river. The building is when its antenna spire is included.
The tower has five underground floors and two public viewi ...
towards Palais Quartier
File:Zeil-2010-ffm-092.jpg, Aerial view of Zeil at night
File:Myzeil-knippershelbig-03.jpg, MyZeil shopping arcade
File:Frankfurt Galeria Kaufhof.20131019.jpg, Galeria Kaufhof
Galeria Kaufhof GmbH was a German department store chain, headquartered in Cologne. It was a member of the International Association of Department Stores from 1930 to 2010, with various CEOs acting as presidents of the Association over time.
U ...
File:Medienfassade_der_Zeilgalerie_bei_Tag.jpg, Zeilgalerie arcade (1992–2016)
File:Frankfurt Am Main-Zeil-Johan Conrad Unsinger-Fassade des Palais Barckhaus-1711.jpg, Emperor Charles' residence ''Palais Barckhaus'' at Zeil, where he resided in exile (1711)
File:Frankfurt Am Main-Max Junghaendel-FFMANDN-15-Zeil.jpg, Zeil in 1898
File:Frankfurt Am Main-Zeil-Grand Bazar-Palais Rothschild-Schmoller-um 1910.jpg, Grand Bazar (1903–1905), Palais Rothschild (1793–1797) and Schmoller (1900), photo 1910
References
External links
Streets in Frankfurt
Shopping districts and streets in Germany
Tourist attractions in Frankfurt
Pedestrian streets in Germany
{{Germany-road-stub