Old Jewish Cemetery

Frankfurt’s Jewish cemeteries date back to the Middle Ages—the oldest surviving gravestone is from 1272. You’ll find tombstones leaning in different angles; at least, those that remain, since both the Nazis and the bombing destroyed many graves during World War II. Today fewer than 200 tombstones are in good condition, but the sites are still worth a visit. One cemetery wall was turned into a memorial in 1996 as a tribute to the city’s Jewish history. Inscribed are the names of Frankfurt Jews murdered during the Holocaust—more than 10,000 victims. Another Jewish cemetery, on Rat-Beil-Straße 10, contains hundreds of graves of Frankfurt Jews who committed suicide between 1938 and 1943. Despite the tragic history laid to rest in these graveyards, they’re now peaceful places of contemplation, with tombstones covered in moss and tall trees offering shade and places to rest.