Old City Library, Architectural heritage monument in Frankfurt, Germany

The Old City Library is a classicism building in the heart of Frankfurt's Altstadt with a symmetrical facade, column work, and light sandstone. The structure follows strict geometric lines and displays the typical features of architecture from this period.

The library was built from 1820 to 1825 by city architect Johann Friedrich Christian Hess as the first major investment of the Free City of Frankfurt after the Napoleonic era, intended as a monument to the restored civic republic. In March 1944 bombing destroyed it; the ruin was later demolished except for the portico, which was placed under monument protection in 1958. A reconstruction was decided in 2003, and the rebuilt building opened in October 2005.

The building shapes the Altstadt quarter with its neoclassical form and shows how Frankfurt created public spaces for knowledge and books in the 19th century. Visitors experience a place where education held a central position in city life.

The building sits centrally in the Altstadt and is easily reached via pedestrian paths and underground stations. Visitors should use the best light in the morning to admire the details of the facade.

The surviving portico was secured in 1958 and listed as a memorial; in 1987, at the suggestion of Städel director Kasper König, architects Marie-Theres Deutsch and Klaus Dreissigacker added an annex. As the Portikus it became an exhibition hall for contemporary art, and the name was kept when a new hall opened on the Maininsel.