Frankfurt is considered the financial capital of Europe. It is the seat of the European Central Bank, the German Federal Bank and also houses the headquarters of Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and DZ Bank, some of the largest German banks. It is the most expensive city in the country and a must-see in the transport sector: it has one of the busiest airports in the world and one of the largest train stations in Europe. All this would make you expect a futuristic and avant-garde European city, with a suit, tie and briefcase in hand. But lower your expectations, because our train is not heading there. Ours, the Portuguese.
The national team plays this Monday in Frankfurt and although the stadium is in a very isolated area of the city – six kilometers from the center – it is certain that many Portuguese fans will arrive by train. The Bahnhofsviertel neighborhood (literally translated as “train station block”) will be the city’s first calling card and may surprise anyone who expected an area dressed in a suit matching the ECB. The problem is not new: since the early 1990s, some streets in the district have been nicknamed the “Red Light District”, a reference to the notorious red light district in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Added to this was drug use in the 2000s, which worsened during and after the pandemic. Yusuf, the fictitious name of an employee of a hotel located on one of the most dangerous streets and who did not want to be identified, explains the changes: “I have been here for 25 years and it has never been worse. It used to be heroin, now it is more crack. Homeless people were not well monitored during Covid and this exploded. They look crazy on the street.”
The Elbe Street Hotel is one of the few that still has the automatic door open. The rest of the rooms we entered, in addition to having an unusual silence and calm in the reception of a hotel in a big city, always had their doors closed. Only when the bell rings do the doors open. This is how another employee of a hotel from one of the best-known international chains explains it: “They don’t hurt anyone, but the guests feel uncomfortable. That’s why we have closed the doors, it always helps.”he explains. This second hotel is located on the avenue that connects the European Central Bank’s supervisory building on Willy-Brandt-Platz to Frankfurt Central Station. The hallmark of this street is not so much drug use, but rather visible immigration. There are hardly any German shops. But where are most of the consumers and homeless people then? “For that you have to go here,” he points out on a map to Taunusstraße. This is where the municipality of Frankfurt has pushed most of the drug addicts. As soon as you turn the corner, you immediately notice the problem.
In broad daylight, it is easy to find people on this street who consume without shame or prejudice. The sound of breaking glass and empty bottles falling was a constant soundtrack along the way. This street is easy to describe. It is almost 100% made up of brothels and gambling houses, casinos frequented mostly by the same people found on the street. The Observer went to another hotel located right on the corner of the street to find out how to maintain a business in such circumstances. The silence of the response was enlightening: “Please, I will ask them to leave. We cannot talk to the media, they have tried before.” One refused as a sign of help, which was repeated minutes later. As we focused our cell phone camera to take a photo of Taunusstraße, a young German who seemed to be, like us, passing through, warned: “No, no photos. If they see you, you’re going to have problems.”
We only accepted the invitation to leave after passing through the next street, Niddastraße. This is where people gather to consume in a safer way, with the help of the municipality. “It was the way the Chamber found to give a little security to those who consume and those who pass by,” explains the same hotel employee. The measure was not taken only for the Euro 2024, it had come before. But, of course, there were changes compared to the Euro. The English tabloid The Sun contributed greatly to this by describing the “biggest slum in Germany”. In April, an alleged police “cleanup” of the neighborhood made the news. The English team played the second match of the group stage in Frankfurt and UEFA suggested that whoever had a ticket stay at the Bahnhofsviertel. Given the recommendation, the English journalists went to the neighborhood and found a thorough police operation. The report left the municipality outraged. Those who work there speak of excesses.
“They said in the report that half of all crimes committed in Frankfurt occur here, but they did not say where they got these figures from. Then they talk about shootings. I’ve been working here for two years and I haven’t heard a single shot. Of course, I don’t walk the streets completely comfortably, but there is some exaggeration,” explains a restaurant owner to the Observer. The Sun’s report was questioned by the mayor and the president of the Bahnhofsviertel trade association, who reject that the neighborhood is a “zombieland”, a “land of zombies”. It is true that some figures mentioned in the English report lack a source, but the published images coincide with the reality seen by the Observer, even if it is with a certain exaggeration. “They tried to clean it up before the euro, it’s a little better,” says the restaurant owner himself.
And unless you’re curious, fans won’t have any major problems unless they take a risk. The interior of Frankfurt station is very lively, clean and bright, just as one would expect in the German transport capital. The city centre fan zone is located to the right of the central station, directly opposite Taunusstraße and Niddastraße. Eleven minutes and 750 metres separate the two venues and so far the space dedicated to Euro 2024 has not been neglected, which was packed at the Germany-Denmark screening this Saturday. On Monday, many Portuguese will arrive in Frankfurt and will already know where to set foot. But more than any street in the city centre, the best place is undoubtedly Deutsche Bank Park, where the best football in the world is on display.
Source: Observadora
