German Architecture Museum

How should a museum of architecture be designed? “Architecturally interesting, of course,” was the decision made in the late 1970s, leading to the gutting of a Wilhelminian-style villa on the banks of the Main, designed by Oswald Mathias Ungers, and its transformation into a postmodern “house within a house.” In this setting, the German Architecture Museum presents special exhibitions and the permanent exhibition “Stories of Building,” which does exactly that: it showcases examples and stories of buildings from all eras—from the earliest settlements through the 1980s. A long display wall, for example, illustrates how architecture has continually evolved and continues to do so. The museum not only celebrates new ideas and exciting concepts in its exhibitions; every year, it awards a prize for outstanding buildings in Germany and participates, for example, in the City of Frankfurt’s International Skyscraper Award. You can also see some spectacular examples from the museum’s café: Here, you can sit in large armchairs or, in the summer, on the terrace, and—while enjoying coffee and cake—either browse through architecture books or take in the view of the Frankfurt skyline.