My Stories
Photography | Visual stories
I have never been before in this part of Frankfurt called "Römerstadt", another Siedlung planned by Ernst May. There is always anticipation in exploring something new, but carefulness and distance as well, especially in late autumn, when dusk comes early.
Shot with Fujifilm X100F and X-Pro 3 + 14mm f2.8
Although I am living near Frankfurt for many years, I don't really know this city. My small trip to “Siedlung Westhausen” was a positive surprise, Westhausen welcomed me, open, colorful and more spacious than I had expected.
Westhausen is one of several settlements planned by Ernst May (1886 - 1970), a German architect and city planner. In the context of a housing shortage, May assembled a powerful staff of progressive architects and initiated the large-scale housing development program “New Frankfurt” in 1925. May's developments were remarkable for the time for being compact, semi-independent, well-equipped with community elements like playgrounds, schools, theatres, and common washing areas. For the sake of economy and construction speed May used simplified, prefabricated forms.
It’s more than a year ago now. We spent a day on the Wasserkuppe, a large plateau formation at an elevation of nearly 1.000m and the highest peak in the Rhön Mountains. Near the summit there is an airfield used by gliding clubs and pilots of light aircrafts and some crowded restaurants.
I spent the hours walking aimlessly around the plateau, the sun on my skin, the fresh air clearing my mind. Disappearing between the hikers, roamers and visitors, going unnoticed under the wide-open sky.
