Attraction · Frankfurt · Updated on 1 November 2026.

Goethe House in Frankfurt

Goethe House is an attraction in Frankfurt, Hesse. This place has a story in the app. 48 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km. Within 280 m you'll find a bench, a public toilet, a bike pump and a water point.

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The story

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Story · Goethe House

You're standing at the Goethe House on Großer Hirschgraben in Frankfurt. This is where Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great German poet and playwright, was born on 28 August 1749. Take a look at the façade: yellow plaster, grey trim, and on top a tall dormer that rises three floors above the house. Notice how the upper floors jut out over the street? That double overhang was actually banned because of the fire risk. Goethe's father, Johann Caspar, rebuilt the house in 1755 and 1756. Since it counted as a renovation rather than a new building, he got to keep it.

Read the whole story in the Outdoor Pitstop app: check in at this place and it is yours (with Pro; new users are Pro for the first 4 weeks).

Opening hours and admission

Wheelchair: Not accessible

Source: OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.

Photos

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons. In the app you add your own photo when you are there.

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Photo: Mylius · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Goethe House in Frankfurt: birthplace of Goethe

The Goethe House in Frankfurt is the house where the poet and playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in 1749. He grew up here and wrote books here that made him famous across Europe. The first versions of his Faust also took shape in this house. You will find it at Großer Hirschgraben 23-25 in Frankfurt. Nearby are St. Paul's Church at 228 metres, the Hauptwache at 266 metres and the Römer at 304 metres.

Goethe House: its history

The house dates from around 1618. In 1733, the house was bought by the grandmother of the poet. Goethe's father, Johann Caspar, had it rebuilt in 1755 and 1756. A double overhang was actually forbidden because of the fire risk, but since the work was officially a renovation and not new construction, he was allowed to keep it. Goethe later studied in Leipzig and Straatsburg, but he kept returning to Frankfurt. In this house he wrote the play Götz von Berlichingen. In 1775 he left for Weimar for good. On 22 March 1944, bombs destroyed the house, along with much of the old town. Afterwards, a choice had to be made: leave the ruin as it was or rebuild the house. It was rebuilt exactly as it had been, using old drawings and photographs. The staircase banister was recovered from the rubble and restored. The house reopened to visitors in 1951.

Toilets, drinking water and benches near the Goethe House

The nearest bench is 124 metres away, on Bethmannstraße, so you can rest close by after your visit. Within 500 metres there are 78 benches in total, so you have plenty to choose from. The nearest public toilet is 179 metres away, at Kornmarkt. Within 500 metres there are 11 public toilets. To fill your bottle, the nearest water point is the Hauptwache-Brunnen, 276 metres away. There are 4 water points in total within 500 metres. If you are cycling, you can use a bike pump for free at Steinweg, 245 metres away. There are 3 bike pumps within 500 metres.

Walking and seeing more nearby

If you want to keep walking after your visit, you will pass more places close by. At the Paulskirche and the Römer, you can listen to an audio story while you stand there. At the Hauptwache there is no audio story, but you can still stop there for a moment. If you continue a little further, you reach the Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus after 560 metres. There is an audio story here too. The Städel Museum is 920 metres from the Goethe House, and this museum also has an audio story. In this way, you can extend your walk step by step, from 228 metres to 920 metres.

Facilities near Goethe House

The nearest pitstop of each kind within 1 km, as the crow flies. No honesty box within 1 km.

Well-known points of interest nearby

50 well-known points of interest nearby, those with an audio tour first. 48 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km.

MuseumAudio story · 2 min

Städel Museum · 920 m

Photo: Simsalabimbam · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Römer · 300 m

Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 deView the photo on Wikimedia Commons

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew · 560 m

Photo: rupp.de · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

MuseumAudio story · 2 min

Senckenberg Naturmuseum · 2 km

Photo: Mylius · Wikimedia Commons · GFDL 1.2View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

St. Paul's Church · 230 m

Photo: Jörg Braukmann · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Hear the story of Städel Museum on the spot with the app

All 135 points of interest in Frankfurt →

Also within walking distance

The 5 nearest points of interest with a story, within 2 km.

All 135 points of interest in Frankfurt →

Walks within 2 km

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Cycle routes within 5 km

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Frequently asked questions

Where is the Goethe House in Frankfurt am Main?

The Goethe House is at Großer Hirschgraben 23-25 (60311) in Frankfurt am Main. It is 228 metres from St. Paul's Church and 304 metres from the Römer.

When was Goethe born in the Goethe House?

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in this house on 28 August 1749. He grew up there and left for Weimar for good in 1775.

Is the Goethe House in Frankfurt the original building?

No, the current Goethe House is a reconstruction. Bombs destroyed the house on 22 March 1944, after which it was rebuilt exactly as it was and reopened in 1951.

What can you see inside the Goethe House?

Inside the Goethe House you can see 18 rooms with furniture and paintings from the time of Goethe, including the kitchen, a safe, the garden room and his parents' bedroom. The highlight is the staircase with its original wrought-iron banister, which was recovered from the rubble and restored.

Which books did Goethe write in the Goethe House?

Goethe wrote Götz von Berlichingen and Werther in the Goethe House. The first versions of his Faust also took shape here.

How do you get into the Goethe House?

You enter through the Deutsches Romantik-Museum next to the house. A single ticket gives you access to both museums.