Did the walls of Café Laumer whisper secrets of clandestine meetings? We stand before Café Laumer, a Frankfurt institution. This sun-yellow Gründerzeit villa has graced the Bockenheimer Landstraße since 1919. Café Laumer isn’t just a café. It’s a time capsule, layered with the echoes of history, the scent of brewing coffee, and the sweet perfume of pastries. Originally located at Eschersheimer Landstraße 44/Fichardstraße, it moved to its current location, number 67, in 1925. The city of Frankfurt has owned the building since the 1970s. Imagine the lively debates that filled the air within these walls. In the 1920s, a group of left-wing intellectuals from Frankfurt University, known as the “Kränzchen,” frequented Café Laumer. Thinkers like Kurt Riezler, Paul Tillich, Max Horkheimer, Karl Mannheim, and Theodor W. Adorno shaped intellectual discourse here. During World War II, the café played a role in the resistance against Hitler. The student resistance group Lupus, led by Adalbert Fahrenholz, met here to support the conspiracy of July 20, 1944. Decades later, in the turbulent 1960s, Café Laumer found itself at the center of student protests. Scenes of tumult unfolded as activists, including Rainer Langhans and Fritz Teufel, targeted the café. Even future foreign minister Joschka Fischer might have been present. Amidst the chaos, cakes were thrown, a stark contrast to the café’s usual elegant atmosphere. Through it all, Café Laumer endured. It became the temporary headquarters of Rowohlt Verlag during the Frankfurt Book Fair in the 1980s and 1990s, temporarily known as “Café Rowohlt.” Today, Café Laumer continues to serve as a beloved café, Konditorei, and restaurant. It has weathered financial storms, including an insolvency in 2010, and emerged stronger than ever. So next time you savor a pastry or sip a coffee at Café Laumer, remember the whispers of history within its walls. From intellectual debates to acts of resistance, this café has witnessed it all.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to