The German ‘Mainhattan’ Where Bankers Work Next to Drug Addicts

Anyone traveling to Frankfurt may be surprised at their first glimpse of the city. Or the smell.

That is, if you arrive by train. Because the station district, Bahnhofsviertel, shows the dark side of Frankfurt. It’s where drug users shoot up on house doorsteps, undefinable stains smear the sidewalks and brothels bathe the alleyways with a red glow. It chimes with Frankfurt’s title as the city with the highest crime rate in Germany.

But just a few blocks away, it’s a city of the rich. Gleaming skyscrapers, bankers in suits and expensive restaurants give the city its nickname, Mainhattan, ...