Marshall-Brunnen, Frankfurt, Besucherguide & was in der Nähe unternehmen

The Marshall-Brunnen is a fountain on the Taunusanlage, the green strip of parkland at the edge of Frankfurt's banking district, at Taunusanlage 20. Its name points to the Marshall Plan, the American aid programme that helped rebuild Western Europe after the Second World War and in which Frankfurt played a real part. It is a short, easy stop that makes more sense once you know the story behind the name.

The story behind it

The Marshall Plan began in 1948 and sent more than 13 billion dollars to Western Europe to restart its economies. West Germany received around 11 percent of the total. Much of the aid arrived as food, fuel and other goods the war-damaged country badly needed.

Frankfurt mattered because the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the reconstruction bank based in the city, handled the money. It sold the incoming supplies and put the proceeds into German industry, which helped drive recovery. After the London Agreement settled Germany's external debts, the KfW kept managing the funds as a special reserve known as the ERP-Sondervermögen, and it still lends from it today.

What to look for

• Look at the water and the basin itself, and notice how a quiet fountain sits in the middle of one of Germany's busiest financial districts.
• Read the name and think about what it commemorates, because the Marshall Plan is the reason Frankfurt's postwar rebuilding is so closely tied to money and banking.
• Notice the setting: the Taunusanlage park is lined with bank towers and office buildings that rise above its trees and paths.
• Follow the park's walking paths in both directions, which show how the old city ring was turned into a continuous strip of greenery.

Tips for your visit

• Allow ten to fifteen minutes for the fountain itself, or longer if you stroll the rest of the Taunusanlage.
• It stands outdoors in a public park, so you can see it from the path without any ticket or queue.
• Go on a weekday around lunchtime if you like watching the financial district at work, or in the morning for a calmer visit.
• The park is close to the city centre, so it combines easily with a walk through the central streets and nearby squares.

See it on a quest

You can reach the Marshall-Brunnen on foot as one stop of Sex, Money & Murder: The Rosemarie Nitribitt Tour in Frankfurt, a self-guided walk through the city. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so a fountain turns into a clue rather than a quick photo. There is no guide and no group to join, and you can start whenever you like. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.