It sits there on the balustrade and grins at us!
The GrünGürtel animal is friendly. It also exudes a considerable portion of impudence and confidence as evidenced in an interview on the occasion of its “discovery” (in: Monsterspecht und Dicke Raupe, City of Frankfurt Dept. of the Environment brochure, 2010). Yes, it is “singular” as a species. Truly unique. “After all, I can only be found here in the GrünGürtel and nowhere else in the entire world. […] Who else can claim to look as good as I do and be allowed to romp around in such an exquisite habitat?” The animal’s “stylish appearance” is down to it being a hybrid of boar, newt and bird: “the pig’s snout for a fine sense of smell, the supple rump that lets me ramble through the area, and the delicate wings so that whenever I choose, I can move nimbly and happily through the mild air.”
Rumor has it that Robert Gernhardt discovered the animal in the GrünGürtel and drew it. The author and caricaturist gifted the City of Frankfurt with this drawing to mark the 10th anniversary of the GrünGürtel – and the strange creature became the symbol for the area. Now you can meet it here – anywhere and everywhere. The figure on the Robert-Gernhardt bridge is based on a model made by the artist that was cast in bronze.

Both the GrünGürtel circular hiking trail (stage 7) and the GrünGürtel circular cycle trail take you past the GrünGürtel animal. Moreover, you can get there using public transport (S-Bahn line 6, alight at “Frankfurter Berg”; then bus 27 to “Nordpark Bonames”). Alternatively, you can walk roughly one kilometer down to the Nidda valley and then, before the river, turn left onto the path along the river bank and walk another 250 meters or so to the bridge.
From here you can also easily call on the Sondermann (walk back along the Nidda and cross it; then turn right into the third path directly before the second bridge crossing the old arm of the river).

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

The Sondermann stands in Nordpark at the point where the “tidy, cultivated” and the “wild” section meet. The sandstone sculpture was created by sculptor Andreas Rohrbach and is based on a cartoon character by artist Bernd Pfarr. For many years, Sondermann’s experiences were portrayed in regular instalments in the satirical magazine Titanic. The inscription on the base “once again an attractive woman has passed me by” is taken from the cartoon Sondermann wird nachdenklich (Sondermann gets thoughtful).
A single man who works as an accountant is keen to educate himself and is receptive to erotic stimulation, initially Sondermann seems rather pale and insignificant. However, this first impression is deceptive – his life is governed by strange laws. When Sondermann and his boss “snuggle up to one another” to slate their hunger; indeed, for Sondermann, eating schnitzel itself becomes something of a yoga exercise. Other strange characters enter the story including “God” whom Sondermann beats at tennis, the neighbor Schulze, who drops by “to blow things up”, Mr. Sharp, penguin and the “latest shagging partner” of Sondermann’s mother or Detlev Siehlbeck, who always carries a dead fish on his person.

From here it is not far to the GrünGürtel animal (see Grün Gürtel-Tier for getting there). What’s more you can easily combine a visit to Sondermann with a walk around Nordpark. Surrounded by the Nidda and one of its old arms the park boasts a large playground, places for picnics and barbecues, not to mention various sports facilities.
Both the GrünGürtel circular hiking trail (stage 7) and the GrünGürtel circular cycle trail take you past the Sondermann.

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

Walk along the banks of the Nidda in Rödelheim and you may encounter the smiling Barfüsser. Perhaps he is looking forward to people picnicking here or children riding on him. He might be strange in some respects, but his friendliness is genuine: It is not simply that he has six pairs of (bare) feet, but that he has hands and other feet in places where other creatures have a nose or a tail.
This fantasy creature stems from the book Tier- und Pflanzenwelt (Fauna and Flora). Compiled by artist and cartoonist Kurt Halbritter it purports to provide scientific descriptions of other creatures in the guise of images and text. According to Halbritter one characteristic of the Barfüsser is that it carries exhausted pilgrims home on completion of their pilgrimage.

The bronze sculpture was created by Kassel-based sculptor Siegfried Böttcher and stands in the Kurt Halbritter Anlage. It can be reached by public transport (S-Bahn line S3, S4 or S5, “Bahnhof Rödelheim”; then follow Marquardstrasse as far as the Nidda and turn left after the bridge – about 500 meters). The GrünGürtel circular hiking trail (stage 9) also takes you past the figure.

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

Man: “Strictly speaking whitethorn has no business in a green belt zone.”
Woman: “Just bring it on. The rose here in the allotment is not a rash, either.”
Man: “You are right there. I was taking things too far.”
Woman: “Exactly.”

A typical absurd dialog between two figures is exhibited in the form of comic panels in the Chlodwig Poth Anlage on the periphery of Sossenheim. The artist and author after whom the installation is named lived in this suburb and made it the topic of his Titanic series Last Exit Sossenheim. Full of “battibtry, malice, hate, dumbo-mindedness, ruining of the emotional and physical life,” according to colleague Hans Traxler, this series documents “the demise of the western world if not the entire world.” (quoted from: Monsterspecht und Dicke Raupe, City of Frankfurt Dept. of the Environment brochure, 2010).
However, once you’ve taken a seat on the benches beneath the hundred-year old whitethorn that marks Poth’s favorite spot – and let your gaze wander across meadows and fruit trees including a Speierling apple tree, as far as Frankfurt then you’ll probably understand why people who feel rooted here are filled with a warm feeling of familiarity and all at once genuine fondness for the sketched characters.

Left man: “If anyone asks me where I live, I always say: Sossenheim near the GreenBelt.”
Right man: “Sounds wonderful, like some kind of holiday resort.”
Left man: “Exactly.”

You can get here by bus (50, 55, 58, stop “Alt Sossenheim”).

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

At nightfall a strange sight can take unsuspecting visitor by surprise on the Schwanheimer Wiesen and give you a real shock: The reason is a Struwwelpeter with glowing eyes. It is a pollard willow with two glowing elements attached to it that shine out like eyes from a face framed by unruly hair. It was the idea of F.W. Waechter.
Struwwelpeter – or more an Anti-Struwwelpeter? The lively, tousled and rebellious look of the tree also makes you think of the book Waechter published in 1970 that makes fun of strict educators and authorities and features a collection of “cunning stories and gaudy pictures.” It is based on the classic story by Heinrich Hoffmann and has meanwhile become a classic in its own right for anti-authoritarian education:
“So don’t be pious and placid
like a tethered sheep,
but happy and free
like the clever kids. That is healthier.”

The cartoonist, film maker and author F.W. Waechter created a whole series of drawings featuring objects in trees and gifted them to the City of Frankfurt. Since 2006, seven drawings have been realized to date with the Frankfurt Caricatura Museum acting as cooperation partner. Product designer Till Hergenhahn realized Struwwelpeter. All the objects from Waechter’s Baumkunst can be found in the GrünGürtel and can be visited on Tour1:
Waechters Baumkunst No. 1: Eule im Norwegerpulli (Owl in Norwegian Pullover)
Waechters Baumkunst No. 2: Struwwelpeter
Waechters Baumkunst No. 3: Monsterkinder (Monster Children)
Waechters Baumkunst No. 4: Pinkelbaum (Peeing Tree)
Waechters Baumkunst No. 5: Monster (Monster Woodpecker)
Waechters Baumkunst No. 6: König der Eichhörnchen (King of the Squirrels)
Waechters Baumkunst No. 7: Dicke Raupe (Big Fat Caterpillar)

Struwwelpeter stands on the Diezelschneise. Both the GrünGürtel circular hiking trail (stage 1) and the GrünGürtel circular cycling trail take you past it.
It can also be reached using public transport (tram, line 12, final stop “Rheinlandstrasse”; follow Römerweg until you get to the GrünGürtel trail then turn left or follow the Schwanheimer Bahnstrasse until it crosses the Kelster brook and then turn right into Wiesenweg).
You can combine a walk across the Schwanheimer Wiesen with a stop at the Monsterkinder (Monster Children) and the Waldspielpark and/or the Kobelt Zoo.

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

Beneath an oak tree on the edge of the Schwanheim forest lie several enormous – monstrously large – wooden acorns: the Monsterkinder (Monster Children). A good opportunity to explore the forest floor with children and collecting acorns and beechnuts.

The Monster Children can be reached via the GrünGürtel circular hiking trail (stage 1); they are located on the Lichtetalschneise somewhat south of the Agendawaldschneise.
For further tips on getting there and the routes simply head for the Struwwelpeter that is also nearby, where you will find instructions.

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

Now Frankfurt also has a Jupiter Column! Finally, it ranks equal to other cities in the region that were blessed by the Romans with such a figure about 2,000 years earlier!
That said, times have changed which is why rather than being topped by Jupiter the column sports a golden GrünGürtel animal. And it is also possible to detect other deviations from the Roman original. Made from local red sandstone the shaft of the column features a relief that can certainly be described as a bay leaf following in the Classical Roman tradition. However, in its current context it is also reminiscent of the scales of wild beast. A view that is reinforced by the presence of additional GrünGürtel animals at the Tiroler Weiher pond: namely the Treppentiere (Staircase Animals). All the figures were created and realized by Andreas Rohrbach.

The pond makes the ideal destination for a trip of several hours and can be reached easily using public transport (bus 61 or tram line 21, stop “Stadionbad”; and you can use the footbridge to cross Mörfelder Landstrasse safely).
The trip can be combined with a lengthy walk around the Owl in the Norwegian Pullover (see Eule im Norwegerpulli for further tips on getting there and routes).
Alternately, the Tiroler Weiher pond can be integrated into a tour on the GrünGürtel circular hiking trail.

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

Aside from the animal topping the Jupitersäule (Jupiter Column) there are two additional GrünGürtel animals at the Tiroler Weiher pond. Framing the broad stairs of the bridge they seem to be guarding it: They are clad in the traditional Tirolean costume worn by marksmen and are armed. Their presence in this gear acts as a reference to the Federal Army troops who held their shooting practice in this section of the forest in the 19th century. Accordingly, there is a historic target wall nearby that can also be visited (simply follow the circular hiking trail Oberforsthaus – the wall is not far from the hotel on the Milanschneise).
We see a reversal of the normal order of things both with the Staircase Animals and the Jupiter Column. The animal is not hunted in this case but has become the hunter. This recalls Heinrich Hoffmann’s Story of the Man That Went Out Hunting in his Struwwelpeter:

The Story of the Wild Hunter

12.
THE STORY OF. THE MAN THAT WENT OUT SHOOTING.

This is the man that shoots the hares;
This is the coat he always wears:
With game-bag, powder-horn and gun
He's going out to have some fun.

He finds it hard, without a pair
Of spectacles, to shoot the hare.
The hare sits snug in leaves and grass.
And laughs to see the green man pass.

The green man wakes and sees her place
The spectacles upon her face;
And now she's trying all she can,
To shoot the sleepy, green-coat man.

He cries and screams and runs away;
The hare runs after him all day
And hears him call out everywhere:
"Help! Fire! Help! The Hare! The Hare!

13.
At last he stumbled at the well
Head over ears, and in he fell.
The hare stopp'd short, took aim, and hark!
Bang went the gun, — she miss'd her mark!

The poor man's wife was drinking up
Her coffee in her coffee-cup;
The gun shot cup and saucer through;
"0h dear!" cried she, "what shall I do?"

There liv'd close by the cottage there
The hare's own child, the little hare;
And while she stood upon her toes,
The coffee fell and burn'd her nose.
"0h dear!" she cried, with spoon in hand,
"Such fun I do not understand."

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

There is the following story on Waechters Baumkunst No. 6:

“The king of the squirrels led a life in keeping with his position. He had his residence built on two trees standing side by side not far from the GrünGürtel circular hiking trail and close to the StadtWaldHaus. He would sit enthroned on the one tree in the day and receive his squirrel subjects who handed him all kinds of nuts at every audience. He used the other tree for sleeping – in an abode made from nut shells with charming patterns and candy floss that his servants had stolen for him from the Dippemess fair.
However, one afternoon a deputation of three squirrels came scurrying unannounced up the trunk to the squirrel king’s throne room and presented a complaint. Without a doubt, they submitted, they were loyal and humble towards him, the squirrel king, but it was just too arduous a task to have to rush into the city every day and steal candy floss because he, the squirrel king insisted on fresh bedding. They said that henceforth they were only willing to go into town once a week to steal it.
The squirrel king flew into a rage over this lack of obedience. He was so angry that his coat turned black. Then he read an edict stating that the three disobedient servants should form a bridge between the trees because he was fed up of having to make the tough ascent and descent from one tree to the other twice a day, mornings and evenings while all they had to do was to rush to the other end of the city.
The king of the squirrels remained stuck in his bad temper and his coat stayed black forever.”
(from: Monsterspecht und Dicke Raupe, City of Frankfurt Dept. of the Environment brochure, 2010)

The bronze sculpture was created by Andreas Rohrbach after F.K. Waechter’s sketch. There is a picnic area nearby.
The König der Eichhörnchen (King of the Squirrels) can be reached by the Kuhpfadschneise that leads off Isenburger Schneise and is a continuation of Oberschweinstiegschneise.
For further tips on getting here and routes see Eule im Norwegerpulli (Owl in the Norwegian Pullover).

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

On the south bank of the Jacobiweiher pond, high up on an oak tree sits an owl dressed in a pullover. “The owl was given a Norwegian pullover for Christmas and was now one of the smartest looking birds in the Grüngürtel area,” we read on the plaque next to Waechters Baumkunst No. 1. The owl figure first appeared in the book Wahrscheinlich guckt wieder kein Schwein; a variation was created for the GrünGürtel.
I wonder how you might conjure up a connection between the owl as a symbol associated with philosophy, knowledge and wisdom and the fact that the sculpture was created by the New Frankfurt School?

The Jacobiweiher pond is a popular spot amongst locals. It is lined by numerous benches and the restaurant Oberschweinstiege with its fine regional cuisine is an added attraction. Several objects of Comic Art can also be visited here. From the Owl it is just a few minutes to the Pinkelbaum (Peeing Tree). You can also visit the Monsterspecht (Monster Woodpecker) by taking the Oberschweinstiegschneise and/or the König der Eichhörnchen (King of the Squirrels) on the other side of the Isenburger Schneise. For those that have still not had enough you can walk across the Isenburger Schneise to the Tiroler Weiher pond, where the Treppentiere (Staircase Animals) and the Jupitersäule (Jupiter Column) are to be found.
It is possible to walk around Jacobiweiher pond and Oberschweinstiege; the stroll takes about half a day. It is a good idea to use tram No. 17 (stop “Oberschweinstiege”). If you come by car simply park on the Isenburger Schneise or at the restaurant itself.

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

“For some 300 years I have been pissed on. From today I am pissing back,” announces the tree via the notice at its side. And indeed, if you get too close to it water spurts out from a pipe that is attached to its trunk.
Waechters Baumkunst No. 4 stands on the banks of the Jacobiweiher pond in view of the restaurant Oberschweinstiege. An excellent choice should you need some refreshment after a tiring bike tour or hike. But be careful! A series of anecdotes relates how after such a visit above all tipsy guests have gotten into an exchange with the tree...

It makes sense to combine a visit to this favorite object of F.K. Waechter with a visit to the Owl in the Norwegian Pullover (check Eule im Norwegerpulli out for tips on getting there and routes).

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

“Beech tree and woodpecker,
are not a bad match.
But city forest and noise,
is not a good catch.”

The way the man-sized woodpecker sits high up in the tree and pecks away at the tree with its beak you might think it were engaged in a contest with the airplanes that roar over the forest by the minute before landing at the nearby airport.
And indeed Waechters Baumkunst No. 5 has its roots in the protest movement against the Startbahn West runway. The woodpecker first appeared during a mass rally in 1981 in Wiesbaden. It featured on a sticker that F.K. Waechter had designed and was seen pecking away at the back of the head of the then Interior Minister accompanied by the motto “Unity + Woodpecker + Freedom.” The bird also accompanied the protests on an enormous plywood panel. It spread in the guise of graffiti on numerous walls and finally became the symbol of the protest movement.
Ultimately the runway was built but the woodpecker still continues to make a racket!

Carved by Andreas Rohrbach the figure is not far away from the Owl in the Norwegian Pullover and other Comic Art objects (check under Eule im Norwegerpulli for information on getting there and routes). The woodpecker is also located on the GrünGürtel circular hiking trail and the GrünGürtel circular cycling trail.

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

The Ich-Denkmal (Ego Monument) embodies the prime example of the classic memorial: a sandstone base with a golden inscription. It is easy to install the missing figure for the “Ego”: the plinth can be mounted via steps. The design is the work of artist and children’s book author Hans Traxler; the monument was realized by sculptor and mason Reiner Uhl. Traxler explains his idea on the board next to the monument:
“Every person is unique.
Naturally that also goes for all animals.
Capture that idea forever. Here.”
So every passer-by can mount the memorial, elevate himselve above the rest of the world and at least for a moment gain celebrity status! The accompanying plaque demonstrates that Traxler also reckons with dogs as potential memorial figures – and indeed, the Ego Monument is put to use by a large number of dog owners who take photos of their dear pets.

The object stands in the Mainuferanlage on the riverbank and can be reached on foot (along the Main) or by public transport (tram lines 15 and 16, stop “Buchrainstrasse”). Walk down to the riverside and you will find it located in the middle of the GrünGürtel circular cycling trail and the GrünGürtel circular hiking trail.
Once you are there why not take some refreshment in the Gerbermühle restaurant or one of the various beergardens of the rowing clubs? Especially as the idea of enjoying the sun on the terraces is probably irresistible...

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

The Elfmeterpunkt (Penalty Spot) is located in Ostpark on the large grassed area where people get together after work or at weekends to play soccer on a private basis but not just casually. The Penalty Spot’s creator F.W. Bernstein explains on a plaque:
“What is missing in the GrünGürtel?
The Penalty Spot on the Earth’s axis.
How so?
Well: The Earth’s axis has shifted to the GrünGürtel, specifically to the Ostpark. Here there is a biotope of unrestrained football players. On the edge of the playing field there now towers up the Earth’s axis and at its tip it sports the Penalty Spot, which otherwise lies flat on the ground in front of the goal. This not only protects the grass and is an adornment but adds a new landmark and memorial to our GrünGürtel; it was inaugurated on March 15, 2008.”

The sculpture was realized by fellow local artist Henner Drescher after a drawing by Bernstein. To reach it take the underground or tram to Ostbahnhof. From here it’s just a 10-minute walk to Ostpark. Moreover, the GrünGürtel circular hiking trail (stage 4) goes through the park.

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020

“Is it an emblem of beauty that will hatch out from the plump worm in the form of a butterfly, prefiguring the delicate, nimble, glittery butterfly, the epitome of lightness and naturalness? Or as a greedy nuisance that is found close to the motorway does it embody the Moloch of the motorized civilization looking up timidly at the observer who both fears and adores it?” Questions that Waechters Baumkunst No. 7 prompt (in: Monsterspecht und Dicke Raupe, City of Frankfurt Dept. of the Environment brochure, 2010). Andreas Rohrbach realized the sculpture from the design by Waechter.
Currently, undergoing restoration work it is to be hoped that the Dicke Raupe (Big Fat Caterpillar) will soon return to its birch tree once the first green shoots start to sprout again in spring! After all, the fresh colors look so good together though at first sight people do not always realized that the fat caterpillar is made of plastic and this monstrous figure amidst the delicate branches can be somewhat disconcerting...

Text: Christine Taxer, 2020