I'm a simple emigrant, and in Frankfurt there is a notoriously famous district

Frankfurt is one of the biggest and most expensive cities in Germany, and the paradox is that the gates to the city are sunk in human vices and dirt. This is about the Bahnhofsviertel district around the main railway station. The station itself is very beautiful, as is the promenade in front of it, and it is located almost in the center of the city. But I hate being there; usually I want to get out of there as quickly as possible. I've always wondered how it happened that bankers in suits, whose outfits cost as much as the annual rent of my apartment, are dining there, while the homeless and drug addicts rustle nearby. It turns out that, initially, the station district was conceived as prestigious; then, a little over a hundred years ago, the station was built, and around it wide streets and beautiful houses. But in World War II it was heavily bombed, and when the city began to rebuild, all resources went to the center and business districts. The station district ended up abandoned, housing became cheap, and migrant workers began moving here — first workers from Turkey, Italy and Spain, and then new waves of migrants. By the 1970s the district turned into a transport and commercial hub, and along with that bars, cheap hotels and all sorts of eateries appeared. Then a whole kaleidoscope of various kinds of prostitution began to appear, especially after legalization in 2002. All this led to more people who had something to hide coming here, and with them drugs and crime. The city tried many times to save the district, but each time faced a new problem. In the 1990s, for example, they came up with the “Frankfurt Way”: they opened social centers and zones for safe use. But, in my opinion, it produced the Cobra effect: they give out for free and in a civil manner what drug addicts desperately try to obtain, of course this attracted addicts from all over Europe. To be fair, crime did indeed decrease. But this district cannot be called forgotten by God; here still live very different people, including families with children, people of good means, married couples, a lot of youth. About 3,000 people live here, from 170 different nationalities — can you imagine that in one small district? There are also many cafes and restaurants, and the legendary kiosk that sells 230 varieties of beer. We used to go there very often as well. Earlier, we also went there very often. All in all, a strange place, and this strangeness has earned it its unique fame, in my view not very good, but still. It will be interesting to see what happens to it in another 5–10 years. In the photo, the festival of the Station District. #frankfurt #history