Situated on the Main River to the west of Frankfurt’s city centre, Höchst is a well-preserved historic city with a charismatic late medieval castle. Its narrow, pedestrianised streets feature half-timber buildings housing traditional eateries and shops, together with the historic St. Justin’s Church which is considered the region’s oldest building.
The Höchst Castle lies along the river banks and dates to the 14th century, although expansions continued well into the 16th century with a Renaissance-style Neue Schloß added. Its white watchtower dominates the cityscape, while its interior illustrates the castle’s history as the residence of the archbishop of Mainz, together with offering an insight into the chemical company Hoechst AG that was for a long time the city’s main industry. Alt-Höchst, the Old Town of Höchst, lies alongside and is home to picturesque streets with magnificent views back towards the castle, and it’s here that St. Justin’s Church is found. It was first consecrated in 850AD and modified during the 15th century, and is renowned for its stonework and being one of the few medieval churches in the world to have survived almost completely intact. Höchst is also famed for the opulent 18th century Bolongaro Palace, built in the baroque style by the Bolongaro brothers who were northern Italian tobacco merchants. Napoleon famously resided here during his conquest of Europe in 1813, and today priceless Höchst porcelain are on display in its richly decorated rooms, surrounded by magnificent gardens and sandstone balustrades carved with figures of Turkish musicians.
Höchst is connected to Frankfurt along the S-Bahn from the Frankfurt-Höchst transit stop, which is situated a short walk from the historic centre. The railway extends to the Frankfurt-Höchst Farbwerke station which serves the west of the town, while trams run through its east.
Höchst was first established in the 8th century as “Hostat”, which translates as “high place”, but it wasn’t until the mid-14th century that it was given town privileges by Emperor Charles IV. It didn’t become part of Frankfurt am Main until 1928, and its cultural heritage has been protected by Denkmalschutz law since 1972.