The ECB's main building
A modern building for a modern central bank.
The structure at Sonnemannstrasse 20 was completed in November 2014. Integrating the structure of the Grossmarkthalle (Frankfurt's former wholesale market hall), it combines both historic and modern elements and is a unique urban landmark.
The ECB main building
The initial vision behind the ECB's new premises was that of a single European market with its own currency. After careful consideration, in 2001 the Grossmarkthalle site was deemed suitable for the ECB to build its own office space.
The ECB main building - from conception to completionEnergy design
Energy efficiency was a core tenet of the building's design. It has a rainwater collection and recycling system, and geothermal loops in the building's foundations also heat and cool the structure.
Read more about environmental protection at the ECBThe memorial
The period from 1941 to 1945 constitutes a very dark chapter in the history of the Grossmarkthalle, as the basement of its eastern wing was used for the deportation of Jewish people. Today there is a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust at the former assembly point.
Read more about the memorialA survivor tells her storyTime-lapse video
From fruit and vegetable market to the new premises of the European Central Bank: the journey from conception to completion spanned just over a decade and created a counterpoint in Frankfurt's east end to the skyscrapers of the city centre.
Facts and figures
185 m high office tower
250 m long Grossmarkthalle
120,000 m2 total site area
700 trees planted onsite
6,000 panels in the office tower facade
73 km of repointed facade joints