This Whitsun weekend will be one that many people in Oberursel remember for a long time to come, because it was this weekend that the station building re-opening with what may be the first “Bahnhofsfest” that it has even seen.

“May be” because no-one knows whether they held one when the building was originally opened in 1901.

The day started at 11am when a large crowd gathered in front a stage that had been set up partially on the U-Bahn platform.  Dr. Justus Förschner of SEWO, the organisation responsible for the renovation work, opened the proceedings with the Mayor Hans-Georg Brum.

Dr. Justus Förschner presenting to key to the new tenants of the station building

After a brief look back at the history of the building, how the dual railway connected had benefited the development of the town, and not forgetting the fact that it had taken over 20 years to find a solution to the “station” problem (the building had been run down, with ticket sales only at peak hours), the key was officially handed over to the new tenants.

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Last Sunday saw the annual Worldfest held at Frankfurt International School in Oberursel.

This year the food from the 16 participating countries ranged from Coronation Chicken (Great Britain) to Kashk va bademjan (Iran) and from Kangaroo kebabs (Australia) to Falafel (Israel).

I also discovered a new drink to try: Mango Lassi from India – a mixture of mango purée and yoghurt.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was the presentation of the Mark E. Ulfers Leadership Award to Astrid Kastening. (more…)

This afternoon the Frankfurt International School at the northern end of Oberursel celebrated their “Worldfest”.

At Worldfest, the parents of the pupils attending the school sell food and drink as well as arts and crafts from their home countries.  With 19 countries represented, there was certainly a wide choice of things to try, from more well-known dishes such as pizza (Italy), sushi (Japan), and Bratwurst (Germany), to more exotic items like Blini and Pirozhki (Russia), Poffertjes (Netherlands) and Bulgogi (Korea).

Food at the Indian stand

The elderflower lemonade from Sweden certainly made an interesting – and refreshing – alternative to the usual type of drinks at such festivals.

With the school celebrating its 50th anniversary this year as well, the festival was particularly well visited, with alumni swelling the numbers to an estimated 3,000 visitors!  In the entrance, a selection of vintage cars were on show from the 1960s and 1970s – the early years of the school, accompanied by their owners who were happy to explain their cherished automobiles.

Amongst the first visitors were (more…)