Days of Industrial Culture Rhein-Main

An Entire Region as an Industrial Monument

The FrankfurtRheinMain region is one of Germany's most densely industrialized areas — from the Höchst chemical site and Darmstadt's pharmaceutical centers to the ports, railway lines, and breweries around Frankfurt. The KulturRegion FrankfurtRheinMain gGmbH (a consortium of around 50 cities, municipalities, and districts since 2005) has developed the “Route of Industrial Culture Rhein-Main” from this heritage — and once a year, its stations become the focus of a festival week.

Date and Motto 2026

The Days of Industrial Culture Rhein-Main 2026 will take place from September 5 to 13. Thematic focus: “On the Way to Modernity” — a deliberate link to the World Design Capital title that Frankfurt will hold in 2026. The focus is on industrial architecture and design history: factories, water towers, workshops, railway depots, and bridges that have shaped the region's identity as industrial modernity.

What There Is to See

Spread across the festival week:

• Factory and workshop tours in industrial monuments not normally open to the public
• Boat trips on the Main, Nidda, and Rhine rivers to port and factory sites
• City and route tours along historical industrial architecture
• Staged events: concerts, readings, performances in halls, engine rooms, old train stations
• Open-house dates in museums and collections related to industry

Participating Locations (Selection)

The program is distributed regionally: including the Frankfurt Feldbahn Museum (tours on September 13 at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.), industrial areas in Hanau, Offenbach, Darmstadt, Wiesbaden, Hochheim, Höchst, as well as workshops of public transport companies and old power plants. The detailed program with all locations will be available from mid-June 2026 at krfrm.de.

Practical Concept

Many events are subject to a fee (tours approx. €10, family tickets €20) and require booking. Others are free. There is no general admission to the Industrial Culture Festival Week itself — you book directly for individual events. Those who want to get to know the format can start with the program magazine “Industriekultur Rhein-Main” or explore the Route of Industrial Culture online.