A tour of the museums could begin on the western edge of the city, where enigmatic-looking concrete objects in the pleasantly landscaped Dreieichpark create a link to industrial and cultural history. They originate from a large Hessian trade exhibition that took place on the park grounds in 1879 and where these objects demonstrate the possibilities of the then new building material for the first time. A stone's throw away, you can make out a watercourse that is unfortunately somewhat overgrown. A street name indicates where we are: "Am Grenzgraben". The ditch forms a territorial border that is more than a thousand years old. In Carolingian times, it separated the Mainische Gau from the Rhenish Gau, later the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt from the Principality of Isenburg, then Prussia from Hesse. Today, it is only the city boundary between Frankfurt and Offenbach, but older Offenbach residents are still familiar with the name "Landesgrenze" for the streetcar stop there.
The route leads through Frankfurter Straße, which looks almost like a Provençal avenue of plane trees, towards the German Leather Museum and German Shoe Museum (opens in a new tab). You pass the central office of the German Weather Service. This is the center of German meteorology and an important hub for international meteorology in the northern hemisphere.
If you make your way from here to the Klingspor Museum, you will pass through the hustle and bustle of a busy city before reaching the quiet of the side wing of the Büsingpalais on Herrnstraße. The museum collects and presents highlights of 20th century book and type art, printing, binding and illustration. The museum is located in the southern wing. The northern wing is occupied by the city library. It's worth going there even if you don't want to borrow a book. The library offers the opportunity to relax over a cup of coffee. There is a wide selection of magazines and daily newspapers to browse through over a cup of coffee. They are fresher than the reading material in most waiting rooms.
However, entering the head building, which the people of Offenbach like to call their "book tower", becomes a visual experience. You do indeed feel as if you have been transported into a tower. The view upwards shows galleries running around the inside wall with freely accessible bookshelves and seating. It is as if a temple to the printed word has been erected here. This unusual ambience is often used for readings, lectures and small concerts. Neighboring the book tower is a small, crouched house with a park, which in 1775 was able to overhear the sighs, oaths and secrets of Goethe and Lili Schönemann. Its counterpart is more sober, more inconspicuous. This is a former factory building that is home to the House of City History, which combines the city museum and archive. The archive also offers regular exhibitions to the general public. In the museum, the Senefelder exhibition is fascinating. It illustrates how Alois Senefelder's invention, lithography, made its way from Offenbach into the world around 1800. A replica of Senefelder's old bar press is used to print from stone for visitors and in front of their eyes. The print can be purchased as a souvenir. Goethe and Senefelder, books and book art: the memories of Offenbach's "classical period" come together tangibly and visibly along a narrow street. A day like this may come to an end in one of the many restaurants that Offenbach has to offer. They serve German, European and exotic cuisine, simple or refined. A large number of friendly pubs offer the best opportunities for communication over a drink. Some of them have opened up to cultural activities. You may unexpectedly come across a young artist's graphic art exhibition, or perhaps an audience enjoying music or cabaret.