Located a few blocks north of Römerberg square, Hauptwache is one of Frankfurt’s most famous public squares, leading onto the city’s principal shopping street, the Zeil. The square takes its name from the restored 1729 baroque building of the same name, the former headquarters of the city's Stadtwehr Militia that now serves as a lively café and dominates the center of the square, overlooking the Zeil.

A medley of architectural styles mark the Hauptwache, including the 17th-century baroque-style St Katharina Church, with its 54-meter tall clock tower; the futuristic mirrored façade of the My Zeil shopping mall and the neighboring glass-fronted Zeilgalerie; and the towering Commerzbank, Germany’s tallest skyscraper. Beside the Hauptwache café, a sunken terrace area, nicknamed ‘the Hole’ by locals, leads to an underground passageway of shops and eateries, linking the square to the Kaufhof department store.