Overview
- The Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt (VGF) terminated the Notübernachtung in the B‑level of Eschenheimer Tor and ordered it cleared after a new fire‑safety review concluded even a small blaze could cause rapid smoke build‑up.
- The closure has left about 150 regular users without their low‑threshold overnight option and prompted an urgent response from the city’s social department to find emergency places.
- City authorities convened crisis talks with the fire department and disaster control and set up a provisional tent camp and other temporary beds that were reported to be in use by Tuesday.
- The Frankfurter Verein, which ran the facility, said it was surprised by the abrupt timing and disputes that fires could go unnoticed, while politicians split between defending transport safety and criticizing the short notice.
- The Notübernachtung began in 2018 as a winter emergency and evolved into a year‑round refuge for people who avoid standard shelters, but it lacks toilets and washing facilities and was never intended as a permanent solution.