Nils Güttler

A Space Machine: Frankfurt Airport and Its Region

The project traces the history of Frankfurt Airport with a strong focus on its adjacent environments, and the region of “Rhein Main” in particular. The Rhein Main region and the airport, I argue, have a common and intermingled history: In the case of Rhein Main infrastructure and nature, knowledge and region co-produced each other. Combining approaches from the history of science and technology, ethnography, global and environmental history, the project emphasizes the notion of “home” (“Heimat”), when it comes to characterizing the relationship between airport and region. For decades, Frankfurt airport has altered the notion of what it means to be “at home” for both, human and non-human residents. By situating the aviation hub in the tension of regional belonging and globalization, the projects contributes to a history of “non-places” (Marc Augé) in the 20th century. It also raises general questions about the nature of infrastructures: What makes up an airport, apart from its technical and logistical facilities? How have airports shaped the environments and identity of urban regions like “Rhein Main”?