.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}@media all and (max-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{width:auto!important;clear:none!important;float:none!important))You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (April 2019) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 9,119 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at [[:de:Adorno-Ampel]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template ((Translated|de|Adorno-Ampel)) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
Adorno traffic light next to the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt

The Adorno traffic light is a traffic light artefact located in Frankfurt and named after Theodor W. Adorno.[1] It has become one of Frankfurt's landmarks. The traffic light is on Senckenberganlage, a street which divides the Institute for Social Research from Goethe University Frankfurt. Adorno requested its construction after a pedestrian death in 1962, and it was finally installed 25 years later.[2]

History

Adorno traffic lights

In 1951 the Institute for Social Research moved into a new building on Senckenberganlage.

On March 12, 1958, Adorno wrote a letter to the University outlining dangers of crossing the street, which led to police chief Gerhard Littmann marking a pedestrian crossing.

On November 29, 1961, Adorno demanded "a bridge for pedestrians over the Senckenberganlage or a diversion of all traffic".

In 1962 a person was killed in a traffic accident in the Senckenberganlage area, which led to Adorno writing to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung demanding "traffic lights in the whole university area":

“When crossing the Senckenberganlage, near the corner of Dantestrasse, one of our secretaries was run over and seriously injured after a passer-by had had a fatal accident at the same place a few days earlier. On the way to university you have to run across the street in an unworthy manner as if you were running for your life. Should a student, or a professor, find himself in the state that is actually appropriate for him, namely in thought, then there is an immediate threat of death. "

- Theodor W. Adorno

Adorno's demand was fulfilled 18 years after his death. In 1985 Jürgen Habermas (director of the institute) campaigned for the traffic lights. In 1987, Habermas' successor, Ludwig von Friedeburg, placed a pedestrian traffic light at the Senckenberg plant. The light was named the "Adorno traffic light".[3][4][5]

The Adorno traffic light has developed into a tourist attraction in Frankfurt.[6]

Literature

References

  1. ^ Schmitt, Peter-Philipp; Frankfurt (2011-04-18). "Unorte in Frankfurt: Krawallschachtel und Ochsengrill". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Frankfurt am Main. ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  2. ^ Berger, Frank; Setzepfandt, Christian (2011-05-07). "Frankfurt gnadenlos entdecken". Rezensionen. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
  3. ^ University Archive Frankfurt, 630-50, sheet 66. Quoted in Michael Maaser : A bridge over the Senckenberganlage. Adorno and the University of Frankfurt . In: Research Frankfurt . No. 3-4 / 2003, ISSN 0175-0992, p. 50 ( uni-frankfurt.de PDF; 1.4 MB)
  4. ^ THEODOR W. ADORNO (7 STATIONEN GEFUNDEN)
  5. ^ Eine zärtliche Liebeserklärung
  6. ^ https://www.rezensionen.ch/frank-berger-christian-setzepfandt-101-unorte-in-frankfurt/3797312482/ 101 Unorte in Frankfurt

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