Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia

Germany's traditional charm is most evident in the eastern states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The area, one of Europe's best-kept secrets, hides some cultural gems. A comfortable "German" state of mind survives here, the like of which you will never find in West Germany. Communism never penetrated the culture here as deeply as the American influence did in West Germany. The German Democratic Republic (GDR, commonly referred to by its German acronym—DDR) resolutely clung to its German heritage, proudly preserving connections with such national heroes as Luther, Goethe, Schiller, Bach, Handel, Wagner, and the Hungarian-born Liszt. Towns in the regions of the Thüringer Wald (Thuringian Forest) or the Harz Mountains—long considered the haunt of witches—are drenched in history and medieval legend. The area hides a fantastic collection of rural villages and castles unparalleled in other parts of the country.

Many cities, such as Erfurt, escaped World War II relatively unscathed, and the East Germans extensively rebuilt those towns that were bomb-damaged. The historical centers have been restored to their past splendor; however, you will also see eyesores of industrialization and stupendously bland housing projects. Famous palaces and cultural wonders—the Zwinger and Semperoper in Dresden, the Wartburg at Eisenach, the Schiller and Goethe houses in Weimar, Luther's Wittenberg, as well as the wonderfully preserved city of Görlitz—await the traveler here.

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