Freudenstadt

At an altitude of 2,415 feet, Freudenstadt claims to be the sunniest German resort. The town was flattened by the French in April 1945, and it has since been painstakingly rebuilt. It was founded in 1599 to house both silver miners and refugees from religious persecution in what is now the Austrian province of Carinthia (Freudenstadt means "city of joy").

The expansive central square, more than 650 feet long and edged with arcaded shops, is Germany's largest marketplace, though it's difficult to admire its vastness. A busy, four-lane street cuts it in two. The square still awaits the palace that was supposed to be built here for the city's founder, Prince Frederick I of Württemberg, who died before work could begin. When the fountains all spout on this square, it can be quite a sight, and a refreshing one as well.