937 Best Sights in Germany

Leopold Mozart---father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart---was born in this house, and lived here until moving to Salzburg at age 18 to continue his music education. Leopold was already a composer and teacher, which shaped his influence on his even more talented son. The museum is nine rooms on three floors, filled with original letters, compositions, musical instruments and other artifacts of Leopold and his more famous son. One of the rooms is a small Baroque theater.

The spiritual and commercial heart of Wedding, this square is anchored by churches: the Alte Nazareth Kirche (designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel in the 1830s, when the square was first developed) and the Neue Nazarethkirche, erected in the 1890s. Long considered the center of one of the city’s most downtrodden areas, Leopoldplatz has received a makeover, and the area’s residents find it a welcome respite from some of Berlin’s more hip and hyped districts. The square is a good starting point for a neighborhood stroll: you'll find beautiful (though still slightly run down) turn-of-the-century buildings, residential parks, and interesting multicultural (or multi-kulti) shops and cafés.

A well-groomed park bordering the slender Oos River, this green, tree-lined pedestrian boulevard is a perfect place to stroll, take in the atmosphere, and forget you're in a city. Lined with 19th-century villas, it's home to four museums and an extensive rose garden, the Gönneranlage, which contains more than 400 types of roses.

Some 10 km (6 miles) north of St. Goarshausen, near Kamp-Bornhofen, is a castle duo separated by a \"quarrel wall.\" These are Liebenstein and Sterrenberg, known as the Feindliche Brüder (enemy brothers) in reference to the feuding descendants who inherited the castles from the king who built them. Liebenstein is now home to a charming medieval-style hotel complete with lavish period rooms, and Sterrenberg offers a traditional German restaurant with garden and terrace that offer wonderful panoramic views.

This church stands on Roman foundations at the Old Town's highest point, where, on surrounding streets, war damage is evidenced by the blend of old buildings and modern store blocks. The bulk of the church is of Romanesque design, but its choir is one of the Rhineland's finest examples of 15th-century Gothic architecture, and the west front is graced with two 17th-century baroque towers.

Popularly known as the \"red church\" because of its brightly colored brick exterior, the towering Liebfrauenkirche has superb sculptures, tombstones, and paintings, as well as one of Germany's oldest high gothic shrine altars (from 1331). It's at the southeastern end of the town center, near the train station.

This twin-towered Gothic church sits in a vineyard on the northern outskirts of Worms. It's the namesake of the popular, sweet white wine Liebfraumilch (literally, \"Milk of Our Lady\"). The wine (Blue Nun is the most well-known brand) was originally made from the grapes of the small vineyard surrounding the church, but today it's produced throughout Rheinhessen, the Pfalz, the Nahe, and the Rheingau wine regions.

The peaceful, concealed courtyard of this Catholic church makes it hard to believe you're in the swirl of the shopping district. Dating from the 14th century, the late-Gothic church still has a fine relief over the south door and ornate rococo wood carvings and a magnificent organ inside.

The sculpture collection here represents 5,000 years of civilization and is considered one of the most important in Europe. Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, classicism, and the baroque are all represented. Some pieces are exhibited in the lovely gardens surrounding the historic brick villa with its signature turret tower. Don't miss out on the freshly baked German cakes in the museum café.

Germans love their thermal baths and saunas, and this is one of the classiest around. The dramatic main thermal pool lies under a vaulted ceiling, where glowing lights and soothing music that can be heard underwater enhance a feeling of calm. In addition to several saunas and a steam room, take advantage of the outdoor hot tub in the enclosed courtyard, best at night under stars. There's a bar and a healthy snack menu, just in case all that relaxation leaves you hungry. Full nudity is to be expected here, even in coed areas.

Amid the thick trees of the Wilhelmshöher Park, it comes as something of a surprise to see the turrets of a medieval castle breaking the harmony. There are more surprises at the Löwenburg, for this is not a true medieval castle but a fanciful, stylized copy of a Scottish castle, built in 1793 (70 years after the Hercules statue that towers above it). The Löwenburg contains a collection of medieval armor and weapons, tapestries, and furniture. Tickets must be reserved in advance online.

One of the world's most important art collectors, chocolate magnate Peter Ludwig, endowed two museums in the town he called home. The Forum, the larger of the two, holds a portion of Ludwig's enormous collection of contemporary art and hosts traveling exhibits.

Sitting just behind the Deutsches Eck, this modern art museum is housed in the restored 13th-century Deutschherrenhaus. Industrialist Peter Ludwig, one of Germany's leading contemporary-art collectors, bequeathed his collection of French, American, and German art to the museum in 1992. There have been many additions since, but the core collection, featuring works by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, and Man Ray, remains.

This monument commemorates Luther's appearance at the Diet of Worms. He ended his speech with these words: \"Here I stand. I have no choice. God help me. Amen.\" The 19th-century monument includes a large statue of Luther ringed by other figures from the Reformation. It's set in a small park on the street named Lutherring.

In a small park, the Luthereiche marks the spot where, in 1520, Luther burned the papal bull excommunicating him for his criticism of the Church. The present oak was planted in the 19th century.

This downtown house has many fascinating exhibits illustrating the life of Martin Luther, who lived here as a student. The house hosts a variey of special exhibits that make a visit to this minor Luther site worthwhile.

Quedlinburg hosts the largest and most comprehensive collection of work of the German-American artist Lyonel Feininger, although Feininger never set foot in the city. Feiniger came to Germany to study and eventually teach at the Bauhaus in Weimar and in Dessau. As an exponent of the modern, the Nazis declared his work \"decadent\" and encouraged Feininger to leave in 1937. Before leaving, Feininger entrusted his friend and fellow artist Herman Klumpp with a large collection of his engravings, lithographs, etchings, and paintings. Klumpp hid the collection from the Nazis and the East German authorities, showing the works in his apartment until the gallery opened in 1986. This sophisticated, modern gallery is placed behind half-timber houses so as not to affect the town's medieval feel.

The ghost of Goethe's Faust lurks in every marble corner of Leipzig's finest shopping arcade. One of the scenes in Faust is set in the famous Auerbachs Keller restaurant, at No. 2. A bronze group of characters from the play, sculpted in 1913, beckons you down the stone staircase to the restaurant. Touching the statues' feet is said to bring good luck. A few yards away is a delightful Art Nouveau bar called Mephisto.

Burned down during the air raids of World War II, the ruins of the neo-Gothic church serve as a memorial for the victims of war and persecution from 1933 to 1945. The museum features an exhibition on the air raids and the destruction of Hamburg and other European cities. A glass elevator on the outside of the building takes visitors 250 feet up to the steeple, which offers magnificent views of the surrounding historic streets.

Learn about the traditional Franconian art of brewing and cutting-edge craft techniques at this great little museum. The Maisel brewery opened on this exact spot in 1887 and is still run by the fourth generation of Maisel brothers, though the actual brewing is now done at the larger, neighboring site. Today, this brick building is given over to exhibitions on the history of brewing, including old tools and machinery, as well as windows into the working brewery next door. After learning the facts on a self-guided tour (bring your phone to download the guide app), head to the museum's pub-restaurant or beer garden to quaff a cool, freshly tapped Bavarian Weissbier (wheat beer), or opt for a \"Tasting-Board\" of some of their more experimental Maisel & Friends craft brews.

At the harbor's inner edge, across the water from the Neuer Leuchtturm, stands this 13th-century former lighthouse, one of the lake's oldest. After a lightning strike in the 1970s, the roof tiles were replaced, giving the tower the bright top it now bears. The interior of the tower can be visited as part of organized storytelling events and on weekends during Christmas market season—contact Tourist-Information Lindau.

This cathedral's Romanesque origins (foundations can be seen in the crypt) are best preserved in the choir's glorious stained-glass windows and beautifully carved stalls, and its biggest bell, the Gloriosa, is the largest free-swinging medieval bell in the world. Cast in 1497, it took three years to install in the tallest of the three sharply pointed towers, painstakingly lifted inch by inch with wooden wedges. No chances are taken with this 2-ton treasure; its deep boom resonates only on special occasions, such as Christmas and New Year's. The Mariendom is reached by way of a broad staircase from the expansive Cathedral Square.

The impressive redbrick Gothic structure, which has the highest brick nave in the world, looms behind the Rathaus. Look for the old bells, as they are still in the spot where they fell during the bombing of Lübeck.

All that remains of the oldest sacral building in Wismar is the 250-foot tower. Although only partially damaged in the war, the East German government demolished the hall of the church in 1960. At noon, 3, and 7, listen for one of 14 hymns played on its carillon.

Many of Ravensburg's monuments that most recall the town's wealthy past are concentrated on this central square. To the west is the 14th-century Kornhaus (Granary); once the corn exchange for all of Upper Swabia, it now houses the public library. The late-Gothic Rathaus is a staid, red building with a Renaissance bay window and imposing late-Gothic rooms inside. Next to it stands the 15th-century Waaghaus (Weighing House), the town's weigh station and central warehouse. Its tower, the Blaserturm (Trumpeter's Tower), which served as the watchman's abode, was rebuilt in 1556 after a fire and now bears a pretty Renaissance helmet. Finally there's the colorfully frescoed Lederhaus, once the headquarters of the city's leather workers, and now home to a café. On Saturday morning the square comes alive with a large market.

Naumburg was once ringed by a defensive city wall with five gates. The only remaining one, the Marientor, is a rare surviving example of a dual-portal gate, called a barbican, from the 14th century. The museum inside the gate provides a brief history of the city's defenses. A pleasant walk along the remaining city walls from Marienplatz to the Weingarten is the easiest way to explore the last intact section of Naumburg's wall, moat, and defensive battlements.

In 1745 Margravine Wilhelmine commissioned the Italian architects Giuseppe and Carlo Bibiena to build this rococo jewel, sumptuously decorated in gold and blue, with Apollo and the nine Muses cavorting across the baroque frescoed ceiling. It was this delicate 500-seat theater that originally drew Wagner to Bayreuth; he felt that it might prove a suitable setting for his own operas, before realizing the limitations of its size, so he built the Festspielhaus instead. Ultimately, it has become a wonderful setting for the concerts and operas of Bayreuth's \"other\" musical festivals, which the theater hosts throughout the year. English-language tours take place daily at 12:30 pm (German at 3 pm)