937 Best Sights in Germany

Nördlingen lies in the center of a huge, basinlike depression, the Ries, that until the beginning of this century was believed to be the remains of an extinct volcano. In 1960 it was proven by two Americans that the 24-km-wide (15-mile-wide) crater was caused by an asteroid at least 1 km (½ mile) in diameter. The compressed rock, or Suevit, formed by the explosive impact of the meteorite was used to construct many of the town's buildings, including St. Georg's tower. If you want, you can bike around the crater.

Located at the very site where the \"Brown House,\" the former Nazi Party headquarters, once stood, this important history museum tells the story of the rise of national socialism in Germany. Its exhibitions, which include a permanent exhibit called \"Munich and National Socialism,\" and educational programs focus on the past while providing a present and future perspective. 

This museum dedicated to local traditions displays historic examples of the wood craftsman's art and an outstanding collection of carved Christmas crèches dating from the mid-18th century. There are also exhibits focusing on local Roman influence, Oberammergau's role in organ-building (and the influence that local organs had on the design of U.S. churches), and a collection of \"reverse glass paintings\". A media room displays videos on, among other things, the art of traditional wood-carved puppets and the town's famous Passion Play.

This immense theater is where the world-famous Passion Play showing the crucifixion is performed every 10 years. In the off-season (for this ten-year period any year that's not 2022), the theater does host other concerts and plays. Tours providing a glimpse of the costumes, the sceneries, the stage, and even the auditorium are held in German at 2 pm Wednesday and Sunday.

Bamberg's wealthy burghers built no fewer than 50 churches. The Church of Our Lady, known simply as the Obere Pfarre (Upper Parish), dates back to around 1325 and is unusual because the exterior is entirely Gothic, while the interior is heavily baroque. The grand choir, which lacks any windows, was added much later. An odd squarish box tops the church tower; this watchman's post was placed there to keep the tower smaller than the neighboring cathedral, thus avoiding a medieval scandal. Note the slanted floor, which allowed crowds of pilgrims to see the object of their veneration, a 14th-century Madonna. Don't miss the Ascension of Mary by Tintoretto at the rear of the church. Around Christmas, the Obere Pfarre is the site of the city's greatest Nativity scene. Avoid the church during services, unless you've come to worship.

The richly decorated Renaissance homes and warehouses on the Obermarkt are a vivid legacy of the city's wealthy past. During the late Middle Ages the most common merchandise here was cloth, which was bought and sold from covered wagons and on the ground floors of many buildings. Napoléon addressed his troops from the balcony of the house at No. 29.

In the Middle Ages Erfurt hosted a large Jewish community, as is evident in a large synagogue that is one of the oldest in Central Europe. A pogrom destroyed the community in the 14th century, and the city repurposed the building, renovating it several times. During renovations in 1999 in a nearby building, workers uncovered more than 30 kg of gold and silver in coins and objects buried by the community during the pogrom. The Erfurt Treasure is the heart of the museum.

Berlin's famous sports attraction is the 1936 Olympic Stadium, which received a thorough modernization in 2004. American sprinter Jesse Owens won his stunning four gold medals here in 1936; these days, the local soccer team Hertha BSC is the star of the arena. The stadium hosted the World Cup soccer final match in July 2006 and served as a spectacular backdrop to the first European Athletics Championships in 2018. Different themed tours are offered throughout the year; one option is touring on your own with an audio guide, but only a guided tour will show you the nonpublic areas. Tours in English are offered less frequently, so check the website or call ahead for the schedule.

Hannover's neoclassical opera house, completed in 1852, has two large wings and a covered, colonnaded portico adorned with statues of great composers and poets. The building originally served as the court theater, but now is used almost exclusively for opera. It was gutted by fire in a 1943 air raid and restored in 1948. Unless you have tickets to a performance, the only part of the interior you can visit is the foyer (official tours are held on a near-monthly basis; reservations are required).

The impressionist painter Otto Dill (1884–1957), a native of Neustadt, is known for his powerful animal portraits (especially lions, tigers, and horses) and vivid landscapes. The museum dedicated to his work displays some 150 oil paintings and 125 drawings and watercolors from the Manfred Vetter collection.

The splendid cluster of tropical and semitropical greenhouses here contains cacti, orchids, palms, and other plants. The surrounding park, which can be surveyed from a miniature train, has many recreational facilities, including a small lake where you can rent rowboats, a play area for children, and a wading pool. The Palmengarten offers free tours on a variety of topics on Sundays. In summer there's also an extensive concert program that takes place in an outdoor pavilion. In addition to exhibition galleries, two restaurants offer quick bites or full meals.

Long neglected in favor of Kreuzberg’s more hyped Landwehrkanal, the Wedding waterway known as the Panke is no less scenic. A walk along this tiny inlet, which flows north through Wedding after splitting off from the larger Spandauer Schifffahrtskanal above Hauptbahnhof, is something of an urban treasure hunt, revealing glimpses of the neighborhood’s history along with local street life and beautiful scenery. At Wiesenstrasse, where the regional train lines pass overhead, you’ll spot the ruins of an old brick pump station, now housing and artists' workshops. The canal runs just behind Brunnenplatz, flanked on both sides by the Uferhallen. Where the canal crosses Badstrasse you can spot one of the city’s most beautiful courtyards, including the Bibliothek am Luisenbad (a modern library hidden behind an ornamental facade). If you walk far enough, you'll arrive at a noticeable widening of the canal. This is the Franzosenbecken or French Basin, a pond so quiet and green, it seems easy to believe you’ve left the city behind. Start where the canal intersects with Schulzendorfer Strasse, not far from the Reinickendorfer Strasse U-bahn station, and head north.

Looming over Leipzig's city center, this 470-foot-high office building now houses an investment company. Dubbed the \"jagged tooth\" or \"wisdom tooth\" by some students of the University of Leipzig, the university's former administrative center was designed to resemble an open book. It was once the tallest building in Germany and is most popular these days for its viewing platform on the 31st floor, which offers the city's best views of the city and the university campus on Augustplatz. The restaurant at the top offers a good three-course business lunch.

Located 300 feet above Potsdamer Platz at the top of one of its tallest towers, the Panoramapunkt (Panoramic Viewing Point) not only features the world's highest-standing original piece of the Berlin Wall, but also a fascinating, multimedia exhibit about the dramatic history of Berlin's former urban center. A café and a sun terrace facing west make this open-air viewing platform one of the city's most romantic. Purchase a VIP ticket to bypass the elevator queues.

Like the more glamorous Tempelhof Park, Gleisdreieck, one of Berlin's newest green spaces, was until recently neglected space—in this case, abandoned and overgrown WWII railyards. In between the Kreuzberg and Schöneberg neighborhoods, the park includes playgrounds and open meadows, paths for running and biking, pits for skateboarding, and even a community garden. Most interesting, however, are the remnants of the park’s past: train tracks, signs, and switches have been left intact (if a bit rusty), making this park an urban paradise of the sort Berliners love—one with history hiding in the grass.

The first all-German parliament was held here in 1848 but lasted only a year, achieving little more than offering the Prussian king the crown of Germany. Today the church, which has been extensively restored, remains a symbol of German democracy and is used mainly for ceremonies. The most striking feature of the interior is a giant, completely circular mural showing an \"endless\" procession of the people's representatives into the Paulskirche. The plenary chamber upstairs is flanked by the flags of Germany, the 16 states, and the city of Frankfurt.

This plastered brick bell tower has foundations dating to AD 989, when it was constructed as a watchtower, and is now part of the Church of St. Peter of Perlach, built in the 1600s. Climb the 258 stairs to the top of the 230-foot tower for gorgeous views of Augsburg and the countryside. Just be sure to time it to avoid being beneath the bells when they chime.

As you proceed northwest along the lake's shore, a settlement of \"pile dwellings\"—a reconstructed village of Stone Age and Bronze Age houses built on stilts—sticks out of the lake. This is how the original lake dwellers lived, surviving off the fish that swam outside their humble huts. Museum interpreters in authentic garb give you an accurate picture of prehistoric lifestyles. Since 2011, 111 lake dwelling settlements are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. The on-site Pfahlbaumuseum (Lake Dwelling Open-Air Museum and Research Institute) contains actual finds excavated in the area.

Enjoy a peaceful tour of the Speyer harbor and its surrounding river network on a ship built for 200 passengers. Homemade cakes and drinks are available on board. Tuesday through Friday, 1½-hour tours depart at 1 and 3, on Saturday at 1:30, 3, and 5 and on Sunday at 1, 3, and 5. The pickup and drop-off point is on the Leinpfad.

Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II whisked his mistresses away to this small island oasis on the Great Wannsee. Schloss Pfaueninsel, the small white palace, erected in 1794 according to the ruler's plans—and in accordance with the taste of the era—was built as a fake ruin. The simple building looks strangely cartoonlike; you can see the interior on half-hour tours. In the early 19th-century, garden architect Joseph Peter Lenné designed an English garden on the island, which ultimately became western Berlin's favorite summer getaway. The park, which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is now a nature reseve.

This decorative 19th-century shop has been a Dresden institution since 1880, and offers a wide assortment of cheese and other goods. The shop is renowned for its intricate tile mosaics on the floor and walls. Pfund's is also famous for introducing pasteurized milk to the industry; it invented milk soap and specially treated milk for infants as early as 1900. There are two other locations in Dresden, but none is as extravagantly decorated as the original.

You can reach this trail high above the river in one of two ways—either from Neuenheim or by taking the Schlangenweg (Snake Path). Both are steep climbs, but you'll be rewarded with spectacular views of the Old Town and castle. From Neuenheim, turn right after crossing the bridge and follow signs to the walking path.

Completed in 1775, this building is considered among the most beautiful in town due to the frescoes by Franz Seraph Zwinck, one of the greatest Lüftlmalerei painters. Fronted by a lovely manicured garden, the house is named for the fresco over the front door depicting Christ before Pilate. Rather confusingly, the Pilatushaus Lebende Werkstatt (Living Workshop) is a two-minute walk away, set in another lovely building at Dorfstrasse 20; step inside to see local woodcarving craftsmen in their workshop, alongside working potters and painters. 

This church, also known simply as Wieskirche (church in the meadow), has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. It is a glorious example of German rococo architecture, in an Alpine meadow just off the Romantic Road. Its yellow-and-white walls and steep red roof are set off by the dark backdrop of the Trauchgauer Mountains. The architect Dominicus Zimmermann, former mayor of Landsberg and creator of much of that town's architecture, built the church in 1745 on the spot where six years earlier a local woman claimed to see tears running down the face of a picture of Christ. Visit it on a bright day if you can, when light streaming through its high windows displays the the glittering gold and white interior. A complex oval plan is animated by brilliantly colored stucco work, statues, and gilt, and a ceiling fresco completes the decoration. Concerts are presented in the church from the end of June through the beginning of August but are not listed on the Wieskirche English-language site; there's a separate German-language site listing these ( www.wieskonzerte.de).

Billed as a creative center, this complex of shops, offices, and meeting spaces on Moritzplatz is a step toward revitalizing the once-shabby and still fairly empty square. Its unusual, hulking shape seems designed to attract attention; it may also inspire some local disdain. But one visit is all it takes to appreciate how well the complex represents the Berlin aesthetic: small and mid-size companies share space with craft and designer workshops, an art bookstore, a café, an outpost of the beloved kitchenware company Coledampf’s, and even a kindergarten.

Built in AD 179 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, this is one of only two preserved Roman gates north of the Alps (the other is the Porta Nigra in Trier). A rough-hewn limestone gate, it originally served as the northern wall of the Roman legionary camp Castra Regina. Today, the most visible remaining sections are the exposed archway and the neighboring tower on Unter den Schwibbögen street, but if you look through the grille on the gate's east side, you'll also see a section of the original Roman road, about 10 feet below today's street level.

The pride and joy of the Reichenhallers is the steep, craggy mountain appropriately named the Preacher's Pulpit, which stands at 5,164 feet, southeast of town, and has been noted as one of the top 10 cable-car rides in the world for its stunning views. You can hike or just enjoy a bite to eat and drink at the Almütte Schlegemuldel, 15 minutes from the cable-car station.