937 Best Sights in Germany

This small museum tells the centuries-long history of the island's seafaring people. It presents traditional costumes, tools, and other gear from fishing boats and relates stories of islanders who fought for Sylt's independence. In the same street (at No. 13) stands the Altfriesisches Haus (Old Frisian House), which offers a glimpse of the rugged lives of 19th-century fishermen and a time when most seamen thrived on extensive whale hunting.

The site of the former Heidelberg Synagogue, built in 1877 and burned down on Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) in 1938, is now a memorial to the local Jewish population lost in World War II. Their names are listed on a bronze plaque on an adjoining building. On this residential corner, 12 stone blocks represent the synagogue's pews and the 12 tribes of Israel.

The Bauhaus isn't the only show in town. Professor Hugo Junkers, one of the most famous engineers-cum-inventors of the 20th century, was at the forefront of innovation in aircraft and industrial design until his inventions were expropriated by the Nazis in 1933. The star of the museum is a completely restored JU-52/3—the ubiquitous German passenger airplane transformed into military transport. The museum also houses a fascinating collection of industrial equipment, machinery, engines, and the original Junkers wind tunnel.

A statue on this square, in front of the National Theater, shows Goethe, who was shorter in real life, placing a paternal hand on the shoulder of the younger Schiller.

This glorious baroque church owes its Italian appearance to its founder, Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, who commissioned it in gratitude for the long-awaited birth of her son and heir, Max Emanuel, in 1662. A native of Turin, the princess mistrusted Bavarian architects and builders and thus summoned Agostino Barelli, a master builder from Bologna, to construct her church. It is modeled on Rome's Sant'Andrea della Valle. Barelli worked on the building for 12 years, but he was dismissed as too quarrelsome. It was another 100 years before the building was finished in a style similar to today's. Its striking yellow facade stands out, and its two lofty towers, topped by delightful cupolas, frame the entrance, with the central dome at the back. The superb stucco work on the inside has a remarkably light feeling owing to its brilliant white color. The expansive Odeonsplatz in front of the Feldherrnhalle and Theatinerkirche is often used for outdoor stage events.

This is the most famous house on Wasserreihe, where writer Theodor Storm (1817–88) lived between 1866 and 1880. It's a must if you're interested in German literature or if you want to gain insight into the life of the few well-to-do people in this region during the 19th century. The small museum includes the poet's living room and a small Poetenstübchen (poets' parlor), where he wrote many of his novels.

No less than 15 of Wiesbaden's 26 springs converge at the steaming Kochbrunnen Fountain, where the warm, salty, but (in theory) healthful waters are there for the tasting. First mentioned in 1366, the spring produces around 360 liters of 66°C (151°F), sodium chloride-rich water every single minute. As well as being used to medicinal purposes, the water is also used to heat the city's Stadt Wiesbaden (New Town Hall) building. The fountain square is one of the town's loveliest, flanked by grand old hotel buildings.

One of the country's oldest and most popular zoos, the Tierpark Hagenbeck was founded in 1907 and is family owned. It was the world's first zoo to let wild animals such as lions, elephants, chimpanzees, and others roam freely in vast, open-air corrals. The Tropen-Aquarium, on the same property as the zoo, is like a trip around the world. Detailed re-creations of deserts, oceans, rain forests, and jungles are home to sea life, marvelous birds, fish, exotic mammals, insects, and curious reptiles from almost every continent.

On the Isar, just upstream from the city, this attractive zoo has many parklike enclosures but a minimum of cages. Founded in 1911, the zoo is slightly different from many others in that it's a self-styled nature reserve, and it follows a concept called Geo-zoo, which means care has been taken to group animals according to their natural and geographical habitats. Critics of the concept of zoos won't agree, but supporters appreciate the extra attention to detail. The huge zoo area, covering nearly 100 acres, also includes restaurants and children's areas, and some of the older buildings are in typical art nouveau style.

The Tierpark Sababurg is one of Europe's oldest wildlife refuges. Bison, red deer, wild horses, and all sorts of waterfowl populate the park. 

Housed in the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall), beside a second branch of the town's tourist information, this longstanding museum has a permanent exhibition containing more than 2,000 objects exploring the history of Bad Tölz and its environs. Look out for the many fine examples of Bauernmöbel (farmhouse furniture), along with exhibits on the local patron saint, Leonhard.

A grim reminder of one aspect of Kiel's marine past is exhibited at this museum in Kiel-Laboe. The vessels of the much-feared German submarine fleet in both World Wars were mostly built and stationed in Kiel before leaving for the Atlantic, where they attacked American and British supply convoys. Today the submarine U995, built in 1943, serves as a public-viewing model of a typical World War II German submarine. The 280-foot-high Marineehrenmal (Marine Honor Memorial), in Laboe, was built in 1927–36. You can reach Laboe via ferry from the Kiel harbor or take B502 north.

One of the best-kept secrets on Usedom, this 12-km-long (7½-mile-long) beach is quite busy in the north but almost deserted farther south. The area is quite rustic and the perfect place to feel like you have the beach to yourself. Amenities: food and drink; parking. Best for: nudists; solitude; sunrise; sunset.

The most important attraction in this museum of art, natural history, and archeology, founded in 1924, is the Löwenmensch, a 40,000-year-old figure of a half-man, half-lion found in a nearby cave. The museum illustrates centuries of development in this part of the Danube Valley. Art lovers will appreciate its collection of works by such modern artists as Kandinsky, Klee, Léger, and Lichtenstein.

The triangular University Square, commemorating the founding of one of northern Europe's oldest universities here in 1419, is home to Rostock University's Italian Renaissance–style main building, finished in 1867.

One of Europe's most impressive squares, this market is a testament to the prosperity brought by the cloth trade. It's built up in the middle, and the most important building is No. 14, which formerly housed the city scales. The duty of the city scale masters, whose busts adorn the Renaissance facade of the Gothic building, was to weigh every ounce of merchandise entering the city and to determine the taxes due. The square's most prominent building is the Rathaus. Its winding staircase is as peculiar as its statue of the goddess of justice, whose eyes—contrary to European tradition—are not covered. The corner house on the square, the Alte Ratsapotheke (Old Council Pharmacy), has two intricate sundials on the facade, painted in 1550.

With almost 140,000 historic books, this science library was once privately owned and open only to members of the academy. Now it's a hidden gem (part of the Barockhaus museum, which has other permanent exhibitions). It's open to the public, who can view the books and the grandly arched rooms.

The largest organized display of street art in the world, this museum features original creations from more than 100 street artists, including well-known names like Shepard Fairey. Outdoors you'll find transportable panels displaying 8,000-square-foot murals that can be rotated regularly.

At one time the royal stables, the 16th-century Johanneum now houses the Verkehrsmuseum a collection of historic conveyances, including vintage automobiles and engines. The former stable exercise yard, behind the Johanneum and enclosed by elegant Renaissance arcades, was used during the 16th century as an open-air festival ground. A ramp leading up from the courtyard made it possible for royalty to reach the upper story to view the jousting below without having to dismount. On the outside wall of the Johanneum (behind the building on the Auguststrasse) is a remarkable example of porcelain art: a 336-foot-long Meissen tile Fürstenzug. More than 100 members of the royal Saxon house of Wettin, half of them on horseback, are represented on the giant mosaic. The Procession of Princes is made of 25,000 porcelain tiles, painted in 1904–07 after a design by Wilhelm Walther. The representations are in chronological order: at 1694, Augustus the Strong's horse is trampling a rose, the symbol of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.

On Verrätergasse, across the Obermarkt square from the church, is the Peter-Liebig-Haus, where the initials of the first four words of the rebels' meeting place, Der verräterischen Rotte Tor (the treacherous gang's gate), are inscribed above the door. The Obermarkt is dominated by the Reichenbacher Turm, a tower built in the 13th century, with additions in 1485 and 1782. Until 1904 the tower housed the city watchmen and their families. The apartments and armory are now a museum, but it's better known for the great views of the city from the tiny windows at the top. The massive Kaisertrutz (Emperor's Fortress) once protected the western city gates, and now houses late-Gothic and Renaissance art from the area around Görlitz, as well as some impressive historical models of the city. Both buildings are part of the Kulturhistorisches Museum.

A neighborhood favorite, the small Viktoriapark offers one of the highest lookout points in the city center—and definitely the best place to get a free panoramic view. Beginning at the edge of the park, all trails gradually slope upward; at the top stands an elaborate cast-iron monument designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel in 1821 to commemorate the so-called liberation wars against Napoléon of 1813–15. On the way back down, take the path heading to Kreuzbergstrasse, next to which a lovely little waterfall trips and burbles over rocks and boulders—a favorite splashing spot for local children.

Take a fascinating look into Meersburg's cultural—and vinicultural—history at this wine museum space housed in the city's historic hospital building, the Heilig Geist Spital (Hospital of the Holy Spirit). Request an English-language brochure at the front desk.

The main reason to visit Nierstein is its wineries,so a visit to the Vinothek Nierstein is almost a must-do if you are interested in the region's wines. Try some tastes, including Silvaner, the typical specialty of the Rhinehessen wine region. Either before or after your wine-tasting, it makes a great starting point to an easy hike or drive to the vineyard heights and the vantage point at the Wartturm (watchtower), which looks down to the town. In the summer, the Niersteiner Weinwanderung (wine walk;  www.weinwanderung.de) takes place along the Roter Hang (\"red slope\") of the vineyards—the soil here has a lot of red clay in it—with food and wine-tasting stands set up along the way. From up there, there's a stunning view of the Rhine.

Tucked away on the west coast of Hiddensee Island is a 5-km-long (3-mile-long) beach with shimmering turquoise waters and sand so fine that you might mistake it for the Caribbean. The 50-yard-wide beach is ideal for families with children. The water is quite shallow and it's easy to walk out to the sandbanks. Vitte is divided between a nudist section to the south and a \"textile\" section to the north. Locals decorate the beach with baskets of flowers in summer. Amenities: showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; nudists; swimming; walking.

In the fall of 1813, Prussian, Austrian, Russian, and Swedish forces defeated Napoléon in the Battle of the Nations. This was the first in a series of losses that served as a prelude to the French general's defeat two years later at Waterloo. An enormous, 300-foot-high monument erected on the site in 1913 commemorates the battle. Despite its massiveness, the site is well worth a visit, if only to wonder at the lengths—and heights—to which a newfound sense of German nationalism, unencumbered with the baggage of the 20th century,  went to celebrate their military victories, and to take in the view from a windy platform (provided you can climb the 500 steps to get there). The Prussians did make one concession to Napoléon in designing the monument: a stone marks the spot where he stood during the three-day battle. An exhibition hall explains the history of the memorial, which can be reached via Streetcar 15 or 2 or by the S1 or S3 commuter train (leave the tram or the train at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal station).

The Vonderau Museum is housed in a former Jesuit seminary. Its exhibits chart the cultural and natural history of Fulda and eastern Hesse. A popular section of the museum is its planetarium, which has a variety of shows, including one for children. Since it has only 35 seats, an early reservation via email or telephone is advisable. 

In the old city to the west of the Kramerbrücke are two important streets. The Waagegasse is a narrow street, with no outlets, that forced traders along the Via Regia into the city towards the scales that would weigh their goods. Erfurt collected taxes on these goods, and merchants were required to store their wares in Erfurt for two days in a Speicherhaus. There are several of these warehouses at the end of the alleyway.

The Michaelisstraße today is a street with pubs and restaurants that at least partially remains true to its original purpose. Erfurt owes a great deal of its wealth to the trade in Woad (Waidpflanze), a cabbage-like plant used to create a spectacular blue pigment. Since blue cloth was a symbol of wealth and the only other source of blue dye was indigo from the Ottoman empire, \"Erfurt Blue\" was in high demand all over Europe. In the many courtyards along the street, A Waidknecht (a Woad-hand) made the valuable dye by fermenting the dried leaves of the plant in urine. Erfurt's wealthy burghers provided a plentiful source of the essential liquid by establishing a number of breweries near the factories. You can still buy the dye and colored cloth at the Erfurt Blau shop ( Kramerbrücke 2  www.erfurterblau.de).

East of Regensburg, this mammoth monument is a none-too-subtle expression of 19th-century pan-Germanic nationalism. In Norse mythology, Valhalla was where the god Odin received the souls of dead heroes, and when Ludwig I erected this neoclassical Parthenon-style temple in 1840, it was to honor German heroes from ages past (more recent additions include busts of Albert Einstein and Sophie Scholl). The expanses of costly marble are evidence of both the financial resources and the craftsmanship at Ludwig's command.

Walhalla may be kitschy, but the fantastic view it affords over the Danube and the countryside is worth the trip alone. You can either drive here (parking's €2.50 for two hours) or, every day between late April and early October, take a charming two-hour boat ride from the Steinerne Brücke in Regensburg. Opt for a round-trip on the Swarovski-decorated Crystal Queen and Crystal Princess ships (€19.50 return), and prepare for a climb up 358 marble steps from the river to the temple.