961 Best Sights in Germany

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. There's also a petting zoo for children.

Housed in the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall), the museum has a permanent exhibition containing many fine examples of Bauernmöbel (farmhouse furniture), as well as fascinating information on the history of the town and its environs as well as their patron saint, Leonhard.

Perhaps best known for the Soviet War Memorial located in it, this Spree-side park is a lovely place for a stroll. True to their outdoorsy reputations, hardy German families don snow boots even during winter’s darkest days and traipse around the park’s fields and paths, perhaps with a dog in tow, just to get some fresh air. Stick to the waterside promenade for the best people-watching: the elaborate, eccentric houseboats moored there are a glimpse into yet one more alternative Berlin lifestyle.

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 B-502 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.

The name of this historic Berlin thoroughfare, between the Brandenburg Gate and Schlossplatz, means "under the linden trees," and it was indeed lined with fragrant and beloved lindens until the 1930s. Imagine Berliners' shock when Hitler decided to fell the trees in order to make the street more parade-friendly. The grand boulevard began as a riding path that the royals used to get from their palace to their hunting grounds (now the central Berlin park called Tiergarten). It is once again lined with linden trees planted after World War II.

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.

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.

A sprawling arts and event space, Urban Spree includes an exhibition gallery, workshop, art store, beer garden, and outdoor food court. Largely focused on urban graffiti, photography, and street art, the space also hosts a number of Berlin's alternative events including MidSommar Festival and several food festivals.

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. The Johanneum is reached by steps leading down from the Brühlsche Terrasse.

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.

The powerful fortress and summer castle commissioned by Bishop Ulrich II in 1219 protects Passau from an impregnable site across the river from the Rathaus. Today the Veste Oberhaus is Passau's most important museum, containing exhibits that illustrate the city's 2,000-year history. From the terrace of its café-restaurant (open Easter–October), there's a magnificent view of Passau and the convergence of the three rivers.

From the Mühltal station, let the Sesselbahn (chairlift) whisk you a half-mile uphill to the Vierseenblick (Four-Lake View), from where the Rhine looks like a chain of four lakes. The journey takes approximately 20 minutes.

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.

Tucked away on the west coast of Hiddensee 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-colored 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).

This is a sight you won't want to miss if you have an interest in the wilder expressions of newfound 19th-century pan-Germanic nationalism. Walhalla—a name resonant with Nordic mythology—was where the god Odin received the souls of dead heroes. Ludwig I erected this monumental pantheon temple in 1840 to honor important Germans from ages past, kept current with busts of Albert Einstein and Sophie Scholl. In keeping with the neoclassical style of the time, it is actually a copy of the Parthenon in Athens. 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 wide countryside is definitely worth a look. A boat ride from the Steinerne Brücke in Regensburg is the best way to go. To get to the temple from the river, you'll have to climb 358 marble steps.

Just northwest of Unteruhldingen, the Wallfahrtskirche Birnau stands among vineyards overlooking the lake. The church was built by the master architect Peter Thumb between 1746 and 1750. Its exterior consists of pink-and-white plaster and a tapering clock-tower spire above the main entrance. The interior is overwhelmingly rich, full of movement, light, and color. It's hard to single out highlights from such a profusion of ornament, but look for the Honigschlecker (Honey Sucker), a gold-and-white cherub beside the altar, dedicated to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, "whose words are sweet as honey" (it's the last altar on the right as you face the high altar). The cherub is sucking honey from his finger, which he's just pulled out of a beehive. The fanciful spirit of this play on words is continued in the small squares of glass set into the pink screen that rises high above the main altar; the gilt dripping from the walls; the swaying, swooning statues; and the swooping figures on the ceiling.

This museum contains paintings spanning the years 1300 to 1900. The Dutch and Flemish schools are particularly well represented, as is the 15th- to 16th-century Cologne school of German painting. Its two most famous artists are the Master of the St. Veronica (whose actual name is unknown) and Stefan Lochner, represented by two luminous works, The Last Judgment and The Madonna in the Rose Bower. Large canvases by Rubens, who spent his youth in Cologne, hang prominently on the second floor. There are also outstanding works by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, and Frans Hals, and the largest collection of French impressionism in Germany.

Hotels here base spa treatments on the health-giving properties of the saline springs and the black mud from the area's waterlogged moors. The elegant, pillared pavilion of the attractive spa gardens is really a sight to behold, with its unusual misting green facade, said to extract salt from the water. All you need to do is walk along the 540-foot Gradierhaus, a massive wood-and-concrete construction that produces a fine salty mist by trickling brine down a 40-foot wall of dense blackthorn bundles (breathing salt-laden air is a remedy for various lung conditions).

The beach fronting the resort town of Warnemünde is one of Germany's most popular and it can get fairly crowded in summer. The expansive beach, with its soft, clean sand, is fabulous for sunbathing, relaxing, or walking. The pleasant sea breeze invites kite flyers and you can purchase different kinds of kites from the open-air market along the promenade. Food and drinks are available from many vendors and at several supermarkets in the town itself. Amenities: food and drink; parking; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunrise; sunset; swimming; walking.