Wonders of Germany

About Germany

The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km² and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside theGerman Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.Germany was a founding member of the European Community in 1957, which became the EU in 1993. It is part of the Schengen Area and since 1999 a member of the eurozone. Germany is a Great Power and member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, the OECD and the Council of Europe, and took a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2011–2012 term.It has the world's fourth largest economy by nominal GDP and the fifth largest by purchasing power parity. It is the second largest exporter and third largest importer of goods. The country has developed a very high standard of living and a comprehensive system of social security. Germany has been the home of many influential scientists and inventors, and is known for its cultural and political history.

Berchtesgaden 

Berchtesgaden is a small town within the German Bavarian Alps, located in the south province of Berchtesgaden Land in Bavaria which is a municipality. Berchtesgaden is also close to the Austria Border an Salzburg City is only about 33km from Berchtesgaden.Berchtesgaden is famous for its mountains. The Berchtesgaden is located between 500 and 1,100 meters in altitude in the German Alps and is bounded by the Untersberg Mountains on the northern side. To the eastern side lies Obersalzberg (place where several Nazi Relics were found) and to the southern side is  Watzmann, the third largest mountain in Germany.Kehlsteinhaus,  known as the “Eagle’s nest” is located at a height of 1834 meters above Berchtesgaden. The Kehlsteinhaus was built marking the 50th birthday of Hitler. It has  great scenic beauty from the top, but the only way to reach it is by public transport.Konigsee Lake is about 3 miles from the Berchtesgaden. Konigsee Lake is the major attraction here, and is bounded by the mountains at a height of 2000 meters above the lake level. During the Summer, boat rides along the lake and mountaineering  are special attractions.Jenner Mountain is located to the east of Konigsee. The best and easiest way to reach Jenner Mountain is through the cable cars, where the beauty of the Berchtesgaden valley can be viewed.Rossfeld is about 3 miles from the Berchtesgaden and is situated at a height of 1600 meters. An amazing view of the sunshine and clouds touching the mountains can be viewed there. For these reasons, Rossfeld has become a major tourist spot, and various restaurants are located there that serve the local food at a reasonable price. The only way to reach Rossfeld is through the bus.

Moselle Valley

Moselle Valley is a constituency located on the borders of south-west Germany, north-eastern France and eastern Luxembourg and Belgium.Moselle is popularly recognized for its tourism, beautiful landscapes and white wine, which has been produced there since the 19th century. It is also known for Moselle Valley’s famous “Moselle wine”, which is produced in three different countries that are Luxembourg, France and the German Mosel region.The Moselle is located in the western grade of the Vosges Mountains. The total length of the Moselle valley is about 545 km. The Moselle River and the castles are the main attractions in the Moselle Valley.This castle was built in 11th century and destroyed in 1889 by French soldiers. The present structure of the castle was built in the 19th century.Built in the 13th century, but was destroyed during the grand Alliance war and later was rebuilt for a second time. At present, the castle serves as a center for a gymnasium.This castle was built in the 13th century and is also known as the twin towered castle.Originally built in the 13th century, this castle was expanded a number of times at the period of Baroque era.The Moselle River passes through three different countries and different towns in them. It passes through, Koblenz Trier, Bernkastel-Kues and Cochem in Germany; Toul, Epinal, Metz, Pont-a-Mousson and Thionville in France and Remich, Gervenmacher, Schengen and Wasserbillig in Luxembourg.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein is a German word and it means New Swan Stone Palace in English. The Neuschwanstein Castle was built during the 19th century on a hill in Bavaria, Germany.The castle was specially made by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The Neuschwanstein Castle is the largest photographed building in Germany even though the interiors of the castle cannot be photographed. The castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany due to its scenic beauty and gorgeous surroundings.During the rule of Ludwig, no visitors were allowed in the castle. It was only after his death in 1886 that the castle was opened for all to view. It is amazing to know that till now, 50 million people have visited the castle. More than 1.3 million tourists visit the castle annually. If we calculate the per day visits, more than six thousand tourists come to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle daily.The castle has so much of a charm that even Hollywood could not lay its hands off it. In fact, the castle has come into sight in several movies. To name a few, the Neuschwanstein Castle was an inspiration to the Sleeping Beauty Castle, Cinderella Castles and Tokyo Disneyland.The Neuschwanstein Castle is a property of Bavaria and Bavaria has spent more than 14.5 million dollars in it safeguarding and renovation. The castle has a lot of magical charm to it. Since photography inside the castle is not allowed, most visitors take back with them sweet & pleasant memories. Visit to the Neuschwanstein Castle.

Zwinger Palace

The Zwinger Palace is located in the city of Dresden, Germany and is also an element of Dresden fort. The word “Zwinger” means the outer block of a multiple castle. The palace is connected to the Dresden fort by two huge walls at the center.Zwinger Palace was constructed by Louis XIV, who thought of constructing the palace during the period of his election as the Poland King in the year 1697, when he noticed that there was no free space in the Dresden fort.In the year 1710, the palace was designed by Matthaus Daniel Poppelmann, the Dresden fort architect. The palace was constructed in several stages from 1710 to 1728 and the sculptural aspect of it was done by Balthasar Permoser. The Zwinger Palace was finally opened in 1719 for the marriage ceremony of Prince Frederick Augustus. Later, the galleries and interiors were added in 1728, which served as a library, halls and exhibition galleries.After the death of Frederick Augustus, in the year 1733, the construction was halted because of the lack of money. In the year 1945, the building was severely damaged due to the bombings and the collections in the galleries were evacuated. After some years of repair, the building would be completed.The Zwinger Palace contains a museum inside where Dresden’s culture and  some paintings of Raphael, Canaletto and Rubens can be viewed. The museum also contains somes collections of scientific treasures and fine arts and additionally, it holds an arms and weapons collection dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

Heidelberg Castle

The Heidelberg Castle, located in Germany, is a famous ruin and the signpost for Heidelberg. It was built in the year 1214 in a Gothic and Renaissance style, and was expanded into two new castles. A large part of the castle was destroyed by lighting strikes in the years 1537 and 1764.Prince Ruprecht III was the first person who made the castle as a royal residence and added several structures to it including the outer walls, ground floors of the castle and the outlines in the upper level that are built with stone.  He also added an imperial building known as “Fountain Hall” across from the castle. These two buildings were raised up under the reigns of Frederick IV and Ottheinrich. Today, these two buildings are considered as best buildings in terms of German architecture.The West-side of the castle, built by Frederick V, is known as the “English Building”. The castle and gardens were devastated during the time of 30 Years War, however it was restored by Prince Karl Ludwig to just later be destroyed by the French Army. Prince Karl Theodore tried campaigning for the restoration of the building, but it never happened.In the year 1764 a bolt of lightening hit the castle and the castle was severely damaged, and later the castle was changed to a quarry. The stones from the ruins of the castle were later used in building the houses in Heidelberg. However this process was stopped by Charles de Graimberg, who tried to preserve the ruins of the castle and who added King’s Hall to the castle in the year 1934.Today, the King’s Hall is used for many events such as parties, stage performances, dinners and several other events. The Heidelberg Castle Festival, which is held every summer, is also held in the castle courtyard, where musicals and theater shows are held.The castle opens at 8 am and closes at 5pm. The entry fee is about 3 Euros for adults and 1.5 Euros for children.

Dresden Frauenkirche

The Dresden Frauenkirche, also known as the “Church of Our Lady”, is located in Dresden, Germany.The Dresden Frauenkirche is a Protestant cathedral that was built by Fredrick August I. The church was designed by George Bahr, a German architect, who died before the construction of the church. In the year1736, Gottfried Silbermann, an organ maker constructed a three manual organ for the church. On November 25th, 1736,  the organ was presented to the church.The construction of the dome was completed in the year 1760. It was about 96 meters high and was named “Stone Bell”. The Dome is often compared to St Peters Basilica, in Rome. The dome was hit by 100 cannonballs by the Prussian army during the time of Seven Years War, but in despite of attacks on the church like this one, it still survived.On February 13th, 1945, the Anglo-American forces bombed Dresden Frauenkirche with almost 650,000 bombs, and the church lasted for two days under such strong attacks. The temperature caused by bombings reached upwards of1000 degrees which caused the dome to collapse on February 15th, taking with it the pillars and outer walls, thus destroying the entire structure of the church.After the destruction of the church, several attempts were made to rebuild it. Gunter Blobel was the first person who took an active part in campaigning for the church’s restoration. He even donated one million dollars, which he was given with the Nobel Prize he was given for his contributions in the field of medicine.Finally in 1994, the construction of the church began under the supervision of Eberhard Burger, who used the previous plans of the church by Georg Bahr. The church was constructed based on the pictures of the old church. The chapel was finished in 1996 and the dome was completed in the year 2000. Many pieces of the previous church’s ruins were used in the construction of the new church. Almost 8,500 stones of the previous one were taken, but only 3800 stones were used in the new building.In addition, seven bells were added to the church in the year 2003, and Martin Luther’s bronze statue that survived the bombings was restored at the church entrance. On June 22nd of 2004, the construction was completed.In present day, the Dresden Frauenkirche stands as a fine example in the field of construction. The Dresden Frauenkirche is also a popular tourist spot that is visited by the people from all over the world.

Reichstag Building

The Reichstag Building is located in Berlin, Germany, and was the German Empire’s first parliament building.The building was opened in the year 1894, and resided the Reichstag until 1933 when Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch communist, set the building on fire. The building was severely damaged and was in ruins until reunification of Germany. The building was reconstructed under the supervision of Norman Foster, an internationally famous architect. The building construction was completed in 1999 and named “The Bundestag” and serves as a meeting place for the German Parliament.The original building construction began in the year1871. The parliament had been gathering in various buildings in Berlin, but there was not enough space for the parliament meetings. An architectural contest was held in the year 1872, where 103 architects participated and displayed several plans of the building. The work wasn’t started for 10 years due to the problems in purchasing the land and the disputes between Otto von Bismarck, Wilhelm I and Reichstag members about the construction methods.Again, in the year 1882, an  architectural contest was held where 189 architects participated, finally Paul Wallot, Frankfurt architect stood as the winner and his plans were taken into consideration. The construction began in the year 1884 on June 4th and the building was completed in 1894. Several structural elements of the building were built of glass and steel. The building was known as one of the best engineering masterpieces of that period. In the year 1916, the words “Dem Deutschen Volke” which means “To the German People” was carved on the building’s main face.In the year 1933 on the 27th February, the building was set on fire and for about 12 years the parliament sessions were not held here. During the time of World War II, the building was used for party line presentations by the military. The building was repaired after the fire accident, but later the building was severely damaged again by air bombings in Battle of Berlin in 1945.There were several debates held about restoring the building and another architectural contest was even held. Paul Baumgarten stood as the winner and he reconstructed the Reichstag building in the between the years 1961-1964.The German reunification was held on October 3rd, 1990, in the Reichstag building.  Parliament sessions were held on 20 June 1991 in the building as well. In the year 1991 a dome was added to the Reichstag building. Today, a number of people visit the Reichstag building so that they can view the Soviet graffiti on the smoky walls on the roofs.

Rhine Gorge

The Rhine Gorge is the name of the center of the Rhine Valley. It is a 65 km segment of Rhine River located in between the cities Bingen and Koblenz, in Germany. UNESCO listed the Rhino Gorge in the World Heritage List in the year 2002 for its exceptional grouping of historical, geographical, industrial and cultural reasons.The rocks in the Rhine Gorge are said to be from the Devonian Period (416-360 million years back) and are also called the“Rhenish Facies”. The remnants of the rock structures mainly consist of slate. These rocks were folded during the Carboniferous period. Uplifting was done to the gorge recently where the walls were raised to a height of 200 meters along the river. From this area, an amazing view of the Rhine Gorge valley can be seen.The climate at the Rhine Gorge is extraordinary because it differs from one region to another. For this reason a wide variety of species are found in this region. Agriculture is the main source here particularly, Viticulture. On the south side of the gorge, are a majority of the vineyards found in the Mitterlrhein region.The river at the Rhine Gorge has also served as a major trading route to central Europe since the ancient times and a number of settlements were developed at the banks of the river. Several castles were built along the valley but they were destroyed during the “Thirty Years war”.Today, the Rhino Gorge is famous for its landscapes and cruise ship which flows on the river and the Rhine in the Flames Festival which is celebrated every year and displays magnificent fireworks in the town of Sankt Goar, in the month of September and Koblenz city in the month of August.

Romantic Road

The German Romantic Road is one of the biggest magnets for tourism in the southern provinces of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.Based (very) loosely on the old Roman route between the participating towns and adding in some stunning medieval locations to the north, the concept of the Romantic Road is a little bit like the British "ploughman's lunch" - a marketing idea which appears to be based on history and tradition but which is actually a much more modern invention.In the case of the Romantic Road, Germany was desperate to rebuild a tourism industry in the post-war times and the idea of the formal "route" was created in 1950 (not long after the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany and the end of the military-administered occupation).The first visitors were friends and families of the American soldiers stationed in the large bases in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg but the idea of the trail from Würzburg to Füssen soon became wildly popular.It's not too hard to see the reason for the popularity - despite the modern roots of the idea, the tour combines the historic cities of Würzburg and Augsburgwith the three medieval walled towns of Rothenburg ob der Tauber,Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen, and then finishes off with the tourist highlights of Neuschwanstein Castle and the Alps.These days coach parties from all over the world can be seen at the most popular stops along the way, the route signs along the way are in German and Japanese, and in 2010 the Romantic Road celebrated its 60th birthday.

Cologne Cathedral

Cologne Cathedral is the main home of the Cologne Archbishop and it is an important testimonial to Christianity. The Cologne Cathedral was built in the Gothic style and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Peter. It is also a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cathedral is rich for its architecture and was described by UNESCO as an “exceptional work of human creative genius”.The present cathedral was built on the site of a Roman temple from the 4th century that is known as the “old cathedral”. The “old cathedral” was completed in the year 818 and in the year 1248 it was burnt. On August 15th, that same year, the construction of the present cathedral began. Since then, several structures were added during different centuries. The eastern section of the cathedral was completed in the year 1322 under the supervision of Master Gerhard. In the 14th century the construction of the towers began under the supervision of Master Michael, but the work was halted and the south tower was incomplete until finally, in the 18th century, the towers were completed and bells were added to them.The Cologne Cathedral stands at a height of 157.25 meters high and is Germany’s second largest and worlds third largest structure. In the 13th century the construction of the cathedral began, and took about 632 years to complete. The cathedral is about 144 meters long and the towers are about 157 meters high and 86 meters broad.
Architecture:The cathedral was built in the French Gothic Style. The windows are high, and are made of glass. The carvings on the choir and the huge stone statue of St Christopher, at the entrance of the cathedral are done in the French style.

Deutsches Museum

The Deutsches Museum is located in Munich, Germany and is the world’s largest Museum in terms of science and technology. Every year 1.3 million people visit the museum and 28,000 new projects from 50 different fields in science and technology are exhibited.On June 28th, in the year 1903, the museum was founded by Oskar von Miller, a German Engineer, at the German Engineers Association meeting. Munich City presented Coal Island for the museum. The exhibit collections came from the  Bavarian Academy in Munich City. The temporary exhibits were opened in the museum on November 12th in the year 1906.  The next day the foundation for the Deutsches Museum was created.The museum was officially opened on May 2nd in 1925, on Oskar von Miller 70th birthday. From that day on, the museum contained the important documents of the library. During the World War II, the museum building was severely damaged and about 20% of all other museums were destroyed. The museum was restored in 1945.Around the year 1950, the museum’s attention to science and technology diminished and such exhibits were reduced in number. In the year 1969, this changed with the Apollo 8 space shell exhibit titled  “Man and Space”. Because of this exhibit, technology was again given importance at the museum.In present day, the Deutsches Museum contains a collection of airplanes including German planes from 1950 through 1960 and Russian and Vietnamese fighter planes. It also contains a workshop, which is dedicated to the airplanes. In 1995, a new branch of the Deutsches Museum was opened in Boon City, Germany that displayed German science and technology.

Nymphenburg Palace

The Nymphenburg Palace, located in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, is a decorated palace and also the Bavarian rulers summer residence.Ferdinand Maria and Henrietta built the Nymphenburg Palace after their son’s birth in the year 1664. Agostino Barelli, an Italian architect, designed the Nymphenburg Palace. The palace was built in several years, in the year 1675 the construction of the innermost pavilion was finished.In the year 1701, Max Emanuel, a Bavarian emperor thought of expanding the palace. As a result, two more pavilions were built in the north and south directions of the palace by Giovanni Antonio Viscardi and Enrico Zucalli. In addition, the south block was extended, a hall was built, and an Orangerie was added to the north block. Also, an impressive circle with decorative mansions was added by Roman Emperor Charles Albert VII, Max Emanuel’s son.In the year 1716, the front face of the central pavilion was redesigned, by Joseph Effner, in a French decorative style. The final structure of the Nymphenburg Palace was completed in the year 1741, by the King Charles Albert, who was associated with Spain and France. The palace had been a summer residence for the Bavarian rulers for a long period.The park was built by Dominique Girard in a French style, but in the 19th century, the park was redesigned into the English style by Friedrich Ludwig Von Sckell. A long canal intersects the park, which guides from the palace towards the Deities of Greek Gods.Today, the Nymphenburg Palace is the most famous spot in Munich.  The stone hall, with its roof and the decorations, delivers an impressive view and a majority of the rooms display the ornamental decoration in a neoclassical style.

Alte Pinakothek

Alte Pinakothek is situated in the Kunstareal province of Munich, Germany which is a fine arts museum and the oldest gallery in the world.William IV started the museum’s collection when he commanded the modern artists to paint the historical paintings. Maximilian I obtained the paintings of Albrecht Durer while Maximilian Emanuel II, the grandson of Maximilian, bought a number of paintings when he served as the Governor of Spanish Netherlands. In addition, Johann Wilhelm, the cousin of Maximilian Emanuel II, added paintings from the Netherlands. In the year 1777, the Zweibrucken, Dusseldorf and Mannheim galleries were moved to Munich.Later, the Bavarian King Ludwig I commanded Leo von Klenze to construct a new building for the collection of Wittlelsbach in the year 1826. The museum was finally opened in the year 1836 and also served as model for the Rome, Brussels, Kassel and St Petersburg galleries. The gallery contains works of art from several different artists from many different countries. The works, artists and where they are from are listed below.

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is a festival in Munich, which is celebrated for sixteen days, every year at the ending of September. The Oktoberfest is one of Germany’s major events and the largest fair in the world. The festival is famous for the beer and wine available there.The Oktoberfest festival was started on October 18, 1810, in honor of the marriage of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. From that year on, the festival was conducted every year, pushing the date forward for weather reasons. In the year, 1835 a procession took place, and also became a tradition that has  been repeated every year.In between the years 1866 and 1879, the Oktoberfest festival was cancelled due to Austro-Prussian War and Franco-Prussian War. The festival was again started in the year 1880 with 400 stalls. In the year 1892, beer was served in a glass mug for the first time.In the 19th century, entertainment and beer were the major attractions. Oktoberfest celebrated its 100 years in 1910, where 120,000 liters of beer was consumed. In 1913 the Braurosl tent was started with 12,000 guests and is  the biggest tent up today. Since1950, the festival has become a major event and by the year 1960, the festival has turned into a worldwide major event.The area of the festival is about 103.49 acres, with 100,000 seating capacity even though 6.2 million people visit. About 6,940,600 liters of beer, 79,624 liters of wine, 32,047 liters of Sparkling wine, 222,725 liters of coffee and tea are consumed. In addition, a huge amount of food is also consumed where 521,872 units of chicken, 142,253 pairs of Pork sausages, 38,650 kg of fish, 58,446 units of Pork knuckles 104 units of oxen were eaten at the festival.

Munich Residence Square

The Munich Residence is located in Munich, Germany and is the Bavarian monarch’s royal palace. The Munich Residence is Germany’s largest city center and one of Europe’s best decorative museums.The building includes ten courtyards and 130 rooms that are used by the museum. The building is divided into three major parts, which are known as the Alte Residenz, the Konigsbau and Festsaalbau. In addition, there is a Curvillies Theatre in a division of Festsaalbau. A park is located on the northern side of Festsaalbau, which was built by Maximilian I. It was built in a French style and also contains a circular temple that is crowned by a Bavarian statue.The first building of the Munich residence was constructed in the year 1385. A new castle was later built in the place of the old building as a residence to the Wittelsbach rulers. The building was built in  Baroque, Classicism, Renaissance and Rococo styles.

Garmisch Partenkirchen

The Garmisch-Partenkirchen, located in Bavaria (south Germany), is a market place and organizational center to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district. It also shares a border with Austria. Garmisch is famous for the winter sports held at the Bavarian Alps. The town was formed in the year 1935 as a unification of Garmisch and Partenkirchen villages. The Garmisch and Partenkirchen village mayors were forced, by Adolf Hitler, to combine both the villages as a part of Winter Olympic Games that were held in the year 1936. From that time on both of the villages were united.The Garmisch-Partenkirchen was the location of the 1936 Winter Olympic Games. The traditional ski jumping was held on the New Year’s Day of that year. In addition, various Ski jumping’s were also held here at the Kandahar Way. The Alpine World Ski Championships, that took place in the year 1978, were also held here. They are to be held there in 2011 as well.There are several educational institutions located in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen villages, namely the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. This institution serves as a conference center for all the governments in the world and the institution is maintained by the funds which are given from all over the world. There is also a recreation center for the American Armed Forces which serves NATO and U.S. families. In the current days, the U.S. troops still provide security and support to the Edelweiss recreation center.