HistoricalSites, Halle

His principality was small, his ideas were big. Leopold III. Friedrich Franz, enlightened prince and duke of Anhalt-Dessau (1740 -1817), wanted to combine the "useful with the beautiful". https://tourismus.dessau-rosslau.de/welterbe/gartenreich-dessau-woerlitz.html

On June 1st, 1695, the first foundation stone was laid for one of the few remaining 17th century city fortifications to be found in Germany. Today the Petersberg Citadel is an impressive example of European fortification construction dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. http://www.erfurt.de/ef/en/sightseeing/part2/index.html

At 1316 metres long, the open-air art gallery on the banks of the Spree in Friedrichshain is the longest continuous section of the Berlin Wall still in existence. Immediately after the wall came down, 118 artists from 21 countries began painting the East Side Gallery, and it officially opened as an open air gallery on 28 September 1990. Just over a year later, it was given protected memorial status. In more than a hundred paintings on what was the east side of the wall, the artists commented on the political changes in 1989/90. Some of the works at the East Side Gallery are particularly popular, such as Dmitri Vrubel’s Fraternal Kiss and Birgit Kinders’s Trabant breaking through the wall. They are not just a popular subject for postcards – you’re sure to want to photograph them yourself. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/east-side-gallery

A historic estate, which is currently being renovated. On the grounds there is a cozy café, which is not only a meeting place for students and especially walkers. http://www.hildesheim.de/staticsite/staticsite.php?menuid=822&topmenu=4

Visitors will only see original interior from the world and the era of Prince Pückler in Branitz Castle. While the library allows the visitors to familiarise themselves with his thinking, the Oriental rooms will take people on the great journey of the prince to the pyramids of Egypt. http://cottbus-tourismus.de/en/experience-and-detection/museums/article-stiftung-fuerst-pueckler-museum-park-und-schloss-branitz-schloss-.html

Several kilometres outside the town, the Hermitage Palace, which later became known as the Old Palace, dominates the extensive park with its tree-covered slopes that rises above the Roter Main river. http://www.bayreuth-wilhelmine.de/englisch/hermitag/a_schloss.htm

The Lion's Castle has a picturesque location in the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. From afar, it appears to visitors as a romantic knight’s castle from the Middle Ages. However, it was actually built between 1793 and 1801. Conceived as a pseudomedieval 'ancestral castle' by its commissioner, Landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Cassel, later Prince Elector Wilhelm I, Heinrich Christoph Jussow, the court’s master architect, realised the bold plans. http://www.kassel.de/englisch/culture/museums/02146/index.html/

Altenburg castle is perched on top of Bamberg's highest hill and is one of Bamberg's major landmarks. https://en.bamberg.info/poi/altenburg_castle-4647/

Pilsen's main square of the Republic is dominated by the beautiful Gothic cathedral of St. Bartholomew with the highest church tower in the Czech Republic. You will find many beautiful historic houses, lots of cafes and restaurants. During the year there are dozens of cultural events, festivals and festivals. https://www.plzen.eu/turista/poznej-plzen/to-nejlepsi-z-plzne/namesti-republiky/namesti-republiky-2.aspx

Prague’s Jewish Quarter (“Židovské město” in Czech) is one of the most impressive places in the capital of the Czech Republic. Josefov, as the quarter is officially named, is at the same time beautiful and wrathful, due to its complicated history. It used to be the largest Jewish ghetto in Europe, and its Old Jewish Cemetery is the most remarkable of its kind on the continent. Many cities used to have – or still have – the so called “Jewish quarters”, where the Jewish minority lived. Apart from Prague, we can for example name Jerusalem, Seville, or New York. Those quarters were quite often in the form of ghettos. The Jewish quarter of Prague, since 1992 listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, is definitely one of the most significant ones and if you are visiting Prague, you should definitely see it. Not only as a reminder of a tragic part of the world’s history, but also for its undeniable beauty and charm. http://www.praguego.com/attractions/jewish-quarter/

Karlštejn Castle was founded in 1348 by the Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor as his private residence and a place of safekeeping royal treasures, especially his collections of holy relics and the Imperial Crown Jewels. In 1355 Charles IV stayed here for the first time, overseeing the construction and decoration work, especially in chapels. The construction was completed in 1365 when the Chapel of the Holy Cross in the Great Tower was consecrated. Over the centuries the castle has always been in hands of the king or a state institution, never in private hands. Nowadays it is owned by the state. Very impressive is the preserved original stair-arrangement of individual castle buildings. The lower section with a small courtyard by the Well Tower and the Burgrave´s House continue through the majestic five-storey Imperial Palace and the Marian Tower. At the highest point, the construction of the castle culminates in a monumental, 60-meter-high Great Tower and its massive fortifications. A unique original 14th-century wall decoration, a set of 129 paintings created by Master Theodoric in the Chapel of the Holy Cross (the largest in the world), the largest portrait gallery of kings of Bohemia in the Czech Republic, a replica of the royal Crown of Bohemia, a unique castle well. The castle is also famous as a set to a comedy play Night at Karlštejn Castle by Czech poet Jaroslav Vrchlický. https://www.hrad-karlstejn.cz/en/about

The Residence Palace – The “Castle above all Castles”! The Residence Palace is one of Europe’s most renowned Baroque castles and has been registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1981. http://www.wuerzburg.de/en/visitors/must-sees/22688.UNESCO-World-Cultural-Heritage-Site-Residence-Palace.html

The Fortress Marienberg is the most dominating feature of the city; it towers above it all. Take a tour and learn about its history.Fortress Marienberg is visible from seemingly everywhere in Würzburg. http://www.wuerzburg.de/en/visitors/must-sees/22689.Festung-Marienberg-Fortress-Marienberg.html

Is the oldest, in its complexity the best preserved and with 88 meters length at the same time the largest gate area. Around 1300 the 20 meter high main gate was built on the town site. The outer gate on the field site was constructed in the middle of the 14 century. https://www.neubrandenburg-touristinfo.de/en/city-portrait/monuments-and-sights

High above the town on the Sparrenberg hill sits imposing Sparrenburg Castle. Its mighty fortifications are located right next to one of the most beautiful ridge walks in Germany, the 156km Hermannsweg. https://www.bielefeld.de/en/attractions/sparrenburg/

The oldest architectural monument in the city, dated to the 2nd half of the 14th century.The cathedral has a triple-nave hall arrangement with a separate presbytery. Inside there are a neo-Gothic alter, late Gothic sculptures of Saint Hedwig and Saint Anna Samotrzec, a Baroque choir and a series of stone slabs with epitaphs. http://www.cit.zielona-gora.pl/article,en,206,monuments.html

Designed with the street leading to railway station (now al. Independence) in the 60s, it received its final form in 1894. Until the First World War there was a monument of the German Emperor William I. However, the statue was later seized for military purposes in 1917. In 1945, the monument of Gratitude to Soviet Soldiers was unveiled. http://www.cit.zielona-gora.pl/article,en,206,monuments.html

Baroque complex Svatá Hora (Holy Hill), the prominent Marian pilgrimage site of Czech Lands with central Basilica of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, is also an outstanding cultural, architectonic and historic monument of the country. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMVEBY_Svat_Hora_Baroque_Complex_Svat_Hora_u_Prbrami_Central_Bohemia

Here the city hatched from the egg in 1825. Today, the idyllic district with the Apostelkirche in the middle is the romantic heart of the city center, which keeps its seclusion a bit off the shopping streets next door. http://www.guetersloh.de/Z3VldGVyc2xvaGQ0Y21zOjIwNjE2.x4s

Originally a water keep, converted in the 16th century into a Renaissance chateau. A renaissance garden, a herb garden, and an English park surround the buildings. http://www.czechtourism.com/c/breznice-chateau/

This palace, made of red sandstone, is one of the most significant and beautiful Renaissance buildings in Germany. Its unique features include the chapel (complete with Renaissance altar, pulpit and portal sculptures by Hans Juncker), the royal living quarters, the world's largest collection of architectural models made from cork, the state gallery with paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Palace Museum of Aschaffenburg that houses works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Christian Schad. https://www.info-aschaffenburg.de/en/tourism/tourist-attractions.html

Located in the heart of Hanau's historic district, the German Goldsmiths' House was built as the city hall on the Altstädter Markt in 1537-1538 in the style of the late Renaissance Period. http://www.goldschmiedehaus.com/en/goldschmiedehaus/en-historie

Where is the castle (or “Burg”) in Rothenburg ob der Tauber? You often hear this question and just as often get disappointed faces in return. Because there hasn’t been a castle in Rothenburg ob der Tauber for a long time – the former Stauferburg was destroyed. However, the disappointment soon vanishes, because in the castle’s location is Rothenburg’s green oasis, the Castle Garden. What’s so special about the Castle Garden? And where in the Castle Garden do you get the best views? We explain why it’s worthwhile to spend some time in Rothenburg’s Castle Garden. https://www.rothenburg-tourismus.de/en/discover/the-highlights-of-rothenburg-ob-der-tauber-top10-sights/a-park-for-taking-a-break-rothenburgs-castle-garden/

The first wooden residence for the rulers of Pomerania was first erected here in the 13th century, on a hill along the Odra River. More than 100 years later Barnim III made it a building of stone. The Pomeranian Duke's Castle (Zamek Książąt Pomorskich) was then continuously expanded. http://www.visitpomerania.eu/cities/szczecin/attractions/pomeranian-dukes-castle/

A Wonder of the World: The Stone Bridge. The people of Regensburg were obviously brilliant bridge-builders way back in the 12th century. The “Bruckmandl” however, the little statue on the bridge, didn’t take up his breezy position there till the middle of the 16th century. https://tourismus.regensburg.de/en/about-regensburg/sightseeing/more-sights-to-explore/architectural-monuments/old-stone-bridge.html

Today, after numerous additions and alterations, you can admire the three-section building complex dating from the 13th century which consists of the Town Hall tower, the Gothic Imperial Chamber building and the baroque Town Hall. From 1663 to 1806 the Perpetual Imperial Assembly met in the Imperial Chamber. It was there that the well-known expressions “to put something on the long bench” (to postpone something) and “to sit at the green table” (to take important decisions) originated. https://tourismus.regensburg.de/en/about-regensburg/more-sights-to-explore/architectural-monuments/old-town-hall.html

One of the oldest town halls in Germany and witness to the historical change in Jena. Admire the astronomical clock from the 15th century and "Schnapphans" (snatching Hans), one of the "Seven Wonders" of Jena. https://www.jenatourismus.de/en//353228

In the Buddenbrookhaus there is more to see than a still fascinating family or an unprecedented literary oeuvre. Even though Lübeck had a hard time with the poetry dynasty. In the 1920s, for example, the house sold by the Mann family in 1891 was initially a "Buddenbrook bookstore" and in the era of National Socialism the name of the novel had to give way. https://buddenbrookhaus.de/de/Museum/Museum

The present-day Frankfurt Cathedral was originally a Carolingian chapel. Although called a cathedral since the 18th century, it never was an episcopal church in the true sense. Consecrated in the name of St Bartholomew in 1239, this cathedral was officially chosen to serve as the electoral site for kings of the Holy Roman Empire in 1356. Ten imperial coronations took place here between 1562 and 1792. https://www.frankfurt.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=317578&_ffmpar[_id_inhalt]=5021018

It now represents a classic example of the traditional half-timbered architectural style of times gone by. Every single house bears its own name. In the 17th century, the corner house, named "Grosser Engel", became the home of Frankfurt's first bank. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Best-of-Frankfurt2/Roemerberg-Ostzeile

This former Patrician Villa, featuring a three-gabled Roof, has served as Frankfurt's city hall since 1405. It continues to be the seat of the city's Lord Mayor to this day. The city's first town hall was soon too small to accommodate the needs of this flourishing city. It was torn down in 1415 prior to commencement of construction on the cathedral tower. The city council was initially accorded the right to build a new town hall in 1329. Finally, in 1405, the council decided to buy two existing houses instead. These two houses, named "Römer" and "Goldener Schwan", have served as the home of Frankfurt's town hall ever since. Large halls were constructed on the ground level and made available for lease during trade fairs. The Kaisersaal, or "Emperor's Hall", was built around 1612. The town hall complex formerly comprised 13 buildings. There are equally many hypotheses as regards to the origin of the name. One of them states that the merchant who lived there until the building was purchased by the city transacted the majority of his business with Italy, and in particular, Rome. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Best-of-Frankfurt2/Roemer-City-Hall

Established as a civic foundation in 1815 by the banker and businessman Johann Friedrich Städel, the Städel Museum ranks as Germany’s oldest museum foundation. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Best-of-Frankfurt2/Staedel-Museum

Dačický House, located on a sloping square in sight of the Stone Fountain, is a unique exhibit in itself. At its core is a pre-Hussite house, which was generously reconstructed after 1500 for the Utraquist bishop Filip de Villanuova, and was the birthplace of the chronicler Mikuláš Dačický of Heslov in the mid-16th century. http://destinace.kutnahora.cz/d/dacicky-house-interactive-exposition-about-kutna-hora-and