8 exciting celebrations to experience in Germany in 2026

Berlin has always been at the forefront of design – a city forged by legendary architects, artists and designers. Take the Berliner Funkturm (Berlin Radio Tower), which turns 100 in 2026 and was designed by Heinrich Straumer in the early 1920s. This 150-metre-tall structure, said to have been inspired by the Eiffel Tower, is regarded by many as a symbol of Germany’s capital city. The best bit? It’s open to the public, and has a restaurant and observatory at the top, accessed via an elevator which speeds skywards at six metres per second. Meanwhile, Berlin’s vast collection of public art, ranging from street art in places such as Gleisdreieckpark to the ancient sculptures lining Unter den Linden, is a reminder of Berlin’s longstanding aesthetic appeal.

Fancy a culture fix? Consider Frankfurt’s Schirn Kunsthalle in the city’s old town. Part of Frankfurt’s Museumsufer (Museum Riverbank), this vast museum is packed with priceless pieces of modern art, although its interior, which features a domed rotunda and a 140-metre-long central exhibition building inspired by Florence’s Uffizi building – is just as stunning. We recommend the guided tours, and it’s also worth keeping an eye out for upcoming events. In recent years there have been retrospectives of work by Kandinsky, Kahlo and Klein.

Cologne’s Museum Ludwig turns 50 in 2026 – the perfect excuse for a deep dive into contemporary art. It’s packed with fabulously diverse examples of modern art. Alongside pieces by expressionist artists such as Ludwig Kirchner, August Macke and Otto Mueller are modernist masterpieces by Marc Chagall and Otto Dix. Genres such as Cubo-Futurism, Suprematism and Constructivism are also well represented, and the museum has the largest collection of American pop art (including works by Andy Warhol) outside the US.

For a deep dive into baroque architecture, it’s hard to beat the 860-kilometre Upper Swabian Baroque Route, lined with baroque masterpieces ranging from cathedrals and castles to frescoed monasteries and museums. Lesser-known treasures line the route, which is easily broken down into smaller stretches. Don’t miss the chance to marvel at Ochsenhausen’s Ochsenhausen Monastery, one of Germany’s largest Baroque complexes, and New Meersburg Castle, an 18th-century Baroque residence built for the Prince-Bishops of Constance.

2026 will mark 125 years the opening of Wuppertal’s new suspended railway, a feat of engineering which follows the route of North Rhine-Westphalia’s River Wupper. Its designer, Eugen Langen, opted for the unusual approach after realising the region’s rocky soil made building a traditional underground railway impossible. Wondering why there’s an elephant statue near the railway’s Adler Brücke station? In 1950 an elephant known as Tuffi was led onto the train for a publicity stunt but Tuffi, started by photographers, jumped out the window into the river. Thankfully, she survived, much like the railway which – along with Wuppertal’s art deco architecture – has put this region firmly on the map.

The Bayreuth Festival isn’t just a celebration of Wagner’s music – it’s a reminder of Germany’s passion for the arts. The story begins in 1872, when a foundation stone for a new opera house, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, was laid. The venue was intended to be a tribute to the music genre, albeit a venue which was free of hierarchy – Wagner dismissed the idea of side boxes to avoid the sense that the wealthy were looking down on those in the cheaper seats. The first Bayreuth Festival took place at the venue in 1876, and it’s been held there ever since.

A word of warning – it’s highly likely your local swimming pool will look decidedly plain next to this natural beauty. You’ll find the Pottenstein rock pool at the foot of a sheer granite cliff, and it’s certainly one of the more dramatic places for a dip. A natural filtering area keeps the water clean and clear, and there’s a beer garden for that all-important post-swim stein of ale. A dip in the glass-clear water is a great way to soothe aches and pains.

Carl Maria von Webber wasn’t just a conductor – he was a pianist and composer regarded as a pioneer of German romanticism. In 2026, numerous events will mark the 200th anniversary of his death, and many of these celebrations will take place in Dresden and Pirna, where von Webber spent much of his life. His works include Der Freischütz, which isn’t just regarded as one of Germany’s finest operatic compositions, but one which put the country on the map as an epicentre of Romantic opera.