Uncover Germany's cultural heritage

Germany's Highlights of Romanticism

Days 1-2: Würzburg Residence Palace and Court Gardens

Germany’s largest Baroque palace - and the former residence of the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg - was built between 1720 and 1744. It was a labour of love for the building’s team of skilled craftsmen, which included architect Balthasar Neumann, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, (regarded as the finest fresco painter of the eighteenth century) and sculptor Johann Wolfgang van der Auvera. Highlights include the grand staircase, beneath the world’s largest ceiling fresco, and the White Hall, with its vast expanses of neoclassical stuccowork.

Day 3: The Danube Limes

A 600-kilometre-long Roman defense system which covered most of the Roman Empire’s Danube frontier, the Danube Limes, which extends into Austria and Slovakia, provides an insight into Germany’s past through the remains of forts, ramparts and encampments, many of which have been carefully restored. The German section of the route - much of which can be cycled – weaves its way through Regensburg to Passau.

Days 4-5: Old Town of Regensburg and Stadtamhof

One of Germany’s beautifully preserved medieval old towns, Regensburg has over 1,500 listed buildings, and its architecture is incredibly varied – you’ll find Romanesque and Gothic buildings alongside the only example of French Gothic cathedral architecture east of the Rhine. An often-overlooked landmark is Germany’s oldest stone bridge, which was built in the 1100s and spans the Danube. If you’re short on time, put Saint Emmeram's Basilica at the top of your list – highlights include the library, with its ornate ceiling frescos, and the royal treasury, with its collections of weaponry and porcelain.

Days 6-7: Bamberg Old Town

Bamberg, in North Bavaria, is a riverside city with an old town filled with listed buildings, and an old town split into three distinct areas: the episcopal town, the island town and the market gardeners’ town. Its significance dates back to 1007, when Heinrich II made it the centre of episcopal and sovereign power, and today its most important sites include the Alte Hofhaltung Palace, once the bishop’s palace and the Domplatz (Cathedral Square), surrounded by beautiful Baroque buildings. After pounding its cobbled streets, make sure you try a stein of smoked beer – a local specialty.

Day 8: Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth

This eighteenth century opera house is one of Germany’s finest examples of Baroque architecture. Its construction was a family affair – it was built by Giuseppe Galli Bibiena and his son, Carlo. Famous for its highly ornate interior, made mostly from wood, it was commissioned by Margravine Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth and its inauguration was the wedding of her daughter, Elisabeth Friederike, to Duke Charles Eugene of Württemberg.

Days 9-10: Classical Weimar

In the late 18th century and early 19th century, scholars such as Goethe and Schiller transformed Weimar into a cultural hotspot, welcoming an age of enlightenment. Today, the town is filled with locations that reflect its evolution. These include Goethe’s former house, along with Ettersburg Castle and Park. One of the town’s most visited sites is Belvedere Castle and Park, where the grounds doubled as a laboratory for Duke Carl August, who studied plants and created a vast botanic garden here in the late 1700s.

Days 11-12: Church, Castle & Old Town of Quedlinburg

A prosperous trading town since the Middle Ages, Quedlinburg, in the Saxony-Anhalt region, was a former capital of the of the East Franconian German Empire. Its UNESCO status was awarded due to the abundance of Romanesque architecture, the finest examples of which are Quedlinburg Abbey and the Fachwerkmuseum im Ständerbau, one of Germany’s oldest half-timbered buildings.

Germany's UNESCO Industrial Culture

Day 1: Le Corbusier’s Weissenhof Estate, Stuttgart

Didn’t think a housing estate could be a thing of beauty? Check out Stuttgart’s impressive Weissenhof Housing Estate, designed partly by Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (otherwise known as Le Corbusier). Constructed in 1927 as workers’ housing, notable features of these modernist apartments include strip windows running the entire length of units, terraces sheltered by concrete canopies and apartments’ monochrome paintjobs. The development’s most famous building is the Le Corbusier-designed two-family house, which earned UNESCO status in 2016.

Day 2: Augsburg Water Management System

This site in Augsburg, Bavaria, dates back to the Middle Ages, when early examples of hydraulic engineering provided the region’s mills, tanneries and goldsmiths with water. In 1545 new laws meant drinking water must be separated from water used for industrial purposes, and new (albeit equally innovative) technology was introduced. The UNESCO listing covers 22 sites relating to hydro power, ranging from canals to fountains built to quench the thirst of locals. A fun fact? The redirection of nearby rivers – for both drinking water and hydropower – created an enormous network of canals, which is partly why Augsburg has over 500 bridges.

Day 3: Völklingen Ironworks

This UNESCO site in Völklingen, Saarland, is the oldest preserved ironworks of the modern era. Built in 1873 by the wealthy Röchling family, it became one of the most important iron and steel works in Europe – a maze of furnaces and coke ovens manned by 17,000 workers. It’s the first industrial site of this era to gain UNESCO World Heritage status in Germany. A top tip? The best views of the site are from the charging platform – years ago, workers poured raw materials into the blast furnaces below from this very spot.

Day 4: Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Zollverein Coal Mine Complex, which you’ll find in the city of Essen, has it all – there’s a monument trail dotted with conveyor belts, trams, bunkers and hoppers, while several of the original buildings double as venues for art exhibitions, plays and concerts. The best place to learn about its history is the on-site Ruhr Museum, where you’ll find what might just be the world’s most beautiful escalator, an illuminated, fiery red structure inspired by the glow of liquid steel.

North Rhine-Westphalia top tips: Visit the Zollverein Monument Path to learn about its history and what it was like to work in the most efficient coal mine in the world. After visiting the Ruhr Museum, head to the Red Dot Design Museum to see the largest exhibition of contemporary design in the world. Aim to visit during the ExtraSchicht - Night of industrial Culture, taking place across the entire Ruhr Area on 1st June 2024, where 2,000 artists will come together to put on over 500 events across 50 venues.

Day 5: Fagus Factory, Alfeld

This is one of the earliest projects of architect Walter Gropius, regarded as the founder of the Bauhaus movement. Gropius was commissioned to build a shoe last factory, and the resulting structure, built in 1911, used glass and steel in innovative ways (Gropius’s diverse influences included Japanese shoji screens). The result was an industrial building with an elegance unheard of in the world of factory design. Visitors can join guided tours of the site, which is still a working factory.

Day 6: Mines of Rammelsberg, Historic Town of Goslar and Upper Harz Water Management System

Innovative mining and water management technology secured UNESCO status for this collection of sites, in Germany’s Upper Harz region. The Mines of Rammelsberg date back to the 800s, when Cistercian monks made the first attempts to extract ore to produce non-ferrous metals. Today, it remains one of the most spectacular examples of mining innovation in the western world.

The Upper Harz Water Management System is a network of dams and reservoirs built to divert and store the water that powered the water wheels which were so crucial to the area's mining efforts.

The Historic Town of Goslar lies in the Harz Mountains. It has a beautiful medieval old town complete with iconic half-timbered houses so you can take a nostalgic walk around this picturesque town.

Days 7-8:  Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus district with Chilehouse, Hamburg

Hamburg is a city with a wonderfully rich industrial history, and the best examples of this is the Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus neighbourhoods. Speicherstadt is famous for its beautifully preserved historic warehouses, while Kontorhaus provides an insight into the city’s more recent history. Here, sprawling riverside office complexes built between the 1920s and 1940s reflect how this enterprising city capitalised on the rapid growth of international trade.

Germany's UNESCO Faith & Culture Route

Days 1-2: ShUM- Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz 

A collection of Jewish heritage sites in Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate region, the ShUM UNESO listing includes the Speyer Jewry-Court, Worms Synagogue Compound, Old Jewish Cemetery Worms, and Old Jewish Cemetery Mainz. Their significance lies in the insight they provide into Jewish communal diasporic life from the tenth century onwards, more specifically the establishment of Ashkenazic Judaism.

Days 3-4: Wartburg Castle

A fairytale-style castle surrounded by forest and perched 400 metres above the valley floor on a rocky outcropping, Wartburg dates back to 1080. Over the years it was expanded and upgraded by various wealthy owners, including the Ernestine dukes of Saxony, who resided here from the fifteenth century. It’s a great place to learn about Martin Luther, who spent ten months living here from 1521-1522. Head to the castle’s workshop to see the ink stain left by Luther as he translated the bible into German.

Days 5-6: Naumburg Cathedral

Construction of Saxony’s Naumburg Cathedral started in 1028. Its finest architectural features include the West Choir screen and 12 statues depicting church donors, and the treasury vault – one of the largest Romanesque vaults in central Germany. Regarded as one of Germany’s most important cultural sites from the Middle Ages, the cathedral is the only church with two choir screens from the medieval period.

Days 7-8: Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg

These sites provide a brilliant insight into the life of Martin Luther, the German priest, theologian, friar and professor at the forefront of Protestant Reformation. Key sites include the house in which he was born, the church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Martin Luther was baptised here) and St. Anne’s Church, with its detailed biblical scenes carved out of stone.

Days 9-10: Erzgebirge Mining Region

The Erzgebirge Mining Region (also known as the Ore Mountains) is a popular holiday destination and provides a brilliant insight into industrialisation and religious culture in Germany. Locations which form part of this huge UNESCO site include Marienberg, an ancient mining town full of Italian Renaissance architecture and St. Marien Cathedral. We'd also recommend visiting Schindler's blue paint factory, founded in 1650 and one of Germany’s largest factories during its heyday. While in the area, you must also visit Freiberg, with its beautiful old town dating back to the 1100s.