Early examples of fine German engineering can be seen in the resplendent castles and cathedrals scattered across the country. Two hundred years after rural fortresses went out of style, Mad King Ludwig II commissioned Neuschwanstein, the unfinished gem of the Bavarian Royal Castles and one of Germany’s most recognizable landmarks. Set in a meticulously contrived (but still stunning) park in Potsdam, Schloß Sanssouci sports a frilly French Rococo style. In the cliffs over the Rhein River, the romantic half-ruins of Burg Rheinfels have underground passages that you can tour by candlelight. Check out our Sloshed and Schloß-ed itinerary for a tour of Germany’s grandest residences (and a few beers along the way).
The epitome of Catholic extravagance, Cologne’s unforgettable Dom , is the largest High Gothic cathedral in the world, built between 1288 and 1880. Other important cathedrals include the imposing Münster in Freiburg, which rings the oldest bells in Germany; the Frauenkirche in Munich, whose two distinctive towers dominate the city skyline; and the Münster in Ulm, where the largest spire in the world rises 161m into the sky. Protestant houses of worship stake a claim to German skylines as well. Wittenberg is home to the Schloßkirche , upon which Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses in 1517, sparking the Protestant Revolution. Hamburg’s Große Michaeliskirche has a famous copper tower which is the city’s symbol. The Nikolaikirche in Leipzig is doubly famous as the church in which Bach composed his St. John’s Passion and as the rallying point for the demonstrations in early October 1989 that hastened the fall of communist East Germany.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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