The Romans founded Augsburg many centuries ago, and now this German town honors Caesar Augustus with its name and this beautiful fountain in the town center. Learn more about Augsburg
Freiburg, located in Germany’s Baden-Wurttemberg region, is normally associated with Black Forest cake (cherry-and-chocolate gateau) and cuckoo clocks. Although you can find all of this here, Freiburg has so much more to offer: gothic architecture mirroring the city’s changes through history, excellent wine, numerous cultural events, and an eco community that has its own political green […]
You never know what treasures you might find when you travel off the beaten path in Bavaria. I was strolling around the quaint folklore museum in Prien am Chiemsee when I came upon a particularly beautiful and elaborate stove covered with tiles. As I was the only visitor at the time, the curator was happy to walk […]
Neuschwanstein’s castle by ingirogiro For tourists, Germany has a little bit of everything – picture elegant major cities, old historic towns, medieval houses and castles, gothic churches and cathedrals, beer gardens and cafes, fine wine, outdoor events, and beer and harvest festivals in quaint villages. As the largest country in central Europe, Germany is home […]
Erfurt was reportedly described by Martin Luther as being in the “center of the center of Germany” and this might be one way of understanding this ancient city’s charm. Being in the very middle of the country might have ironically insulated the city from the turmoil of Germany’s long path from religious battleground to modern […]
For those of us growing up in Germany, Hannover was the mythical source of High German, the German that most of our teachers used, that all of the newscasters spoke, and that somehow always sounded condescending to me. In my mind’s eye, Hannover was a clean, sleek, orderly city that had the business acumen of […]
On a picture-book, sunny Sunday in early September, I was on my way to visit Ludwig II’s castle, Herreninsel, located on an island in Lake Chiemsee in the south of Bavaria, Germany. To get there, I boarded the Ludwig Fessler, the only paddleboat which runs as a ferry from Prien to the Herreninsel. The Ludwig Fessler is […]
Germany has worked hard to process and overcome the violent and tragic legacy of the Third Reich. The country’s post-war constitution declares Holocaust denial to be a crime. Persons responsible for atrocities committed under Hitler’s regime have been brought to trial and are to this day prosecuted under German law. Most recently, a 90 year old […]
When traveling around Franconia (Northern Bavaria), be sure to visit the impressive Schloss Seehof, located just five kilometers from Bamberg in Memmelsdorf. The Baroque structure was constructed in the late 17th Century as the summer residence and hunting lodge of the prince-bishop Marquard Sebastian Schenk von Stauffenberg. Four domed corner towers mark the symmetrical building. […]
For many travelers, Frankfurt am Main is the initial stop on a European tour, but not a destination in and of itself. The tendency is to swoop in and grab the connecting flight to Venice or buy train tickets for Paris, but don’t give in to impatience! Every city in Europe has charm and history […]