The most beautiful cities in Germany

Germany’s most beautiful cities and towns stand among the best places to visit in the European Union. They span almost the full range of European variety.

• There are cities with Roman origins and remains such as Trier, Cologne, Regensburg and Mainz.
• Medieval cities such as Nuremberg, Erfurt, Bamberg and Worms and the half-timbered Harz region towns of Goslar, Quedlinburg and Wernigerode.
• Renaissance showpiece cities such as Lübeck, Augsburg or Bremen.
• Cities with Baroque survivals, including Dresden, Heidelberg or Passau.
• Plenty of German cities have beautiful palaces on their streets or nearby, like Potsdam, Munich, Stuttgart, Würzburg and Weimar.
• The great cathedrals such as Cologne, Regensburg, Bamberg, Mainz, Erfurt, Worms, with countless other churches, sometimes in Romanesque but more commonly in the Gothic style. The münster of Ulm has the tallest spire of them all.
• Museums of culture and art among world’s best, including Deutsches Museum, Deutsches Nationalmuseum, Alte Pinakothek and the Pergamonmuseum.

All these places can be reached by train and bus (Quedlinburg is on a branch line). All offer a range of hotels, hostels, guest houses and other types of accommodation. All are very walkable and, like most German towns and cities, are really best seen on foot. But trams and buses help get people to and from hotels or attractions and for the bigger centres, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Nuremberg, there are fast regular options in the form of S-bahn and U-bahn trains and light-rail transport.

Architecture

A wide range of styles through western European architectural history is on show in Germany, in spite of catastrophic damage done to many of its cities during World War II. As well as carefully restored or preserved city precincts, travellers can seek out open-air museums, which provide a guide to regional variety. For a more romantic taste there are countless castles, palaces and country manor houses.

Styles

Before the 19th century, Germany produced few innovations in architecture. Right at the start of German history the emperor Charlemagne chose to largely copy the church of San Vitale in Ravenna to invest his Palatine Chapel in Aachen with the weight of imperial authority. The result of this patronage is a cathedral with a core in the Byzantine style, later enlarged in Gothic. Receiving influences mostly from France and Italy, Germany’s architecture came to be about blends in styles.

Another of Germany’s oldest buildings, the former abbey church of St Emmeram in Regensburg, shows the same tendency to mixtures and contrasts. The visitor arrives through a Gothic portal to an originally Romanesque nave (maintaining some Romanesque painting) that has given way to rich Baroque ornament overhead. Visits to such sites deliver plenty of variety.

The Romanesque and Gothic periods came later to Germany than their genesis in France and the German Baroque flowered after Italy's. The biggest novelty before the modern period was probably northern Germany’s characteristic take on Gothic, shown in its churches or town halls. The red-brick Gothic (Backsteingotik), spread north and east with the trading influence of Lübeck and the advance of Christianity. This form, which overcame the lack of suitable building stone, became Germany’s architectural gift to much of the Baltic. It is the style of the other Hanseatic trading ports such as Hamburg, Bremen, Rostock, Wismar and Stralsund. Lübeck’s Marienkirche set the pattern for church building throughout the Baltic.

Red brick was expensive. But the affluent northern cities could afford it and bricks never lost their utility, surviving through the Renaissance in the stepped-gable town house. Sometimes stone layers were topped by bricks. Gothic in particular never released its hold on the German imagination, however Romanesque and Gothic styles are today most prevalent where the lack of later prosperity did not permit expensive Baroque makeovers.

Germany and Austria had largely to themselves the so-called Biedermeier style of the 19th century, being about intimate interiors that appealed to the bourgeois taste of the period. But it was not until the 20th century that a German take on utility and form produced internationally influential work, most prominently the Bauhaus phenomenon.

Religious buildings

Churches are the prominent examples of architecture in most cities and towns and their social role as symbols of community belief and worship delivered their builders the resources and determination to produce works of splendour. This holds true from the Romanesque of the earliest churches and monasteries – the foundations of Trier’s Dom St Peter were begun in the 4th century – to 19th century expressions of Prussian might.

The German cathedral (Dom, strictly a term also applied to collegiate churches) survives in splendid Romanesque in Mainz, Trier, Worms, Speyer, Hildesheim and (much rebuilt) in Würzburg, not to mention the almost pristine abbey church of Maria Laach near Koblenz. More modest are the churches of Goslar and the small churches scattered through the eastern Harz and around Magdeburg, gathered into a little-known travel route dubbed Straße der Romanik. Cologne’s cathedral has a valuable and varied group of 12 Romanesque churches surrounding nearby. Ideally, in medieval practice, the cathedral portal pointed west, so the bishop and his flock entered – and worshipped – facing east.

It would be wrong to suppose that grand Gothic cathedrals such as Cologne and Regensburg looked much the same to medieval worshippers – Kölner Dom took more than 600 years to be realised in its present form and Regensburg’s Dom St Peter too shows the benefits of 19th century Neogothic reinterpretation; in both cases this is particularly true of the towers. Bamberger Dom was altered in the Baroque period.

Yet the Catholic pilgrimage churches of Bavaria would have looked very similar in their Baroque splendour, a beacon on the hill above a town beset by resurgent plagues and a cry to the Virgin for deliverance. Changed forever were others that now stand in ruins as monuments to war, such as Berlin’s Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche, Hamburg’s St Nikolai or Hannover’s Aegidienkirche. The great bells of Lübeck’s Marienkirche rest today where they fell after a merciless 1942 air attack. Thankfully restored – from no more than a pile of stone with the guidance of pictures and worldwide donations – is Dresden’s precious Baroque Frauenkirche.

Synagogues that survived the Holocaust and the city infernos show more exotic influences. Most of those that had to be rebuilt, such as in the centre of Dresden, are of the Postmodern school.

Active churches are generally open to the public outside service times and the conduct of visitors should be respectful. Some have admission charges, although parishes are grateful for donations to church maintenance. Church guide booklets covering architectural history as well as describing interior artworks are widely available within. Many cathedrals and churches forbid photography (or flashes) inside, while others charge for the privilege. Charges should be expected for scheduled tours, tower climbs or organ concerts.

Townscapes

Rome left its mark firmly on Germany and today its traces are in Cologne, Mainz, Passau, Regensburg and Koblenz as well as restored treasures at Xanten near the Dutch border. But standing apart is Trier, with its claim to being German’s oldest city. Its mighty Porta Nigra has withstood centuries and conversion as a church. A full ancient basilica, the remains of three bath complexes, a fascinating amphitheatre and a museum packed with rescued treasures all place the city ahead of its German neighbours as a monument to Roman power.

Medieval towns in Germany’s southern and central parts tended to surround the main church and marketplace (Marktplatz or just Markt) and grow out radially. In the northern regions some villages tended to string out along one or two roads. These factors can help orient visitors, especially where the towers of the main church can be picked out as central landmarks. Planning the positions of the earliest churches in the shape of a rough cross is known from cities such as Bamberg and (more exactly) Goslar. 

The city fountain (Brunnen), depending on its age, served as a water supply but the more ornate bronze edifices celebrate man's mastery of the waters in the shape of local rivers, represented by human figures. It can be worth inquiring to understand the whole significance of such a monument.

Where town walls survive they can present (on a summer evening, when other attractions are closed) a pleasant stroll around the old defences, usually picked out on the map by street names with telltale endings (-mauer, -wall, -wallstraße or -graben). A gateway (Tor) often has its own tower (Turm). Many of the wall precincts, often with water components, are suitably greened today for free public enjoyment.

There are still several medieval walled towns to savour – notably Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Dinkelsbühl in western Franconia – but there are other delights at Amberg near Nuremberg, which maintains an array of defences topped by a castle. In most cities only sections of wall and the gateways survive, but these are impressive enough: examples are Lübeck’s Holstentor, Rostock’s Steintor and structures like Munich’s Isartor. Most of the towers and gateways are not imaginatively named: Rothenburg has the Weißer Turm ('white tower'), Rödertor ('red gate') and Burgtor (‘castle gate’). Regensburg has the Ostentor ('east gate'). Other names indicate the next town, hence Berlin's Brandenburger Tor ('gate to Brandenburg'). Potsdam’s Brandenburger Tor is much lesser known. Sometimes names remain when gates have vanished, like Berlin’s Schlesisches Tor and Hallesches Tor.

Further south, Italian-style Gothic tower houses found a home in Regensburg. A rising urban commercial class spent its wherewithal on building. In Augsburg the wealth of rich banking and trading dynasties shaped the streets on fine Renaissance lines. Eastern influences introduced the onion dome. In the north, red brick is given full play in the phenomenon of the town hall, with Gothic or Renaissance gables, such as in Bremen, frequently guarded by the local Roland, a legendary warrior giant standing guard to the city’s security and asserting its civic independence (especially against church magnates).

The cobbled or sett-paved street and the half-timbered house (Fachwerkhaus) are hardly unique to Germany. But in smaller cities such as Goslar, Wernigerode and Quedlinburg in the Harz, or in Hamelin (Hameln) near Hannover, half-timbered streets give a real sense of the late Gothic and Renaissance town environment. Many houses display dated dedications to God in late medieval Low German and are restored in a riot of colour. Only the south-eastern strip of Bavaria and part of East Frisia fall outside the region for half-timbered building. The burghers of Nuremberg built half-timbered residences of three storeys or more.

Later, an Italian-flavoured Baroque style became prominent in town buildings in Bavaria, evident in Würzburg, Bamberg and tiny Füssen as well as Passau and Munich. 

Local flavours began to stamp themselves on European paradigms in the 18th century. A more severe interpretation of Baroque emerged in Berlin. The Biedermeier period, from the early 19th century, was associated with the rise of the middle class and a greater emphasis on domesticity and simplified lines. This was best reflected in interiors and furniture. But the Neoclassicism of Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Leo von Klenze left a more external and lasting mark on Berlin and Munich respectively.

It was a second surge of business activity, driven this time by late 19th century industrialisation, that brought the multi-storey barrack-style tenements (Mietskaserne) to Berlin as a new type of mass accommodation for the workers. The Wilhelmine (in its early period known as Gründerzeit) architecture of the Prussian imperial period became known for its bombast, epitomised by the Berliner Dom, but its legacy in city residences is looked upon more kindly.

In the 20th century Germany had a powerful international impact on Modernist principles. A German variant of Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) was reflected in key buildings in Frankfurt and Munich but architects pursuing Modernism (Neues Bauen), led by Peter Behrens, quickly moved on to so-called industrial Classicism. The Bauhaus movement, centred on Weimar (which has fine buildings from most periods) and then Dessau and led by Behrens’ pupil Walter Gropius, revolutionised design, raising utility and simplicity to top priority and calling for a rigorous and complete approach to buildings, interiors and fittings. Nazism in effect snuffed this out, although not before its influence had spread, becoming Germany's most pervasive contribution to design.  Although the grandiose city plans of Hitler and Albert Speer were never realised, the Nazis gave the world Berlin’s Olympiastadion and the enlarged Tempelhof airport.

War damage demanded half a century of city rebuilding. Careful restoration or renovation of key buildings was an important part of this process. After reunification Berlin’s second post-war reconstruction, including Lord Foster’s redesign of the Reichstag, became the focus of excitement as new city precincts were developed. The rise of the new Potsdamer Platz marked this rebirth, as did the renovation of the Olympic stadium.

Castles & palaces

Money and resources elsewhere went to build powerful central states – in German lands they went into impressive and scattered estates. The pattern of German history before the 19th century maintained a political landscape of mostly tiny units. The legacy of their large princely and noble classes was thousands of palaces, castles, manor houses and their households and gardens and many are open for public viewing today.

The military purposes of fortifications, and the desire of powerful builders for imposing residences in the landscape, mean they command striking vistas. Many have interiors that can be toured and some contain museums.

After Aachen, the Goslar Kaiserpfalz is the oldest such building in Germany, preserving Romanesque features despite changes to the interior of the great hall. Considered the truest of the surviving medieval castles are the Marksburg, above the Rhine south of Koblenz, and the Wartburg, above Eisenach.  Representing generations of changing styles from the 12th century on is Burg Eltz in a quiet valley near the Moselle. The romance of ruins brings many travellers to the electoral palace at Heidelberg.

For sheer impregnability and a forbidding collection of stories, Festung Königstein above the Elbe near Dresden stands apart. Its spectacular command of the valley affords a view that is one of the best available in Germany – beyond the border, in fact. Other views to savour are from Festung Ehrenbreitstein above Koblenz, where the Rhine and Moselle meet, and Veste Oberhaus above Passau, where the Danube, Inn and Ilz converge.

By the 18th century, Italian opulence was in full play, exemplified by the Würzburg Residenz of the prince-bishops of and its magnificent staircase. Smaller but almost as lavish is the Bamberg Neue Residenz.

The French influence, driven by the example of Versailles, returned in buildings such as Frederick the Great’s Rococo palace Schloß Sanssouci in Potsdam and Berlin’s Schloß Charlottenburg. The extensive Renaissance and Baroque Residenzschloß of Dresden and the adjacent court church and Rococo Zwinger used both French and Italian models.

For a 19th century medievalist pastiche from fantasy, many travellers are drawn to Schloß Neuschwanstein near Füssen, perhaps the best known postcard in Germany.

Opening hours at castles and palaces are longer in summer but, given the crowds, there can be waits to enter as well. Tickets at some sites are timed or set tours compulsory.

Travellers hoping to visit many palaces, castles and gardens in Bavaria should consider the passes offered by the Bavarian state authority Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlößer, Gärten und Seen. This does not administer all sites in Bavaria, but most of the popular attractions are included. For individuals/families (effectively two adults) a 14-day pass costs €35/66 and a 12-month pass €50/85, which will be a saving if the plan is to visit multiple sites in Munich, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Würzburg or Neuschwanstein near Füssen – even though visitors under 18 are normally admitted free. The website, which has an English version, also has full details of the sites, opening times and admission prices. The cards can be bought at most participating castles, at the authority's office in Munich (see the Munich guide) or through the online shop at the website.

The SchlösserlandKARTE offers similar benefits in Saxony. One-year passes (€60 each, €52.50 each for two) or 10-day passes (€30 each, €26.50 each for two) allow entry to more than 50 castles, palaces, gardens and their standing exhibits. Passes are available at castle ticket offices. There are also discounts on special exhibitions, but tours are not included. Two children under 15 can accompany an adult. The castles covered include the chief attractions in and around Dresden, the Albrechtsburg in Meissen, Festung Königstein and Schloß Colditz. For a full list and more details visit the Schlößerland Sachsen website, where passes can be ordered online. There is also an app.