Story-book charm, cultural clout and a
whole lot of gravitas.
Germany wears its riches well: elegant big-city charm, small
picture-postcard towns, pagan-inspired harvest festivals, a wealth
of art and culture and the perennial pleasures of huge tracts of
forest, delightful castles and fine wine and beer are all there for
the savouring.
Deep in the heart of Europe, Germany has had a seminal impact on
Continental history. From Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire to
Otto von Bismarck's German Reich, Nazism and the rise and fall of
the Berlin Wall, no other nation has moulded Europe the way Germany
has - for better or worse.
When to Go
Germany is a fine destination year-round, but most people visit
between May and September when sunny skies are most likely and
much of life moves outdoors. Beer gardens and cafes bustle at
all hours; outdoor events and festivals enliven cities and
villages; and hiking, cycling and swimming (in lakes or pools)
are popular pursuits - at least as long as the weather plays
along. Remember that rain is a possibility in any month. The
flipside of summer travel is, of course, larger crowds at
museums and other attractions and traffic jams at places such as
Lake Constance. Accommodation needn't be hard to come by unless
you're drawn to beach and mountain resorts popular with German
holiday-makers.
The shoulder seasons (from March to May and
from October to early November) bring fewer tourists, lower
accommodation prices and often surprisingly pleasant weather. In
April and May, when flowers and fruit trees are in bloom, it can
be mild and sunny. Indian summers that stretch well into autumn
are not uncommon.
With the exception of winter sports, activities between
November and early March are likely to focus more on culture and
city life. In these months, skies tend to be gloomy and the
mercury often drops below freezing. On the plus side, there are
fewer visitors and shorter queues (except in the winter
resorts). Just pack the right clothes and keep in mind that
there are only six to eight hours of daylight. In December the
sun (if there is any) sets around
.
Weather
Germany is not prey to dramatic climatic extremes, although
there are regional differences. The most reliably good weather
is from May to October, with high summer a good bet for mid 20°C
(low 70°F) shorts-and-t-shirt conditions, even in the north.
Autumn is a good time to visit Germany. As the tourist scrum
disperses and the forests turn golden, it's not too stifling to
be active but still warm enough to leave you thirsty for a few
well-deserved steins. Winter is frosty and wet, especially in
the south, with snow rarely settling for long except in the high
country
Castles in the Air
Until unification in 1871, Germany was a mosaic of fiefdoms
whose overseers ruled from the comfort of a Schloss
(palace) or Burg (castle). A sentimental favourite among
Germans is the Wartburg in Eisenach, most famous as the site
where Martin Luther translated the Bible while in hiding. Less
well known is Schloss Weesenstein near Dresden, which has its
own brewery and 'upstairs-downstairs' exhibits about life at
court. Schloss Sanssouci in Potsdam is a perennial crowd
pleaser, not least because of its charming gardens. You'll find
a similar setup at the baroque Schloss Charlottenburg in Berlin,
home of the Prussian Hohenzollern clan. The family's ancestral
seat - Burg Hohenzollern - is near Tübingen. From a distance, it
looks medieval and mysterious, but it's actually a 19th-century
neo-Gothic confection, the original long having been destroyed.
A similar fate befell Schloss Heidelberg, although much of it
survives as a romantic ruin. For more romance, visit the robber
barons' hang-outs along the Romantic Rhine, especially the
labyrinthian Burg Rheinfels and the pristine Marksburg which,
like the Burg Eltz, has never been destroyed. Other outstanding
castles include King Ludwig II's delightful Schloss Linderhof
and Schloss Schwerin and the Versailles-inspired Residenzschloss
in Ludwigsburg.
Events
Germans love to party, and kick up their heels at everything
from pagan harvest romps to black tie opera galas. The Winter
Carnival (Fasching) season occurs throughout Germany, with big
cities such as Cologne (Köln), Munich and Mainz erupting into
commotion just before Ash Wednesday.
Germany's rich musical
heritage is showcased in a plethora of festivals. Some towns
concentrate on a particular composer, such as the Thuringian
Bach Festival in Erfurt in March or the Richard Wagner Festival
in Bayreuth each July, whereas others focus on a particular
style. The jazz festivals in Stuttgart (July) and Berlin (early
November) are lively and popular.
Autumn is a great time for harvest-inspired mayhem,
especially in the Rhineland, where the five Rhine in Flames
extravaganzas feature barges laden with fireworks. Mention must
be made of Oktoberfest, Munich's annual lager frenzy, but it's a
bit like being stuck in an endless soccer crowd and is more an
example of mass tourism catering to the lowest liquid
denominator than a display of German culture. Christmas markets,
with their twinkling lights and steaming mulled wine (Glüwein)
are embraced wholeheartedly by German families; they occur in
Munich, Nuremberg, Lübeck, Berlin, Münster, Heidelberg,
Rüdesheim and Stuttgart, amongst other places.
Sights
Germany's landscape is straight from the Brothers Grimm: castles
in the air, deep dark forests, fabled rivers. Its capital Berlin has history
that encroaches achingly on the present and a culture so now it's
almost tomorrow, and its other major cities are havens of fine art and fine
living
Aachen Dom
Münsterplatz
The oldest and most precious section of Aachen
Dom is Charlemagne's Pfalzkapelle (palace
chapel), an exquisite example of Carolingian
architecture. Completed in 800, the year of the
emperor's coronation, it's an octagonal dome
encircled by a 16-sided, two-story ambulatory
supported by antique pillars from Italy.
Suspended
from the 31m (101ft) high dome hangs a colossal
brass chandelier, donated by Emperor Friedrich
Barbarossa during whose reign Charlemagne was
canonised in 1165.
Pilgrims have poured into town ever since, drawn
as much by the cult surrounding Charlemagne as by
the prized relics - said to include Christ's
loincloth - he had brought to Aachen. These are
still displayed every seven years; the next time in
2007. A Gothic choir was fused to the chapel in 1414
and filled with priceless treasure. Highlights
include the pala d'oro and the jewel-encrusted
gilded copper pulpit, both fashioned in the 11th
century. At the far end is the shrine of
Charlemagne, a golden extravaganza that has held the
emperor's remains since 1215.
Unless you join a German-language tour, you'll
only catch a glimpse of Charlemagne's white marble
imperial throne in the upstairs gallery. Reached via
six steps - just like King Solomon's throne - it
served as the coronation throne of 30 German kings
between 936 and 1531.
Black Forest
Home of the cuckoo clock, the Schwarzwald
(Black Forest) gets its name from its dark, slightly
sinister canopy of evergreens: this is where Hansel
and Gretel encountered the wicked witch. The vast
expanse of hills, valleys, rivers and forests
stretch from the swish spa town of Baden-Baden to
the Swiss border, and from the Rhine almost to Lake
Constance.
Twenty minutes walk - or a five-minute
bike ride - fom populated spots will almost always
put you out in nature - in the middle of quiet
countryside dotted with traditional farmhouses and
amiable dairy cows, perhaps, or in a thick forest
where Little Red Riding Hood's wolf may lurk.
The northern section, with its hilly but
relatively gentle terrain is home to several
charming towns. Freudenstadt makes a good base for
exploring the Northern area. Many of the
Schwarzwald's most impressive sights are in the
triangle delimited by the lively university city of
Freiburg, 15km (9.3mi) east of the Rhine in the
southwest; Triberg, cuckoo clock capital of
Creation, in the north; and the charming
river-valley city of St Blasien in the southeast.
Even smaller towns in the area generally have
tourist offices.
Brandenburg Gate
Pariser Platz
One of Berlin's most photographed locations,
Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) once marked the
impenetrable boundary between East and West Berlin.
Built in 1791, Brandenburger Tor has often been a
centre stage for Berlin's militant political
rallies, including the memorable celebrations in
November 1989, when the Berlin Wall was torn down.
This imposing 18th-century structure has endured
several symbolic reincarnations. Intended by its
architect Carl Gotthard Langhans to be a symbol of
peace, the gate was crowned by the Quadriga (a
four-horse chariot driven by the winged goddess of
victory) a couple of years later, turning it into a
monument to Prussian militarism.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, political
groups from all ideological walks hijacked the
pliable Brandenburger Tor as the backdrop for their
rallies and processions. All this triumphalism ended
abruptly in 1961 when the Wall was built and the
gate sealed off in no-man's-land.
In 1989, after the dissolution of the border, the
area was reopened to the public. Today, traffic
passes freely under the gate while nearby,
enterprising scammers sell chunks of Berlin Wall
concrete, mostly of dubious provenance.
Füssen
One of the last stops on the Romantic Road, Füssen
is a small town nestled between towering Alpine
peaks and Schwangau. Together these towns form the
Royal Corner, home to King Ludwig Wilhelm II's
fantasy castles. Ludwig II didn't get along with his
ministers and relatives who had him diagnosed as
unfit to rule; soon after, he was found mysteriously
drowned.
The king's legacy consists of the three
fantastical castles he had built near Füssen:
Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof.
But there's more to Füssen than its castles. Its
compact centre, with its tangle of lanes, is full of
historical buildings; check out the Hohes Schloss.
There are excellent views from the top of
Tegelbergbahn, reached by cable car, and nearby are
the Bavarian Alps.
Goethe Haus
Grosser Hirschgraben 23-25
Anyone with an interest in German literature should
visit Goethe Haus, the birthplace of Johann Wolfgang
von Goethe in 1749. Goethe lived here until moving
to Weimar in 1775, an act that many Frankfurters
find hard to forgive. It was also here that Goethe
penned his ode to suicide, The Sorrows of Young
Werther , and began work on Faust .
The
house is a wonderful example of how Frankfurt's
well-to-do lived in the 18th century. The rooms are
nicely decorated with a mix of reproduction and
original furniture, offering a glimpse of
18th-century domestic life. Highlights are Goethe's
original writing desk and the library.
Romantic Road
Two million people ply the Romantische Strasse
(Romantic Road) every year, making it by far the
most popular of Germany's holiday routes. That means
lots of signs in English and Japanese, tourist
coaches and kitsch galore. Running north-south
through western Bavaria, the Romantic Road covers
420km (261mi) between Würzburg and Füssen near the
Austrian border.
For the most part the trail rolls
through pleasant, if not spectacular, landscape that
links some two dozen cities and towns, including
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl and Augsburg.
Locals get their cut of the Romantic Road hordes
through, among other things, scores of good-value
private accommodation offerings. Look for the
Zimmer Frei signs.
Schloss Hohenschwangau
Ludwig II spent his childhood at the sun-yellow
Schloss Hohenschwangau. Originally built by
Schwangau knights during the 12th century, the
palace's current form dates from the 1830s after
Ludwig's father, Maximilian II, had the ruin
reconstructed in neo-Gothic fashion. It's less
ostentatious than the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein and
has a lived-in feeling.
It was here that Ludwig
first met Wagner, and the Hohenstaufensaal features
a square piano where the composer would entertain
Ludwig with excerpts from his latest oeuvre. Some
rooms feature frescoes from German history and
legends (including the Wagner subject Lohengrin, the
Swan Knight).
After his father died, Ludwig's main alteration
was having stars, illuminated with hidden oil-lamps,
painted on the ceiling of his bedroom.
Schloss Linderhof
A trove of weird treasures, Schloss Linderhof was
Ludwig II's smallest but most sumptuous palace.
Finished in 1878, the palace hugs a hillside in a
landscape of French gardens, fountains and follies.
The reclusive king rarely received visitors here.
Like Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof was inspired by
Versailles and dedicated to Louis XIV, the French
'sun king'.
Linderhof's myth-laden,
jewel-encrusted rooms are a monument to the king's
excesses that so unsettled the governors in Munich.
The private bedroom is the largest room, heavily
ornamented and anchored by an enormous 108-candle
crystal chandelier weighing 500kg (79 stone). An
artificial waterfall, built to cool the room in
summer, cascades just outside the window.
The dining room reflects the king's fetish for
privacy and inventions. The king ate from a
mechanised dining board that sank through the floor
to be laid in the kitchen below so that his servants
could replenish it without being seen.
The gardens and outbuildings are as fascinating
as the castle itself. The highlight is the
oriental-style Moorish Kiosk, where Ludwig, dressed
in oriental garb, would preside over nightly
entertainment from a peacock throne. Underwater
light dances on the stalactites at the Venus Grotto,
an artificial cave inspired by a stage set for
Wagner's Tannhäuser . Underwater lighting (a
pioneering technical achievement for the time)
illuminates the room and the empty conch-shaped boat
waiting by the shore.
Schloss Neuschwanstein
Appearing through the mountain-top mist like a
surreal fantasy is the world's best-known castle,
Schloss Neuschwanstein. Ludwig II planned this
castle himself with the help of a stage designer
rather than an architect. It was conceived as a
giant stage to recreate the world of Germanic
mythology immortalised in the operatic works of
Richard Wagner.
Construction started in 1869 and,
like so many of Ludwig's grand schemes, was never
finished. For all the money spent on it, the king
spent just over 170 days in residence.
Neuschwanstein's centrepiece is the lavish
Sängersaal (Minstrels' Hall). Wall frescoes in the
hall depict scenes from the opera Tannhäuser
. Though the hall wasn't used during Ludwig's time,
concerts are now held there every September.
Other completed sections include: Ludwig's
bedroom, dominated by a huge Gothic-style bed
crowned with intricately carved Gothic spires; a
gaudy artificial grotto (another allusion to
Tannhäuser ); and the Byzantine Thronsaal
(Throne Room) with a great mosaic floor and a
chandelier shaped like a giant crown.
Neuschwanstein served as the model for the
Sleeping Beauty Castles at the original Disneyland
in California and the new Hong Kong Disneyland.
The wooded hills framing the castle make for some
wonderful walks. For the postcard view of
Neuschwanstein and the plains beyond, walk 10
minutes up to Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge), which
spans the spectacular Pöllat Gorge over a waterfall
just above the castle.
Stasi Museum
Ruschestrasse 103 The one-time headquarters of East Germany's
notorious secret police now houses the so-called Stasi Museum.
Here you can marvel at cunning surveillance devices, snicker at
kitschy communist trinkets and see the austere office of
longtime Stasi chief Erich Mielke, once the most feared man in
the GDR
Modern History
Wilhelm II dismissed Bismarck in 1890, lingered long enough to
lead Germany into WWI, then snuck off to Holland in 1918 when he
realised the war wasn't going to end in a ticker-tape parade.
Germany struggled with civil unrest and a disastrous peace, uniting
only in dislike of the reigning Weimar Republic. Then came Adolf
Hitler, an Austrian drifter and German army veteran who was able to
turn general disaffection into a focused lunacy. In 1933 his
National Socialist German Worker's (or Nazi) Party assumed brutal
and absolute authority over Germany. Extravagant military spending
and blasé border bending gave way to outright aggression, WWII, and
the unrivalled horror of the Holocaust. Even the Germans were
surprised by the success of their initial invasions, but by 1943 a
litany of heavy losses set the tone for the sluggish march to 1945's
unconditional surrender.
Postwar Germany, its cities largely rubble, was divided up
between the Allies, with Britain, France and the USA consolidating
the western portion into the Federal Republic of Germany, and the
Soviet zone transmogrifying into the communist German Democratic
Republic. This formula for division was repeated in Berlin. West
Germany received massive injections of US capital, attracting many
workers from the miserable economic conditions in the East until
some bright Communist spark had the idea of building a wall around
West Berlin and sealing the rest of the border. The Cold War's icy
eye focused on Berlin. Over the next 25 years West Germany became
one of the world's most prosperous nations while its communist
Siamese sibling suffered. The collapse of communism in Eastern
Europe has no more potent symbol than the opening of the Berlin
frontier in 1989 - one of world history's better parties.
Recent History
Helmut Kohl's era as chancellor, marked by the reunification of
Germany, came to an end in 1998 when a 'red-green' coalition of
Social Democrats and Greens took office under Gerhard Schroeder. In
2005 Angela Merkel, a Christian Democrat at the head of a 'grand
coalition' with the Social Democrats, became the first woman, the
first East German and the first scientist to serve as chancellor.
Although the euphoria of reunification has subsided and there is
some resentment and disaffection from both sides, Germany is working
towards true unity in typically sedulous fashion. In the 1900s
Germany absorbed the majority of refugees from the former
Yugoslavia, and these and other immigrants have recently been the
targets of racist attacks. However, the extreme right wing, although
insidious and occasionally violent, is politically weak. Germany
suffers from high unemployment, structural problems in the economy
and fierce competition in world markets but at least so far social
dislocation has been minimal. In recent years, the economic and
social integration of Germany's large Turkish minority has been the
subject of public debate.
For most Germans the highlight of 2006 was the FIFA Football
World Cup held throughout the country, with the final (won by
Italy's Azzurri)held in Berlin. Although the home side failed to win
the trophy the event was hugely successful and almost totally
trouble-free.