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Germany |
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Cologne |
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Cologne is Germany’s party city. A carnival centre and riverside resort,
this medieval place of pilgrimage doesn’t have to try too hard to attract
visitors.
Not
least because, right by the railway station, it has Germany’s most famous
tourist attraction: the vast yet exquisite Cologne Cathedral. Started in
1248, the Kölner Dom was completed 600 years later. Its 19th-century spires
dominate the city, and you can climb to the top for an overwhelming view.
Below
the Dom is the compact city centre. The main shopping street, Hohe Strasse,
runs south. To the south-east, squeezed by the Rhine, are the narrow lanes
of tourist-friendly taverns forming the Altstadt, the medieval centre.
Pleasant green patches overlook sightseeing boats gliding down the Rhine. A
ring road, with names given to each section, envelops the heart of town.
Nightlife hubs are dotted at various points. Just beyond, to the west, are
parks where Cologne’s sports activities are based. Here stands the recently
rebuilt (and renamed) RheinEnergie-Stadion, one of the venues for the 2006
World Cup. Cologne is very much an outdoor city. Cyclists rule the city
streets – listen out for loud bell rings as you make your way along the
city’s pavements.
Cologne Website:
www.stadt-koeln.de/en/koelntourismus
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Düsseldorf |
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 The
little village (dorf) on the tiny river Düssel, a tributary of the mighty
Rhine, has grown to become the economic powerhouse of the region and one of
the three wealthiest cities in Germany.
Since the terrible destruction of WWII, which left 85% of Düsseldorf in
ruins, it has become ‘the office of the Ruhr,' acting as the administrative
and financial centre for Germany's famous heavy engineering district,
growing wealthy while keeping itself free from industrial blight. The large
number of banks and international head offices sited here means Düsseldorf
is a very cosmopolitan city with around 100,000 foreigners - one in six of
the total population.
With prosperity has come patronage of the arts and fashion world, reflected
in the ultra-trendy shopping street Konigsallee and the city's many
galleries and art museums. Both the quantity and quality of dining options
is also witness to how affluent and cosmopolitan the city is.
Visitors will spend most of their time in the Altstadt (Old Town), a warren
of cobbled streets huddled by the river, where alongside vestiges of the
past, there are over 200 very well patronised bars, restaurants and
nightspots. Uniquely in Germany, the Altstadt opens directly onto the Rhine,
a recent initiative that has ‘reclaimed' the riverfront to the delight of
locals and visitors.
Düsseldorf Website:
www.duesseldorf.de/en
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Frankfurt |
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 The
fifth biggest city in Germany, Frankfurt on Main has gained enormous
economic power thanks to its position as a key transport hub and its status
as a major venue for international trade fairs and other business events.
Located in the middle of the highly productive Rhine-Main region, right at
the centre of Europe, the city is the financial heart not only of Germany
but also of the European Union.
A settlement since at least 3000BC, Frankfurt's long and successful history
of commerce stemmed initially from its central geographical location on the
Main River and the Frankfurt Messe. The Messe has been going since the 12th
century and the city received its official Imperial privilege to hold an
annual trade fair in 1240. Frankfurt got its name around AD500, when the
Franks ruled the area and the settlement along the Main Fort transportation
route became known as ‘Franconovurd'.
Frankfurt's substantial political and cultural prestige is based on a
fortunate history of decisive events. In 855, it became the election city
for future monarchs. From 1562, the coronations of German emperors were held
in the city's Cathedral of St Bartholomew. The Frankfurt Börse began trading
in 1585, moving to Börsenplatz, its current home, in 1879. In 1815,
Frankfurt was declared a free city and part of the German Union, with the
Bundestag, the Union's highest committee, located here. Frankfurt
University, which took the name of the city's most famous son, Johann
Wolfgang Goethe, in 1932, opened in 1914.
If Frankfurt's political aspirations were dashed by the choice of Bonn as
capital of the Federal Republic in 1949, the city has directed its post-war
energies all the more wholeheartedly into its uncontested financial role.
The modern skyscrapers of banks and corporations in the central business
district are potent symbols of Frankfurt's economic strength and create a
skyline that is more North American than European. ‘Bankfurt' is home to
some of the tallest buildings in Europe, including the 300m Commerzbank
tower.
Most of Frankfurt's visitors come for one of the numerous trade fairs,
exhibitions and congresses. Among the largest on the international circuit
are the International Book Fair and ACHEMA. But Frankfurt has got another
side to reveal to its focused business visitors. As the birthplace of
Germany's most revered writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), the
city is at pains to impress with its cultural pedigree. Excellent museums,
high-calibre performance groups and local festivals should entice the
discerning visitor away from the exhibition hall.
Frankfurt Website:
www.frankfurt.de
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Essen |
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 Essen,
geographical and cultural heart of the Ruhrgebiet, is the 6th largest city
in Germany. Founded in 852 as a convent for noblewomen and governed by
abbesses for the next thousand years, its cathedral houses priceless
examples of sacred art, including the 10th-century “Child’s Crown” of Otto
III and the Golden Madonna, the oldest-known icon of its kind, valued at
over €100 million.
The 19th century saw Essen explode into the largest industrial centre in
Europe thanks to its coal mining and steel production, spearheaded by the
success of the Krupp company. But later explosions in World War II — from
Allied bombs — reduced much of the city and its factories to rubble, and
Essen’s city centre is a testament to German post-war reconstruction.
Like other modern post-industrial cities, Essen has gone through several
rebirths: employing out-of-work coalminers to build Lake Baldeney dam and a
charming recreational area south of the city; coaxing some of Germany’s
largest corporations to build headquarters there; and turning its once-dead
factories into vibrant cultural centres and tourist sights. Essen’s amazing
renaissance, buoyed by the recent decision to make it European Cultural
Capital for 2010, should continue its upswing for years to come.
Essen Website:
www.essen.de
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Hanover |
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 Hanover
founded in the 12th century and came to prominence in the 17th – today it is
one of Germany’s richest cities.
The story starts back in the days of the Hanseatic League, when this north
German city used its proximity to the Baltic Sea to emerge as a serious
economic player. The golden age came in the 17th century, when a complex
interweaving of marriages and political machinations in England, to avoid a
Scottish Catholic monarch taking the throne, resulted in Hanover’s royalty
holding sway over Britain.
Hanoverian George I became the British king, despite the fact that he could
not speak English and chose to spend much of his time holed up back in his
native city.
Hanover has first-rate shopping facilities, excellent examples of Hanseatic
red-brick churches, a brace of interesting museums, a sprinkling of
atmospheric beer halls and a string of relaxing civic parks – the highlight
of which is the Herrenhäuser Gärten, a fittingly grandiose and expansive
legacy of its days as a royal city.
The city is well-geared toward tourists and visiting businessmen alike, with
an array of hotels, an integrated public transport system and the ‘Red
Thread’ – a 4km - red line painted onto the road that traces the way to most
of Hanover’s main attractions, with an informative (though not necessary)
handbook on sale to fill in the blanks.
The city’s economy is dominated by the Messegelände to the southeast,
Germany’s largest, and one of Europe’s most high-tech show and exhibition
grounds, which hauls in millions of visitors every year, who attend the
various business and leisure events.
Hanover Website:
www.hannover.de
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Munich |
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 Munich
is Germany's third largest city. The city acquired the name München (‘home
of the monks') from its first monastery, founded in the eighth century.
Monasteries have since played an important role in the history of the city,
not least by starting the beer brewing traditions for which the city has
received worldwide renown.
Successive rulers, detecting a profitable source of tax revenue, actively
encouraged beer production as a means both of raising money and keeping the
populace happy at the same time.
Following recent mergers, the city's six breweries have been reduced to four
- Augustiner, Hofbräuhaus, Paulaner (who now own Hacker-Pschorr) and the
merged Spaten-Löwenbräu. Beer quality is still based on the Reinheitsgebot
(Purity Edict), introduced by the Bavarian Duke Wilhelm IV, in 1516, which
forbids the use of anything other than the core ingredients of barley, hops
and water in the brewing process.
Drinking a foaming Mass (measure) of beer in one of the city's beer halls or
gardens is an essential part of the Munich experience.
The citizens of Munich demonstrate a cosmopolitan refinement as well as
genuine passion for the region's many traditions, and tourists flock to the
city for the world famous Oktoberfest, to indulge in an orgy of beer and
revelry.
The stereotypical images of lederhosen-clad Bavarians quaffing vast portions
of beer and sausage might apply at this time, however, with a strong
cultural scene, richly endowed art collections and excellent shopping, the
city, also home of BMW cars and centre of the German film industry,
certainly has more to offer than just light entertainment.
Munich Website:
www.munich.de
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Nurnberg |
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 Nuremberg's
is situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine Main-Danube Canal.
The cultural flowering of Nuremberg in the
15th and 16th centuries made it the centre of the German Renaissance.
Nuremberg was an early center of humanism, science, printing, and mechanical
invention.
The city contributed much to the science of astronomy. In 1471 Johannes
Mueller of Königsberg, later called Regiomontanus, built an astronomical
observatory in Nuremberg and published many important astronomical charts.
In 1515, Albrecht Dürer, a native of Nuremberg, mapped the stars of the
northern and southern hemispheres, producing the first printed star charts,
which had been ordered by Johann Stabius. Around 1515 Dürer also published
the "Stabiussche 'Weltkarte', the first perspective reproduction of the
terrestrial globe. Perhaps most famously, the main part of Nicolaus
Copernicus' work was published in Nuremberg in 1543.
Printers and publishers have a long history in Nuremberg. Many of these
publishers worked with well-known artists of the day to produce books that
could also be considered works of art. Others furthered geographical
knowledge and travel by mapmaking. Two of these were navigator and
geographer Martin Behaim, who made the first world globe, and Hartmann
Schedel, who wrote his World Chronicles (Schedelsche Weltchronik) in the
local Franconian dialect.
Sculptors like Veit Stoss and Peter Vischer are also associated with
Nuremberg.
Composed of prosperous artisans, the guilds of the Meistersingers flourished
here. Richard Wagner made their most famous member, Hans Sachs, the hero of
his opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel
was born here and was organist of St. Sebald church.
The following churches are located inside the city walls: St. Sebald, St.
Lorenz, Frauenkirche (Our Lady's Church), St. Klara, St. Martha, St. Jakob,
St. Egidien, and St. Elisabeth. The church of the previous Katharienkloster
is preserved as a ruin, the Cartause is integrated in the building of the
Germanisches Nationalmuseum and the choir of the previous Franzikanerkirche
is part of a modern building. The Walburga Chapel and the romanic "Doppelkapelle"
(Chapel with two floors) are part of Nuremberg Castle.
The "Johannisfriedhof" contains many old graves (Albrecht Dürer, Willibald
Pirckheimer, etc.), the "Rochusfriedhof", or the Wöhrder Kirchhof are near
the Old Town.
Nurberg Website:
www.nuernberg.de
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Stuttgart |
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 Stuttgart,
capital of the southern state of Baden-Württemberg, has a lengthy past, but
for a period served a pivotal role in the history both of its surrounding
region, and later in the formation of modern Germany.
First impressions on entering the city centre (the visitor's first view is
highly likely to be on emergence from the central railway station) are of a
predominance of modern architecture.
The centre nevertheless has an attractive ‘open' feel. That it is at the
heart of one of Germany's most prosperous regions is evident in the high
quality of its shops, the many restaurants and its general atmosphere of
calm well-being.
It is not without its historical monuments, but the overriding feel is one
of a smart modern city entirely in keeping with the image of one of its
principal exports, Mercedes Benz cars. Other major industries associated
with the city include the Bosch empire.
The capital of the former Kingdom of Württemberg lies close to the banks of
the River Neckar, and boasts, in its Bad Canstatt district, some of western
Europe's biggest mineral spas.
Stuttgart today is an interesting, if not architecturally stunning, city,
with a pleasant atmosphere and a strong emphasis on arts, in the heart of
rich surrounding winelands.
Stuttgart Website:
www.stuttgart.de
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