Germany: Famous Places

Neuschwanstein Castle

King Ludwig II's fairy-tale castle in the Allgäu Alps, begun in 1869. It is one of the most photographed buildings in the world.

💡 Did you know? It inspired the Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland.

Brandenburg Gate

The neoclassical city gate from 1791 is Berlin's landmark and a symbol of German reunification.

💡 Did you know? Atop the gate stands the Quadriga: a chariot drawn by four horses.

Cologne Cathedral

The Gothic cathedral with its two 157-metre towers. Construction took over 600 years.

💡 Did you know? From 1880 to 1884 it was the tallest building in the world.

Black Forest

A densely wooded low mountain range in the southwest, famous for cuckoo clocks, Black Forest cake and deep valleys.

💡 Did you know? The name comes from the dark conifer forests that seemed impenetrable to the Romans.

Zugspitze

At 2,962 metres the highest mountain in Germany, on the border with Austria.

💡 Did you know? On a clear day you can see into four countries from the summit.

Lorelei

A steep slate rock above a narrow bend of the Rhine, wrapped in the legend of a singing nymph.

💡 Did you know? Legend says the beautiful Lorelei lured boatmen to their deaths with her song.

Sanssouci Palace

Frederick the Great's summer palace in Potsdam, a masterpiece of Rococo with a terraced vineyard.

💡 Did you know? ‘Sans souci’ is French for ‘without a care’.

Frauenkirche Dresden

The Baroque domed church was destroyed in 1945 and faithfully rebuilt by 2005.

💡 Did you know? Salvaged dark original stones were built into the façade: telling its history.

Elbphilharmonie

The glass concert hall atop an old warehouse base in Hamburg's harbour, opened in 2017.

💡 Did you know? The wave-shaped glass façade looks like a hoisted sail or a wave.

Chalk Cliffs of Rügen

Bright white chalk cliffs dropping steeply to the Baltic Sea: in Jasmund National Park on Rügen.

💡 Did you know? The painter Caspar David Friedrich made them famous in a painting.

Bastei

A bizarre rock formation with a stone bridge high above the Elbe in Saxon Switzerland.

💡 Did you know? The rock towers formed from sandstone deposited by a prehistoric sea.

Wadden Sea

The world's largest continuous tidal flats on the North Sea coast, walkable at low tide.

💡 Did you know? The Wadden Sea is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a huge resting place for migratory birds.