5 of the most beautiful towns in Germany
21.07.2023 - 07:57
/ roughguides.com
From Bavaria to the Baltic coast, there are dozens of scenic German towns in with romantic old town centres. The World Heritage List includes several with exceptional qualities besides their good looks and romantic atmosphere. Some also have an untouched medieval core, proud pointers to the enlightened era of Classicism, or unique buildings that inspired architects across Europe. Read on for more background on some of the most beautiful towns in Germany.
Beautiful Bamberg – located in northern Bavaria – is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval towns in Germany. It is an incredibly scenic place, from its original layout complete with city walls to its individual religious and civic buildings. In its heyday, from the 12th century onwards, it served as an example for towns across northern Germany and Hungary.
Thanks to limited bomb damage in World War II and an unusually careful programme of small-scale renovation projects, applied elsewhere as the “Bamberg model”, the city is a delight to explore. The river Regnitz bisects Bamberg's Old Town with its shopping streets, and the wonderful half-timbered town hall is perched on an island.
The seven hills to the west are crowned with Bamberg’s oldest monuments: the Romanesque cathedral with the bishops’ residences, the Altenburg castle and Michaelsberg Abbey. You can start your exploration in the city’s World Heritage Visitor Centre – and end your tour with the local speciality, smoked Rauchbier from one of the town’s nine breweries.
Nearest airport: Nuremberg Airport
Handy train connection: Bamberg is about a 40-minute train ride from Nuremberg, or just under one hour from Würzburg.
Bamberg's Old Town Hall © Lookphotos/Guenther Bayerl
For a small town, Weimar in Central Germany comes with a lot of history. Besides its splendid Modernist Bauhaus monuments, it has twelve historical homes, churches, castles, palaces and parks, dating from the glorious Classical era, that have been honoured with a place on the World Heritage List.
Weimar was bustling with intellectuals and new ideas in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This development was kickstarted by Duchess Anna Amalia and driven by the presence of the great writer and scientist Goethe and the poet/playwright Schiller. They enjoyed a productive friendship spanning seventeen years. Today you can visit both their original houses.
Near the Old Town, the Baroque Stadtschloss Castle was rebuilt with Classical interiors under Goethe's supervision after a fire. Next to it is the astounding Duchess Anna Amalia Library with its towering bookshelves. It was badly damaged by a fire in 2004, but has been restored to its former glory. The romantic English-style Park on the Ilm is a good spot to unwind – Goethe