The best of World Heritage in Germany

21.07.2023 - 08:09 / roughguides.com

Look no further than Germany for awesome architecture, romantic rambles and intriguing industrial heritage. This sprawling country is home to a staggering 46 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Germany offers the full spectrum when it comes to design and creativity, but it’s not all about the visual aspect; the following World Heritage sites also provide a rich insight into Germany’s cultural heritage.

If you’re into your history (or just like the way the buildings look), stroll through chocolate-­box town centres, gaze up at half-­timbered houses and marvel at Roman city gates, all with long and varied histories of their own.

Beautiful Bamberg – located in northern Bavaria – is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval towns in Germany. The city’s layout is a prime example of how most Central European towns were designed in the early Middle Ages and its Old Town consists of three World Heritage districts: the episcopal town, the island town and the market gardener’s town. Another of this UNESCO town’s highlights is its smoked Rauchbier; book onto a beer-tasting tour and your guide will lead the way around some of the best bars and breweries in Bamberg. Prost! Of all the historic old towns in Germany (and there are a lot), Stralsund and Wismar are two of the most romantic, both packed with Gothic architecture characteristic of the Baltic region. In Stralsund there’s the world’s oldest original astronomical clock inside St Nicholas’ Church, while over in Wismar you can take in the original medieval harbour basin overlooked by the Wassertor city gate.

Bamberg, Germany © Haidamac/Shutterstock

Most famous as the birthplace of Bauhaus, Germany’s architecture and design is something to write home about. The Bauhaus school was founded in 1919 in Weimar; several Bauhaus gems survive to be explored, while many of the country’s Modernist housing estates are still lived in today. Berlin’s Horseshoe Estate (Hufeisensiedlung) consists of six estates, built by the star architects of German Modernism (Bruno and Max Taut, Hans Scharoun, Walter Gropius) between 1913 and 1934. For the ultimate experience, choose to spend the night in the restored Tautes Heim museum house nearby, designed by Bruno Taut.

Those after an older throwback won’t be disappointed by the exceptional Cologne Cathedral. With its spiky flying buttresses, staggering height of 157m and 14th-century art inside, it’s the cherry (or spire) atop the cake when it comes to Germany’s top UNESCO architectural sites.

Germany’s rich cultural history is tied up with its industrial heritage, and to UNESCO, preserving this is firmly on the agenda. While mining regions and sophisticated water-management systems may not sound like the most stimulating of visitor