Famous Landmarks in Germany
Fairytale castles, half-timbered streets, giant Gothic cathedrals, skyscrapers – these are just a few of the most famous landmarks in Germany.
It’s an astonishing country to visit, and this article is designed to introduce you to its major sights. Although as well as the best-known German landmarks I’ve also added a few less familiar – but every bit as impressive – sights for you to discover.
As well as describing these landmarks I’ve also include advice on visiting them, including best viewpoints, guided tours and places to stay nearby.
Hopefully you’ll get to experience and explore some of them for yourself soon. Enjoy!
Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
Cold War symbol and perhaps the most famous of all German landmarks
For 28 years the weather-worn Brandenburger Tor symbolised the division between the Western and Communist worlds. The Berlin Wall (see later in the article) ran a few metres behind it and nobody in East Berlin dared approach it – given its proximity to the Wall, they would almost certainly have been shot.
The Neoclassical monument was originally called the Friedentor – Peace Gate – and was built for Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia between 1788 and 1791 by Carl Gottfried Langhans. It was inspired by the Propylaea, the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens. It’s crowned by the Quadriga, four bronze horses pulling a chariot driven by the goddess Victoria.
When I first visited Berlin a few years after the Wall came down, cars drove through the Gate. But now Pariser Platz, the square on which it stands, is pedestrianised and far more enjoyable. It’s often very busy during the daytime, and the best time to see it is either very early in the morning or at dusk, when it’s beautifully floodlit.
Tours: Berlin Big Bus Hop-On-Hop-Off Tour – Berlin is a large city, the sights are spread out widely, so a bus tour is a great way to get around and, if it’s your first visit, get your bearings.
Where To Stay – Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin – legendary luxury hotel and the closest to the Brandenburg Gate
See Also – 21 Famous Berlin Landmarks
Cologne Cathedral
One of the greatest Gothic Cathedrals ever built
The first time I visited Cologne Cathedral, in 1983, I recall one of my fellow travellers asking, ”How come it took over 600 years to build?” After one of the adults in our group gave a brief explanation, the boy said,”600 years? Well it had better be good then!” Ten minutes later the same adult gave him a tap on the shoulder and pointed Cologne Cathedral out to him. The boy just gasped. We all did.
Cologne Cathedral was begun in the 13th century, and was designed to be a fitting resting place for the Magi (also known as the Three Wise Men) who visited the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, following the famous star there. Their purported remains are kept in a magnificent golden casket behind the high altar, and there are several other extraordinary ecclesiastical treasures, including the 10th-century Gero Crucifix from the original Cathedral on the site and the 13th-century Milan Madonna sculpture.
Construction ground to a halt around 1560, and it was another 280 years before it resumed, with the addition of the twin western spires, 1257 metres (509 feet) above the ground. After the Sagrada Familia and Ulm Munster they are the third highest church towers in the world. The interior vault – at over 150 feet – is also one of the highest in the medieval world.
You can climb the south spire, as I did back in 1983, to a viewing platform inside which gives an awesome view over the Altstadt and Rhine. The Domplatz below hosts one of the main Cologne Christmas Markets each year. And it’s worth knowing that, beyond the mighty Cathedral, Cologne is also home to twelve amazing Romanesque churches – an unparalleled wealth of places to visit.
Tours: This Cologne Rhine cruise is a great way to see the city.
Where To Stay – Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom – 5-star luxury right next door to the Cathedral and Hauptbahnhof (main train station).
Schloss Neuschwanstein, Bavaria
The ultimate fairytale castle, one of the residences of ‘Mad’ King Ludwig II
Schloss Neuschwanstein isn’t just one of the most famous landmarks in Germany, it’s also one of the most recognisable icons of Europe, especially to visitors from beyond the continent. It’s also widely known because of its partial resemblance to the Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella castles in the Disney movies.
King Ludwig II of Bavaria was renowned for his extravagant expenditure on personal projects, which also included Linderhof Palace, Herrenchiemsee (a replica of part of the Palace of Versailles) and the Festspeilhaus in Bayreuth.
Schloss Neuschwanstein (its name means ‘New Swan Rock Castle’) was built on the site of a small medieval castle near the Bavarian town of Füssen, on a rock outcrop in the forest overlooking three Alpine lakes. It’s very much part of the wider 19th-century tradition of Historic Revival, albeit with unique interpretations inspired by certain buildings or styles, but not necessarily resembling them. So it is with Neuschwanstein, inspired by Romanesque architecture, but you’ll never find a surviving Romanesque building anything quite like it!
King Ludwig II was inspired by visits to the restored Wartburg Castle near Eisenach (in Thuringia) and the then partly-rebuilt Chateau de Pierrefonds, to the northeast of Paris. Neuschwanstein was also intended as a tribute to his friend and favourite composer, Richard Wagner, with several friezes inside based on scenes from his operas.
Ludwig II died in 1886 in mysterious circumstances, having lived in the partly-finished Neuschwanstein for less than six months. At the time of his death he was mired in debts totalling millions of marks. Ironically, 140 years after his death, his extravagance has become the most popular and lucrative tourist attraction in Bavaria, earning the state and nation vast sums every year. It’s sad that nobody had that vision at the time.
Tickets: You can book your Neuschwanstein Castle tickets with audio guide here.
Where To Stay: Hotel Sonne Füssen – rated one of the top 25 hotels in Germany, a great location in the centre of the historic Alpine town
Frauenkirche, Dresden
A phoenix from the ashes, and one of most beautiful Baroque churches in the world
After the bombing raid and ensuing firestorm of February 13th 1945, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) and most of the historic Baroque Altstadt of Dresden – the ‘Florence of the Elbe’ – were reduced to rubble. The Frauenkirche was the last of the destroyed Dresden landmarks to be restored, completed in 2005, 60 years after that terrible raid which killed at least 25,000 people in a single night.
The Dresden skyline was – and once again is – one of the most beautiful skylines in Europe, with the domes of the Albertinum and Frauenkirche, and steeples of Dresden Castle and the Catholic Hofkirche. The Frauenkirche, built by Georg Bähr, has a distinctive bell-shaped dome, and is one of the finest Baroque Protestant churches ever built.
Protestant churches differ from Roman Catholic churches in that the focal point is the pulpit rather than the high altar. Therefore it’s not as long as some of Germany’s great medieval churches, and the emphasis is more on height – the dome gallery, with its superb frescoes, is over 200 feet above the floor of the nave. It’s one of the most remarkable and beautiful churches in Europe.
The church is free to visit, though you have to pay to ascend the dome to the viewing gallery, which offers superb views over the Altstadt and River Elbe.
Where To Stay – Hotel Suitess – luxury hotel in one of the best locations in the city – right next to the Frauenkirche
Mainhattan Skyline, Frankfurt
One of the most impressive skyscraper skylines in Europe
Frankfurt am Main is the financial hub of Germany and Central Europe. All of the multinational banks have huge offices there, as they do in the likes of London, New York, Hong Kong and elsewhere.
It’s perhaps surprising that, despite its wealth and success in business, skyscrapers haven’t really caught on in Germany. At the time of writing, the twelve tallest skyscrapers in Germany are all in Frankfurt am Main. Indeed, 30 of the 40 tallest skyscrapers in Germany are in Frankfurt.
The tallest of these is the Commerzbank Tower, at 259 metres (850 feet). Other Itowers include the European Central Bank, and other tenants of the towers include DB (Deutsche Bahn, German Railways) and the Deutsche Bundesbankm which has recently moved to temporary headquarters in the Frankfurter Buro Center.
The best view of the Mainhattan skyline is from the banks of the River Main, close to the Eiserner Steg bridge. The skyline looks by far its best at dusk.
Getting there: U-Bahn to Willy Brandt Platz
Where To Stay – Motel One Frankfurt-Römer – stylish modern hotel close to Römerplatz and Frankfurt’s Old Town
Plönlein, Rothenburg ob der Tauber
One of the most photographed streets in Europe
The Plönlein is one of the most beautiful streets in Europe – or perhaps one of the continent’s most beautiful street corners. Like the Brandenburg Gate and Schloss Neuschwanstein, it’s one of a select few places that shout,”Germany!” from your screens, posters and brochures (remember those?).
And it’s the favourite iteration of Germany of many of the country’s aficionados, who love the medieval towns and villages, the wonky half-timbered houses, streets and centuries-old towers.
The Plönlein is centred around the famous triangular-gabled half-timbered house on the street corner. It’s surrounded by more centuries-old half-timbered and pastel-painted houses. Rothenburg is one of the most beautiful walled towns in Europe, and the scene is completed by the Siebersturm and Kobolzellerturm, both lookout posts on the town’s defensive walls.
It’s far and away the most photographed street corner in Germany, but there’s a great deal more to see in Rothenburg, with many more wonderful old streets, a mightily impressive circuit of walls and towers, a gorgeous Castle garden and one of the finest town squares in Germany.
Tours: This popular Rothenburg day tour from Munich also includes a visit to magnificent Harburg Castle, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Germany
Where To Stay – Hotel Sonne – das Kleine Altstadt Hotel – superb family-run hotel in the heart of Rothenburg Old Town, in a beautiful centuries-old house
The Berlin Wall
Supposedly built to keep Westerners out, it was really built to keep East Germans in
For anyone growing up in the 1970s and 1980s the ‘antifascist protection wall’ erected by the Communist East German authorities was the most famous landmark in Germany. It was also the most hated and reviled symbol of the division of Europe between the free capitalist West and totalitarian Soviet-enforced Communism of the East.
Supposedly built to keep the West out of East Berlin, its main purpose was to stop the flow of GDR citizens to the West. The city was brutally divided in two, and East Berlin was divided between the Communist enforcers and those who simply wanted to live freely, without up to 1 in 6 members of the population informing on them for the Stasi, the State secret police.
The Berlin Wall (die Berliner Mauer) was brought down after November 9th 1989, when a combination of a misunderstood announcement and border guards opening a major crossing point meant a flood of East Berliners crossed to West Berlin for the first time in 28 years. Within months Berlin and Germany were reunified after 45 years.
Much of the Berlin Wall was destroyed, but some sections have been preserved. The best of these are the East Side Gallery – where many iconic murals are regularly updated – and the Berlin Wall Memorial on the northern side of the city, at Bernauer Strasse. This is the one fully intact section to have been preserved, and includes a watch tower, barbed wire fencing and ‘Death Strip’ – a frightening reminder of how far the Communists were prepared to go to subjugate the people they were (theoretically) supposed to be serving.
Best Tour: East Berlin and The Wall Walking Tour – includes the Berlin Wall Memorial and East Side gallery, private option available
See Also: 15 Best Berlin Cold War Sites
Battle of the Nations Monument, Leipzig
Centenary commemoration of the 1813 Battle of Leipzig
The most renowned of the main Leipzig landmarks, the Battle of the Nations Monument (Völkerschlachtdenkmal) commemorates the 1813 Battle of Leipzig.
It was one of the biggest clashes of the Napoleonic Wars, with Napoleon Bonaparte’s combined French, Italian, Polish and German force confronting an army of Prussian, Austrian, Swedish and Russian soldiers.The latter prevailed, in what was Napoleon’s biggest setback before his defeat at Waterloo two years later.
The Monument was built to commemorate the Battle of the Nations in 1913. There’s nothing else quite like it in Germany, and it’s similar in shape to a step pyramid, with traces of Art Nouveau, particularly the gigantic figures around the apex.
You can visit the grounds of the Monument for free,or visit the interior and make the 500-step climb to the viewing gallery at the top.
Tours: I recommend this superb Trabant tour of Leipzig in a vintage GDR car around the city
Where To Stay – The Westin Leipzig – excellent option just across the street from Leipzig Hauptbahnhof (main train station), close to the historic centre and trams around the city
See Also: One Day in Leipzig – 24 hours in one of Germany’s coolest cities
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg
State-of-the-art concert hall in stunning location overlooking Hamburg Harbour
It only opened in 2017, but the Elbphilharmonie is already one of the most famous Hamburg landmarks. It has been compared to a ship standing on a promontory, but I’ve always thought that its glass roof Is more reminiscent of waves in the sea, especially if you view it from the Alsterfleet canal below.
The building houses two concert halls, one main and one smaller venue. The larger hall hosts many of the classical concerts and recitals, while the smaller hall is where you’ll see everything from African music to ‘80s noise and electronica and a great deal more.
The Plaza area is also very impressive, with a long curved escalator taking you up to the terrace where you get extraordinary views of the Harbour and the Speicherstadt warehouse district behind the concert hall.
A great way to see and appreciate the Elbphilharmonie is on a hafenrundfahrt (harbour boat tour) as you get some great angles of it from the water.
Tours: This Elbphilharmonie Plaza guided tour gives you a great deal of insight into the Elbphilharmonie – some of my friends have done this tour and highly recommend it.
Where To Stay – The Westin Hamburg Elbphilharmonie – don’t just visit the landmark – stay in it too – top luxury hotel that is part of the ionic Elbphilharmonie building
Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, Rhine Valley
One of the most picturesque castles on the Rhine, on an island in the middle of the great river
The many Rhine River Castles are a treat for anyone cruising along the river between Rüdesheim and Koblenz. 12th-century Marksburg Castle, above the village of Braubach, is the most impressive to visit, but for picturesqueness, I’m not sure that there’s anything to rival Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, near the village of Kaub.
The Castle was built on an island in the middle of the Rhine in the 14th century on the orders of king Ludwig the Bavarian. The Rhine was a lucrative source of income for him because of the tolls that could be levied upon passing river traffic. Pfalzgrafenstein Castle had the advantage of being on the river rather than next to it or above it, and a chain blocked passage between the Castle and the shore at Kaub. Vessels dared not try navigating the treacherous section of water the other side of the Caatle, so there was no way of avoiding paying up.
The Castle continued to be used to collect tolls until 1867, and was visited by Prussian General Blucher while crossing the Rhine on the trail of Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces in 1814.
We don’t know if the Castle has always been whitewashed, but the black roof turrets were added in the 17th or 18thcentury. The best view of the Castle is from the left bank of the Rhine, just south of the fascinating town of Oberwesel. From there, another Castle, Burg Gutenfels, completes the scene on a steep hill above Kaub.
Where To Stay – Burg Gutenfels – hilltop Castle above the Rhine – and one of the best Castles to stay in Germany
Königssee, Bavarian Alps
One of the most beautiful lakes in Germany
There are several famous German landmarks in a small area around the mountain town of Berchtesgaden, close to the Austrian border. These include the beautiful church at Ramsau and Kehlsteinhaus above Berchtesgaden, but I’ve opted for the stunning Königssee lake, a few miles south of the town.
One of the most beautiful lakes in Europe, the lake resembles a fjord with almost sheer rock faces on either side. Boat trips often stop to demonstrate the echo effect from the walls of rock by playing a flugelhorn for visitors.
Hikers often spend a day or two on the trails close to the lake, but if you’re pushed for time, the only option is one of the Königssee boat trips, which include a stop at the onion-domed Baroque pilgrimage church of St Bartholomä, on the lake’s western shore.
Tours: This Königssee and Berchtesgaden day trip from Munich is a more convenient way of visiting the lake, and includes the return boat trip.
Where To Stay: Hotel AlpinaRos – Alpine country-style hotel in the centre of Berchtesgaden, close to the ski-lift if you’re thinking of staying in winter
The Half-Timbered Houses of Quedlinburg
Timber-framed medieval houses in their thousands
The quiet town of Quedlinburg on the northern fringe of the Harz Mountains is often described as the birthplace of modern Germany. It’s where Heinrich I, known in English as Henry the Fowler, became the first ruler of the Kingdom of the East Franks in 919. And it’s also one of the best places to see one of the signature sights in Germany – the half-timbered house – at its best. Thousands of times over, at that.
There are somewhere between 2,000 and 4,000 half-timbered houses in Quedlinburg. They come in all shapes and sizes, from higgledy-piggledy squashed-in cottages to grand townhouses, and in a huge range of colours too. You could walk around the town for two or three days, as I did, and the houses never seem to end. Take a look at my article on the most beautiful fairytale streets in Quedlinburg for a more detailed guide to the town’s late medieval houses.
The town has managed to stay under the radar among overseas tourists because it’s over three hours by train from Berlin, with a change required en route.
Where To Stay: Hotel Theophano – great hotel in beautiful 17th-century half-timbered building on Quedlinburg’s main square
See Also: 20 Best Things To Do In Quedlinburg
Bastei Bridge, Saxon Switzerland National Park
Spectacular bridge between rock pinnacles in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
The Bastei Bridge is a 19th-century sandstone bridge linking soaring rock pinnacles high above the river Elbe in the Saxon Switzerland National Park. One of the best day trips from Dresden, it’s the most popular sight in the National Park which spreads across the border into the Czech Republic, where it is known as the Bohemian Switzerland National Park.
Most visitors to Bastei climb the steep hill from Rathen, on the right bank of the Elbe, to the top via Felsenburg Neurathen, the remains of a medieval rock castle very close to the Bridge. There are stunning views from the Bridge, and the nearby Bastei viewpoint overlooking the sheer rocks and the River below.
The best view of the Bastei Bridge is from the nearby (little more than 100 metres away) Ferdinandstein viewpoint. If you’re after the perfect photograph, get to the viewpoint very early or for the last light of the day in summer, as the Bridge faces north.
Getting there; if travelling by public transport, take the S1 S-Bahn train from Dresden Hbf to Kurort Rathen, then the regular ferry across the river to Rathen. From there, signs direct you to the hike up the hill (200-metre height gain).You can also get the 237 bus from Pirna bus station to Bastei – it’s a 10-minute walk. From the bus stop past the Hotel to the Bridge.
Tours: This Bastei tour from Dresden also visits the Pravčička Gate and Kamenice Gorge across the border in Bohemian Switzerland
Where To Stay – Berghotel Bastei – what a place to stay – just a few steps from the Bastei Bridge, with incomparable views of the Elbe Valley
Ulm Münster
Once the tallest church steeple in the world
Until a few months ago, the spire of Ulm Münster was the tallest church in the world, at 161 metres (530 feet). Like Cologne Cathedral, the church was completed in the 19th century – in its case over 500 years after the foundation stone was laid in 1377.
From a distance Ulm Minster looks, to all intents and purposes, like a very ornate stone Gothic church. However much of the fabric of the building is brick – although the church’s most prominent feature, its 530-foot tower, is mostly built from sandstone.
In its early stages, Ulm Minster was worked on by members of the prominent Parler family, of whom the best-known is Peter Parler, architect of St Vitus Cathedral and the Charles Bridge in Prague. The majority of the church had been completed by 1543, and on resumption of building in the 1840 most of the remaining work was carried out finishing the Minster’s towers.
At the time of writing (2026), it’s possible to climb to the second viewing gallery of the tower, but the top stage remains closed.
Tour: This Ulm guided walking tour is an excellent introduction to this fascinating and underrated city
Where To Stay: Hotel Schiefes Haus, Ulm – medieval history lovers will adore this hotel in a crooked half-timbered house dating back to 1406
Porta Nigra, Trier
One of the best-preserved buildings of the ancient Roman world
The Porta Nigra (‘Black Gate’) is one of the great Roman monuments in Europe, a 2nd– century entrance to Augusta Treverorum, the most important Roman city north of the Alps.
The gateway stands remarkably intact, partly due to its second life as a pilgrimage church, the site of miracles accredited to St Simeon, a Greek hermit who lived in the Porta during the 11th century.
Parts of the church were destroyed on the orders of Napoleon in 1798, and the Porta was returned to something approaching its original Roman appearance. Visiting this ancient wonder is one of the best things to do in Trier.
Where To Stay: Romantik Hotel zur Glocke – beautiful hotel with some half-timbered rooms, in the Old Town between Trier Cathedral and the Porta Nigra
Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam
Rococo delight and the centrepiece of the stunning World Heritage-listed Park of the same name
Potsdam is one of the most popular day trips from Berlin, a city I’ve visited three times but feel like I’ve barely got started with. It was the home of Prussian royalty until the late 19th century and German unification, initially chosen by Friedrich II (also known in English as Frederick the Great) in the mid-18th century.
Friedrich II set about creating a place he could live ‘without a care’, and began Sanssouci Park. He sketched out ideas including a Palace on a hillside, on which a vineyard was planted. This Rococo beauty is Sanssouci Palace, partly designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, a soldier-turned-architect who had designed Rheinsberg Castle for his patron. However he was dismissed from his post by Friedrich before Sanssouci Palace was completed.
The Palace has been called the ‘German Versailles’ but this is inaccurate – Versailles is far larger, Sanssouci was only ever intended as a small summer retreat, with just ten rooms in a single storey. However, these are utterly sumptuous, from the Marble Hall (the stone imported from the Carrara quarries in Tuscany) to the ornate Library with its gilded decorations.
Sanssouci Park is also home to several other fine buildings. The largest of these is the Neues Palais (New Palace), and there’s also an Italianate church (you could easily imagine yourself somewhere like the Po Delta when you see this) and the gorgeous Chinese Teahouse, my personal favourite.
There are many more amazing buildings in Potsdam, from Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s Nikolaikirche to the gabled houses of the Dutch Quarter and the wooden cottages of Alexandrovka, the ‘Russian Colony’ in the north of the town. Add in the Babelsberg Film Museum, the Cecilienhof Palace (where the Potsdam Agreement was signed in 1945) and you have one fascinating place to visit. I’m contemplating staying there several days next time, so that I can finally see it all.
Tours: It’s well worth taking an introductory tour of Potsdam – either this Potsdam city and castles tour or the hop-on-hop-off bus tour – and start digging around yourself from there.
Where To Stay: Hotel am Hofmaler – small hotel in a beautiful Dutch-style house in Potsdam’s Dutch Quarter
The Cliffs of Helgoland, Schleswig-Holstein
The furthest-flung corner of Germany, in splendid isolation in the North Sea
Once Danish, then British, the islands of Helgoland (often still called Heligoland in English) are the most remote islands in Germany, almost 40 miles from the Lower Saxony coast.
The landscapes of the two islands are quite different. Düne, as its name implies, is sandy, low-lying and flat and it’s the location of the island’s airfield. It was connected to the larger island, Helgoland, until a storm flood over 300 years ago.
Helgoland has a harbour, small town and beaches, and is popular with birdwatchers who can get up fairly close to the gannets that nest on the clifftops. And it’s these iconic red sandstone cliffs, and the iconic Lange Anna (Long Anna) sea stack at the northern tip of the island, that are its calling card and most popular draw.
You can reach Helgoland on a day trip from Hamburg, the boat trip taking 3 ½ hours each way. The ferry also calls at Brunsbüttel and Cuxhaven before heading out to the island. You can book your Helgoland tickets here.
Aachen Cathedral
One of the greatest churches in Europe, dating back to the time of Charlemagne
Aachen Cathedral (Dom zu Aachen) is one of the oldest Cathedrals in Europe with, at its core, the royal chapel of the Imperial Palace of Aachen, completed in the early 9th century.
Aachen – on the Dutch border – is a little way off the beaten track, over an hour west of Cologne and more than two hours from the popular Rhineland with its medieval towns and Castles. It’s not as widely renowned as these, but to give you an idea of its significance, it was one of the inaugural twelve UNESCO World Heritage Sites inscribed in 1978. The first intake also included the Galapagos Islands, Yellowstone National Park, the rock churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia and the historic centre of Kraków in Poland.
The octagonal royal chapel is better-known as the Palatine Chapel, and it is where Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne worshipped and was later buried in 1814. This astonishing Chapel became a pilgrimage site when Charlemagne was made a saint, and is the venue for the coronation of 31 German kings between 936 and 1531. The Chapel is modelled on the magnificent Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.
Some parts of the Cathedral also date from the Carolingian period, including most of its west front. The Throne of Charlemagne is housed within the Palatine Chapel, as is the Karlsschrein, where Charlemagne was re-interred in 1215.
The choir was added at some point after this, in the Gothic style, and the west tower was also added in the 14th century.
Tour: Private guided walking tour of Aachen – guided tour of the Cathedral and Aachen Altstadt
Where To Stay – Aquis Grana City Hotel – highly rated hotel in the historic heart of Aachen, a 3-minute walk from the Cathedral
Reichsburg Castle, Cochem
One of the great fairytale castles of Germany
Along with Neuschwanstein, the Reichsburg above Cochem is one of the most wondrous fairytale castles in Germany and Europe. It’s an achingly picturesque site from across the Mosel river, its turreted tower high above the colourful houses along the riverbank of the Mosel. It’s the largest Castle (of many) on the Mosel, dominating the River’s most beautiful and busiest small town.
Like the many ruined Mosel Castles, the Reichsburg was founded in the Middle Ages, and saw plenty of action along the way. It was first built in the 12th century, and was declared an Imperial Castle. It was destroyed 500 years later by the troops of France’s Louis XIV during the Nine Years War. The ruined site was bought in 1868 by Berlin iron and steel magnate Louis Frédéric Jacques Ravené, and he set about splurging in contemporary historicist style on the flight of fantasy that we see today.
The guided tour of the Castle takes you through six rooms of different periods, from the Gothic-style Knights Hall to the Renaissance Revival Dining Hall. The vast majority of what we see today dates from Ravené’s rebuild – the only elements of the original Reichsburg are the Witches Tower and the 50-metre deep well within the Castle.
A Mosel river cruise is a great way to appreciate Cochem and the Reichsburg. The Cochem daytime cruise lasts an hour, and the 2-hour evening cruise takes you along the river at sunset and dusk, when the Castle and town look absolutely magical (see image above).
Where To Stay – Hotel Zehnthof – historic family-run hotel just across the river from the Reichsburg and Old Town
See Also: 15 Best Things to Do In Cochem
Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Nuremberg
The site of the infamous Nazi party rallies of the 1930s
The Imperial City of Nuremberg was chosen by Adolf Hitler to be the setting for their showpiece party rallies. The openly racist 1935 Nuremberg Laws were also named after the city. They chose a site two miles from the historic Old Town, where they set about building a gargantuan Congress Hall (Kongresshalle), broad boulevards and a grandstand where Hitler and other senior Nazis would watch passing parades.
The vast Kongresshalle – meant to accommodate 50,000 attendees – was only half-finished, an open-air concrete Colosseum. Just across the lake from there, troops would march along the parade grounds and up to 200,000 people would gather.
Many are familiar with the Nuremberg Rallies because of the films of Leni Riefenstahl, including Triumph of the Will, though these depict something very different from the reality on the ground. Toilet facilities were totally inadequate for crowds this size, so the rally grounds – particularly the camp areas – would have absolutely stunk.
Before visiting the Rally Grounds, I suggest spending an hour or so at the excellent Nazi Party Documentation Centre, which is built into the northern side of the Kongresshalle. The exhibition is excellent, with lots of contemporary information and accounts of the rallies.
While visiting Nuremberg I also recommend visiting Courtroom 600, the setting for the Nuremberg Trials where surviving senior Nazis were prosecuted for their many crimes.
Tour This Nuremberg Third Reich, WWII and Trials Courtroom tour is the most comprehensive available, and including the Courtroom where the 1946-47 Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals were conducted and the Rally Grounds.
Where To Stay – Hotel Central – ideal location in the Old Town, next to a bus stop and the Lorenzkirche
See Also – Nuremberg Nazi Sites – 7 Compelling Third Reich Locations To Visit
Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall), Munich
One of the great landmarks of Bavaria
Munich’s New Town Hall was built in the mid-19th century to replace the neighbouring medieval Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus), which the ever-expanding Bavarian capital had outgrown.
The Neues Rathaus and Altes Rathaus are both located on Marienplatz, one of the grandest and most impressive squares in Germany. Even after the New town Hall was completed, it was decided that the city administration needed further space to build a suitable facility, so they set about acquiring properties on streets adjacent to the Marienplatz so that they could expand further. Two additional sections and the 85-metre tower were added between 1898 and 1905.
The Neues Rathaus has over 400 rooms, and you can visit some of these, including the stunning Law Library, on this guided tour. For the best view of the New Town Hall, you can’t beat the view from the tower of the Peterskirche, known to locals as Alter Peter (Old Peter). For just €5 you get a glorious view over Marienplatz, the New Town Hall and the twin-towered Frauenkirche beyond – one of the best views in Germany.
Tours: This fascinating Third Reich and World War Two walking tour delves into Munich’s dark Nazi past.
Where To Stay – Cortiina Hotel – boutique design hotel very close to Marienplatz and the Viktualienmarkt
Bauhaus Building, Dessau
Sleek functionalist design still influential a century later
The Bauhaus art school – which brought together arts, design in fields as varied as furniture and typography, and architecture – was – and still is – one of the most influential movements of the 20th century. The Bauhaus school began in Weimar, moved to Dessau in 1925, where it remained until 1932 when it moved to Berlin. It was closed the following year on the orders of the Nazis, who denounced it as ‘degenerate’.
Bauhaus architecture is functionalist and modernist, with an emphasis on simplicity, space and a lack of ornamentation. One of its innovations was flat roofing, and ‘glass curtains’, whole sides of buildings consisting of glass and steel window frames, giving the interiors an airy, light feel. An everyday sight now, this was an architectural revolution in the 1920s.
Perhaps the most famous Bauhaus building is Walter Gropius’ Bauhaus Dessau, which had to be partially rebuilt in the 1960s following war damage. It’s the most widely known building in the Bauhaus World Heritage Site, which also includes sites in Weimar and Bernau, just north of Berlin.
Where To Stay – Hotel 7 Saülen – highly-rated 3-star very close to the Bauhaus Meisterhaüser and less than ten minutes’ walk from the Bauhaus Building
Reichstag, Berlin
The famous symbol of German democracy
The Reichstag building in Berlin was built between 1884 and 1894 as the home of the unified Germany’s Parliament. Prior to this, meetings had been held in the Royal Porcelain Factory building on nearby Leipziger Strasse, and Frankfurt architect Paul Wallot won a design competition for the new building, interestingly based on the design of the Memorial Hall in Philadelphia in the United States.
It was begun during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm I, who didn’t live to see its completion. His grandson and eventual successor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, was more hostile to parliamentary democracy, and was opposed to the inscription ‘Dem Deustchen Volke’ – ‘For the German People’ – on the west façade of the building. After his abdication, the Weimar republic was proclaimed from there in 1919.
The Reichstag was set on fire in March 1933, and the new Nazi government pinned the blame on Dutch Communist sympathiser Marinus van der Lubbe, but we may never know the true culprit. One theory is that the Nazis started the fire as what is nowadays termed a ‘false flag’ operation, using it as an excuse to crack down on opponents and become the sole legal political party in Germany.
The glass cupola of the Reichstag was destroyed during the Second World War, and it wasn’t restored until the 1990s when Germany was reunified. The whole building – now officially called the Bundestag, though many still use the name ‘Reichstag’ – was then remodelled by Lord Foster and Gottfried Bohm, with a new glass dome and spiral walkway inside it which is freely accessible to the public. If visiting, you can either join a tour (see below) or you need to register your chosen visiting time and bring your passport or ID card.
Tour: This Reichstag and Government District tour is a superb introduction to the Reichstag and includes visits to the dome and plenary chamber.
Völklingen Ironworks, Saarland
The first designated heavy industry World Heritage Site in the world
Völklingen Ironworks in the Saarland was one of the great industrial sites of Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries. It operated between 1873 and 1886, an at first unprofitable steel mill transformed into a pioneering ironworks with gas blowing machines powering the five massive blast furnaces.
It remained in operation through both World Wars, manufacturing armaments and a range of military equipment. In the 1960s it employed an amazing 17,000 workers, but when a new steelworks opened nearby, the Ironworks were closed.
Völklingen – which was made a World Heritage Site in 1994 – is a phenomenal place to visit. My favourite part was climbing all the old staircases to the top of the blast furnaces for some incredible views over the site. Some parts of it are used as an art space, while others are left to nature to take over, the Ironworks almost an artwork in itself.
Getting there: Völklingen train station is a 5-minute walk away. It’s on the Saarbrücken to Trier train line, just 11 minutes away from Saarbrücken Hbf (main station).
Tickets: You can book your Völklingen Ironworks tickets here
Where To Stay – Leonardo Hotel Völklingen – the best option in town, a mile or so north of the centre and the Ironworks
Naumburg Cathedral
Stunning Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral, home to the most beautiful woman of the Middle Ages
Naumburg, in the southwest of Saxony-Anhalt, has always been under the tourist radar. During the Cold War it was off-limits to foreigners as a Soviet military base was located nearby. And whereas Leipzig has been ‘discovered’ over the last decade or two, Naumburg, like much of the Land of which it is part, is still beyond the range of most visitors.
Yet Naumburg Cathedral – Naumburger Dom – is one of the outstanding churches in Germany. The exterior is impressive enough, a four-spired masterpiece with an apse with a choir and altar at each end. If you’re visiting between April and October, climb the tower of St Wenzel Church for an astonishing view of the Dom. But it’s the interior that really steals the show.
The west choir is considered one of the bridges between Romanesque and Gothic in Central Europe, with a magnificently preserved painted screen, and, beyond, a sublime early Gothic chapel. It’s decorated with twelve 13th-century statues of founders of Naumburg Cathedral, monarchs and nobles from the surrounding area.
On the right-hand side as you look towards the altar, you’ll see a couple. The man is King Ekkehard, and his wife is Uta von Ballenstedt. Her face is so vivid, lifelike and beautiful (she also rather resembles my wife, so I admit to a little bias) and she has been described as ‘the most beautiful woman of the Middle Ages’.
It’s one of the great cathedrals in Europe, and worth travelling a very long way to see. It’s one of the more straightforward day trips from Leipzig, a 40-minute train ride away. And don’t miss the antique tram from the station to the town centre too.
Tour: Naumburg City Guided Walking Tour – in German only
Where To Stay – Pension Typisch Naumburg – very highly rated guesthouse between the main market square and Cathedral
See Also: 15 Off The Beaten Path World Heritage Sites In Europe
Famous Landmarks in Germany – Final Thoughts
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this guide to the best landmarks in Germany. Hopefully you’ve learned a little more about some of the more renowned sights, and at the same time discovered a few new ones to explore whenever you visit Germany.
I’ve travelled extensively in Germany, and written some other articles on landmarks in certain German cities. Here are some of them for you to browse:
Berlin Landmarks – Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and much more
Dresden Landmarks – what to see in the stunning ‘Florence on the Elbe’
Hamburg Landmarks – from the Elbphilharmonie to the tallest skyline of church spires in the world
Leipzig Landmarks – the main sights to see in the city of Bach and the Wende
Here are some more articles on Germany which may also pique your interest:
27 Best Places To Visit in Germany – from Hamburg to Heidelberg, Cologne to Quedlinburg and many more
17 Best Places To Visit In Eastern Germany – Dresden, Leipzig, the Baltic coast and much more
One Day In Dresden – a day in the rebuilt Florence on the Elbe
Things To Do In Quedlinburg – the stunning World Heritage town with over 2,000 medieval half-timbered houses
Visiting Nuremberg Toy Museum – one of the best toy museums in the world
Things To Do In Meissen – one of the most beautiful places to visit on the River Elbe
30 Best Places To Visit On The River Elbe – one of the great European rivers from source to sea
One Day In Nuremberg – 24 Hours In The Imperial City
Bacharach Germany – one of the most enchanting villages in the Rhine Valley
15 Best Berlin Cold War Sites To Visit – where to find remnants of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War
26 Best Things to Do In Trier – a detailed guide to the oldest city in Germany, including another great Toy Museum
20 Best Rhine River Castles – the best castles in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley World Heritage Site
One Day In Hamburg – 24 hours in Germany’s great port city
I’ve also written numerous other landmarks articles covering various European cities, regions and countries. Here’s another selection for you to peruse:
Famous landmarks in Venice – from St Mark’s to San Giorgio Maggiore, and many more
Famous Spanish landmarks – from Gaudi to the Guggenheim and many more