Overview
Germany's main attractions include:
- Brandenburg Gate
- Neuschwanstein Castle
- Rhine River
- Zugspitze Massif
- Sanssouci Park and Palace, Potsdam
- Berlin Wall
- Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Here's a slideshow of the mentioned attractions (in order).
The Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is an 85 ft tall Neoclassical gate that was created to be a city gate connecting Berlin and Brandenburg in the 18th century. A statue of a quadriga (chariot drawn by 4 horses) is on top of the Brandenburg Gate, here it is:
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It's located here, in Berlin, Germany:
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Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th century, Romanesque Revival style castle that was built as a homage to Richard Wagner. It was featured in the movies Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Great Escape, it also inspired the design for the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle.
It's located here in Bavaria, Germany:
It's located here in Bavaria, Germany:
Rhine River
The Rhine River is the most popular river in Germany, it starts at the North Sea runs all the way through Cologne and ends in the Black Sea on the east side of Bulgaria. It's the 2nd longest river in Western Europe, 760 miles long and runs through 9 countries. Here's where it is:
Zugspitze Massif
Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany (9,718 ft above sea level). It straddles the border between Germany and Austria. It was first climbed August 27, 1820 by Josef Naus. There are 3 cable cars that you can take up to the peak of Zugspitze. Here's where it lies on the border:
Sanssouci Park and Palace
Sanssouci Park and Palace is a Rococo style palace that was originally built as a summer home for Frederick the Great in 1747. He wanted it as a getaway from all the politics of Berlin. It was designed and built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knoblesdorff and took 2 years to build. King Frederick made the decision to add a terraced garden on the south side, and it became an international tourist attraction ever since. It's located here, in Berlin, Germany:
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was constructed by East Germany to divide the country as protection from the fascist, Soviet side of Germany. It was built in 1961 and remained until 1989. The picture above is of the East Germany side gallery, the largest portion still intact. Small chunks of the wall are actually for sale at a minimum of $125. The pink line is where the wall spanned across Germany before 1989, when most of it was demolished:
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a small city that maintained its medieval architectural style since the late Middle Ages (10th Century). It's in the District of Ansbach of Middle Franconia. The name means "Red fortress above the Tauber" because it's built on a plateau that overlooks the Tauber River. Rothenburg was a defensive city in the "Thirty Year War" of the 17th century crusades in Europe. Also, it was hit with the black plague in 1634, and this caused the city to stop expanding. It's located here, in Bavaria, Germany: