The Electoral Palace

The establishment of the Teutonic Order at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle in 1216 gave this historic site its name, the “Deutsches Eck” (“German Corner”). Koblenz also owes its name to the meeting point of the Rhine and the Moselle - from “Castellum apud Confluentes”, Latin for “fort at the confluence”, which over time became the current name of Koblenz. http://www.koblenz-tourism.com/culture/koblenz-attractions/deutsches-eck.html

Located not far from the Electoral Palace, the Koblenz Theatre is one of the only surviving examples of classical theatre construction on the Middle Rhine, and is the earliest example of a gallery theatre in Germany (as opposed to the earlier box theatre). http://www.koblenz-tourism.com/culture/koblenz-attractions/koblenz-theatre.html

Located within the city's precincts, Neroberg, Wiesbaden's own hillside estate, is one of the city's most popular leisure-time destinations. The 245 metre high hill, on which Neroberg wine flourishes under the management of the Hessian State Wine Estates, offers many rest and recreation options. https://www.wiesbaden.de/en/living-in-wiesbaden/recreation/recreation-areas/public-parks/nerotal-vineyard.php#

The Wiesbaden Kurhaus is an event venue which has a rich history and also provides the modern equipment capable of transforming any convention, conference and social event into a special experience. https://www.wiesbaden.de/en/tourism/conventions/kurhaus/index.php#

The Museum Wiesbaden is one of three state museums in the State of Hesse. Lovers of art and nature as well as art fanciers with a passion for the expressionism cannot do without visiting the museum. It owns more than 100 works of the Russian painter Alexej von Jawlensky, which forms the most important Jawlensky collection in Europe. https://www.wiesbaden.de/en/culture/museum/museum-wiesbaden/index.php

In the center of Mainz stands the state theater built between 1829 and 1833. At the Gutenbergplatz the big house as well as the glasshouse high under the roof are used. At the Tritonplatz next door is the small house built in 1997 and since 2014 deep underground the studio stage U17. https://www.mainz-tourismus.com/entdecken-erleben/kultur-erleben/theater-kabarett/staatstheater/

Directly on the market rises the Cathedral of St. Martin. Built in 975, it has suffered many fires, demolitions and rebuilding over the centuries. In addition to the grave monuments of the archbishops, the Romanesque St. Gotthard Chapel and the late Gothic cloister are especially noteworthy. https://www.mainz-tourismus.com/entdecken-erleben/geschichte-entdecken/kirchen-sakralbauten/dom-st-martin/

Experience the history of printing, book and writing "live": In the centre of the old town of Mainz, opposite the cathedral, is one of the oldest book and printing museums in the world. The Gutenberg Museum, founded by citizens of Mainz in 1900, is dedicated to the “man of the millennium” Johannes Gutenberg and his inventions. The museum's greatest treasures include two original Gutenberg Bibles from the mid-15th century. The reconstructed Gutenberg workshop is also one of the main attractions. Every day it is demonstrated every hour how printing was done in Gutenberg's time. A modern film introduces Gutenberg's life and work. With the audio guide (German, English, French) you can then go on a "listening tour" and get to know the highlights of the house in German, English and French. Five "extra tours" take you through individual departments. In the Gutenberg Museum, you can see printing presses from many centuries and get comprehensive information about European and non-European printing technology, the book art of many centuries, the history of paper and writing, the history of the press and much more. Our special collections include commercial and ex-libris, graphics and posters, press prints (small publishers) and artist books, which you are welcome to view in the Gutenberg Library (advance registration). In changing special exhibitions, examples of historical and modern book and print art and typography are shown and the link is drawn to the 21st century. https://www.mainz-tourismus.com/entdecken-erleben/kultur-erleben/museen/gutenberg-museum/

Construction on St Justin's Church began around 830, once Archbishop Otgar of Mainz had returned from Rome with the relics of St Justin. The church was completed around 850. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Media/Attractions/Churches/Justinuskirche

Arnsberg's historic heartbeats at the Old Market Square with its belfry, Old Town Hall (1710), "The Crimea" and Maximilianbrunnen (1779). The Madonna in the niche at the town hall has survived many city fires and bears witness to an eventful history. On the side of the town hall is the symbol of Cologne rule in Arnsberg. The wonderfully renovated patrician building "Zur Krim" is reminiscent of a dark chapter in legal history, because the witch judge of Arnsberg once lived in it. The bell tower - the symbol of the city - forms the "parlor" Arnsberg with the old town hall (1710) and the Maximilianbrunnen, framed by patrician and half-timbered houses. The bell tower was part of the former city fortifications in Arnsberg and is one of the oldest buildings in Arnsberg. He found a first written mention in a document by Count Gottfried III. from the year 1236, in which it was about the expansion of the city area towards the monastery Wedinghausen. With the execution of this plan, the tower lost its function as a defensive tower and served only as an inner-city gate. For centuries, the top of the tower consisted of a tent-like roof with four small corner towers. It was only around 1723 that the tower received its baroque onion dome after a city fire, which was preserved until 1945. http://www.arnsberg-info.de/geschichte/sehenswuerdigkeiten/alter-markt/

This superb botanical showcase was originally established thanks to the purchase of the Duke of Nassau's excellent tropical-plant collection. A special greenhouse was erected to house these plants, enabling visitors to meander through a jungle-like tropical environment. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Media/Attractions/Parks/Botanical-Garden-Frankfurt-Palmengarten

Roy Lichtenstein's M-Maybe, Andy Warhol's Brillo Boxes and George Segal's Restaurant Window, all icons of American Pop Art, had all just been completed when in 1969 they arrived as a loan at Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. http://www.cologne.de/what-to-do/museums.html

The Cathedral is still the second highest building in Cologne after the telecommunications tower. Its footprint is no less impressive, with the full length of the Cathedral measuring 145 m and the cross nave 86 m. http://www.cologne.de/what-to-do/the-cologne-cathedral.html#hash-2-0

Cologne Zoo was founded in 1860 and is one of the oldest - yet also one of the most modern - zoological gardens. In no other zoo the development of the zoological gardens over the years can be seen so clearly: the buildings starting from the menagerie of the 19th century to the wildlife reserve of the 21st century, from the Moorish-style elephant house and the former birdhouse in the style of a Russian basilica dating back to the 19th century, to the ape island created in a Hagenbeck style and modern natural worlds such as the rain forest. Since the big cat enclosure opened, designed as a biotope habitat, visitors to Cologne Zoo have been able to view the animals in glass-fronted enclosures without bars. The conversion of the old birdhouse into the South America house for primates shows that tradition and progress must by no means be mutually exclusive. The modern elephant park provides the zoo's elephants with the most space north of the Alps. Cologne Zoo is also famous for its primate collection. The zoo has around 500 different species of animal from all the world's continents and oceans, including predators as well as the magnificent aquarium with a terrarium and insectarium. http://www.cologne.de/what-to-do/zoo.html

Behind the historical facade of the previous Frankfurt Opera House lies one of the most outstanding concert halls of major importance, way beyond the borders of Germany. The visitor is offered a high-quality program in all sections of music: classical music, jazz and world-wide famous musical and show productions. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Media/Attractions/Event-venues/Old-Opera-House

The Main Tower, designed by the architect's office Schweger und Partner and completed in 2000, invites the general public to visit its rooftop observation platform, where they are met by a spectacular panoramic view of Frankfurt and the surrounding region some 200 metres above the city streets. A highlight for every urban explorer! https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Best-of-Frankfurt2/MAIN-TOWER-incl.-Observation-Platform

The Frankfurt Goethe House, birthplace of Germany´s most famous author and poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, was built in the typical 18th-century bourgeois style. It is decorated with period furniture and paintings, providing an authentic and striking impression of the environment in which Goethe spent his youth. The Goethe Museum, a gallery of paintings from the Goethe era, elucidates Goethe's relationship to the art and artists of his epoch. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Best-of-Frankfurt2/Frankfurt-Goethe-Museum-and-Goethe-House

Frankfurt's main Protestant church (1678-1681), formerly a vestal cloister and hospital, 1343/1353 under the charge of the Teutonic Order. Protestant parish church since 1526. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Media/Attractions/Churches/Katharinenkirche

Established as a civic foundation in 1815 by the banker and businessman Johann Friedrich Städel, the Städel Museum ranks as Germany’s oldest museum foundation. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Best-of-Frankfurt2/Staedel-Museum

The Archaeological Museum, formerly the Museum of Pre- and Early History, is housed in the Carmelite Church. A modern annexe designed by Joseph-Paul Kleihues has recently been added. The Archaeological Museum devotes itself to the investigation, documentation and presentation of archaeological findings of Frankfurt and its environs from pre-historic times, the Roman period, the Middle Ages and the modern era. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Media/Attractions/Archaeological-Museum

This former Patrician Villa, featuring a three-gabled Roof, has served as Frankfurt's city hall since 1405. It continues to be the seat of the city's Lord Mayor to this day. The city's first town hall was soon too small to accommodate the needs of this flourishing city. It was torn down in 1415 prior to commencement of construction on the cathedral tower. The city council was initially accorded the right to build a new town hall in 1329. Finally, in 1405, the council decided to buy two existing houses instead. These two houses, named "Römer" and "Goldener Schwan", have served as the home of Frankfurt's town hall ever since. Large halls were constructed on the ground level and made available for lease during trade fairs. The Kaisersaal, or "Emperor's Hall", was built around 1612. The town hall complex formerly comprised 13 buildings. There are equally many hypotheses as regards to the origin of the name. One of them states that the merchant who lived there until the building was purchased by the city transacted the majority of his business with Italy, and in particular, Rome. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Best-of-Frankfurt2/Roemer-City-Hall

It now represents a classic example of the traditional half-timbered architectural style of times gone by. Every single house bears its own name. In the 17th century, the corner house, named "Grosser Engel", became the home of Frankfurt's first bank. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Best-of-Frankfurt2/Roemerberg-Ostzeile

The Old Nikolai Church (Alte Nikolaikirche) belongs to the famous group on Frankfurt’s Römerberg. Visitors enjoy its harmonic carillon with 47 bells. This small church, dating back to the 13th century, presumably served as a royal chapel for Stauferian nobility. First official mention dates back to 24 September 1264. The chapel may well have served as electoral site for kings and parliaments. The church was sanctified in the name of St Nicolas of Bari in 1290. Later, the church became the preferred place of worship for the city's councillors. A Gothic-style gallery was added in 1476, from which the councilmen could watch the festivities. Two significant tombstones are located in the interior, honouring Siegfried zum Paradies and Katharina Netheha zum Wedel. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Best-of-Frankfurt2/reconstructed-old-town/Alte-Nikolaikirche

One of the most popular photo spots with an excellent view of Frankfurt's skyline. This famous iron and concrete footbridge, crossed by over 10,000 pedestrians every day, connects the city centre and Römerberg with Sachsenhausen on the southern banks of the Main River. The neo-Gothic-style bridge was built in 1869 according to the plans of Peter Schmick, going through several changes and modifications since then, the last of which took place in 1993. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Best-of-Frankfurt2/Eiserner-Steg

The present-day Frankfurt Cathedral was originally a Carolingian chapel. Although called a cathedral since the 18th century, it never was an episcopal church in the true sense. Consecrated in the name of St Bartholomew in 1239, this cathedral was officially chosen to serve as the electoral site for kings of the Holy Roman Empire in 1356. Ten imperial coronations took place here between 1562 and 1792. https://www.frankfurt.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=317578&_ffmpar[_id_inhalt]=5021018

The “Dreikönigskirche”, or “Church of the Three Kings”, is currently one of three places of worship of the Three Kings parish of Sachsenhausen, the largest Protestant parish in Frankfurt with some 6,200 members. It is situated directly on the banks of the River Main. Many believe the church to be older than it actually is. In truth, it was consecrated as recently as 1881. The precursor of this neo-Gothic church was the “Dreikönigskapelle” (“Chapel of the Three Kings”), consecrated in 1340. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Media/Attractions/Churches/Dreikoenigskirche

One of Europe's most significant zoological gardens, established in 1858, featuring two highly interesting exotic and nocturnal animal houses. Frankfurt Zoo, situated in the heart of the city, is home to some 500 animals species from across the globe. Open 365 days a year, Frankfurt Zoo is a great place to relax and enjoy the scenic surrounds while learning something about the animal kingdom as well as nature conservation and species protection. https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Media/Attractions/Leisure/Zoo-Frankfurt

Woods, water, wilderness - the only National Park in North Rhine-Westfalia is worth exploring with a ranger. The Eifel National Park extends over an area of approx. 110 square kilometres in the middle of the Hohes Venn Eifel nature park. The large protected area offers almost entirely undisturbed living space for wild cats and black storks, among other animals. In the early summer, the yellow broom flowers turn the Eifel National Park golden. https://www.eifel.info/en/nature/the-eifel-national-park

If you like it tranquil, treat yourself and your family to a boat trip over one or more lakes in the Eifel Lake District and enjoy the beautiful landscape from the water. Four passenger ships with their crews provide the framework for a few pleasant hours in the Eifel. With the RURSEE-BAHN you can take a one-hour tour to the nearby spa town of Heimbach. During this romantic drive over Hasenfeld, through the town of Heimbach, along the castle, the small reservoir, the art nouveau power plant and adjacent national park, you will learn about these sights. https://www.rurseeschifffahrt.de/index.php?willkommen-an-bord-2

Prince Wilhelm von Hessen-Kassel decided to make a spa in 1777 and did so by forming a romantic park, using money earned by mercenaries sent to help the English against the Americans. https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/wilhelmsbad_hanau

For the newly arrived guest, the Porta Nigra is the best place to begin a tour of Trier. The gate dates back to a time (about A.D. 180) when the Romans often erected public buildings of huge stone blocks (here, the biggest weigh up to six metric tons). http://www.trier-info.de/english/porta-nigra-info

Going back into the early Middle Ages, a wall defined an area surrounding the Cathedral, the close, whose center today comprises, along with the Cathedral, the recently redesigned Cathedral Square with the grandiose view onto the Romanesque west façade of the Cathedral and the Early Gothic Church of Our Lady. http://www.trier-info.de/english/cathedral-square-info

The Electoral Palace directly next to the Basilika is considered one of the most beautiful rococo palaces in the world. http://www.trier-info.de/english/electoral-palace-info

The Palace Church (Schlosskirche) is the landmark of the town, with its two 55 m. high domed towers of Rorschach sandstone, visible from far out on the lake. http://en.friedrichshafen.info/discover/sightseeing/palace-church/

Located in the heart of Hanau's historic district, the German Goldsmiths' House was built as the city hall on the Altstädter Markt in 1537-1538 in the style of the late Renaissance Period. http://www.goldschmiedehaus.com/en/goldschmiedehaus/en-historie