Bavaria used to be an independent kingdom. It joined the German Empire in 1861 and has been part of Germany ever since. The largest federal state of Bavaria consists of Lake Constance, Franconia, the capital city of Munich and the Alps. The Bavarian Alps are part of the Alps and continue across the border into Austria. The region is considered one of the most picturesque in Germany. This is where German or Bavarian stereotypes of dirndl and lederhosen, bratwurst, and glistening alpine peaks come true. It is a very rural area, abundant with wildlife and many glacial lakes and thick fir tree forests. It is a place where traditions are still very strong. Maybe it is due to the fact that Bavarians are generally more conservative than other Germans.

The Bavarian Alps are not very high, the highest peak of Zugspitze is only 2964 m. But the view of the mountains gives an impression that they are much higher than they really are because of the massive vertical rise from the Bavarian countryside south of Munich.

Quiet villages and health retreats are common for this district. Most of the resorts have plenty of reasonably priced accommodation. There may be a charge (Kurtaxe) for overnight stays, but this entitles to certain perks, like free tours, a city bus service and entry to special events. One has a wealth of outdoor possibilities for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, canoeing and para-gliding – much of it year-round. The ski season lasts from about late December until April. One of the largest resorts in the area is Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Other bases are Berchtesgaden, Füssen and Oberstdorf.

The resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen offers some of the best skiing experience in the land, including runs on Germany’s highest peak, the Zugspitze. The towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen were merged for the 1936 Winter Olympics, and to this day host international skiing events. In 2011 the Alpine World Skiing Championships will be held here for the first time since 1978. Garmisch-Partenkirchen also makes a handy base for excursions to Ludwig II’s palaces, including the Schloss Linderhof and the Jagdschloss Schachen.

Berchtesgaden is framed by six formidable mountain ranges and is home to Germany’s second-highest mountain, the Watzmann (2713m), there are a lot of gurgling mint-colored streams and peaceful Alpine villages. Outdoor activities, notably hiking, are plentiful. The mountain-top Eagle’s Nest, a lodge built for Hitler, is a major draw card, as is the Dokumentation Obersalzberg, a museum that chronicles the region’s dark Nazi past.

The castles of the Bavarian Alps are also worth seeing. If one is interested in history, it would be fascinating to visit the town of Füssen, nestled at the foot of the Alps. It is located at the southern end of the Romantic Road and is located near two magnificent castles of the Bavarian Alps. The first of these is Hohenschwangau, an ancient fortress originally built by a family of knights. The citadel fell into ruin for years only to be revitalized by King Ludwig I. His son, the colorful character Ludwig II, spent many days of his youth in Hohenschwangau. The other castle, Neuschwanstein, is very mysterious and romantic. Its towers inspire a feeling of magic. Majestic walls reflect the brilliant sunlight. This view is really unforgettable.

The Bavarian Alps offer a lot of opportunities to enjoy yourself. Whether you choose to be active and go hiking or biking up and down the tricky mountain roads, or simply admire the majestic views while strolling down the quiet town streets, you are sure to fall in love with the region.

The Thousand-year Rose (Tausendjähriger Rosenstock) is also known as the Rose of Hildesheim. It grows on a wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany, that is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. The cathedral and the adjacent St. Michael’s Church have been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 1985.

The rose that climbs on the wall of the cathedral’s apse is believed to be the oldest living rose in the world. A Rosa canina, commonly known as a wild dog rose, grows against the eastern apse of the cathedral, which is around 21 m (69 ft) high and 9 m (30 ft) wide. The rose bush reaches a height of around 10 m (33 ft) and documentation verifies its age at approximately 700 years. Slight variations arise in the tale of the establishment of the diocese by King Louis the Pious at Hildesheim in 815 but the rose bush is a common theme in all versions. The Cathedral was destroyed by Allied bombers in 1945 during the Second World War, but the roots of the rose bush survived and it blossomed again among the ruins. According to legend, while the rose bush flourishes, Hildesheim will prosper.

A poem about the rose was published in 1896. In the early twentieth century, after visiting the Cathedral and seeing the rose, author Mabel Wagnalls was inspired to write a book, which went on to form the basis of a silent film.

Inspiration for the book entitled The Rose-bush of a Thousand Years came from the rose at Hildesheim. Written by Mabel Wagnalls and published in 1918, it is a tale about a young girl abandoning her baby to the care of a convent. The mother later gains notoriety, has a “spiritual transformation” and rekindles a relationship with her child. The story went on to form the basis for the 1924 silent film Revelation. The ninety-minute film starred Viola Dana, Monte Blue and Lew Cody. It was written and directed by George D. Baker.

The rose at Hildesheim is a Rosa canina, also called a dog rose. According to the legend, it dates back to the establishment of the diocese of Hildesheim, around 815. The buildings were constructed around the area in which the rose was growing.

In 1909, in his book Romantic Germany, Robert Schauffler tells the legend of the rose. In 815 Emperor Louis the Pious (778–840), son of Charlemagne, was hunting in the Hercynian Forest. While he was hunting a white buck, he became separated from his fellow hunters and lost his game and horse. He tried to summon help with his hunting-horn, but nobody answered the call. Disoriented and alone, he swam across the Innerste river then walked all day until he arrived at a mound covered with a wild rose, the symbol of the old Saxon goddess Hulda. The Emperor had a reliquary containing relics of the Virgin Mary over which he prayed for rescue until he fell asleep.

When he woke up, the mound was covered with glittering white snow despite it being the middle of summer. The bush was in full bloom, the grass was lush and the trees were covered in leaves. He looked for his reliquary and saw it was covered in ice between the branches of the rose-bush. The Emperor’s interpretation of this miracle was that the goddess was sending him a sign by “shaking her bed” that the Virgin should in future be venerated instead of her. Hulda is depicted as a maiden in snow-white clothes – she is the protector of women’s crafts but also associated with wilderness and winter – when it snows, it is said that Hulda is shaking out her feather pillow. When his followers finally found the Emperor he pledged that he would construct a cathedral to honor the Virgin where the mound with the rose was. He did spare the rose, and built the cathedral in a way that the rose is growing now behind the altar in the apse. After more than a thousand years, the same rose bush still blossoms.

According to a different version of the legend, the German emperor Louis the Pious lost his cherished reliquary while chasing game and promised that he would erect a chapel wherever it was discovered. The reliquary was found on the branches of a wild rose and the Emperor constructed the sanctuary beside the rose, with the altar close to the site where the rose was growing.

Another slight variation to the legend is given in Fundatio Ecclesiae Hildensemens, an 11th-century publication. The Emperor had taken the reliquary to use when he stopped to say Mass while out hunting. The artefact was placed in a tree while the sermon was undertaken but not retrieved when the hunt resumed. Later a chaplain was unable to remove the reliquary from the branches. Believing this to be a symbol of God’s will, the Emperor had a church constructed there instead of as originally planned at Elze.

Schloss Johannisburg is a schloss in the town of Aschaffenburg, in Franconia in the state of Bavaria, Germany. It was erected between 1605 and 1614 by the architect Georg Ridinger (de) for Johann Schweikhard von Kronberg, Prince Bishop of Mainz. Until 1803, it was the second residence of the Prince Bishop of Mainz. It is constructed of red sandstone, the typical building material of the Spessart, the hills near Aschaffenburg.

Schloss Johannisburg is located in the city of Aschaffenburg, in the district of Lower Franconia of the state of Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the center of the city, overlooking the river Main.

The palace was erected between 1605 and 1614 by the architect Georg Ridinger (de) for Johann Schweikhard von Kronberg, Archbishop of Mainz. The considerable expense came from the taxes of his fief: Eichsfeld, Erfurt and the Mainzer Oberstift (the part of the Electorate administered from Aschaffenburg) made the largest financial contributions. A keep from the destroyed 14th-century castle that had formerly stood on the site was included in the construction and is the oldest part of the castle. The prior castle had been burned down along with most of the town on 10 August 1552 by the troops of Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.

Until the end of the ecclesial princedoms in Germany in 1803, Schloss Johannisburgwas the second residence of the Prince Bishop of Mainz. At the end of the 18th century, the interior had been restructured in the style of Classicism (or Neoclassicism) by Emanuel Herigoyen.

Karl Theodor von Dahlberg, Archbishop of Mainz in 1803, retained the territory of Aschaffenburg — turned into the newly created Principality of Aschaffenburg — and was awarded other territories in compensation for territories west of the Rhine, including Mainz, which were annexed by France. From 1810-1813, Aschaffenburg was part of the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt. Aschaffenburg and Schloss Johannisburg then passed to the Kingdom of Bavaria.

During the reign of Ludwig I, Schloss Johannisburg served as the summer residence of the King, who referred to Aschaffenburg as his “Bavarian Nice”. He commissioned the construction of a Roman villa known as Pompejanum within sight of the palace.

The palace was nearly destroyed in the closing days of World War II. Rebuilding started in 1951 and took more than twenty years.

As of 1716, Schloss Johannisberg belonged to the prince abbot of Fulda, who had a grand, three-winged palace built in line with the taste of the times. It is thanks to this owner that the benefits of a “Spätlese” (late harvest) were recognized. In 1775, the courier annually sent to Fulda to receive official permission for the start of the grape harvest was delayed by several weeks. By the time he returned to Johannisberg, the grapes were infested with noble rot. Nevertheless, the courageous cellarmaster had the rotten grapes harvested and vinified, thereby producing a new style of ?wine – “Spätlese” – which thereafter became standard at Johannisberg. Although documents from 1730 report that a few growers “gladly waited for a bit of noble rot in order to increase the sugar level of the grapes,” the year 1775 marked the beginning of a deliberately scheduled late harvest of botrytized grapes. A monument adjacent to the Vinothek (wine shop), where the estate’s current vintages can be sampled, commemorates the famous courier whose delay led to the worldwide triumphal course of “Spätlese”.

The Flower Island of Mainau in Lake Constance may only cover 45 hectares of land, but it is home to an extraordinary diversity of trees, flowers and shrubs. Its other attractions include a 13th century baroque palace, a palm house and the biggest butterfly house in Germany.

Mainau Island lies just off the shores of Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg in the far south-west of Germany, close to Switzerland and Austria. With more than a million visitors every year, it has become a major attraction in this trilateral border region. Its mere 45 hectares are home to an extraordinary diversity of flowers, trees and shrubs. Among the particular treasures are rare and often very old trees, for example the Viktoria lime, planted by the grand duke in 1862 to mark the birth of his daughter, or the bizarrely knotted pagoda tree, also around 150 years old. Many mighty oaks and proud cedars provide the park with a graceful silhouette.

Mainau, nicknamed “The Flower Island,” is the most popular tourist attraction on Lake Constance (a.k.a. the Bodensee). The small island, which is about 5 km or 3 miles from the city of Konstanz, has a semitropical climate that inspired Prince Nikolaus von Esterházy to create a botanical garden in the first half of the 19th Century. Later, under Grand Duke Friedrich I, the gardens were expanded with an arboretum, an Italian rose garden, and other features that visitors enjoy today.

Another typical feature of Mainau is its wealth of plants in pots and tubs and its impressive collection of citrus fruit. The marvelous baroque palace can be seen from afar high above the treeline. Restored under Count Bernadotte, it dates back to the Teutonic Order of Knights, who owned the island for almost 500 years from the 13th century.

Firm favorites with the public include the palm house, with its collection of 1,200 orchids, and the largest butterfly house in Germany, which contains 1,000 examples of exotic species. Other attractions on Mainau island include the palace church of St. Mary, a gem of the south-German baroque, and the Italian rose garden, laid out in 1871 for Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden. From June to August around 9,000 roses of nearly 400 varieties blossom into flower here. The Lake Constance region offers a range of cycle routes and walking trails, and the Friedrichshafen Zeppelin Museum features a partial replica of the Hindenburg measuring 33 m in length that you can actually walk around. Another option is Meersburg Castle from the 7th century – the oldest castle in Germany.

In the 1930, Prince Wilhelm (then the island’s owner) turned the administration of Mainau over to his son, the Swedish Prince Lennart Bernadotte II. The prince, who had renounced his Swedish royal lineage after marrying a commoner, devoted the rest of his life to turning the island into a privately-operated park. Mainau is now maintained in perpetuity by a foundation that the prince and his second wife established, and the island’s manager is their daughter, Countess Bettina Bernadotte. Their son, Count Björn Bernadotte, manages the foundation.

 

Castle Braunfels is located on a basalt rock west of the health resort Braunfels in the Central Hessian Lahn-Dill-Kreis. The castle soars 100 m (328 ft) above the Lahn valley. It has been the seat of the Counts of Solms since the 13th century and is still owned by the counts of Oppersdorff and Solms-Braunfels in the 21st century.

As Castellum Bruninvels, the castle was first documented in 1246. Originally a defensive stronghold against the counts of Nassau, it became the residence of the Counts of Solms in 1280.

The palace’s appearance has changed much over the years, with new additions to the complex as well as the destruction of other parts. In 1679, much of Braunfels was incinerated in a terrible fire. Count Heinrich Trajektin was responsible for the reconstruction.

In 1845, Braunfels Castle underwent a renovation at the hands of the “Hunter Prince” Ferdinand who rebuilt parts of it in the Gothic Revival style and added its famous Knights Hall.

The castle got yet another makeover just 35 years later by Prince George. He is the man to thank for the castle’s present look. Much of its unique features, like the towers and bay windows, can be attributed to him.

The interiors are designed as a museum and partially accessible with a guide. The princely representative rooms, the collections from Altenberg Abbey and the Family Museum must be distinguished.

The furniture and the art-historical collections of the Princely Family of Solms cover the time period from the 13th to the 19th century.

 

• Restored in the 19th century, the Knights’ Hall in the medieval Palas contains weapons for striking, stabbing and firing, as well as armor for warriors and horses from the Middle Ages to the Baroque period. The oldest items are a gothic sword and a chainmail from the time of the Crusades, consisting of 60,000 small rings (blacksmith time 1-2 years). Maximilian armor presumably comes from Milan.
• In the staircase and in the picture gallery hang oil paintings – especially family portraits, mythological and allegorical scenes – from the schools of Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German masters from the Renaissance to Classicism. In the center of the staircase room is the bust of the 99-day Emperor Friedrich III.
• The tapestry room is characterized by five Flemish tapestries around 1600, depicting hunting and pastoral scenes. The stove comes from 1674 from the Aßlarer hut.
• The historical highlight is the Flemish room with portraits, seascapes and genre scenes by Adriaen van de Velde, Jan Miense Molenaer and Adriaen van Ostade. Also here is a stove from Aßlar.
• The Tischbeinzimmer is named after the painter family, who worked in several generations in the 18th century on behalf of the Counts of Solms.
• Other portraits, hunting pieces and genre paintings include the Deiker Gallery (court painter to Prince Ferdinand 1843-1868), the Blue Salon and the Rosa Salon. The family’s antiques in the showrooms include vases of East Asian provenance, St. Petersburg and the Berlin porcelain manufactory. Also, a small glass collection is exhibited in a display case, including Venetian thread glasses and Romans.

The so-called “Altenberger rooms” include inventory from the former monastery Altenberg. In its secularization with the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss 1803, the princes of Solms took over the institution.

• The Gothic room contains a late Gothic altar and a Rhenish Madonna (around 1400). From Gertrud von Altenberg comes a chest in which allegedly objects of her mother Elisabeth of Thuringia were kept. When Elisabeth after the death of her husband, the landgrave Ludwig IV (Thuringia), the Wartburg had to leave in 1227 and 1229 under the aegis of Konrad von Marburg nurse in one of her endowed Franciscan hospital, she had her then 4-year-old daughter Gertrud at the instigation of her confessor to education in the monastery Altenberg.
• Even more alleged memorabilia of Saint Elizabeth, proven to date from the 13th century, are kept in the adjoining Paramentenzimmer. Whether the silver jug ​​from which Elisabeth gave the wine to the sick, and the ring, a gift from the landgrave, with the large oval stone which is said to have shattered at the moment of his death, is no longer detectable. Tourism at Schloss Braunfels lives from this history or legend.
• As a work of an unknown master is the Altenberg altar from around 1330, a winged altar with Gothic tracery. On this altar the sculpture of a Madonna and Child from the second half of the 14th century was originally erected.

The Family Museum in the Long Building (individually accessible by coin slot) contains other weapons and art collections, coins, medals, garments and a collection of Bohemian glass of the Dukes of Solms. There is also a prehistoric department, which is due to a collaboration between Prince William in 1815 with the archives Jakob-Carl Schaum, which was in close correspondence with Johann Wolfgang Goethe. An unexplained find is a fertility god from the 3rd millennium BC. Excavated in 1959 in Kraftolms, of a kind that is commonly found in Asia Minor. Other family-owned antiques include a collection of Meissen porcelain and a Bohemian glass collection, a sculpture collection and silverware.

Moritzburg Castle is one of the most impressive baroque palaces in central Europe. Reached via a tree-lined avenue, it is situated on an island in the middle of a lake. After visiting the palace, you can enjoy a romantic stroll to the enchanting Fasanenschlösschen (little pheasant castle) built in the rococo style.

Moritzburg Castle (Schloss Moritzburg) is a Baroque palace in Moritzburg, in the German state of Saxony, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northwest of the Saxon capital, Dresden. The castle has four round towers and lies on a symmetrical artificial island. It is named after Duke Moritz of Saxony, who had a hunting lodge built there between 1542 and 1546. The surrounding woodlands and lakes have been a favorite hunting area of the electors and kings of Saxony.

In 1972 Moritzburg Castle was one of the locations of the Czechoslovak-German film Tři oříšky pro Popelku (“Three Nuts for Cinderella”), which became a popular fairy-tale movie in Central Europe.

The original castle, built from 1542–1546, was a hunting lodge for Moritz of Saxony, then Duke of Saxony. Elector John George II of Saxony had the lodge extended; the chapel was added between 1661 and 1671. Designed by his architect, Wolf Caspar von Klengel, the chapel is an example of early Baroque architecture. Leather wallpaper and the worldwide unique feather room with wall hangings made from natural and artificial feathers are testament to the extravagant taste of that era. The Little Pheasant Castle in the park and monumental Venus fountain were built at that time and are both visually connected to Moritzburg Castle by a 2.5-km long avenue.

The chapel was consecrated in a Catholic rite in 1697, after the grandson of John George II, Elector Augustus II the Strong, converted to Catholicism in order to secure his election as King of Poland. Between 1723 and 1733, Augustus had the castle remodelled as a country seat by architects Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann and Zacharias Longuelune, adding a formal park, several ponds and a game preserve.

The surroundings of the castle were further developed by Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony, a greatgrandson of Augustus II the Strong, at the end of the 18th century. The Little Pheasant Castle (Fasanenschlösschen) was built between 1770 and 1776. The grounds were extended to include a building for the storage of bird nets, the large Well of Venus, living quarters for Count Camillo Marcolini and a maritime setting on the Great Lake complete with a miniature harbor with jetty and lighthouse.

Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony, who lived in the castle between 1933 and 1945, was the last resident of the House of Wettin. He was dispossessed in 1945 by the postwar Soviet administration.

The interior of the castle is furnished with examples of opulent baroque decor from the time of Augustus the Strong. The walls are covered in 17th century gold-gilded leather. Many rooms’ furnishings are dedicated to courtly hunting.

The collection of red deer antlers is one of the most important of its kind. The castle’s largest collection of antlers is shown in the Speisesaal (“dining room”). Most of its 71 trophies are between 270 and 400 years old; they were purchased or acquired as presents. Among them is the heaviest red deer antler in the world, weighing 19.8 kilograms (44 lb) and spanning almost 2 metres (6.6 ft). In the Monströsensaal (“monstrosity room”), there are 39 contorted antlers. One specimen, a 66-point red deer antler is from an animal killed by Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg in 1696.

Examples of Chinese, Japanese and Meissen porcelain are shown in the historical Porzellanquartier (“porcelain quarter”). This exhibition displays porcelain depicting hunting, exotic and mythological motifs as well as animal figurines that are relating to Moritzburg’s original determination as a hunting lodge.

The apartments contain examples of opulence in the lacquered and ornate furniture, such as the Augsburg-made silver furniture styled after Louis XIV’s silver furniture at Versailles. There are also engraved and inlaid weapons for hunting. The Billiardsaal (“billiards hall”), named after a former billiard table in it, contains monumental paintings on leather by Louis de Silvestre. Eleven rooms are decorated with painted leather wallpaper from the 17th century.

A collection of royal carriages is shown in the entrance hall.

During the reconstruction phase of the palace from 1723 until 1733, the large pond surrounding the castle’s artificial island was built from what was originally four smaller ponds. The other ponds in the Friedewald date from the 16th century and have been used for carp production since then. The channels connecting the ponds allow one to “fish” the carp by draining the water.

Shortly after the remodelling of Moritzburg Castle as the country seat of August the Strong, a single-story pavilion was built just 2.5 km away by the architect Johann Christoph Knöffel. The pavilion’s foundation was later used for the Chinese-style Little Pheasant Castle (Fasanenschlösschen) in 1770. Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony had the pavilion built in the middle of the gardens. Johann Daniel Schade who had been the architect in charge of the royal building projects, received the commission for the Rococo design. Construction was completed about 1776.

The shell-pink pavilion is located at the end of an alley leading to the main castle. The square building has five bays wide on each side. The high roof has an ogee profile, capped by an open cupola with a pair of Chinese figures under a parasol as a finial. Concealed behind plantings to give the pavilion an isolated ambience, were outbuildings used to breed pheasants for use in hunting.

The few rooms, including the elector’s study, are furnished with original trappings. The Rococo finishes include murals on canvas, inlaid wood paneling, painted and gilded stucco ceilings, and unique finishes crafted from materials like embroidered silk, straw, pearls and feathers. The interiors were restored between 2009 and 2013 through a collaboration between Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung, Sparkasse Meißen, and World Monuments Fund.

Altena Castle (Burg Altena) is a Medieval hill castle in the town of Altena in North Rhine-Westphalia. Built on a spur of Klusenberg hill, the castle lies near the Lenne in the Märkischer Kreis.

The castle was erected by the early Counts of Berg in the early 12th century. Eventually, the House of Berg abandoned Altena and moved their residence to Hamm.

In 1914, Richard Schirrmann established the world’s first youth hostel within the castle, which is still in use today (Jugendherberge Burg Altena). The original rooms are a museum today. The youth hostel continues to run at a location on the lower castle court yard, opened in 1934.

Supposedly, the castle was built by the brothers Adolf and Everhard von Berg around the year 1108 after Henry V granted them land in Sauerland for their loyal services. On Wulfseck Mountain they built their castle, which they named Wulfeshagen, later Altena. This is one of the several legends of the establishment of the county of Altena and the building of the castle.

After the acquisition of the parish land of Mark near the city of Hamm in 1198, the counts of Altena took Mark Castle as their primary residence and called themselves the Counts of the Mark. They continued to only occasionally inhabit Altena Castle and from 1392 onward it was only used as a residence for the county bailiff (Amtmann). Count Engelbert III of the Mark gave the small settlement at the base of the mountain the rights of liberty (such as self-governance). In 1455 the castle burned down and was only re-erected partially.

In Brandenburg-Prussian times the castle became a garrison and was sold to the town of Altena in 1771. In the following years an almshouse and a workhouse was established there. This existed until 1840. From 1766 to 1811 there existed a criminal court and prison in the castle. By 1834 the castle was greatly deteriorated and was to be reconstructed. Due to lack of funds, however, this was not carried out. The Johanniter Orde set up a hospital in the buildings.

Due to the 300 year-anniversary of the membership of the County of Mark to Brandenburg-Prussia in 1909 plans for a reconstruction of the castle began. In 1914 this was completed, apart from the outer bailey and lower gatehouse. There was a controversial debate about the modes of reconstruction, where the preference of historic designs over the medieval and early modern architecture was critised. In 1918 the last works were completed.

Today the castle is symbol of the town of Altena and a tourist attraction. The entry ticket is also valid for the nearby Deutsche Drahtmuseum (German Wire Museum). During the first weekend of August a yearly Medieval Festival takes place in the castle and town. Part of the castle is used as a restaurant.

Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Cologne, Germany.

It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne.

It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Begun in 1248, the construction of this Gothic masterpiece took place in several stages and was not completed until 1880.

Over seven centuries, successive builders were inspired by the same faith and a spirit of absolute fidelity to the original plans.

The panorama of the city has been dominated by the Cathedral’s gigantic pair of towers since their completion in 1880.

The North Tower at 157.38 meters (516.33 feet) is 7 centimeters (2.75 inches) higher than the South Tower.

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 meters (475 feet) and the cross nave 86 meters (282 feet) .

While the enormous Western facade is the largest in the world, the Cologne Cathedral has the world’s third largest church interior.

The cathedral covers almost 8,000 square meters (86,111 square feet) of floor space and can hold more than 20,000 people.

The design of Cologne Cathedral closely resembles that of Amiens Cathedral in terms of groundplan, style and the width to height proportion of the central nave.

The plan is in the shape of a Latin Cross, as is usual with Gothic cathedrals.

The stone mass seems to rise, almost weightlessly, up to the 43 meters ( 141 feet) high baldachin-style arches.

The nave is enhanced by many nineteenth century stained-glass windows including a set of five on the south side called the “Bayernfenster” which were a gift from Ludwig I of Bavaria, a set highly representative of the painterly German style of that era.

With no less than 104 seats, the medieval choir stalls in the inner choir of Cologne Cathedral are some of the largest of their kind still in existence.The choir is surrounded by 13th and 14th century art: carved oak stalls, frescoed walls, painted statues and stained glass.

The Lady Chapel contains the Altar of the City Patrons, painted in 1442 by Stefan Lochner. The painting is notable for its photographic realism (note the varieties of herbs in the foreground) and believable depth.It is the most significant example of the Late Gothic Cologne school of painting.

In the Sacrament Chapel is the Madonna of Milan, an elegant wooden sculpture depicting Mary and the child Jesus. Made in the Cologne Cathedral workshop around 1290, this High Gothic statue is associated with miracles and has attracted pilgrims for centuries.

The Shrine of the Magi or the Shrine of the Three Kings is a reliquary said to contain the bones of the Biblical Magi, also known as the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men.It is the largest, most artistically significant, and, in terms of its content, most ambitious reliquary of the Middle Ages. The relics were brought to Cologne from Milan in 1164. From about 1190 to 1220 a number of artisans worked on the shrine in the workshop of the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun and in workshops in Cologne and along the river Meuse that continued his work.

The Gero Cross or Gero Crucifix, of around 965–970, is the oldest large sculpture of the crucified Christ north of the Alps, and has always been displayed in Cologne Cathedral.

The cathedral has eleven church bells, four of which are medieval.

Cologne Cathedral has two pipe organs by Klais Orgelbau, the Transept Organ built in 1948 and the Nave Organ built in 1998.

The Cologne Cathedral was the tallest building in the world between 1880 and 1884.

Cologne Cathedral was hit by 14 bombs during World War II, but the building did not fall.

In the present day, the Cathedral s a major pilgrimage place and millions of people visit the cathedral from all over the world.

Visitors can climb 509 stone steps of the spiral staircase to a viewing platform about 98 meters (322 feet) above the ground. The platform gives a scenic view over the Rhine.

Swabian counts and princes, the kings of Prussia and even the German emperors have their roots here at Hohenzollern Castle in the heart of Baden-Württemberg between Lake Constance, the Black Forest and Stuttgart. The proud fortress offers majestic panoramic views stretching over more than 100 km which already prompted Emperor William II to proclaim: “The views from Hohenzollern Castle are truly worth the journey”.

Hohenzollern Castle is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern. A popular tourist destination, Hohenzollern castle has over 300,000 visitors per year, making it one of the most visited castles in Germany. The castle sits atop a 855 m high Berg Hohenzollern, on the western side of the Swabian Alps.

The first fortress on the mountain was constructed in the early 11th century. Over the years the House of Hohenzollern split several times, but the castle remained in the Swabian branch, the dynastic seniors of the Franconian-Brandenburgian cadet branch that later acquired its own imperial throne. This castle was completely destroyed in 1423 after a ten-month siege by the free imperial cities of Swabia. A larger and sturdier structure was constructed from 1454 to 1461, which served as a refuge for the Catholic Swabian Hohenzollerns, including during the Thirty Years’ War. By the end of the 18th century it was thought to have lost its strategic importance and gradually fell into disrepair, leading to the demolition of several dilapidated buildings. Today, only the medieval chapel remains.

The final castle was built between 1846 and 1867 as a family memorial by Hohenzollern scion King Frederick William IV of Prussia. Architect Friedrich August Stüler based his design on English Gothic Revival architecture and the Châteaux of the Loire Valley. No member of the Hohenzollern family was in permanent or regular residence when it was completed, and none the three German Kaisers of the late 19th and early 20th century German Empire ever occupied the castle. In 1945 it briefly became the home of the former Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany, son of the last Hohenzollern monarch, Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Since 1952, the castle has been filled with art and historical artifacts from the collections of the Hohenzollern family and the former Hohenzollern Museum in Schloss Monbijou. Among the historical artifacts of Prussian history contained in the castle are the Crown of Wilhelm II, some of the personal effects of King Frederick the Great, and a letter from US President George Washington thanking Hohenzollern descendant Baron von Steuben for his service in the American Revolutionary War. From 1952 until 1991 the caskets of Frederick Wilhelm I and Frederick the Great were in the chapel, but were moved back to Potsdam following German reunification in 1991.

Glamorous as well as dark events shape the 1,000 year history of this impressive building: In the 15th century, the first Hohenzollern Castle was destroyed by war, but was rebuilt soon afterwards. In the 18th century, the fortress was deserted and fell into ruin. King Frederick William IV of Prussia had his family’s ancestral home reconstructed in its present form in the 19th century, even larger and more magnificent than before. Today, the castle is still privately owned by the Prussian line and the Swabian Royal House of the Hohenzollern. And whenever the current owner, Prince George Frederick of Prussia, and his family are staying in the castle, the family standard flies high on the flag tower.

The castle is still privately owned, with two-thirds belonging to the Brandenburg-Prussian family line.