Bonn: October 2019 – during which I visited Cologne, Siegburg, Koblenz, Aachen, Monschau, Bacharach, Oberwesel, Kassel, Fulda, Korbach, Marburg, Stuttgart and Heidleberg.
Frankfurt: July 2020 – during which I visited Mainz, Limburg an der Lahn, Speyer, Worms, Ladenburg, Baden-Baden, Freiburg im Breisgau, Breisach, Offenburg, Nuremberg, Augsburg,Bamberg, Bayreuth, Regensburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Würzburg, Trier.
Lastly, I have added Passau, which I visited from Linz.
Bonn
Bonn Was the capital from 1949 until 1990 and has a reputation as a city of the arts. It is the birthplace of Beethoven and has a museum dedicated to him. The “museum mile” features two of Germany’s most significant art museums – the Bonn Museum of Modern Art and the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Rhine:
A bend in the river
The Altstadt:
The RathausThe hotel I’m staying atThe marketplaceBonn Minster is currently closed for restoration (October 2019)Bonner Münster was completed in 1248 during the transition from Romanticism to the Gothic period, the same year that the foundation stone was laid for Cologne Cathedral…The Jesuit church dating from the 17th centuryThe last remains of the old city wall – it stands a bit forlorn…The last refuge for Bonn’s roof people…A Bönnsch – an odd beer served in an equally odd glass
Beethoven:
Statue of Beethoven in front of the old post officeBeethoven’s house is now a museumBeethoven’s mother is buried in the cemetery Alter Friedhof – Beethoven, himself, is quietly decomposing in Vienna’s Central CemeteryRobert Schumann is buried here, though…Just tidying up…
Museum Mile:
Bonn’s Museum Mile is home to the fascinating Haus der Geschichte – an intriguing look at Germany’s history since 1945The Very British exhibitionThe Germans cannot understand why we voted to leave the EU…The Koenig Museum of Natural HistoryThe Kunst Museum of modern art is woefulTake this, for example: apparently this passes for modern art…Next door to the Kunst Museum is the vastly more interesting Bundeskunsthalle with a fascinating exhibition on Palmyra, Aleppo, Meroe (Sudan), Angkor Watt and other endangered sites…
Siegburg
Siegburg is located along the Sieg and Agger Rivers, about 10km from Bonn. It is famous for being the birthplace of Englebert Humperdinck, composer of the opera Hansel & Gretel.
Siegburg Museum – Siegburg is a 25 minute tram ride from BonnSiegburg is famous as the birthplace of Engelbert Humperdinck – composer of Hansel and Gretel
Köln (Cologne)
The Cathedral:
The Dom in Köln from inside the HauptbahnhofArchbishop Rainald von Dassel brought the relics of the Three Wise Men to Cologne in 1164 and the Cathedral became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Europe and required a new architecture. Plans for a new Gothic Cathedral were drawn up by Gerhard of Reil, who modelled the new church on the cathedrals of Paris, Strasbourg and Amiens and construction started in 1248. The cathedral is currently the tallest twin-spired church in the world, and the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. At 157.38 m (515 ft) tall, the northern tower is 7cm taller than the southern one. The towers have dominated Cologne’s skyline since they were completed in 1880.The Dom…Inside the Dom…Somehow the cathedral wasn’t completely destroyed during WW2The Dom…The Dom soars above the Rhine
Other Churches:
The Catholic church of St MariaThe Catholic church of St MariaSt Maria is undergoing renovationThe Basilica of St AndreasThe sweet little church of St HeribertThe imposing Romanesque church of the improbably named St Kunibert – extensively damaged during WW2St Kunibert’s doorInside St Kunibert’sThe UrsulineschuleSt Martin – reopened in 1985 following extensive restoration – it is a working conventSt Maria im Kapitol
The Rathaus:
The Rathaus – what’s left of it…Looks a bit forlornThe good news is that the Rathaus is undergoing restoration
The Altstadt:
The Altstadt-NordThe Altstadt-Nord with St Martin’s in the background
Riverside:
St Martin’s and the Cathedral with the Basilica of St Andreas in the backgroundLone horsemanOne of 4 horsemen guarding the railway bridge over the RhineBizarrely, there are thousands of padlocks attached to the bridge – I guess it’s a romantic gesture but when there are 1.3 million others…
Koblenz
Deutsches Eck:
The monument to Emperor Wilhelm I Deutsches Eck as seen from the monument – it’s a bit like looking down on the prow of a ship from the bridgeThe monument to Emperor Wilhelm I, seen from the cable carKoblenz – where the Rhine meets the Mosel at Deutsches Eck (German Corner)…Ehrenbreitstein FortressThis stretch of the Rhine is a UNESCO World Heritage site
Churches:
The Basilica of St KastorThe Basilica of St KastorThe Basilica of St KastorThe LiebfrauenkircheThe LiebfrauenkircheThe LiebfrauenkircheThe church of St Florin – there is a church dedicated to St Florin in VerduzThe Catholic Church of the Heart of JesusThe Catholic Church of the Heart of Jesus
The Altstadt:
The office of the Prussian Rhine Provinces. The centre of Koblenz is a bit disappointing although it does seem to be undergoing regeneration and, to make things worse, the railway museum is only open on Saturday out of seasonThe MunzplatzI wonder who lives in Bad Ems…
Aachen
An old gatehouse in Aachen – close to the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands and once the capital of Charlemagne’s empire
The Altstadt:
The 13th century Rathaus (town hall) built on the site of Charlemagne’s 8th century palaceThe GrashausTrying to capture autumn leaves in the sunshine
The Dom:
The Dom is stunning and, in 1978, became Germany’s first UNESCO World Heritage siteSt Michael’s Greek Orthodox ChurchSt Michael’s Greek Orthodox Church
Monschau
Monschau is a little gem. It takes about 65 minutes to get there by bus from Aachen.
Bacharach
The train ride from Koblenz to Bacharach follows the Rhine with some glorious views and sceneryLooking down on BacharachLooking up to the castle
Oberwesel
The witches house in OberweselThe RathausLooking up towards Oberwesel castle
Kassel
I came to Kassel around 30 years ago to visit the Martini Brewery (they’d been brewing under this name since 1859) as I bought beer from them when I was the beer & cider buyer at Tesco – but haven’t been back since. I’m now using the city as a base for 4 nights. As for Martini Brauerei – that was bought by Einbecker Brauhaus AG in 1997. The brewery was closed in 2015 but Einbecker still brew Martini Meister Pilsener in Einbeck…The Rathaus – big police presence today as Kurds throughout Germany march in protest at being sold out by Donald Trump and his decision to withdraw troops from Syria. The protests were noisy – lots of singing and chanting – but trouble free…Karlsaue ParkKarlsaue ParkKarlsaue ParkGustav Mahler lived and worked in KasselThe Brothers Grimm lived and worked for 30 years in KasselThe Fairytale MuseumI finally tracked down some Martini Pilsener in a rammed, smoky bar in Kassel – yes, they still allow smoking in pubs in Germany. It was a small, back street bar showing the Dortmund v M’gladbach game live – the atmosphere was tense, volatile, toxic but I made my way through 2 glasses of beer – much to the amusement of the barman and the horror of the guys at the bar for whom an Englishman was as welcome as the red card the Dortmund goalie should have got for bringing down the M’gladbach striker who was about to score. Memories, eh? Best left in the past…
Fulda
The Dom:
The Dom in Fulda is impressive inside and out – it also has a nice little museum attached. Built between 1704 and 1712 in a Roman Baroque style on the site of a 9th century churchThe Cathedral is home to the tomb of St Boniface
Other Churches:
St Michael’s dates back to around 820 – pretty dull inside, though…The church of St Blasius – the last baroque building to be erected in Fulda (1770-86)St BlasiusSt Mary’s Benedictine Abbey – difficult to photograph as it is entirely surrounded by walls and a closed gate…The old Benedictine MonasteryThree Bishops Breakdancing
Museums:
The Vonderau Museum is intriguing – it’s a sort of history of Fulda with some weird stuff thrown in…The four flying fräuleins of Fulda…The Type S4 was a significant improvement on the Type S3The fire brigade museum is quite sweet and certainly interesting but it is in the arse end of town (Esel Ende des Nirgendwo) and there aren’t any signs to it…Quite why you’d want a Trabant at a fire I dread to think
The Altstadt:
Quite a few buildings in Fulda’s Altstadt have been nicely restored – like the Rathaus, shown hereThis pub is a typical, old fashioned place – plain wood panelling inside, no frills and everyone was smoking – including the bar maid for whom serving me was clearly an inconveniencePart of the old city wall and gateThe OrangeryThe early 18th century Stadtschloss
Korbach
Churches:
Korbach, in Hesse, is the southernmost Hanseatic Town in Germany – the Altstadt is curiously manicured almost as if it has been recently created as a museum villageThe church of St Nicholas is suffering from a touch of the Chesterfields (a wonky spire)…
The Altstadt:
These 3 buildings house the museumAn old warehouse dating from around 1300
Gates and Walls:
Marburg
The Castle:
Marburg has a fine 16th century castle overlooking the town -Marburg Landgrafenschloss dates from 1529
Churches:
St ElisabethkircheSt ElisabethkircheThe Lutheran church of St Marien
The Altstadt:
This fine building is now the museum of mineralogyMarburg has a fine AltstadtThe RathausArt HouseWho didn’t grow up loving the story of the wolf and seven goats…Not really selling themselves…
Stuttgart
Stuttgart – I came here about 100 years for work ago but can’t remember for whom or anything of the city…A memorial to Kaiser Wilhelm I in front of the Neue SchloßChristoph Herzog von WürttembergIn time Angela Merkel will be remembered kindly for her decision to give refuge to thousands of roof people who were escaping poverty, tyranny and tragedy. As it is, Angela Merkel’s brave, humanitarian decision to offer asylum to tens of thousands of refugees has rendered her a hate figure among thousands of Germans…The Ballet TheatreThe Altes Schloß now houses the Landesmuseum WürttembergThe museum courtyardThe Stiftskirche dates from the 7th centuryThe Stiftskirche The Stiftskirche The Stiftskirche Kaiser Wilhelm I facing eastThe railway station architecture is odd but it was undergoing a transformation (Stuttgart 21) while I was in the city (October 2019). The project involves transforming the station from a terminus with the addition of new, through lines… Very nice ice cream…
Heidelberg
The River Neckar
The Castle:
The SchloßThe castle courtyardThe castle courtyardView over Heidelberg from the castle balcony
The Altstadt:
The university library is astonishingly ornateThe university library A street library – neat ideaThe River Neckar – I had just left the station when I took this, unaware of how far the city centre is from the Hauptbahnhof. And here my 2019 trip to Germany comes to a close…
Frankfurt
My 2020 visit to Germany starts off here in Frankfurt – my base for the next 6 nights…Frankfurt – the new financial capital of Europe…The AltstadtThis might intrigue anyone who has read the adventures of Struwwelpeter. I don’t suppose modern parents would read their children stories like this…The Dom of St Bartholomew undergoing renovationA view across the River Main (hence Frankfurt am Main)…The LiebfrauenkircheDisappointingly average ice cream…Drinksmith, Wallstrasse: a great bar with craft beers – odd music – sort of blues rock (very American) and by bands I’ve never heard of
Mainz
One of the reasons for coming to Mainz is that it has something in common with the village of Tudeley, in Kent…
St Peter’s ChurchA wobbly photo of the interior of St Peter’s – panoramic photos don’t come out well on WordPress…The ruins of the Jesuit church of St Christopher.The AltstadtMarket dayThe DomThe Dom is closed today – it opens again on Thursday…The Gutenberg Museum – complete with original Gutenberg bibles – fascinating…The Augustine ChurchAlso very grand inside – and open…The former church of St Maria de ConsolationeAnd, of course, St Stephan’s – the main attraction and yes: closed – open again on Thursday. Someone didn’t do his research properly… Random tower – oh, well – let’s put Plan B into operation…
Of Mainz and Men: an allegorical tale of a man setting out for enlightenment but discovers that the quest for higher learning is as much down to luck as planning…
The excellent Landesmuseum in Mainz: it has a fine collection of art, porcelain, scientific instruments and so on. It also has a gallery of “abstract” art… Sitting at a café, having a coffee in the sunshine, while waiting for the Dom to open. Featuring a bottle of hand sanitizer – well, this is July 2020…The DomInside it is splendidly dull – well worth coming back and queuing for…Ah, yes, St Stephan’s: the connection with All Saints Church in Tudeley, Kent will become clear – for anyone interested in Marc Chagall, that is… The Marc Chagall windows
Limburg an der Lahn
The Dom stands high above the town…The Altstadt
Speyer
Speyer (pronounced as in “spire”) is a gem of city. The Kaiserdom is a UNESCO World Heritage site…
The Technik Museum in Speyer is an absolute treat for anyone interested in trains, planes, automobiles – oh and boats, motorbikes, fire engines…
There is another Technik Museum in Sinsheim and a railway museum in Neustadt – both towns are fairly close to Speyer and good reasons to come back to this region…
Cimber was a Danish airline operating from 1950 to 2009. This is a Fokker VFW-614The History Museum was closed today. Of course it was – why open on a nice sunny day and when there are hundreds of tourists around…The main street is semi-pedestrianised…The Kaiserdom is big – very big – over 130m longThe basilica has four towers and two domes. It was founded by Conrad II in 1030 and remodelled at the end of the 11th century. It is one of the most important Romanesque monuments from the time of the Holy Roman Empire and was the burial place of the German emperors for almost 300 years.he Gedächtniskirche was built in the 1890’sInside GedächtniskircheThis church is very grand outside but dull and gloomy inside
Worms
Martin Luther and acolytesThe Dom is undergoing renovationIt is hard to get a good photo of the DomThis model gives you an idea of what the Dom looks like without the trees, scaffolding and buildings in the way…Inside the DomThe Jewish cemetery was closed for restoration work. The city museum was also closed…This sweet little synagogue was open as was the Jewish museum behind it…There has been a synagogue here since the early 11th century – this one was rebuilt in 1961 and the museum, in a restored Jewish dance and wedding hall, opened in 1982. Raschi/Rashi (Rabbi Salomon ben Isaac of Troyes) studied here in the mid 11th century…
Ladenburg
Ladenburg is picture postcard pretty – a little gem of a town…
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is an elegant city and – because it so posh – the railway station is banished to some 5km away, so you need to get a bus into the city centre…
The Festspielhaus (Festival Hall) – amusingly built on the site of a former railway station and is one of the largest classical music venues in Europe.
Breisach – a sweet little town on the Rhine, dominated by St Stephen’s Minster. The church and old town walls date from the 12th century…Old mill towerA random collection of old tractors
Offenburg
Offenburg: I only came here as I didn’t stay very long in Breisach. It is a nice, if not spectacular, city. A bit like Chelmsford: it has a few nice old bits but not many and it has a nice friendly atmosphereThe Catholic church is quite decorative insideAs I was inside the church, I was wearing a mask and the lady in yellow (front row, right) told me I didn’t need to wear a mask as God was watching over us – very sweet. She wasn’t being entirely serious…The museum was closed
Nürnberg
Museums:
The transport museum. If they ever get around to putting up signposts for their museums, they would be on to a winner…It’s depressing to think that the British invented railways when you think of the mess that successive governments have made of the UK network. We invented tilting trains, too, that enabled high speed trains across Europe – but we sold the technology…A great museum if you like model trainsA great museum if you like model trainsAnd there’s a big model rail layout…The National Museum
City Walls:
There are extensive city walls
Churches:
St LorenzSt Lorenz is undergoing restorationThe Frauenkirche – complete with weird shadow of a bannerSt SebaldSt Sebald
The Altstadt:
A statue of Albrecht DürerThe Albrecht Dürer MuseumThe Albrecht-Dürer Haus to the left; the excellent Cafê am Dürerhaus to the right, with its terrific range of local beers and a view of the old city walls…A fine beerA lot of the “big” beers in Germany are very dull these days – technically still good, just dull. The craft beer market hasn’t taken hold here – not surprising as there are still around 1,300 breweries. So, if you’re in Germany: look out for the local beers – these 4 are very nice – prosit!
Riverside:
The city of Nuremberg is split by the River Pegnitz
The City:
The State Theatre and Opera HouseNice ice cream“Stumble steps” or “stolpersteine” – plaques in pavements to commemorate victims of National Socialism http://www.stolpersteine.eu/en/home/Most big stations have a model railway set up, like this one in Nürnberg. Sweet, eh?
Augsburg
Churches:
The Basilica of St Ulrich and St AfraAugsburg CathedralSt AnnakircheVery ornate inside and the cloisters have lots of religious artefacts in them
The City:
The Maximilian Museum with a statue of Hans Jakob Fugger – of the Fugger dynasty: wealthy merchants and benefactors…
Bamberg
Riverside:
Bamberg is a lovely city on the Regnitz river. The Altstadt is a UNESCO World Heritage site…
Churches:
A view from the Michelsberg Monastery overlooking BambergThe Cathedral of St Peter and St GeorgeSt Martin’s Church in the marketplace
The City:
The Leibnitz Institute
Bayreuth
Oscar Meisel:
I’ve only been to Bayreuth once before and that was around 30 years ago on a visit to the Maisel Brewery…I don’t imagine any of these guys were even born when I visited…Maisel’s has always been my favourite weisse beer
The Opera House:
The Margravial Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012
The City:
The Neues Schloss (new palace)The sweet history museum – the entrance fee was only €2 – I was the only visitor while I was there. The friendly lady on reception gave me a brochure in English to read as I wandered around…The Spitalkirchevon Römer StraßeNot beer time yet…The market placeIt is currently a dental practice – but no idea what it was as there’s no plaqueState government officeThe old police station
Regensburg
Regensburg – the Altstadt is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The noble family Thurn und Taxis has a palace here that is open to the public, although for guided tours only…
Churches:
The Dom – Cathedral of St Peter. It’ll be great when the scaffolding comes down to reveal once more the intricate carvingThe Carmelite Church of St JosephThe interior of the Basilica of St Emmeram is astonishing. Because it is surrounded by walls and other buildings it is difficult to get an idea of how it looks from the outside…
The City:
The Danube, no less…
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a magnificent, walled medieval town – https://www.rothenburg-tourismus.de/en/Wonderful towers and gatesThere’s a walk way around the walls
Würzburg
225 Lancaster bombers dropped 400 tonnes of high explosives and 300,000 incendiary bombs in 17 minutes on Würzburg during a raid on the 16th March, 1945. Around 90% of the old city was destroyed and the palace badly damaged. It was saved and restored by the American art historian John D Skilton and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site…
The former residence of the Würzburg prince-bishops is one of the most important baroque palaces in Europe. It was begun for Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn by the then young and unknown architect Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753); the shell of the palace was built from 1720 to 1744 and the interior completed in 1780. By the time the massive building was finished, the gifted architect had also served the brother and second successor of Johann Philipp, Friedrich Carl von Schönborn, and the two following Würzburg prince-bishops. See: https://www.residenz-wuerzburg.de/englisch/residenz/history.htm
Churches:
The church of St Hauger looks magnificent from a distance but is difficult to view closely as it is boxed-in by other buildings…It was also closed…The Maria Chapel on the left, while the gaily painted building on the right, used to be a library but is now the tourist information office…The Maria Chapel is a late Gothic period church; construction started in 1377 and was finished in 1480 with the erection of the tower.The Dom: Cathedral of St KilianThe Dom: Cathedral of St KilianThe Dom: Cathedral of St KilianThe Dom: Cathedral of St KilianThe Dom: Cathedral of St KilianThe church of St MichaelThe church of St MichaelThe Neumünster – a Romanesque cathedral dating from the 11th century. The chancel and ornate tower were added in the 13th century. The Baroque façade was added between 1710–1716. The church is built on the site of the graves of Saint Kilian and his companions, missionaries who were assassinated here in 689 AD. It took ages to get a photo of this church; sun at the wrong angle; vans in the way, etc. So when I did finally get a clear shot, I promptly forgot about going inside…
The City:
A pedestrian bridge over the River Main – the statues are wearing face masks, which is presumably meant to be amusing or ironic..Fortress MarienburgFortress MarienburgFortress MarienburgVineyards behind the station…
Trier
Trier – my 2020 trip to Germany ends here amongst the Roman ruins and the Karl Marx museum…
Churches:
The Dom (cathedral) dates from the 4th century but, as you can see, bits have been added over the years…The Dom is a UNESCO World Heritage siteQuite how this survived the blitz of August 1944 is a mysteryThe Dom Museum is more interesting than you might suppose and has lots of religious artefacts – when I say “more interesting”, everything is relative…That wasn’t supposed to happen! What on earth do we do now?The Basilica Minor of Our Lady is also a UNESCO World Heritage site – but it suffered in the “firestorm” of August 1944…The Konstantin Basilica is also a UNESCO World Heritage site but is a shadow of its former selfThe “firestorm” came during an a bombing raid on August 14th, 1944…
Roman Ruins:
The Porta Nigra – ruins of a Roman city gateThe amphitheatre
Museums:
The State Museum has an array of interesting exhibitsIncluding a lot of Roman ruins & artefactsThe house in which Karl Marx was born on May 5th, 1818. It is now a museum in his honour…Only one brief mention of Mary Burns… http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=461
The City:
The Electoral Palace, built in the late 1750’sTrier is on the Mosel River
My journey back to Frankfurt was via Koblenz and I thought I’d post these photos, despite them not being very good, as the journeys are scenic. The route from Mainz to Koblenz follows the Rhine and there are railway lines on both sides of the river. From Mainz to Koblenz the river was on the left (in the direction of travel) while on the return journey the river was also on the left. Whether this is normal or I was just lucky, I don’t know. From Koblenz to Trier, the railway follows the Mosel…
Passau
A day trip to Passau from Linz in June 2022
Passau is at the confluence of the Danube, Ilz and Inn rivers…The Danube (Donau)
Churches:
St Paul’s ChurchThe Dom: St Stephen’s: this church replaced an earlier one that was destroyed in the great fire of 1662. The rebuilding work went to Carlo Lurago and Giovanni Battista Carlone, who also worked on the RathausLooking towards the Dom The interior is astonishing – there’s a lot of restoration underwayIt has the world’s largest organ – which dates from 1928. The audience is awaiting an organ concert. I bought a ticket so that I could enter and take photographs, leaving before the concert started…
The City:
The Town Hall of Passau (Rathaus) dates from either the 13th or 14th century, depending on the information source. Following the Great Fires of 1662 and 1680, it was reconstructed by the Italian master builders Carlo Lurago and Giovanni Battista Carlone in a baroque style. It appears to have undergone a Gothic makeover in the 19th century.
