This post features Munich, Nürnberg, Ingolstadt, Erfurt, Weimar, Jena and Saarbrücken. Although I’ve been to Munich and Nürnberg before, the others were new to me. Erfurt is the state capital of Thüringia, while Saarbrücken is the state capital of Saarland – states I’d not been to before…
There are 16 states in Germany and I’ve now been to 15 of them, which leaves Saxony-Anhalt and its capital Magdeburg…
Munich
Munich is the capital of Bavaria and the third largest city in Germany (after Berlin and Hamburg). Munich, or München, translates as “home of the monks” – stemming from a Benedictine monastery founded around 750ad. In 1180 the Wittelsbach family succeeded to the Duchy of Bavaria, which they then ruled for about 700 years. The city suffered badly from bombing raids during WW2, destroying around 40% of the buildings. Although Munich is a long way from the sea and the coal fields of the Ruhr, the city prospered after WW2 by moving away from traditional heavy to more hi-tech industry such as precision instruments, optical and electrical appliances, financial services, cars and aerospace. Munich is also famous for beer and the Oktoberfest, in particular.
The airport rail station is situated between the two terminals and well signposted. There are several adjacent airport hotels, too. I stayed at the Hilton on the night before my return flight to Manchester and it’s a 2-minute walk from reception to Terminal 2 departures: couldn’t be easier…The main station (hauptbahnhof) is being rebuilt at the moment, so it’s looking a bit scrappy. The S-Bahn trains run to & from the airport roughly every 15 minutes but they take a fairly lengthy 40-45 minutes as they are commuter trains. It would be nice if there was an express link but the current service is easy to use and reasonably stress-free, although the trains can get very busy…The German rail network, including stations, is undergoing a massive renewal programme – there’s rebuilding and modernisation virtually everywhere you go. The investment must be colossal but is needed as the reliability has fallen to UK levels over the last 5 years…
Frauenkirche:
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche) is Munich’s most famous church and its two 98m towers are unmistakable landmarks. Oddly, the towers are slightly different heights: the south tower is 98.45m while the north tower is 98.57m. The church was built between 1468-88 – the distinctive “cat-fish” heads (welschen hauben) were added in 1525. The church was badly damaged during WW2 and underwent restoration between 1948-55The south tower was re-opened to visitors in 2022, after renovation. The viewing platform is accessed via a spiral staircase and a lift…
Theatine Church:
The Theatine Church (officially the church of St. Kajetan) was built between 1663-88 in the style of the church of Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome. The facade was eventually completed almost 100 years later, in 1768. In addition to its function as court church, it also served the Theatine monks…
St Peter’s Church:
The first church on this site was built in 1158. Renovations followed in 1180 and 1220, before the whole site was rebuilt in the second half of the 13th century and following the city fire in 1327. The heart of this second building still stands today. There is a viewing platform – a climb of 300 steps…
Heilig-Geist-Kirche (Church of the Holy Spirit)
A less than brilliant photo of the Heilig-Geist-Kirche hiding behind the old Rathaus. The Heilig-Geist-Kirche started off as a hospital church in 1271, becoming a parish church in 1844…The Heilig-Geist-Kirche at the Viktualienmarkt is the oldest church in Munich, dating from 1271
St Paul’s Church:
St Paul’s Church, built between 1892 – 1906 in Gothic-Revival style, as seen from the Bavariapark…
Church of St Lucas:
St. Lukas (St Luke’s) the only historical-style Protestant parish church left in Munich and has been more or less fully preserved. Designed by Albert Schmidt, it was built between 1893 and 1896. At the time St. Lukas was the third Lutheran Protestant church to be built in Munich…
Salvator Church:
Dating from 1493, the Church of the Saviour – Salvatorkirche – is now used by the Greek Orthodox community
Other Churches:
The Jesuit church of St. Michael was built between 1583 – 1597 and features statues of Bavarian kings in the nichesThe Trinity Church was built between 1711-18 and is the earliest Baroque style churches in MunichThe Bürgersaalkirche is located in the Kreuzviertel of Munich’s historic old town in the pedestrian zone and houses the Pater Rupert Mayer Museum.
Marienplatz:
One of Munich’s most impressive buildings is the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) on Marienplatz – it offers fantastic views of the city from its tower.The glockenspiel clock attracts huge crowds every day…Completed in 1905, the New Town Hall was built in the then popular Neo-Gothic architectural style. The architect, Georg von Hauberrisser, was only 25 years old when he submitted his design…Looking along the Marienplatz toward the old town hall. There are two town halls on Marienplatz in the center of Munich, the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus), which dates back to the 14th century, houses the Toy Museum…
Transport Museum:
The Transport Museum (Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum). The complex originally opened in 1908 to house the trade fair. After the Munich Trade Fair moved out, the Deutsches Museum took over and the first part of the Transport Museum, opened in 2003 followed by 2 further halls in 2006…A Tatra Type 87 from 1936A Rumpler Tropfenwagen from 1922Across the road from the transport museum is the Bavariapark. King Ludwig I created the park between 1826 and 1831 and renamed it “Bavariapark” after the 18m high bronze Bavaria statue in 1850. The park became home to fairgrounds in 1908 (see the photo of St Paul’s taken from the park)
Riverside:
The River Isar with the Deutsche Museum on the left bankThe River Isar rises in the Karwendel Mountains in the Austrian Tyrol and flows for 300km where it joins the Danube at Deggendorf, about 145km from Munich… Müller’sches Volksbad – an art nouveau style public swimming pool with a Roman bath & café, dates from 1901 and is on the banks of the Isar
The City:
KarlsplatzThe Palace of Justice was built between 1890-7 to a design by the architect Friedrich von Thiersch. As the name suggests it is home to the Bavarian Ministry of Justice.The Palace of JusticeFeldherrnhalle – a 19th-century, Italianate monument to the Bavarian armyMunich Residenz and Hofgarten – palace, buildings & gardens housing state-owned museums, with original interiors & artworksThe Augustiner beer house and restaurant on Neuhauser Strasse – one of several Augustiner venues in the cityThe Hofbräuhaus, on the left, was founded in 1589, by Bavarian Duke Wilhelm the 5th, and was originally established solely to supply beer to the Bavarian court. King Ludwig the 1st opened the Hofbräuhaus to the public in 1828, issuing a decree granting public service of food and drink, marking the birth of the Hofbräuhaus as a tavern in Munich.Munich’s Ruffini Houses, on Rindermarkt, are a group of three houses that were built in 1905 and restored between 2018-20. The picturesque architecture is typical of the turn of the 20th century…The 14th-century Löwenturm (Lion Tower) in the Rindermarkt (cattle market)
Viktualienmarkt:
Viktualienmarkt – a sprawling 200-year-old market with over 100 stalls specialising in fruit, vegetables, meat & flowers…The Viktualienmarkt
Nürnberg
A return visit to Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Bavaria’s second-largest city, I came here in July 2020 (see post Germany 3)…
Nuremberg is the only large city in Germany which is surrounded by an original city wall. This fortification is one of the three biggest medieval city walls in Europe…The walls are about 3.5km, in part up to five meters thick and, on average, seven to eight meters high. Originally there were 183 towers, of which 71 have survived and there are seven gates. See: https://quartiere-nuernberg.de/en
St. Sebaldus Church:
Nuremberg’s oldest city parish church was built around 1215 in a Late Romanesque style but in 1309 the original side aisles were widened and altered in a Gothic style. Destroyed during World War II like the rest of the city, St. Sebald was reconstructed in 1957 and reconsecrated…
Frauenkirche:
The Frauenkirche was built between 1352 and 1362 as a Hall church. The church is famous for its 1509 mechanical clock, called “Männleinlaufen”, still in operation.
St. Lorenz Church:
St. Lorenz is a gothic church built from 1250 to 1477. Destroyed during WW2 it was subsequently rebuilt…
Around Albrecht Dürer’s House:
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), Germany’s most famous artist, lived and worked in this massive half-timbered house for nearly 20 years, from 1509 onwards. This is not only one of the few surviving burgher houses from Nuremberg’s golden age, but even more significantly, it is the only surviving 15th century artist’s house in Northern Europe.
The Altstadt:
Riverside:
Nuremberg lies on the Pegnitz River, a small river and a tributary of the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal…
Ingolstadt
Audi Forum:
August Horch & Cie. was established in 1899 in Cologne before moving to Zwickau in 1904. Horch was forced out of the company in 1909 and so set up a rival company called August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH, with the cars badged as Audi. In 1932, following the Great Depression, Horch, DKW, Wanderer and Audi merged to form Auto Union AG. This company was dissolved after WW2 as Zwickau became part of East Germany and so a new company was formed in Ingolstadt. VW gained full control of Audi in 1966 and went on to acquire NSU in 1969. Over in the east, the old Zwickau factory had continued to produce vehicles for the Soviet market. VW acquired the Zwickau factory in 1991, thereby reuniting the pre-war business. The current Audi four-ring logo represents the merger of these four companies…
Getting to the Audi Forum by bus from the railway station is very easy. The Number 11 bus runs around every 20 minutes to and from the station, takes around 25 minutes and a day ticket costs €5.50 – cheaper than two single tickets. Note, however, that the bus stop at the Audi Forum serves both arrivals & departures – very convenient, nice thinking but not immediately obvious (well, not to me anyway)There is an Audi Forum at Neckarsulm – which was originally home to NSU cars. Auto Union Audi and NSU merged in 1969 becoming simply Audi in 1985… A Horch 930S, a Chrysler Airflow in the middle and a Tatra 77 at the end…Audi Front 225 RoadsterA Horch 670 Sport CabrioletA Horch 853 Sport CabrioletAn NSU Prinz 1300TT from 1975 – my first car was a 1971 NSU 1200CS – it still gives me nightmares…
The Altstadt:
Street Scenes:
Thüringia
The Free State of Thuringia is located in the middle Germany, bordering the states of Bavaria, Hesse, Saxony, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
Erfurt
A city with more than 1,200 years of history, Erfurt is the capital of the Free State of Thüringia and has one of Germany’s most complete Medieval centres. St Mary’s Cathedral is known for its Romanesque and Gothic art, and the Krämerbrücke is the longest medieval bridge in Europe with houses. It was in Erfurt that Martin Luther became a monk at the Augustinian Monastery, and at the end of the 18th century the city was at the forefront of the Enlightenment, frequented by cultural heavyweights like Goethe, Schiller and Wilhelm von Humboldt. One of Europe’s oldest intact synagogues is also in Erfurt, along with a complete Baroque fortress, charming squares and moving memorials to the days of the GDR and Holocaust.
Erfurt Cathedral of St Mary:
A 70-step flight of steps leads from the cathedral square to the cathedral hill with its two former collegiate churches. The cathedral with its high Gothic choir, Romanesque tower area and late Gothic west hall is the successor to the sacred building commissioned by Rome in 724. It was the main church of the diocese of Erfurt, founded by Bishop Boniface in 742. In the central tower is the world’s largest medieval free-swinging bell, the “Gloriosa”.
Domplatz:
The two churches dominate the DomplatzThere was a car fair in the Domplatz at the time of my visit…A biergarten – how civilised…Being a tourist is thirsty work…
Other Churches:
The Protestant merchants’ church on the northern Anger is one of the oldest parish churches in the city and is the only city church in Erfurt to have two towers. Its Romanesque predecessor was first mentioned in 1248 and served as a church for the merchants living in Erfurt. After the severe city fire of 1291, it was rebuilt as a three-aisled Gothic basilica with a high Gothic choir and two Romanesque towers and has essentially been unchanged…Barfüsser Church -the ruins of the former Franciscan monastery church The church of the Dominican or Prediger (preacher) monks was built in several stages between 1270 and 1400. Along with the sections of the Prediger monastery that have been preserved, this is one of the foremost examples of mendicant order architecture in Germany…
Krämerbrücke (Merchants’ Bridge):
The Krämerbrücke is a bridge lined with half-timbered houses crossing a branch of the River Gera and, at 79m, is the longest medieval bridge in Europe to have inhabited houses.
The first mention of the bridge is from the 1100s, and following several fires in the 12th and 13th centuries it was rebuilt with limestone and sandstone in 1325. This crossing was part of Europe’s medieval trade network, the Via Regia, which accounts for its long association with merchants.
River Gera:
The Fish Market:
Street Scenes:
Weimar
The centre of Weimar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, based on the art-historical significance of the town’s buildings and parks and on its role as an intellectual hub in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It began with Duchess Anna Amalia, who attracted the great poets and philosophers of the time and whose fame is still associated with Weimar. Reminders of Classical Weimar include the houses of Goethe and Schiller, Belvedere Palace, Ettersburg Castle and Tiefurt Mansion. The Bauhaus movement emerged and flourished in Weimar, with its innovative approach to architecture and design in the early 20th century.
Weimar is easy to get to by train from Erfurt – the journey takes about 18 minutes and trains run every 30 minutes. It is a nice, straightforward walk into town
Museums:
It is well worth buying a Museum Card for €17, as it allows entry to 5 museums in the city and is valid for a yearThe Bauhaus Museum – I find Bauhaus vaguely weird and creepy but aficionados clearly love it judging by the rapt and reverential behaviour of the people visiting when I was there. Personally, I was glad to get out and into the fresh air but I accept it’s a cultural phenomenon that is completely lost on me…
Houses of the Famous:
Goethe’s House and MuseumSchiller’s House and MuseumMartin Luther lived here between 1518-40 according to the plaque but according to the Weimar website he was only a regular visitor to the city during that time – so maybe this is where he stayed rather than lived…
The Herder Church of St Peter and St Paul:
The Herder Church dates from the mid-13th century, it was badly damaged during WW2 after which it was restored and re-consecrated in 1953…
The Altstadt:
The castle complex, situated on the banks of the Ilm River, was built on the site of a medieval moated castle first documented in the 10th century. Since the mid-16th century, the castle served as the permanent residence of the dukes of Saxony-Weimar and Eisenach until their reign ended in 1918. Today the Weimar City Castle is comprised of four wings, dating from 1789, when the Baroque three-wing castle was rebuilt under Goethe’s direction following a devastating fire. The City Castle has been used as a museum since 1923 and serves as the administrative headquarters of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar today.The Rathaus in the market square was built in 1841 on the site of the previous two town halls that had both burnt down. The Mayor of Weimar’s office is situated here along with the marriage chamber of the Weimar Register Office…The early Renaissance green and white building is known as the Town House and dates from 1422. It was virtually destroyed in World War II, rebuilt with a modern interior in 1968–71 and the historic façade restored…
Jena
Jen Tower:
The Jen Tower, 159m, was built at the beginning of the 1970s as a Zeiss research centre and was used by the university until the mid-1990s. Between 1999 and 2000, the tower was completely gutted and brought up to modern technical and architectural standards. The reinforced concrete basic structure remained in its original state, but the old facade was demolished and replaced with a glass facade. The base was also removed and replaced with a new one, which today houses the “Neue Mitte” shopping center.
Different websites give different heights for the tower – I have used https://jentower.de/ as my data source as you’d like to think that if anyone knows…
There is a viewing platform at 128m that is open to the publicThe tower appears to lean from whatever angle you look at it but I think it’s just an optical illusion…
Stadtkirche St. Michael:
Construction of the church began in 1380 and was completed in the 16th century. The church tower is 80 meters high and can be climbed. During WW2 church was badly damaged and the extensive renovations were completed in 2012…The late Gothic hall church with an impressive facade and western tower contains a Gothic stone pulpit from which Martin Luther once preached, as well as the reformer’s original gravestone. See: https://www.kirchbauverein-jena.de/ for more information on the churches in Jena…The Jen Tower is 159.6m versus 80m for the tower of St Michael’s…
Johannisfriedhof Cemetery:
The Catholic Church of John the Baptist on the left and the Friedkirche (Peace Church) on the right…The Catholic Church of St John the BaptistConstruction of the church began in 1686, during the time of the Duchy of Saxony-Jena (1672-1690). The church largely escaped the ravages of WW2 but nevertheless underwent renovation in the early 1990s and again from 2000-07
Old City Walls and Gates:
All that remains of the medieval city walls, with the two striking towers Johannistor and Pulverturm. Originally the walls were 12 m high and 2 km long walls with battlements, ditches, gates and flanking towers.The Johannistor
Stadtmuseum & Kunstsammlung:
Street Scenes:
Saarbrücken
Although Saarbrücken’s history can be traced back to pre-Roman times, the current city dates from 1909 by merging the baroque style Alt-Saarbrücken, the middle-class emporium St. Johann and the industrial Malstatt-Burbach.
Saarbrücken is the industrial, commercial, and cultural centre of the great Saar coal-mining region. Iron and steel are the most important industries; there are also breweries, food-processing plants, printing works, and factories producing machinery, optical instruments, clothing, paper, soap, lime, and cement. Saarbrücken is an important road and rail junction.
Because of its industrial importance, Saarbrücken was heavily bombed during WW2…
Getting There:
The fastest train between Paris Est and Saarbrücken takes 1hr47 and is an ICE, which then goes on to Frankfurt… The quickest journey by ICE from Frankfurt to Saarbrücken is 2hr38. Perverseley, there’s a TGV from Frankfurt that does the journey in 2hr3. See the SNCF and DB apps for times and prices…
TGV stands for high speed train in French and ICE stands for inter-city express in German…
The Saar:
The Saar is a river that flows through France and Germany and, at 235km, it is the largest tributary of the Mosel.
Nice to see there’s a Primark in Saarbrücken…
Churches:
The Alte Brücke (Old Bridge) was erected by Charles V in 1546 and connects Alt-Saarbrücken and St. Johann. Originally it consisted of 14 arches, but now only 8 remain. It was destroyed during WWII and subsequently rebuilt before being shortened in the early 1960s to make room for the urban expressway which passes through central Saarbrücken running parallel to the river. The 15th century Castle Church is in the background. The church was destroyed during WW2 and restored in the 1950s…Inside the Castle ChurchSt Ludwig’s Church was designed by Friedrich Joachim Stengel and completed in 1775. Stengel (1694-1787) was a prominent urban planner and architect, who designed and built many of Saarbrücken’s finest buildings. St Ludwig’s was destroyed during WW2 but subsequently rebuilt and restored to its former glory…Sadly it wasn’t open during my visitThese two interior pictures are from the church website…Friedenskirche was built in 1743 and the first religious building built by Stengel. It was a gift from Wilhelm Heinrich to his mother – which seems a bit strange…Sadly, it wasn’t open during my visit either…The Church of St JacobJohanneskirche – ie. St John’s and not to be confused with the Basilica of St John – is a Protestant church in the St. Johann district. Built between 1894 and 1898 in the neo-Gothic style by the architect Heinrich Güth…The Minor Basilica of St John was built by Stengel between 1754 and 1758. Destroyed during WW2, it has been painstakingly restored and is now a prime example of 18th century Baroque architecture…Evangelisches Gemeindezentrum St. Johann – yes, another church called St John’s – this one is undergoing restoration…
Around St. Johanner Markt:
The St. Johanner Markt is full of bars, bistros and restaurants. It is a nice place to sit outside and have a refeshing Karlsberg Urpils. Karlsberg is brewed in Homburg, about 20 miles (32km) from Saarbrücken, and still independent. The Urpils won Gold in the 2024 World Beer Awards. Since 1978 this old part of town has been a pedestrian precinct – although, as with most pedstrianised zones it isn’t strictly traffic-free. The Baroque fountain was designed by Stengel in 1759.Anyone who has visitied Germany will be familiar with the national love of currywurst – I’ve never tried one, though I suppose I should. Currywurst is a bratwurst served whole or sliced with a tomato-based sauce and curry powder. Legend has it that Berlin was its birthplace. In 1949, a woman named Herta Heuwer is said to have invented the currywurst out of boredom in her snack bar. The German Currywurst Museum tells this story of the origin of the currywurst – but was the currywurst made by Herta Heuwer from Berlin really the first? Hamburg also claims to be the home of currywurst because of the well-known Hamburg novella “The Invention of the Currywurst” by author Uwe Timm. In this story, the dish is prepared by the main character Lena Brücker for the very first time in her Hamburg snack bar. While the novel is, of course, fiction the author claims to have eaten a currywurst at Hamburg’s Großneumarkt in 1947. And he did so at the snack stand of a lady who later became the model for his novel character Lena Brücker…
Museums:
Saarbrücken Castle was rebuilt in the 17th century in the style of the Renaissance, but later destroyed and now only the cellars of this construction remain. In the 18th century Prince Wilhelm Heinrich had his architect Stengel build a new Baroque residence on the same site. Since then the castle has suffered various bouts of destruction and was partially burnt down and reconstructed before being renovated in 1989. The castle is now an administrative centre, a venue for cultural events and museum…The Modern Art GalleryThe intriguing museum of grafitti and street art…
The City:
The EUROPA-Galerie – was built between 1877 and 1880 and was used as the offices of the mining directorate. Following renovation, it opened in 2010 as a shopping centre… The neo-Gothic city hall is dominated by the 180 ft / 54 m tower. It was built between 1897 – 1900 and the façade is decorated with statues representing the trades of bygone times. There is a miner, a smelter, a farmer, a brewer, a merchant, and a tanner. The significance of the figures of St. George and the dragon is unclear, but they probably represent the battle between good and evil… It’s noften you stay in a hotel that has the old town walls running through it – the Motel One in Saarbrücken does, though. What you can see is pretty much all that’s left of the walls…
Stunning pictures that really set the scene Barnaby.
Great to see all that architecture that has survived …….
TB.