Germany

Germany is situated in Western-Central Europe with its borders shared by Austria, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium France and the Czech Republic.

With Berlin as its capital the Federal Republic of Germany is divided into 16 states throughout which the landscape varies considerably, the west featuring the Black Forest, the Rhine and Bavaria. The east boasts many lakes, hilly lowlands and mountain ranges.

Germany has a rich heritage of history, nature and fine arts, its past of turmoil and conflict has left the country with a strong idealistic principles contrasting with its high academic trends, found in the historic university cities such as Heidelberg.

Visit the Berlin Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie, where the history of Germany came to a turn point with the fall of the barriers between the east and west.

The towns of Bamberg, Lübeck and Goslar are classified as architectural heritage sites by the UNESCO World Heritage, while the charming island of Mainau on Lake Constance is scattered with historic buildings, multicolored roofs and flower decorations.

The climate is temperate throughout the country with warm summers and cold winters, but prolonged periods of frost or snow are rare. Rain falls throughout the year.

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    Ettersburg Palace and Landscape Park

    Palace and Park Ettersburg are the Thuringian Ettersburg on the Etter Mountain (474 m), an elongated ridge north of Weimar. Since 1998 they belong as part of the ensemble "Classical Weimar" UNESCO World Heritage.

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    Fagus Factory

    The Fagus Factory, a shoe last factory in Alfeld on the Leine, Lower Saxony, Germany, is an important example of early modern architecture. Commissioned by owner Carl Benscheidt who wanted a radical structure to express the company's break from the past, the factory was designed by Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer.

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    Falkenberg Garden City, Berlin

    The "Tuschkastensiedlung" (Paint box Housing Estate) in Treptow is the oldest of six estates of modernist architecture belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage. Architect Bruno Taut based his design concept on the English idea of the Garden City.

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    Falkenlust Palace, Bruhl

    The Augustusburg and Falkenlust palaces is a historical building complex in Bruhl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which have been listed as a UNESCO cultural World Heritage Site since 1984. Falkenlust Palace, Bruhl.

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    Fort Grand Duke Constantine

    Since 2002, the Fort Grand Duke Constantine is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley. Furthermore, it is in a protected cultural property under the Hague Convention and with the blue and white emblem.

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    Garden and Castle Grosskuhnau

    Completed in 1780, neo-classical Castle Grosskuhnau is situated at the edge of Lake Grosskuhnau, about 4km west of Dessau-Rosslau. Visitors are free to roam the delightful gardens, which include vineyards and partially restored fruit plantations. The palace currently houses the administrative offices of Cultural Foundation Dessau-Worlitz and is not open to the public.

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    Gatehouse, Lorsch Abbey

    The 9th-century gatehouse is a unique survival of the Carolingian era. It curiously combines some elements of the Roman triumphal arch (arch-shaped passageways, half-columns) with the vernacular Teutonic heritage (baseless triangles of the blind arcade, polychromatic masonry).

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    Goslar

    Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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    Grosskrotzenburg Roman fort

    The fort Grosskrotzenburg is a former Roman fort at the Wetterau line of the Upper German-Raetian Limes in Grosskrotzenburg, Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany.

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    High Cathedral of Saint Peter, Trier

    The High Cathedral of Saint Peter in Trier is a Roman Catholic church in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the oldest cathedral in the country. The edifice is notable for its extremely long life span under multiple different eras each contributing some elements to its design, including the center of the main chapel being made of Roman brick laid under the direction of Saint Helen, resulting in a cathedral added onto gradually rather than rebuilt in different eras.

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    Hindenburg Bridge

    The Hindenburg Bridge was a railway bridge over the Rhine between Rudesheim in the German state of Hesse and Bingen-Kempten state of Rhineland-Palatinate, named in 1918 after Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, later German President. The bridge was put in service in 1915, destroyed in the Second World War and never rebuilt.

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    Hunzel Roman Fort

    The fort Hunzel is a former Roman frontier fort of the Upper Germanic Limes, which has the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since of 2005. The former Numerus is now considered archaeological monument outside the settlement area of Hunze.

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    Igel Column

    The Igel Column is a multi-storeyed Roman sandstone column in the municipality of Igel, Trier, Germany, dated to c. 250 AD. The column represents a burial monument of the cloth merchant family of the Secundinii. Measuring 30 m in height, it is crowned by the sculptural group of Jupiter and Ganymede.

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    Imperial Abbey of Corvey

    The Imperial Abbey of Corvey or Princely Abbey of Corvey was a Benedictine abbey on the River Weser, 2 km northeast of Hoxter, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

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    Imperial Baths, Trier

    The Trier Imperial Baths (German: Kaiserthermen) are a large Roman bath complex in Trier, Germany. It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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    Karl-Marx-Allee

    The Karl-Marx-Allee is a monumental socialist boulevard built by the GDR between 1952 and 1960 in Berlin Friedrichshain and Mitte. Today the boulevard is named after Karl Marx.

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    Klopp Castle

    Klopp Castle (German: Burg Klopp) is a castle in the town of Bingen am Rhein in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

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    Limes Gate, Dalkingen

    The Limes Gate in Dalkingen was built as an impressive memorial to Emperor Caracalla, who defended the Roman Empire successfully in a military campaign against the Barbarians. It was at this point that he crossed the Limes to fend off the warlike Teutons.

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    Lindstedt Palace, Potsdam

    Lindstedt Palace is part of the ensemble of courtyards and gardens of Potsdam. It was built in the second half of the 19th century by Friedrich Wilhelm IV in late classicism style.

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    Lorsch Abbey

    The Abbey of Lorsch is a former Imperial Abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about 10 km east of Worms, one of the most renowned monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ruined state, its remains are among the most important pre-Romanesque–Carolingian style buildings in Germany.

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    Margravial Opera House, Bayreuth

    The Margravial Opera House is a Baroque opera house in the town of Bayreuth, Germany, built between 1744 and 1748. It is one of Europe's few surviving theatres of the period and has been extensively restored. On 30 June 2012 the opera house was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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    Marksburg Castle

    The Marksburg is a castle above the town of Braubach in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is one of the principal sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Rhine Gorge. The fortress was used for protection rather than as a residence for royal families. It has a striking example of a bergfried designed as a butter-churn tower.

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    Marmorpalais (Marble Palace), Potsdam

    The Marmorpalais (or Marble Palace) is a former royal residence in Potsdam, near Berlin in Germany, built on the grounds of the extensive Neuer Garten on the shores of the Heiliger See (lake).