Things to do in Germany

The Rhine in Flames fireworks show is in Bingen on July 6.

I'd definitely put the Mosel valley in the mix. Big wine festival (always a good time) in Traben Trarbach July 12 to 14.
https://www.mosellandtouristik.de/en/wine-cuisine/wine-events/wine-festivals/ev/20190713/Moselwein-Festival_Traben-Trarbach3/deskline.html

Marburg is fantastic. You might want to add in Limburg too. Go farther on the Rhein to Eltville and visit Eberbach Monastery.

Hi,

You're into history, "LOVE history" then there are a ton of places, big and small, I can suggest, even more so if you're willing to branch out from the Düsseldorf and Köln areas to get to places where the only tourists you'll likely see are German.

Do you want to see some esoteric history museums on Prussian-German history easily accessible from Düsseldorf Hbf by S-Bahn?

If so, I can recommend some. How about the museum in Wesel am Rhein, , the town where Monty crossed the Rhine in 1945, or in Ratingen ? Reichwald Military Cemetery in Kleve?

Dortmund-Hohensyburg to see the Kaiser Wilhelm and Bismarck Denkmal, or better still for that purpose, go to Porta Westfalica from Minden.

How about Detmold? The closest to the Hermannsdenkmal...I saw that only once, in 1984.

How about doing a day trip to Minden to see the Preußen Museum located in what was a barracks, Kaserne?

The town is bit farther but still doable as a day trip. It's in Westphalia, ie the West Prussian Museum in Warendorf/Westf next to Münster/Westf.

Where were you a student there in college?

Thank you for the suggestions!

I studied German in Mannheim, so I've spent a good amount of time in Baden-Wuerttemburg, as well as some awesome places nearby (I loved Wuertzburg and Nuremberg). In college, I modern German history was my focus. I've been to and LOVED Bonn and am hoping to hang out in Weimar at some point (probably not this trip).

I've heard great things about Trier. Anyone have opinions on whether its worth the longer ride out west?

I'm definitely not someone who gets bored looking at old churches, castles, palaces or ruins. Also love well done museums (the Romano-Germanic Museum in Cologne was great, as well as the Haus der Geschichte in Bonn).

When I travel to Germany I tend to hang out in one region (hence looking for recommendations along the lower and mid Rhein). Hopefully next trip I'll get to hang out in the east. I've been to Berlin but am dying to see Dresden and Leipzig. Won't make it there this time, maybe next year!

"...studied German in Mannheim." Wunderbar!

Those museums in Wesel, Ratingen, Minden, and Warendorf are deal with modern German history...Preußen in Rheinland Museum in Wesel, (Take the S-Bahn to Wesel from Düsseldorf Hbf)

1. Landesmuseum Oberschlesien in Ratingen. (Take the S-Bahn from Düsseldorf Hbf Richtung Essen)

2. Preußen in Westfalen Museum in Minden an der Weser

3. Landesmuseum Westpreußen in Warendorf.

Middle Rhine area...how about Kaub am Rhein, the museum on Blücher, whose statue I am sure you saw in Berlin next to Scharnhorst and Bülow not far from the Berliner Dom.

This is the "Blücher Museum" on his invasion of France in pursuit of Napoleon. He caught up with Napoleon towards the end of Jan 1814 at Brienne, near Troyes, he lost.

Kleve is in the lower Rhine area, very doable from Düsseldorf Hbf as is Xanten.

Two 360° previews presented by NRW state tourist webpage to Aachen Cathedral and Brühl palaces.

House of History in Bonn shall be on your list.

You mention Bacharach. There are historical references in that town.

In Bacharach is a memorial plaque attached to a rock also on Blücher since that was where he crossed the Rhine in chasing Napoleon, ie, his Rheinübergang.