Hi there. We have a free morning before a tour of Xantan in the afternoon. Any recommendations for spending the early part of the day? We like historical sites , art and architecture, and shopping. Thanks!
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San Francisco
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I have been to Xanten, though ages ago. It was in the summer of 1987, did it as a day trip from Düsseldorf.
Xanten was pretty well shot up as the Canadians took the place in these battles for control of the lower Rhine (Niederrheingebiet).
RE: Wesel am Rhein. I have visited Wesel too about a decade ago, also as a afternoon trip from Düsseldorf. It is a working class town, you'll recognise that as you exit the train station. If you are into the history of the place, more than merely a fleeting glance at the topic, then I would recommend going there.
Wesel am Rhein is the place where the British in a set piece battle forced their crossing of the Rhine after securing the left bank of the lower Rhine. I went to Wesel for 2 specific historical reasons.
The German WW1 military cemetery is there, took some effort finding it even after I got to the big cemetery. Also there is in Wesel the "Prussian Museum in the Rhineland" (Preußen im Rheinland), which offers a very extensive coverage going back to the 1600s with inciteful and posing questions on modern European and Prussian-German history.
The museum takes some time going through, 1.5 hrs or more. if you're into all the extensive exhibits and reading it all.