1) The glass dome on top of the Reichstags building in Berlin, Germany's parliament building and the most visited parliament building in the world. Families with small children or people with handicaps don't need to line up. They can use the side entrance.2) Viktualienmarkt and Marienplatz in Munich3) Speicherstadt and Hafen (harbor) Hamburg - this has been a major global port since the 12th century and you can still see it in many places. Take a free walk thru the harbor and enjoy 800+ years of mercantile history.4) Frauenkirche, Dresden - Once one of the most beautiful protestant churches in Central Europe, then completely destroyed in WW2 and rebuilt accurately after the fall of the wall. Free concerts almost every day.5) The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin - It's THE national emblem of Germany (on the back side of our golden-color Euro coins) and No.1 landmark of Berlin6) Cathedral of Aachen, built 1100 years ago (!). You can still feel Carl the Great (Charlemagne, father of Germany AND France) walk thru its halls. 7) BMW World, Munich - opened in 2007 you can enter the main halls for free and enjoy this great piece of 21st century architecture8) Museum in the Round Corner, Leipzig - Former seat of the East German Stasi (the Gestapo successor). You can visit the offices and feel the threat - for free.9) English Garden, Munich - one of the largest downtown parks in the world. You can watch surfers on the Eisbach river, enjoy free live and open air oompah music and buy local food and beer at reasonable prices10) The gardens of the castles of the Prussian kings and German emperors (Kaisers) in Potsdam. You can spend an entire day just walk thru those Versailles-like gardens and see the beautiful palaces. Makes for a great day trip from Berlin.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
"6) Cathedral of Aachen, built 1100 years ago (!). You can still feel Carl the Great (Charlemagne, father of Germany AND France) walk thru its halls." My only disappointment here was that you have to pay for a separate tour to see the actual throne. But I still think it's worth a visit because this church has a different feel from any other I've visited in Germany.
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
1) The glass dome on top of the Reichstags building in Berlin
And even better: guided tours are free, too! And they allow you to skip any lines. You just have to plan your visit and register for those tours ahead of time:
http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/visits/besgrupp/fuehr.html
8) Museum in the Round Corner, Leipzig
Very impressive and memorable! If you don't speak English (all labels in the museum are in German) you can get a very good audio-guide for a nominal fee.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19238 posts
The Cathedral of Aachen must have been built more than 1100 years ago, because Charlemagne died in 814! Is that where he was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on Christmas day, 800?
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9149 posts
Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome, by the Pope, in 800. He may have been crowned King in Aachen at an earlier time though, as he was already a king with a pretty big empire by the time he stopped in Frankfurt, in 794 and held a synod of Bishops in the palace and church here.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
If I recall from my visit, large parts of the cathedral are additions from later time periods. I think the central nave, which is octagonal shaped, represents the core of the old cathedral.