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Germany UNESCO world heritage sites

(except some of the smaller Roman remains)

Baden Wuerttemberg state north [capital = Stuttgart]

Caves in Giengen an der Brenz see detail
Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura represents a unique concentration of archaeological sites with some of the oldest figurative art and the oldest musical instruments yet to be found worldwide. Together with the artefacts and the surrounding landscape, they form an outstanding early cultural ensemble that helps to illuminate the origins of human artistic development.

Roman watch tower in Rainau ( Mahdholz) + Lorch ( Klosterstrasse 1) + Grosserlach ( Limesturm) + Mainhardt ( Gailsbach) + Osterburken (Alte Roemerstrasse 6)
The remains of the Limes today consist of vestiges of built walls, ditches, forts, fortresses, watchtowers and civilian settlements.

Maulbronn Monastery in Maulbronn at Klosterhof 5
Founded in 1147, the Cistercian Maulbronn Monastery is considered the most complete and best-preserved medieval monastic complex north of the Alps.

Le Corbusier's Weissenhof Estate in Stuttgart at Rathenaustrasse 1
The semi-detached houses are designed according to the “transformable house” model. The presence of movable elements allows great flexibility in the use of interior space and thus a maximum economy of space in the plan.

Roman fort in Koengen at Ringstrasse 13
See Limes comments above.

Baden Wuerttemberg state south [capital = Stuttgart]

Roman fort in Schramberg at Weiherwasen-strasse
See Limes comments above.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Wangen-Hinterhorn in Oehningen on Kaspar-Loehle-weg
The UNESCO Site Wangen-Hinterhorn was discovered in 1856 by Kaspar Loehle, councilor and small farmer from Wangen, as the first prehistoric lakeside settlement in the shallow water zone on Lake Constance.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Hornstaad-Hoernle in Gaienhofen on Hoernliweg
In 1856/57 the site was discovered; after her the Hornstaader group was named. Extensive excavations have uncovered a cluster village, which was built between 3918 and 3902 BC. A few years after its founding, the village burned down.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Allensbach-Strandbad in Allensbach at Strandweg 36
Customs Inspector Dehoff discovers the site in 1861. The multi-phase young and end Neolithic settlement area is located in the area of camping and bathing place under powerful chalk layer and gravel covers.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Wollmatingen-Langenrain in Reichenau on Pirminstrasse
It was used in the Bronze Age (ca. 1000–500 BC). The site is located at a topographically special location: It controls the river mouth of the Rhine in the Lake Constance.

Monastic Island of Reichenau at Seestrasse 2 + Muensterplatz 4 + Eginostrasse 19
The island of Reichenau on Lake Constance preserves the traces of the Benedictine monastery, founded in 724, which exercised remarkable spiritual, intellectual and artistic influence. The churches of St Mary and Marcus, St Peter and St Paul, and St George, mainly built between the 9th and 11th centuries, provide a panorama of early medieval monastic architecture in central Europe. Their wall paintings bear witness to impressive artistic activity.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Konstanz-Hinterhausen in Konstanz on Mozartstrasse
The extensive pile field and the spectrum of artifacts discovered point to a comprehensive settlement history on the north shore of Constance harbor, first discovered in 1859. Of particular import due to their rarity, are the separate finds of the "Goldberg III group" which signifies social contact with Upper Swabia.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Litzelstetten-Kraehenhorn in Konstanz at Am See
The station Litzelstetten-Krähenhorn represents a special settlement situation on the north bank of the peninsula Bodanrück.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Bodman-Schachen / Loechle in Bodman-Ludwigshafen on Espasinger Strasse
It was used in several phases between 2666 and 1503 BC. Finds from the Neolithic (Schnurkeramische Kultur) as well as from the Early Bronze Age (Singener Gruppe and Arbon Kultur) were made at the site. Today, the original remains of the settlement are preserved beneath the ground and the water and are covered with geotextile and gravel.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Sipplingen-Osthafen in Sipplingen on Seestrasse
The site was discovered in 1864/65 and is considered one of the largest and best preserved prehistoric settlements on Lake Constance. It is located in a unique settlement chamber, the Sipplinger Dreieck.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Unteruhldingen-Stollenwiesen in Uhldingen-Muehlhofen at Strandpromenade 6
It lies on a alluvial cone of the Seefeld Aach and represents the most important field of a former heavily fortified late Bronze Age settlement (973-850 BC) on Lake Constance. The special topographical location made possible a transport and communication route across the lake. The site covers three settlement phases and is rich in finds, especially numerous bronze objects.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Schreckensee in Wolpertswende at Vorsee
The site is located on a peninsula in the Schrecksee and contains the only comprehensive stratigraphy of Upper Swabia from the Early Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age ("Pfyn-Altheimer Group Upper Swabia", "Horgen Culture", "Goldberg III Group" and Early Bronze Age).

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Olzreute-Enzisholz in Bad Schussenried on Hervetsweiler Strasse
The Olzreute Enzisholz site is a typical example of a smaller Upper Swabian silting moor settlement. The settlement layers are an exceptionally well preserved example of the Goldberg III-group with wooden buildings and other finds.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Siedlung Forschner in Bad Buchau on Flossgraben
The settlement Forschner lies in the middle of the southern spring song. This settlement, which is extremely easy to defend, is the only wet-preserved, fortified complex of the Middle Bronze Age north of the Alps.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Grundwiesen in Alleshausen at Hauptstrasse 52
The site is located about 250 m south of Alleshausen on the western edge of the Federseeried (Nature Reserve). In 1989 the station was discovered; 1990-1992 the station was explored by the Landesdenkmalamt Baden-Wuerttemberg, most recently in 2005 by the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Oedenahlen in Seekirch on Friedhofstrasse
It was discovered in 1930 / 40s and explored in 1981 by Landesdenkmalamt Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Hollow rock in Schelklingen on Hohler-Felsen-Weg
In the argument why these sites deserve recognition as a part of the universal human heritage, the area is described as the source of the currently oldest (non-stationary) works of human art in the form of carved animal and humanoid figurines as well as the oldest musical instruments. Their creators lived, were inspired and worked in and around these caves. The caves also served as the repositories of the figurines which may have been used in a religious context.

Sirgenstein cave in Blaubeuren on Strasse 492
The cave sits 35 m (115 ft) above the Ach River valley bottom in the central Swabian Jura, southern Germany. Archaeologist R. R. Schmidt excavated the site in 1906 during which he identified indices of prehistoric human presence. He recorded the complete stratigraphic sequence of Palaeolithic and Neolithic origin. In his 1910 analysis Schmidt inspired future archaeologists with his pioneering concept of including the excavation site within its geographic region, contextualizing it within a wide scientific spectrum and demonstrated valuable results as he correlated the Sirgenstein layer structure to those of prehistoric sites in France.

Geissenkloesterle Cave in Blaubeuren at Bruckfelsstrasse 20
Geissenkloesterle cave is situated just south of Blaubeuren-Weiler, on the slope about 60m above the valley bottom. It can be reached from the parking lot in the valley via a sign-posted path. Geissenkloesterle presents itself to the visitor with a very large porch flanked by two ledges of rocks. In comparison, the cave itself is not very deep. The entire cave can be viewed through the iron bars.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Ehrenstein in Ulm at Blaubeurer Strasse 325
Ehrenstein is one of the best preserved wetland settlements in southwestern Germany. The site has a thick layer with at least five stages of construction, complete with fireplaces and stoves, within a hundred years following construction.

Bavaria state [capital = Munich]

Pilgrimage Church of Wies in Steingaden at Wies 12
The sanctuary of Wies, near Steingaden in Bavaria, is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Rose Island in Feldafing at Faehre Roseninsel 1
Rose Island marks an unique site on the Iron Age map of Central Europe and among the lakeshore settlements. Generally speaking, this type of settlement died out at the end of the Urnfield culture. Not at Rose Island though.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Pestenacker in Weil at Hauptstrasse 1B
It was used at least between 3495–3481 BC by the Neolithic Altheimer Gruppe. The up to 19 houses were built on wet ground and therefore were placed above piles and connected with timber trackways. The settlement was surrounded by a wooden fence.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Unfriedshausen in Weil on Knollerweg
It was used at least between 3813–3535 BC by the Neolithic Altheimer Gruppe.

Water Management System in Augsburg see detail
It includes a network of canals, water towers dating from the 15th to 17th centuries, which housed pumping machinery, a water-cooled butchers’ hall, a system of three monumental fountains and hydroelectric power stations, which continue to provide sustainable energy today.

Wurzburg Residence in Wurzburg at Residenzplatz 2
The Wurzburg Residence is at once the most homogeneous and extraordinary of the Baroque palaces. It is an autonomous work of art in European Baroque style illustrated by its structure and decor elements. The Residence represents a unique artistic realisation as a result of its ambitious programme, the originality of creative spirit, and the international character of its workshop. Perhaps no monument from the same period is able to claim such a concurrence of talent.

Town of Bamberg at Domplatz
It is a good example of a central European town with a basically early medieval plan and many surviving ecclesiastical and secular buildings of the medieval period. When Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, became King of Germany in 1007 he made Bamberg the seat of a bishopric, intended to become a 'second Rome'. Of particular interest is the way in which the present town illustrates the link between agriculture (market gardens and vineyards) and the urban distribution centre.

Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth at Opernstrasse 14
A masterpiece of Baroque theatre architecture, built between 1745 and 1750, the Opera House is the only entirely preserved example of its type where an audience of 500 can experience Baroque court opera culture and acoustics authentically, as its auditorium retains its original materials, i.e. wood and canvas.

Roman watch tower in Burgsalach(Hienheim-Kelheimstrasse) + Titting ( Antonistrasse 23) + Kipfenberg ( Pfahldorfer Strasse)
See Limes comments above.

Roman Museum of Health and Bathing in Neustadt an der Donau at Trajanstrasse 8
The Limes thermal baths with thermal bathing area , whirlpools , steam bath and a sauna area designed as a museum are of national importance . In a reconstructed Limes tower with sweat baths based on ancient models ( laconium , sudatorium, caldarium, tepidarium ) around 500 exhibits (Etruscan, Roman and late antique sculptures and reliefs) are integrated partly in showcases and partly as furniture.

Roman Fort in Kelheim on Am Galget
The fort was probably built by Emperor Valentinian around 370. It lasted well into the 5th century, so it should be one of the last Roman bases in our area.

Old town of Regensburg see detail
Regensburg's 11th- to 13th-century architecture - including the market, city hall and cathedral - still defines the character of the town marked by tall buildings, dark and narrow lanes, and strong fortifications. The buildings include medieval patrician houses and towers, a large number of churches and monastic ensembles as well as the 12th-century Old Bridge. The town is also remarkable for the vestiges testifing to its rich history as one of the centres of the Holy Roman Empire that turned to Protestantism.

Gaeubodenmuseum in Straubing on Fraunhoferstrasse 23
It includes sections of the southern defense of the stone fort of the first Canathenercohorte as well as parts of the southern and western camp village. Information boards provide information about the Limes and the Roman history of Straubing. Casts of stone monuments show scenes from everyday Roman life.

Roman amphitheater in Kuenzing on Kastellstrasse
Visualizations of the entire Kastellvicus, with its bath house, Mithraeum and the remarkable wooden Amphitheater will be shown in an animated film in the museum Quintana at Osterhofener Straße 2 in Kuenzing.

Roman museum in Passau at Lederergasse 43
The Roman museum was built on the foundations of the late-Roman Kastell Boiotro castle. Remains of the castle wall and the watchtowers can still be seen today.

Brandenburg state [capital = Potsdam]

Palaces and Parks in Potsdam see detail
With 500 ha of parks and 150 buildings constructed between 1730 and 1916, Potsdam's complex of palaces and parks forms an artistic whole, whose eclectic nature reinforces its sense of uniqueness.

Palaces and Parks in Berlin see detail
The Berlin part includes Glienicke Park, Boettcherberg Hill with the Loggia Alexandra, the Glienicke Hunting Lodge, and the Peacock Island (including all buildings).

Modernism Housing Estates in Berlin see detail
The housing estates reflect, with the highest degree of quality, the combination of urbanism, architecture, garden design and aesthetic research typical of early 20th century modernism, as well as the application of new hygienic and social standards.

Museum Island in Berlin at Bodestrasse 1
The urban and architectural values of the Museumsinsel are inseparable from the important collections that the five museums house, which bear witness to the evolution of civilization.

Bauhaus building in Bernau at Hannes-Meyer-Campus 1
Even though the Bauhaus philosophy of social reform turned out to be little more than wishful thinking, its utopian ideal became reality through the form of its architecture.

Hesse state [capital = Wiesbaden]

Lorsch Abbey in Lorsch on Nibelungenstrasse
The religious complex represented by the former Lorsch Abbey, with its 1200-year-old gatehouse in unique and excellent condition, comprises a rare architectural document of the Carolingian era with impressively preserved sculpture and painting of that period.

Roman watch tower in Michelstadt at Kimbacher Strasse 20
See Limes comments above.

Fossil Site in Messel at Rossdoerfer Strasse 108
Messel Pit is the richest site in the world for understanding the living environment of the Eocene, between 57 million and 36 million years ago. In particular, it provides unique information about the early stages of the evolution of mammals and includes exceptionally well-preserved mammal fossils, ranging from fully articulated skeletons to the contents of stomachs of animals of this period.

Mathildenhoehe in Darmstadt at Stiftstrasse 10 + Bauhausweg
The serial property consists of two component parts including 23 elements, such as the Wedding Tower (1908), the Exhibition Hall (1908), the Plane Tree Grove (1833, 1904-14), the Russian Chapel of St. Maria Magdalena (1897-99), the Lily Basin, the Gottfried Schwab Memorial (1905), the Pergola and Garden (1914), the “Swan Temple” Garden Pavilion (1914), the Ernst Ludwig Fountain, and the 13 houses and artists’ studios that were built for the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony and for the international exhibitions. A Three House Group, built for the 1904 exhibition is an additional component.

Castle Ehrenfels in Ruedesheim am Rhein on Rieslingpfad
In the 17th century, it was still a castle as stately as a palace – today, the once proud residential and customs site is a ruin: as a picturesque landmark, Ehrenfels forms the entrance to the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley with its famous chain of castles.

Boosen Castle in Ruedesheim am Rhein on Oberstrasse
As a still visible testimonial to the epoch of the lords of Ruedesheim, Boosenburg Castle, built around 1200, watches over the historical city on the Rhine on the western side.

Broemser Castle in Ruedesheim am Rhein at Rheinstrasse 2
The shape of the castle, even during its first construction phase, corresponded largely to its present dimensions.

Castle Nollig Ruins in Lorch on Wetselberg
Burg Nollig sits majestically above the Rhine Valley and is not a castle but the northwest bastion tower of the Lorch town walls.

Roman watch tower in Taunusstein ( Am Zugmantel) + Idstein ( An der Struth 44)
See Limes comments above.

Roman fort in Bad Homburg vor der Hohe at Saalburg 1
The Saalburg is not only the most consistently reconstructed limes fort, it is also the only one to have had its vicus (adjacent civilian settlement) partially excavated and preserved.

Roman watch tower in Limeshain ( L3347) + Ober-Morlen ( Gaulskopf) + Butzbach ( Schrenzer) + Pohlheim (Grueninger Warte)
See Limes comments above.

Kellerwald-Edersee National Park in Bad Wildungen at Laustrasse 8
This sea of beech boasts an unbeatable proportion of deadwood and remains of primeval forest. Twenty clearly signposted circular hiking paths as well as several cycling routes meander through the forest.

Mountain Park Wilhelmshoehe in Kassel at Im Druseltal
The great size of the park and its waterworks along with the towering Hercules statue constitute an expression of the ideals of absolutist Monarchy while the ensemble is a remarkable testimony to the aesthetics of the Baroque and Romantic periods.

Lower Saxony state [capital = Hanover]

Wadden Sea in Butjadingen + Dornum + Ditzum
It is a large, temperate, relatively flat coastal wetland environment, formed by the intricate interactions between physical and biological factors that have given rise to a multitude of transitional habitats with tidal channels, sandy shoals, sea-grass meadows, mussel beds, sandbars, mudflats, salt marshes, estuaries, beaches and dunes.

Town Hall and Roland in Bremen at Am Markt
The Town Hall and the statue of Roland on the marketplace of Bremen in north-west Germany are outstanding representations of civic autonomy and sovereignty, as these developed in the Holy Roman Empire in Europe.

St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim at Michaelisplatz 2
St. Michael's Church is one of the most important churches of early Christian period Architecture.

Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Hildesheim at Domhof 17
The cathedral church was built between 1010 and 1020 in the Romanesque style. It follows a symmetrical plan with two apses, that is characteristic of Ottonian Romanesque architecture in Old Saxony.

Fagus Factory in Alfeld at Hanoversche Strasse 58
The scheme is at once architectural, aesthetic and social, and bears witness to a determination to achieve humanist control of the social and aesthetic changes linked to industrialisation. The interior decorative and functional elements are attuned with the architecture and the social project.

City of Goslar in Goslar at Kaiserbleek 6
The town of Goslar played an important part in the Hanseatic League because of the richness of the Rammelsberg metal-ore veins. From the 10th to the 12th century it became one of the seats of the Holy Roman Empire. Its historic centre, which dates back to the Middle Ages, is perfectly preserved, and includes some 1,500 timber-framed houses from the 15th to 19th centuries.

Rammelsberg ore mine in Goslar at Bergtal 19
The ensemble is an outstanding example of human creative genius in the fields of mining techniques and industrial water-management.

Mecklenburg Vorpommern state [capital = Schwerin]

Residence Ensemble in Schwerin at Lennéstraße 1
The buildings form an exceptional architectural ensemble that reflects the historicist spirit of the time, ranging from neo-Renaissance to neo-Baroque and neo-Classical, with influences from the Italian Renaissance.

Historic Centres in Wismar + Stralsund
The towns contributed to the development of the characteristic building types and techniques of the Brick Gothic in the Baltic region, using fired brick.

Jasmund National Park in Sassnitz at Stubbenkammer 2a
It is famous for the great chalk cliffs, which form the coastline for 12 km at more than a hundred metres above sea level. The white cliffs stand out from the blue of the Baltic Sea and are framed by the green of the ancient beech forests.

Serrahn forest in Carpin at Zinow
Since the end of the last Ice Age, European Beech spread from a few isolated refuge areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean and Pyrenees over a short period of a few thousand years in a process that is still ongoing. The successful expansion across a whole continent is related to the tree's adaptability and tolerance of different climatic, geographical and physical conditions.

North Rhine-Westphalia state [capital = Duesseldorf]

Corvey Monastery in Hoexter at Corvey 10
The original preserved vaulted hall with columns and pillars on the ground floor and the main room encircled by galleries on three sides on the upper floor make Corvey one of the most striking examples of the "Carolingian Renaissance". This applies to the documented original artistic decoration of the elements which still exist on the ground and on the upper floors, including life-size stucco figures and mythological friezes presenting the only known example of wall paintings of ancient mythology with Christian interpretation in Carolingian times.

Archaeological Park in Xanten at Wardter Strasse 11
Built on the site of ancient Roman Xanten, the museum has recreated a number of full scale buildings as they were in the time of the Romans. The rebuilt structures include rows of towering Roman columns, a full-size gladiatorial amphitheater, city walls with guard towers, and even a tall temple that can be seen from the harbor.

Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen at Gelsenkirchener Strasse 181
It consists of the complete installations of a historical coal-mining site: the pits, coking plants, railway lines, pit heaps, miner's housing and consumer and welfare facilities. The mine is especially noteworthy of the high architectural quality of its buildings of the Modern Movement.

Castellum and Settlement Reckberg in Neuss on Am Reckberg
The castellum and settlement were most likely built in the 1rst century. The cemetery was used until the middle of the 3rd century. Today, the remains of the three parts of the archaeological site are preserved beneath the ground. The tower of the castellum was reconstructed nearby in 1991.

Roman Museum Haus Buergel in Monheim am Rhein on Urdenbacher Weg
The former Roman fort is an architectural and archaeological monument with a history spanning more than 2000 years. Today, the farmstead is home to a Roman museum, the Biological Station, and a draft horse stud farm.

Cathedral in Koeln at Domkloster 4
Over seven centuries, successive builders were inspired by the same faith and a spirit of absolute fidelity to the original plans. Apart from its exceptional intrinsic value and the artistic masterpieces it contains, Cologne Cathedral testifies to the enduring strength of European Christianity.

Castle of Augustusburg in Bruehl at Schlossstrasse 6
The Castle of Augustusburg, a bold and successful revamping of the lack-lustre construction of Schlaun and the hunting lodge of Falkenlust, a dazzling creation, ex nihilio, are one of the best examples of the Rococo style, this international art of unprecedented richness.

Castle of Falkenlust in Bruehl at Falkenluster Allee
Falkenlust is a country house with symmetrical avant-corps. On the ground floor, an oval salon is conceived in the same language of improvisation, charm, and liberty François de Cuvilliés was known for in his work. In the Chapel, the Bordelais Laporterie, an astonishing marine grotto was created, its walls faced with shells and concretions.

Cathedral in Aachen at Domhof 1
It is Emperor Charlemagne's own Palatine Chapel, which constitutes the nucleus of the Cathedral of Aachen, located in western Germany. The construction of the chapel between 793 and 813 symbolises the unification of the West and its spiritual and political revival under the aegis of Charlemagne.

Rhineland-Palatinate state, itinerary 1 [capital = Mainz]

Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen in Speyer at Kleine Pfaffengasse 21
Speyer Cathedral is historically, artistically and architecturally one of the most significant examples of Romanesque architecture in Europe. It is, by virtue of its proportions, the largest, and, by virtue of the history to which it is linked, the most important.

Jewry-Court in Speyer at Judenbadgasse 5
The Jewish courtyard was the central area of the Jewish quarter in Speyer and consisted of the synagogues for men and women as well as the Mikvah, for ritual washing.

Synagogue Compound in Worms at Hintere Judengasse 5
The first synagogue at the site was built in 1034 and is therefore regarded as the oldest existing synagogue in Germany. The building was destroyed during the First Crusade in 1096 and subsequently rebuilt in 1175 in the Romanesque style. In 1186 southwest of the synagogue a subterranean mikveh was constructed.

Jewish Cemetery Holy Sand in Worms at Willy-Brandt-Ring 21
The Jewish community of Worms was established by the early eleventh century, and the oldest tombstone still legible dates from 1058/59. The cemetery was closed in 1911, when a new cemetery was inaugurated. Some family burials continued until the late 1930s. The older part still contains about 1,300 tombstones, the newer part (on the wall of the former city fortifications, acquired after 1689) more than 1,200.

Old Jewish Cemetery in Mainz on Mombacherstrasse
In 1926, these uncovered exceptional gravestones were combined to form a »Memorial Cemetery«, to enable visibility of the heritage site and to underline the rooring of the Jews in Magenza and in Germany.

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in Kaub at Falkenau island, ferry Rheinuferstrasse
Known as "the Pfalz," this former stronghold is famous for its picturesque and unique setting.

Gutenfels Castle in Kaub at Schlossweg 26
Gutenfels Castle was built in 1220. It was used with the toll castle, Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in the middle of the Rhein and the fortified town of Kaub on the farthest side to provide an impenetrable anti-toll zone for the Holy Roman Emperor until Prussia purchased the area (1866) and ended this toll in 1867.

Reichenberg Castle in Reichenberg on Untertal
It has considerable fabric; many aspects of late mediaeval castle building can be deduced from this monument from the early 14th century. Especially the defining, Mannerist shield wall with the - for that time - unusually high flanking towers - the northern one only collapsed around 40 years ago - represents a special feature in castle-building of the late Middle Ages. Preserved to this day, the hall with its ceiling resting on cubiform capitals testifies to the high representative value of the complex.

Katz Castle in Sankt Goarshausen at An der Burg Katz
The castle stands on a ledge looking downstream from the riverside at St. Goar. It was first built around 1371 by Count William II of Katzenelnbogen. The castle was bombarded in 1806 by Napoleon and rebuilt in the late 19th century, in 1896-98. It is now privately owned, and not open for visitors.

Maus Castle in Sankt Goarshausen at Bachstraße 30 B, Wellmich
The construction of Burg Maus was to enforce Trier's recently acquired Rhine River toll rights and to secure Trier's borders against the Counts of Katzenelnbogen (who had built Burg Katz and Burg Rheinfels).

Castle Sterrenberg in Kamp-Bornhofen at Burgenstrasse 2
In 1190, Sterrenberg Castle is listed in the book of Werner von Bolanden as a fief, together with the custom point in Bornhofen. The noble family of Bolanden stayed as lords of Sterrenberg Castle until the second half of the 13th century. From this early period, the bergfried and the first, inner shield wall have survived.

Castle Liebenstein in Kamp-Bornhofen at Zu den Burgen 1
The 65km-stretch of the Middle Rhine Valley, with its castles, historic towns and vineyards, graphically illustrates the long history of human involvement with a dramatic and varied natural landscape.

Liebeneck Castle in Osterspai on Kastanienweg
Although an initial predecessor to Liebeneck Castle probably already came into being around 1590, the building that lies above the little village of Osterspai is a complete new construction dating from the 1870s.

Philippsburg Castle in Braubach on Schlossstrasse
Philippsburg Castle, which was derelict in the 18th century and had undergone major change through the refurbishment measures carried out from 1822, is a good example of a particular trend in the Renaissance: castle complexes in a valley location were more and more favoured over the narrow - and very difficult to reach - castles built on a hill on the Middle Rhine.

Marksburg Fortress in Braubach on Dachhauserstrasse
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. Of the 40 hill castles between Bingen am Rhein and Koblenz the Marksburg was the only one which was never destroyed.

Martins Castle in Lahnstein at Schlossstrasse 1
The Gothic donjon in the southern corner and the more recent Baroque building from the 18th century joined onto it are true eye catchers.

Lahneck Castle in Lahnstein on Am Burg Weg
Its symmetrical plan, an oblong rectangle, is typical of the later castles of the time of the Hohenstaufen. The pentagonal shape of the bergfried is rare for castle towers.

Roman Fortlet in Pohl at Kirchstrasse 18
See Limes comments above.

Rhineland-Palatinate state, itinerary 2 [capital = Mainz]

Roman watch tower in Arzbach ( Stefansturm) + Hillscheid ( L310) + Bendorf ( Pulverberg on Saynsteig) + Neuwied ( Auf dem Wingertsberg) + Rheinbrohl ( Am Bahlsbach 30) + Kaisersesch ( Am Roemerturm)
See Limes comments above.

Castles & Forts in Koblenz see detail
The 65km-stretch of the Middle Rhine Valley, with its castles, historic towns and vineyards, graphically illustrates the long history of human involvement with a dramatic and varied natural landscape.

Roman Castle in Boppard at Kirchgasse 5
See Limes comments above.

Electoral Castle in Boppard on Rheinallee
The castle had many purposes. It was a fortification to keep enemies out, a stronghold to keep the Boppard nobles at bay and a toll castle for collecting toll from the ships passing Boppard and filling the Elector’s pockets.

Rheinfels Castle in Sankt Goar at Schlossberg 47
While much of the castle is a ruin, some of the outer buildings are now a luxury hotel, "wellness" centre, and restaurant. There is also a museum within some of the better preserved structures.

Schoenburg Castle in Oberwesel on Auf Schoenburg
Schoenburg Castle was one of the very few medieval castles in which after a duke's death, all of the sons became heirs to the castle and not only the oldest one which usually was costumary at that time. At the height of its power in the 14th century, Schoenburg Castle accomodated up to 250 persons of 24 families at the same time.

Stahleck Castle in Bacharach at Burg Stahleck
The Castle was developed into one of the strongest complexes on the Middle Rhine.

Fuerstenberg Castle in Oberdiebach at Mainzer Strasse 5
Fuerstenberg Castle, built in 1219, was built by order of an archbishop, the bishop of Cologne. It provided protection of his estates and was used for the levying of tolls. Destroyed in the course of the Palatinate Succession War, the castle ruin now only gives an idea of former monumental impression.

Hohneck Castle in Niederheimbach at Rheinstrasse 71
The roughly square castle still shows in its building stock a mighty shield wall facing the Rhine between two round towers. The southern one was extended to form a high keep.

Sooneck Castle in Niederheimbach on Soonecker Strasse
An old-world gem, the stupendous Sooneck Castle is one of the most popular tourist hotspots situated near the idyllic, unspoiled hamlet of Niederheimbach in Germany. It is perched elegantly near the top of the Rhine gorge - a solitary structure surrounded by the viridescent Rhine valley.

Rheinstein Castle in Trechtingshausen at Burg Rheinstein
Burg Rheinstein possesses a working drawbridge and portcullis, which are typical of medieval castle architecture and defences; it also offers a spectacular view of the Rhine.

Reichenstein Castle in Trechtingshausen at Burgweg 24
The rooms are furnished with a still largely preserved historic interior and paintings of the lady of the castle. They give an exceptionally good insight into the late romantic living culture at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

Klopp Castle in Bingen at Burg Klopp
Burg Klopp sits majestically above Bingen, overlooking the River Rhine. A ring wall surrounds the castle, and the Keep is separate from the other buildings that share a courtyard. The castle grounds contain a restaurant. Other than the restaurant, the castle is closed to visitors.

Roman watch tower in Dill on Ausoniusstrasse
See Limes comments above.

City of Trier see detail
The number and quality of the surviving monuments are an outstanding testimony to Roman civilization.

Column in Igel on Trierer Strasse
The column includes a four-stepped base, a relatively low podium, topped by a projecting cornice, a storey, its flat Corinthian pilasters with decorated shafts, supporting an architrave, a sculptured frieze and a heavy cornice. The bas-reliefs feature a procession of six coloni, bringing various donations to the house of their master.

Saarland state [capital = Saarbruecken]

Ironworks in Voelklingen at Rathausstrasse 75-79
No other historic blast-furnace complex has survived that demonstrates the entire process of pig-iron production in the same way, with the same degree of authenticity and completeness, and is underlined by such a series of technological milestones in innovative engineering.

Saxony state [capital = Dresden]

Muskauer Park in Bad Muskau at Schlossstrasse 2
Blending seamlessly with the surrounding farmed landscape, the park pioneered new approaches to landscape design and influenced the development of landscape architecture in Europe and America. Designed as a "painting with plants", it did not seek to evoke classical landscapes, paradise, or some lost perfection, instead using local plants to enhance the inherent qualities of the existing landscape.

Medieval Silver Mines in Dippoldiswalde at Kirchplatz 8
Featuring high medieval mine sites from 12th and 13th century together with the European wide oldest preserved mining equipment of its kind this historical site is of critical importance for archeological research.

Castle in Lauenstein at Schloss 5
Lauenstein fort was built towards the end of the 12th century and was owned by the aristocratic von Bünau family. They had a far-reaching influence over cultural and economic development in the Eastern Ore Mountains.

Mining Landscape in Altenberg at Muhlenstrasse, Zinnwald
This museum complex offers an overview of the history of tin mining at Altenberg from its beginnings around 1440 to the closure of the mine in 1991. On an underground guided tour of the two-hundred-year-old “Neubeschert-Glück-Stollen” (“Neubeschert-Glück” tunnel), visitors are able to see the methods and equipment that were used in mining the ore. In the historical tin washery, machinery that is still in working order is used to demonstrate how the ore was processed. This ore washery dates from the sixteenth century and is thought to be the only one of its kind in Europe.

Mining Landscape in Freiberg at Fuchsmuehlenweg 9
Mining has been carried out here since the last third of the 12th century. In a narrower sense the name refers to the area covered by the Freiburg and Halsbrück mining territories (Freiberger and Halsbrücker Grubenfelder). The Brand Mining Field (Brander Revier) immediately to the south comprises just the one mining territory, the Brander Grubenfeld.

Gruenthal Silver-Copper Liquation Works in Olbernhau at In der Huette 10
A unique testimony to the history of metallurgy in the world from 1537 is the "Saigerhütte Olbernhau - Grünthal". It owes its name to a melting process that was revolutionary at that time for the desilvering of crude copper, the Saigern. More than 20 historic buildings include the formerly self-contained, privileged industrial community, surrounded by the remains of a fortified wall.

Mining Town of Marienberg
North of the Alps, the probably earliest and still preserved ideal city layout of this epoch shows fascinating regularity and vastness. A tour of the town takes you across the large square market square with the monument to the town 's founder, past the town hall with one of the most important Renaissance portals in Saxony, numerous town houses, the Zschopauer Tor (Zschopau Gate ) as the last surviving of the original five town gates, the Lindenhäuschen (Linden Cott age) as a testimony to simple mining housing culture, and on to the beautifully restored church of St. Marien, Saxony's youngest late Gothic hall church.

Mining Landscape in Marienberg at Lauta
Evidence of mining in Lauta dates back to the 16th century. Impressive lines of heaps from silver ore mining follow the course of lodes and shape the landscape. Each heap marks the location of one or more surface shafts. The intervals between the heaps reflect the size of the former mine fields. The Bauer Morgengang and Elisabeth Flachen lodes are amongst the most historically important lodes.

Copper Mine in Annaberg-Buchholz at Poehlberg
A mining area that is recorded from the 15th century is located to the east of Poehlberg. The extensive mining of silver-bearing copper ore is mainly documented by the heaps and the preserved underground mine workings that are unique in Erzgebirge mining.

Mining Landscape in Annaberg-Buchholz at Frohnau
The double-cone waste heap characterising the landscape as well as a less conspicuous large uniform heap to the southwest bear eloquent witness to the intensive uranium ore mining undertaken in the middle of the 20th century on the Buchholz field.

Rother Berg Mining Landscape in Schwarzenberg at Karlsbader Strasse 68
In the immediate vicinity of the Erlahammer manor house is the Rother Berg mining landscape. Haematite was mined here and carried along an ore transport route to Erlahammer for further processing as far back as the mid-13th century. Relics of past mining activity can be seen in the forested landscape, including the heaps and sink-holes of the former iron mines, the remnants of a charcoal pile, and a powder house from the early 19th century.

Schindler's Smalt Works in Zschorlau at Schindlerswerk 9
Today, as Schindlerswerk GmbH & Co. KG, it is probably the world's oldest still producing paint factory. It is associated with a long tradition of producing blue cobalt pigments and the commercial production of color pigments.

Mining Landscape in Eibenstock
The high concentration of collapsed shafts, surface workings, mines located both under and above ground, processing sites and former ditches, as well as the archaeological remains of ore-crushing and charcoal-burning sites, as well as ore-transport routes, interspersed with small agricultural spaces throughout (14th to 19th century), is quite remarkable.

Mining Landscape in Schneeberg
The lines of heaps that follow the paths of underground ore deposits bear witness to this today. Many of the 18th and 19th century dressing works, mining surface buildings and smelteries have been preserved.

Mining Landscape in Kirchberg at Am Hohen Forst
With its numerous relics in the form of heaps and sinkholes, the archaeological mining monument today bears witness to the eventful history of this site.

Uranium Mining Landscape in Hartenstein at Schacht 371
SAG/SDAG Wismut was a uranium mining company in East Germany during the time of the cold war. It produced a total of 230,400 tonnes of uranium between 1947 and 1990 and made East Germany the fourth largest producer of uranium ore in the world at the time. It was the largest single producer of uranium ore in the entire sphere of control of the USSR. In 1991 after German reunification it was transformed into the Wismut GmbH company, owned by the Federal Republic of Germany, which is now responsible for the restoration and environmental cleanup of the former mining and milling areas.

Saxony Anhalt state [capital = Magdeburg]

Luther Memorials in Wittenberg at Schlossplatz 1D + Kirchplatz 12 + Collegienstrasse 54 + Collegienstrasse 60
As authentic settings of decisive events in the Reformation and the life of Martin Luther, the memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg have an outstanding significance for the political, cultural, and spiritual life of the Western world that extends far beyond German borders.

Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Woerlitz in Oranienbaum-Woerlitz at Alter Wall 99
Its diverse components - the outstanding buildings, English-style landscaped parks and gardens, and subtly modified expanses of agricultural land - served aesthetic, educational, and economic purposes in an exemplary manner.

Bauhaus buildings in Dessau at Ebertallee 69/71 + Gropiusallee 38 + Peterholzstrasse 40/48/56 + Mittelbreite 6/14
Even though the Bauhaus philosophy of social reform turned out to be little more than wishful thinking, its utopian ideal became reality through the form of its architecture.

Cathedral in Naumburg at Domplatz 16
Its Romanesque structure, flanked by two Gothic choirs, demonstrates the stylistic transition from late Romanesque to early Gothic.

Luther Memorials in Eisleben at Lutherstrasse 15 + Andreaskirchplatz 7
They include ... the houses in Eisleben where Luther was born (1483) and died (1546).

Old Town of Quedlinburg at Schlossberg
Its value as a monument of urban architecture is based on the preservation of the town wall of 1330, its surviving urban relations of the old parishes of St Aegidius, St Blasius, St Benedictus, and St Nicolas, and the urban building patterns with medieval and post-medieval timber-framed houses.

Schleswig-Holstein state [capital = Hamburg]

Hanseatic City of Luebeck see detail
The preserved quarters of the Old Town show in their unity the medieval structure of the Hanseatic Town and represent a high-ranking European monument.

Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District of Hamburg see detail
Speicherstadt, the "city of warehouses", includes 15 very large warehouse blocks that are inventively historicist in appearance but advanced in their technical installations and equipment, as well as six ancillary buildings and a connecting network of streets, canals and bridges.

Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park in Friedrichskoog at Auf der Deichweg 1
The national park extends from the German-Danish maritime border in the north down to the Elbe estuary in the south. In the North Frisian area, it includes the mudflats around the geest-based and marsh islands and the Halligen (undyked islands). There the mudflats are 40 km wide in places. Further south lie areas of mudflats which contain particularly large sandbanks. In addition to the plants and animals that are typical of the entire Wadden Sea, especially large numbers of porpoise, shelduck and eelgrass may be seen in the Schleswig-Holstein part.

Archaeological Border complex of Hedeby from Hollingstedt to Eckernfoerde
Attributes of the property include the archaeological remains of Hedeby including traces of roads, structures and cemeteries. In the harbour adjacent to the town are the archaeological deposits related to jetties that extended over the water and four known shipwrecks. Hedeby is surrounded by a semi-circular rampart and overlooked by a hill fort.

Thuringia state [capital = Erfurt]

City & surroundings of Weimar see detail
The high artistic quality of the public and private buildings and parks in and around the town testify to the remarkable cultural flowering of the Weimar Classical Period.

Jewish-Medieval Heritage in Erfurt at Waagegasse 8 + Kraemerbruecke 7 + Futterstrasse 13
The property comprises three monuments: the Old Synagogue, the Mikveh, and the Stone House.

Hainich National Park in Schoenstedt at Thiemsburg 1
The Hainich Forest features a wide range of beech forest communities, with populations of ash trees, hornbeams, maples, lindens, and occasional checker trees. Many fungi can be found there, along with stands of flowers such as summer snowflakes and anemones. Animals in the park include wildcats, 15 species of bats, 7 species of woodpeckers, and over 500 types of wood beetles

Wartburg Castle in Eisenach at Auf der Wartburg 1
Its varied aspect and the sense of harmony it evokes are only two of its attractions for visitors.