Naumburg Cathedral in Saxony-Anhalt

1 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  4 minutes

© Wolkenkratzer/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Wolkenkratzer/cc-by-sa-4.0

Naumburg Cathedral (German: Naumburger Dom St. Peter und St. Paul), located in Naumburg, Germany, is the former cathedral of the Bishopric of Naumburg-Zeitz. The church building, most of which dates back to the 13th century, is a renowned landmark of the German late Romanesque and was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. The west choir with the famous donor portrait statues of the twelve cathedral founders (Stifterfiguren) and the Lettner, works of the Naumburg Master, is one of the most significant early Gothic monuments.   read more…

Sonneberg, the world toy city in Thuringia

18 July 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  14 minutes

German Toy Museum © Störfix/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

German Toy Museum © Störfix/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

Sonneberg in Thuringia, Germany, is the seat of the Sonneberg district. It is in the Franconian south of Thuringia, neighboring its Upper Franconian twin town Neustadt bei Coburg. Sonneberg became known as the “world toy city”, and is home to the German Toy Museum and the Sonneberg observatory, founded in 1925. The Thuringian Slate Mountains border the city, with the Franconian Forest to the east.   read more…

Palace of Tears in Berlin

1 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Berlin, House of the Month Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Matthias Süßen/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Matthias Süßen/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Tränenpalast (English: “Palace of Tears”) is a former border crossing point between East and West Berlin, at Berlin Friedrichstraße station, which was in operation between 1962 and 1989. It is now a museum with exhibitions about Berlin during the Cold War period and about the process of German reunification. It was the border crossing for travellers on the S-bahn, U-bahn and trains going between East and West Germany. It was used only for westbound border crossings. It had separate checkpoints for West Berliners, West Germans, foreigners, diplomats, transit travellers and East Germans. The term Tränenpalast is derived from the tearful partings that took place in front of the building between western visitors and East German residents who were not permitted to travel to West Berlin.   read more…

Greiz in Thuringia

4 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

© Steffen Loewe/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Steffen Loewe/cc-by-sa-4.0

Greiz is a town in the state of Thuringia, Germany, and is the capital of the district of Greiz. Greiz is situated in eastern Thuringia, 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of state capital Erfurt, on the river White Elster.   read more…

Bergen auf Rügen

24 November 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

© THFR/cc-by-sa-3.0

© THFR/cc-by-sa-3.0

Bergen auf Rügen is the capital of the former district of Rügen in the middle of the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Since 1 January 2005, Bergen has moreover been the administrative seat of the Amt of Bergen auf Rügen, which with a population of over 23,000 is Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s most populous Amt.   read more…

Inner new town of Dresden

30 October 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Hauptstraße © VSchagow/cc-by-sa-4.0

Hauptstraße © VSchagow/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Innere Neustadt (Inner New City) is a neighborhood in Dresden within the administrative district of Neustadt. The name is derived from “Neue Königliche Stadt” (New Royal City), the name given to the former district of Altendresden when it was rebuilt after a fire before 1732. In contrast to the Äußere Neustadt (Outer New City), the Innere Neustadt was within the city fortifications and, for that reason, is also known as the historic Neustadt. Its population is 7,761 (2020). The Innere Neustadt is located in the administrative district of Neustadt, on the right bank across the Elbe and to the north of the Innere Altstadt (Inner Old City). The River Elbe forms an enclosing arc around the Innere Neustadt. Four bridges cross the Elbe, connecting the district with the southern bank of the Elbe. Of these, only Augustusbrucke is historic. The streets leading to these bridges cross the Innere Neustadt and join at Albertplatz (Albert Place), at the northern end of the district (originally called Bautzner Platz).   read more…

Inner old town of Dresden

30 October 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Inner old town © Zinneke/cc-by-sa-3.0

Inner old town © Zinneke/cc-by-sa-3.0

The inner old town is a neighbourhood in the district of Altstadt and the historic city center of the Saxon state capital Dresden. It is part of the Altstadt I district. Many of Dresden’s best-known buildings are located in the inner old town. In addition to the Frauenkirche, these are the Zwinger, the Semperoper, the Residenzschloss, the Katholische Hofkirche, the Kreuzkirche and numerous other buildings. Important squares are the Altmarkt, the Neumarkt, the Theaterplatz and the Schloßplatz. There are also parks in the small district, such as the Brühlsche Garten at the eastern end of the Brühlsche Terrasse and the pond at the Zwinger.   read more…

Bautzen in Saxony

3 October 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  13 minutes

© Stephan M. Höhne/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Stephan M. Höhne/cc-by-sa-3.0

Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town’s population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was Budissin. Bautzen is often regarded as the unofficial, but historical capital of Upper Lusatia. The town is also the most important cultural centre of the Sorbian minority, which constitutes about 10 percent of Bautzen’s population. Asteroid 11580 Bautzen is named in honour of the city. The town is situated about 50 km (31 mi) east of Dresden between the Lusatian highland and the lowlands in the north, amidst the region of Upper Lusatia. To the north stretches the Bautzen Reservoir, which was flooded in 1974. This is the former location of the villages of Malsissy (Małšecy) and Nimschütz (Hněwsecy).   read more…

Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve in Brandenburg

20 May 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, Environment, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

Glambecker Mühle © Uckermaerker/cc-by-sa-3.0

Glambecker Mühle © Uckermaerker/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve, often shortened to Schorfheide, is a biosphere reserve in the German State of Brandenburg near the Polish border. The reserve was established on 1 October 1990 following the German Reunification and is under the protection of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve Programme. It stretches over the German districts of Barnim, Uckermark, Märkisch-Oderland and Oberhavel and incorporates an area of 1,291 square kilometres (498 sq mi). Notable towns are Eberswalde, Joachimsthal and Friedrichswalde. The core area of the reserve is formed by the Schorfheide forest, one of the largest cohesive woodlands in Germany.   read more…

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