Germany

Germany is situated in Western-Central Europe with its borders shared by Austria, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium France and the Czech Republic.

With Berlin as its capital the Federal Republic of Germany is divided into 16 states throughout which the landscape varies considerably, the west featuring the Black Forest, the Rhine and Bavaria. The east boasts many lakes, hilly lowlands and mountain ranges.

Germany has a rich heritage of history, nature and fine arts, its past of turmoil and conflict has left the country with a strong idealistic principles contrasting with its high academic trends, found in the historic university cities such as Heidelberg.

Visit the Berlin Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie, where the history of Germany came to a turn point with the fall of the barriers between the east and west.

The towns of Bamberg, Lübeck and Goslar are classified as architectural heritage sites by the UNESCO World Heritage, while the charming island of Mainau on Lake Constance is scattered with historic buildings, multicolored roofs and flower decorations.

The climate is temperate throughout the country with warm summers and cold winters, but prolonged periods of frost or snow are rare. Rain falls throughout the year.

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    Martin Luther's Birth House, Eisleben

    Martin Luther's Birth House (German: Martin Luthers Geburtshaus) is a museum in Eisleben, Germany. Unfortunately the actual house in which Luther was born no longer exists, it having been burnt completely to the ground in 1689.

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    Martin Luther's Death House, Eisleben

    Martin Luther's Death House (German: Martin Luthers Sterbehaus) is the historic building in Eisleben, Germany, where it was incorrectly thought that Martin Luther died on 18 February 1546.

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    Masters' Houses by Walter Gropius, Dessau

    Even before the The Masters' Houses and the Bauhaus building itself were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List because of their unique cultural heritage there had been a world wide interest in the buildings designed by Walter Gropius.

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    Maulbronn monastery

    Maulbronn Monastery is the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery complex in Europe. It is situated on the outskirts of Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and is separated from the town by fortifications.

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    Messel Pit

    The Messel Pit is a disused quarry near the village of Messel, about 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of fossils, it has significant geological and scientific importance.

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    Mines of Rammelsberg

    The ore mines of the Rammelsberg are the only mines in the world which were in uninterrupted operation for over 1000 years. It and the medieval Old Town of Goslar with the Imperial Palace were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992.

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    Mouse Tower

    The Mouse Tower (Mäuseturm) is a stone tower on a small island in the Rhine, outside Bingen am Rhein, Germany.

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    Mouse Tower Island

    The Mouse Tower Island is an inhabited river island in the upper Middle Rhine, located about 70 meters ahead of the left (south) bank of the Rhine town of Bingen am Rhein.

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    Museum Island, Berlin

    Museum Island is the name of the northern half of an island in the Spree river in the central Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, the site of the old city of Colln. It is so called for the complex of five internationally significant museums, all part of the Berlin State Museums, that occupy the island's northern part.

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    Muskau Park (Germany)

    Muskau Park is a landscape park in the Upper Lusatia region of Germany and Poland. It is the largest and one of the most famous English gardens in Central Europe, stretching along both sides of the German–Polish border on the Lusatian Neisse. Muskau Park (Germany).

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    New Museum (Neues Museum), Berlin

    The Neues Museum ("New Museum") is a museum in Berlin, Germany, located to the north of the Altes Museum (Old Museum) on Museum Island.

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    New Palace, Potsdam

    The New Palace is a palace situated on the western side of the Sanssouci park in Potsdam, Germany. The building was begun in 1763, after the end of the Seven Years' War, under King Friedrich II (Frederick the Great) and was completed in 1769.

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    Niederwald Monument (Niederwalddenkmal)

    The Niederwalddenkmal is a monument located in the Niederwald landscape park, near Rudesheim am Rhein in Hesse, Germany. It overlooks the valley of the Rhine and was built in the 1870/80s to commemorate the Unification of Germany.

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    Old Town of Bamberg

    Bamberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany, located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. Its historic city center is a listed UNESCO world heritage site.

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    Old Town of Lubeck

    Lubeck is a city in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. On the river Trave, it was the leading city of the Hanseatic League and because of its extensive Brick Gothic architecture is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

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    Old Town of Regensburg

    Regensburg owns the largest medieval old town north of the Alps with nearly 1,500 listed buildings and a picturesque cityscape. Its most famous sights are located mainly in the Old Town.

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    Old Town of Stralsund

    Stralsund was founded in 1234 and was one of the most prospering members of the medieval Hanseatic League. Since 2002, Stralsund's old town with its rich heritage is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage, along with Wismar in Mecklenburg.

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    Old Town of Wismar

    A unique representative of the Hanseatic League city type, with its Brick Gothic constructions and many patrician gable houses, Wismar has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2002, together with the historical core of Stralsund.

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    Old Town of Wittenberg

    Wittenberg is home to numerous historical sites, as well as portraits and other paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Younger. On the doors of All Saints' Church, the Schlosskirche ("castle church", built in 1496–1506) Luther is said to have nailed his 95 theses in 1517.

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    Palatine Chapel, Aachen Cathedral

    The Palatine Chapel is an early medieval chapel that is a remaining component of Charlemagne's Palace of Aachen in what is now Germany.

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    Peacock Island, (Pfaueninsel )

    Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island) is an island in the River Havel situated in Berlin-Wannsee, in southwestern Berlin, near the border with Potsdam and Brandenburg.

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    Pfalzgrafenstein Castle

    Pfalzgrafenstein Castle is a toll castle on the Falkenau island, otherwise known as Pfalz Island in the Rhine river near Kaub, Germany. Known as "the Pfalz," this former stronghold is famous for its picturesque and unique setting.

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    Porta Nigra, Trier

    The Porta Nigra is a large Roman city gate in Trier, Germany. It is today the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps. It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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    Quedlinburg

    Quedlinburg is a medieval German town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994, both the medieval court and the old town were added to the prestigious UNESCO world heritage list.