Regensburg, encircled by the dense Bavarian Forest, is an astonishing beautiful urban district in the federal state of Bavaria (Bayern). Its medieval center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Stone Age is considered as the first settlement period for the city. Well prior to the changing of trade routes in the late Middle Ages, it was famous as a trade center. And it pulled a hefty amount of guests to the city when it was the eternal bench of the Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire (1663–1806).

I think that’s the reason the city is exemplified by churches, towers and townhouses from the past centuries.

The Stone Bridge, a work of genius of medieval engineering, is among the best sites here. Also, it is the oldest preserved stone bridge in Germany. Go up and it’ll give you a paramount sight of the city!

St. Peter’s Cathedral, previously a funeral place for residents, is a marvelous piece of art. The Porta Praetoria building which was constructed under Emperor Marcus Aurelius, is worth a visit if you love antique collections of arts.

At the culture front, the city has attained its own reputation. The Dance Festival and Short Film Festival have brought a good deal of critical praise to the city.

The carnival also devotes its space to some other fringe program, which are basically based on particular themes and countries.

As for arts, the Leerer Beutel municipal art gallery puts in order some valuable exhibitions, and modern fine arts are also kept in sight.

The Regensburger Domspatzen boys’ choir, among the oldest and eminent cathedral choirs in the world, has brought recognition and acclamation far ahead of the church itself.

What about museums? Let’s go to the History Museum. It demonstrates art and cultural history compilations from the early to modern period. While, on the other hand, the Thurn und Taxis Museum displays broad showings on the Romans and the Middle Ages.

Hope you enjoy your time here. It’s definitely well worth.

Potsdam, right next to Berlin, is the capital city of the federal state of Brandenburg. It became famous for its Sanssouci Palace, Babelsberg Castle, as well as having the worlds oldest film studios, the Babelsberg Film Studios, as well as the Filmpark Babelsberg — an amusement park for kiddies of all ages. ;-)

The Sanssouci Palace and its park are well among the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is said that the Sanssouci Palace was happened to be the summer palace of Frederick the Great. The palace profoundly displays German rococo architecture, and includes work of art by artists such as Watteau, Panini and Pesne.

Old Town and the historical districts are not such places to give it a miss as collectively, the town houses and the streets of the old quarter shape an atmospheric collection.

The Neubabelsberg residential district provides you with an opportunity to admire the fascinating architecture of the past era. The border, formerly separating East and West Germany, now is a popular destination for some strange reasons as it is considered that this is the same place where spies were replaced during the Cold War.

Potsdam’s gorgeous parks and gardens shape a fascinating bond with the forests and lakes that enclose the city on the Havel. The city’s archetypal parks consist of Sanssouci, Neuer Garten, and Babelsberg.

However, its modern-day parks are also striking places to spend some memorable time in. For example, the park on Friendship Island in the city center or the Volkspark on the former site of the Federal Garden Show.

If you ever get a chance to be there, you will locate an amount of exceptional museums, comprising the House of Brandenburg and Prussian History.

The Film Museum comes up with lots of captivating information concerning the history of the Babelsberg Film Studios. The Nikolaisaal, a concert hall and events center, generates a mesmerizing display of art in the company of the historical façade and the restored baroque town center. While, on the other hand, the Hans Otto Theater offers a comprehensive stock from classics to contemporary works in a variety of venues.

All in all, the city is really alive in the midst of art and culture. The artistic schedule of this regional capital marks a series of annual festivals and other cultural events. You’ll feel a sense of passion if you love music as sporadic guest appearances by international and national artists offer it a true cultural setting.

Paderborn, a German city in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), is bursting with numerous diverse and wonderful attractions. And it seems as if its number of inhabitants never stops growing, growing, growing. Awesome.

Several parks and green spaces near the shopping zones are greatly cherished by the city-dwellers and tourists equally. Regardless of the current transformation and growth of the city, it stays a friendly place that can be effortlessly navigated.

The life pattern is somewhat of relaxed type which attracts visitors to cherish its charm in the entirely rustic setting.

And Paderborn makes fun… It hosts the grand Libori carnival during the last week of July. This is majestically heralded by the ringing of the Cathedral bells. And at the very time of this festival, the city virtually arrives to a standstill. :o)

On the other hand, you’ll get a lot of other occasions here to celebrate throughout the year. The Luna Park Fair, the Spring Festival, and the shooting festival are all drawing attention to both city-dwellers and visitors alike.

It has effectively established itself as a city rich in culture in its own right. Owing to its cultural munificence, if you love spirituality in the lap of nature, you’ll find it a viable place to hang out.

Various libraries, music schools, and the Westfälische Kammerspiele theater attract a huge number of visitors. By means of its diverse concert and theater programs, the city has acquired a sort of reputation in the neighboring areas. Church music in the Cathedral and significant exhibitions and festivals all substantiate the city’s enlightening triumph.

At the education front, Paderborn is not lagging far behind in comparison to other German cities. On one occasion was the oldest intellectual place of Westphalia region. It saw its first university in the year of 1614 and presently boasts of quite a few theological and private academic institutes. It even has the largest computer museum in the world!

The city also takes account of a well connected airport — the Paderborn/Lippstadt Airport [PAD] in Büren — which connects to the bigger German airports and also puts forward flights to numerous locations in Europe.

For more information on the district this city belongs to, please see… the Paderborn District.

Leverkusen, an urban district between Cologne and Düsseldorf, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), is world famous for its pharmaceutical industry, Bayer, and its unlimited passion for football.

The city was merely a rustic region until the late 19th century, but it developed due to the economic growth in the Rhine-Ruhr region. The current city is the constituents of a number of villages and it was established in the year 1930 by assimilating all these villages.

Now you might be wondering why I stated the year 1860 instead, huh? Well, this goes back to the fact that Carl Leverkus, an apothecary, moved and established a dye factory here, and this area he named Leverkusen. That’s where this name came from.

The baroque castle Morsbroich is a nice place to be at. This Baroque fortress, at the present moment, is a municipal museum for modern art. It offers the setting for theatrical productions and other cultural events.

This castle has a museum inside, but there a some others in the city, too. For example, in the city suburb Schlebusch is the Freudenthaler Sensenhammer, an industry museum exhibiting the living and working environment of the 19th century.

As for leasury and parks, there is an animal park called Wildpark Reuschenberg. It has some cute animals there, and I’m sure your family will love it. It’s not a huge park as others, but around 20,000 visitors find their way to this green, nature area.

Another green area is the Japanese Garden (Japanischer Garten), which is a famous tourist attraction, positioned at the base of the Bayer headquarter building.

Neuss, a German city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, is well positioned. Next to the metropolises Düsseldorf and Cologne, and right at the rivers Rhine and Erft, it was founded more than 2,000 years ago!

At that time, Romans set up the “Castra novesia,” which formed the very basis to label it at that moment.

Its setting and propinquity to the Benelux countries make Neuss an eye-catching tourist destination. It enthralls visitors by its diversity, history and charm.

Quirinus minster, a galleried basilica, is certainly the city’s most magnificent landmark. It falls among the foremost late-Romanesque churches on the Lower Rhine.

Upper Gate (Obertor) counts as the most inspiring town gates in the Rhineland while the Kybele sacred site is an ancient stone cellar. It was put into the use as a place of worship and was discovered in 1956 during rescue excavations. Only 1.8 meters wide, it is positioned in the “Fossa Sanguinis” pavillion and belongs to the Archaeology Department of the Clemens Sels Museum.

If you’re looking for joy and relaxation, you won’t have to go that far. You will get an extensive range of gardens and parks in the town as well as the entire district the city belongs to.

Selikumer Park is to be found in the south-east of the city. Running all the way through it are amounts of walking trails and a set-up of moats. Two hectares of the park are handed down to an arboretum which is a tree museum, enclosing living cases of the miscellaneous range of ecologically important trees.

The Clemens-Sels-Museum, which is named after the famous German art collector, is located right in downtown. It displays exhibits of Roman, medieval and modern art.

The citizens know exactly how to have a good time. And as a visitor, you will see scores of diverse festivals and cultural events happening throughout the year.

The Shakespeare festival is the most renowned among them all and is held in the Globe Theater. This festival marks the eternal classics of the great bard that are brought to life by performers from all around the world.

And, as it’s normal here in the Rhineland, the city becomes a carnival hotspot for almost five days at the end of winter. For that duration, you’ll get to see lavishly decorated floats and carnival groups dressed in fantastic costumes. Just remember to bring enough “shopping bags” with you; to collect all the sweets they’ll through at your face. ;o)

For more opportunities for business, leisure and fun, go back to the district this city belongs to… Rhein-Kreis Neuss, that is.

You might be wondering why Ludwigshafen am Rhein is only 150 or so years young… This comes from the fact that, at that date, several townships had been merged into one bigger town, bearing this name.

Situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), Germany, right in opposite of Mannheim at the Rhine river (that’s why ‘am Rhein’; although Mannheim lives well that addition), it is worldwide well-known for its Chemical industry (BASF).

In the distant past, it is believed that the Celtic and Germanic tribes inhabited and for the later period, the Romans surmounted the region. Ludwigshafen played a crucial role in World War I, as chemical constituents of explosives to combat the rebel forces were produced here.

It turned out to be the world’s first resident settlement to be attacked by the air bombing. It were French aircrafts, who assaulted the BASF plants and kept their occupation intact until 1930.

Ludwigshafen witnessed an acute financial collapse in the mid 70s which was the result of the massive preservation costs of the buildings. Some fresh tax guidelines that cut down the trade tax profits from the local industries caused the utter havoc to the city’s financial condition. Economic trends in the form of oil crisis further deteriorated its situation.

In recent times, almost every possible measures have been put into place to augment the city’s image. The government even tried its level best by cutting down its deficit to pave the way for its glory.

Despite all sorts of trouble, the city still maintains its colossal importance as an industrial hotspot.

Nearby regions take account of the gorgeous wine regions along with the Palatinate Forest hill range. It also boasts of the Germany’s biggest attached woodland area in the west.

The Pfalzbau theater contains its own regional significance while in the adjoining areas, you’ll find several smaller theaters playing regional dialect plays.

The Wilhelm-Hack-Museum is a prominent tourist site which is legendary for its Miro wall. Now, the famous wall is turning out to be even filthier owing to the fog and other pollution causes.

Those who pursue a dream to spend some quality time in the lap of nature, will find several parks here. The Ebertpark, which was used as a destination for German Horticulture Exhibition in 1925, is a worth visit place. On the other hand, the Stadtpark, though far-off from the city center, is particularly stunning by means of its mile-long river promenade. Friedenspark, which is nearer to the city center, is also a good place to spend some time.

Osnabrück, an urban district located in the German federal state of Lower Saxony (German: Niedersachsen), is the third largest city in this state.

Osnabrück has some regional specialties and the food available at this part of the globe is energetic, simple, and very tasty. For instance, the Harz Roller (a cheese) is prepared from low-fat sour milk curd that is hard and light yellow in color.

This city was brought into being in 780 by Charlemagne, King of the Franks. Later, some time before 803, the city turned out to be the seat of the Prince-Bishopric. It joined the Hanseatic League in the 12th century as well as attained the membership of the Westphalian Federation of Cities in the same period.

Encircled by the means of the medieval alleyways of old quarter is the Town Hall, a very popular place. It is the same place where the Peace of Westphalia was signed. (That’s why they call themselves “City Of Peace” or Friedensstadt.)

St. Peter’s Cathedral, very close to Town Hall, is famous for its two façade towers, which were of the same size initially. But later on, as in 1502 – 1543, the south western tower was elongated further to put together space for new cathedral bells.

Very close to this site, you will find the market square, which could easily be branded as one of the finest examples of medieval town architecture.

Other attention-grabbing sites comprise the Cultural History Museum, the Museum of Industrial Heritage, the Natural History Museum, and the zoo.

Heger Gate (Heger Tor) is a famous tourist spot for its monument, which commemorates the memory of the soldiers who died at the battle of Waterloo.

Bucksturm might draw you as it is the oldest tower in the city which was formerly formed the city walls. It is believed that this particular site was on one occasion utilized as prison for women accused of witchcraft.

The nearby regions are bursting in the midst of contrasting scenery. Its unbelievable landscape offers the setting for an unforgettable experience for keen walkers, cyclists, water sports enthusiasts, and riders in particular.

Solingen, an urban district in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, is the City Of Blades and home of world famous Wilkinson and ZWILLING.

The city was first cited in the early 11th century by an editor who entitled the region as “Solon chon.” It remained a small village for centuries, and could only develop into an equipped town in the late 14th century.

For the duration of World War II in 1944, the city was also absolutely devastated by an air raid and nearly 1,000 people were killed at that time.

Schloss Burg, a castle, is the biggest reconstructed spot in the city. It attracts plethora of visitors and now serves as an admired sightseer attraction. This structure dates back its origin from the early of the era when count Adolf II von Berg, erected the structure on a mountain.

It leads through the medieval life of the knights and nobleman. So knight armaments and swords are issued among other things.

The Müngsten Bridge is another popular site which is the highest steel railroad bridge in Germany. This railway bridge is having the height of 107 m (351 ft.) and spans over the valley of the river Wupper. It is built to connect the cities Remscheid and Solingen.

Apart from these two sites, Solingen possesses many other spots to provide a joy to its visitors. The Castle of the counts of Berg and the Rhineland Industrial Museum are some wonderful places to watch for.

And, of course, the German Blade Museum is probably the most important spot. It’s where you get a chance to see swords and cutlery of all eras.

Herne, another urban district in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), lies in the hightly densed Ruhr area, among a quantity of some very big industrialized cities. This Ruhr area is regarded as among the most populous areas within Germany with more than 10 million people.

Only after seeing some initial hiccups in the form of recession, the city — including its surrounding area — now experiences an impressive growth rate at all commercial fronts. The industries, forming the backbone of the region, is now growing manifold all along with these districts.

Presently, almost larger parts of the area have developed into a hefty industrialized countryside of unique size by keeping its door open to all inhabitants. Herne, with its nearby areas, is ranked at the fifth spot in terms of the largest urban area in Europe by surpassing many famous cities. It comes only after some big names including Madrid, Paris, Moscow, and London.

Similar to most other German cities, it is also having its past to tell. Until the 19th century, it was not very renowned in the region and was very much like a small rural community. It was the golden year of 1860 when the first coal mine became active and started churning out some useful materials. And once the industrialization was on the roll, some next coming years observed the nearly twenty-fold growth in the population.

After seeing this turnaround, the townships of the nearby areas started turning into the cities. And in 1975, Wanne-Eickel, a nearby town, was merged into Herne, forming now one more major city in the Ruhr area.

Like certain other German cities, this city is not having a lot to boast about in terms of touristic attractions. The influxes of visitors are less here in comparison to other areas.

Still, the fair Cranger Kirmes is popular among the masses which is held every August, opening at the first Friday. It comes among some famous fairs in Germany and is placed well third in terms of crowd pulling ability. (Believe it or not, it attracts 4 million visitors!)

And there is a museum, the Westphalia Museum For Archeology, which puts the history of mankind into the midpoint of its exhibitions.

Mülheim an der Ruhr, an urban district in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, lies, as the name says, at the Ruhr River. I think that’s why they call themselves “City on the River.” (Somewhat pragmatic, considering we have a few hundred cities in Germany lying on, at, or near a river… ;-)

Either way, the city is right in the highly densed Ruhr area, where all the other big “Ruhr cities” reside, such as Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen. The state’s capital, Düsseldorf, is also very close.

As, in the past, the Ruhr river encouraged scores of millers to settle here. They thronged to the city by establishing mills along the river, from were it is considered the origin of the city. In subsequent years, it grew in a flourishing trade and industry center and, all along, an eye-catching place to exist.

Favored by its geological setting, the city prides itself in the midst of countless stunning leisure areas, meadows, parks and woodlands, covering more than half of the city surface. It contains exquisite waterside meadows along with some beautiful paths and promenades. You might locate the foothills of the Rhine Slate Mountains extending right up to and into the southern part of Mülheim an der Ruhr.

Its plentiful prospects for leisure time activities are rounded off by the Raffelberg race-track. You can get a golf course and some additional sports playgrounds; and the well-known excursion boats of the “White Fleet” providing trip all the way through the picturesque Ruhr Valley.

The city also offers some museums showing changing exhibits and theaters which have earned an international status. A Theater Carnival is frequently organized in the municipal hall which is highly praised all over Germany.

Mülheim’s action-packed history is demonstrated by some enthralling historical buildings such as Schloss Broich, the Saarn Monastery, and the old city center.

Weiße Flotte, Wikinger-Schiff, or Park-MüGa facilitate residents to relax in the center of the city. Drachenboot festival, Voll die Ruhr, Jazz Tage or Brunnenfest draw tourists from all over the world.

Shopping in downtown, Forum City Mülheim, or Rhein Zentrum will offer all sorts of fun. Some cultural events: Stücke theater festival as well as Theater on the Ruhr river are unanimously prominent.

The Old Post museum exhibits standard compilation while from the Aquarius Water Museum and the Natural Museum of Mühlheim an der Ruhr, you might derive much interesting information. On the other hand, Novelty Museum of Leather offers nearly three centuries of the history of this industry.

By the way, just 5km south-east of the city is the Essen/Mülheim Airport [ESS], providing fast regional connections for business travelers.