Stralsund
Lübeck
Wismar
Poland
Back to the
Middle Ages in
Germany’s Old Towns
Goslar
Netherlands
Germany
Belgium
Czechia
France
France
Regensburg
Stralsund
Many of Germany’s Baltic ports have similar origin stories – the success of the Hanseatic League – so gabled merchants’ houses are as common to Stralsund as they are to Lübeck. The difference here is that the town sits on the mainland opposite the holiday island of Rügen, connected by a causeway. It is rich in towering brick-built churches, and has a stunning Ozeaneum (aquarium and sealife museum for the Baltic) on the shore.
Goslar
A gingerbread world of timber-framed houses and cobbled streets, of cosy hotels with gabled roofs and pixie-hat towers – that’s Goslar. The town sits at the foot of Germany’s Harz Mountains, the playground for summer hikers and for the steam-hauled Harz Mountain Railway which climbs up and over the passes. The town’s medieval centre is UNESCO-registered thanks to some 1,500 timber-framed houses from the 15th to 19th centuries, and it has a gorgeous Christmas market.
Lübeck
The port of Lübeck was a key player in the ancient Hanseatic League, a precursor of the EU, and many of that era’s brick-built merchant’s houses still line its streets. It sits strategically on a large island in the river Trave, with the elegant old fashioned seaside resort of Travemunde where the river meets the sea. Key features of the town are the twin-towered entrance gate, famous marzipan, and the very innovative Hansa museum within the old walls.
Wismar
There’s a real sense of having stepped back at least 100 years in this Hanseatic port town, with impressive gabled brick facades lining the water’s edge and the market square. Herring fishermen still come and go from the old wharves. Its ancient centre is UNESCO-registered, and one of the original harbour gates, the 15th century Wassentor, looks like it was built yesterday. Of its three giant 15th century churches, St Nicholas is the second highest brick basilica in the world (after Lübeck’s Marienkirche).
Regensburg
This ancient town on one of the first bridges over the Danube (first constructed in the 12th century) seems like it has been transported from Italy. Its narrow lanes, tall-sided to grant shelter from the sun, are lined with church belltowers and craftsman-boutiques, and its squares are filled with ice-cream cafes. The 13th-century gothic Cathedral is home to the famous Domspatzen choir (similar to the Vienna Boys) and there’s a big Pope-nurturing monastic community around town.
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Transcript
Stralsund
Lübeck
Wismar
Poland
Back to the Middle Ages in Germany’s Old Towns
Goslar
Netherlands
Germany
Belgium
Czechia
France
France
Regensburg
Stralsund
Many of Germany’s Baltic ports have similar origin stories – the success of the Hanseatic League – so gabled merchants’ houses are as common to Stralsund as they are to Lübeck. The difference here is that the town sits on the mainland opposite the holiday island of Rügen, connected by a causeway. It is rich in towering brick-built churches, and has a stunning Ozeaneum (aquarium and sealife museum for the Baltic) on the shore.
Goslar
A gingerbread world of timber-framed houses and cobbled streets, of cosy hotels with gabled roofs and pixie-hat towers – that’s Goslar. The town sits at the foot of Germany’s Harz Mountains, the playground for summer hikers and for the steam-hauled Harz Mountain Railway which climbs up and over the passes. The town’s medieval centre is UNESCO-registered thanks to some 1,500 timber-framed houses from the 15th to 19th centuries, and it has a gorgeous Christmas market.
Lübeck
The port of Lübeck was a key player in the ancient Hanseatic League, a precursor of the EU, and many of that era’s brick-built merchant’s houses still line its streets. It sits strategically on a large island in the river Trave, with the elegant old fashioned seaside resort of Travemunde where the river meets the sea. Key features of the town are the twin-towered entrance gate, famous marzipan, and the very innovative Hansa museum within the old walls.
Wismar
There’s a real sense of having stepped back at least 100 years in this Hanseatic port town, with impressive gabled brick facades lining the water’s edge and the market square. Herring fishermen still come and go from the old wharves. Its ancient centre is UNESCO-registered, and one of the original harbour gates, the 15th century Wassentor, looks like it was built yesterday. Of its three giant 15th century churches, St Nicholas is the second highest brick basilica in the world (after Lübeck’s Marienkirche).
Regensburg
This ancient town on one of the first bridges over the Danube (first constructed in the 12th century) seems like it has been transported from Italy. Its narrow lanes, tall-sided to grant shelter from the sun, are lined with church belltowers and craftsman-boutiques, and its squares are filled with ice-cream cafes. The 13th-century gothic Cathedral is home to the famous Domspatzen choir (similar to the Vienna Boys) and there’s a big Pope-nurturing monastic community around town.