Birth in Lübeck: Follow the Mann
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Birth in Lübeck: Follow the Mann

Thomas Mann was the world’s last great pre-modern novelist (with works such as Death in Venice and The Magic Mountain). He is also the perfect guide through the streets of his hometown of Lübeck, perhaps the most beautiful and historically important European city that you have never heard of. What makes Lübeck such a rewarding…

The Garden Kingdom of Woerlitz-Dessau – A Rococo Disneyland
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The Garden Kingdom of Woerlitz-Dessau – A Rococo Disneyland

For a federal state that few people outside of Germany have ever heard of, Sachsen-Anhalt has more than its fair share of UNESCO World Heritage sites. There are, to begin with, the sites connected with Martin Luther and the history of the Reformation: Eisleben where he was born and, above all,  Wittenberg where he lived…

The Haywain of the Teutoburg Forest – Easy Hiking the German Way
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The Haywain of the Teutoburg Forest – Easy Hiking the German Way

A frequent change in scenery: This is the key ingredient of a successful spazierwanderweg trail – according to the of the German Hiking Institute, which, after all, invented the whole concept of German “easy hiking”. The Haywain of the Teutoburg Forest Seen like that, a walk alongside a small country creek – and a particularly…

The Lengerich Canyon Tour – Easy Hiking the German Way
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The Lengerich Canyon Tour – Easy Hiking the German Way

“Spazierwanderwege” – as the Germans call their designated easy hiking trails – are designed to pack the punch of a heavyweight into the frame of a lightweight fighter: this is what we learned last week. These trails have been engineered to provide hikers with everything they like: dense forests, idyllic views, scenic bodies of water…