The Booze and the Views of Würzburg’s Wine Trail
| | |

The Booze and the Views of Würzburg’s Wine Trail

If last week’s destination of Bamberg is worth a detour, near-by Würzburg is worth a trip. Würzburg, the unofficial capital of the Bavarian Baroque, bursts at the seams with architectural drama and spectacle, most famously on the Alte Mainbrücke Bridge … … and in the grandest Bavarian Baroque palace of them all, called simply the…

Walking Through Empty Space in Kassel’s Central Park
| | |

Walking Through Empty Space in Kassel’s Central Park

The idea was to explore one of Central Europe’s largest urban parks, a park which is roughly the size of a small country (all right: the country I am thinking of is Monaco) and which also doubles up as the main exhibition space for the world’s most famous exhibition of contemporary art. The idea was…

Wiesbaden and the Sweetness of Life
| | |

Wiesbaden and the Sweetness of Life

Germans are an industrious people, and the looks of their country reflect that. Wherever you are traveling, you can see industry in action: roadside and railside, power stations are pumping out steam, factory chimneys spout smoke, and containers are shipped in and out of warehouses. Quite clearly, Germany is a country that still makes stuff….

The Three Unique Selling Points of Bremen
| | |

The Three Unique Selling Points of Bremen

When Germany was rebuilt from the ruins of WWII, the city fathers of every German town made sure that at least a few streets would be restored to their pre-war appearance. This, I believe, was meant to reassure the citizens that not all ancient traditions, beliefs and cultural foundations would be swept away with the…

A Scenic Walk Around Bremen’s Ring of Water
| | |

A Scenic Walk Around Bremen’s Ring of Water

After the downfall of the Third Reich, Germany was rebuilt from the ruins of war in a hurry, and, more often than not, it shows. Throughout the 1950s, as Germany was clearing up the WWII rubble and slowly finding its feet again, the priority for politicians and urban planners was to build what was urgently…

Osnabrück – Picturesque and All Quiet on the Western Front
| | |

Osnabrück – Picturesque and All Quiet on the Western Front

If you are looking for a reliable way to date cities, here is one clue: look at the churches: If the town centre is studded with churches that look somehow Gothic but not quite (“Neo-Gothic”: overcooked in parts, half-raw in others), then the city in question is mainly a child of the 19th century. If…

To Dare is To Duesseldorf
| | |

To Dare is To Duesseldorf

Rivalries between cities are always about more than mere topographical proximity, although physical closeness is of course a necessary ingredient. But so are envy and mutual resentment. Rivalries typically develop between cities when one of the two is bigger and the other just big enough to convince itself that it plays in the same league….