The Schlei is an inlet of the Baltic Sea in Schleswig-Holstein between Kiel and Flensburg which stretches for about 26 miles from Schleimünde (the mouth of the Schlei) to Schleswig.

The important Viking settlement of Hedeby (Haithabu) was located at the head of the Schlei near Schleswig. Now there is a museum on the site of the settlement.

Schleimünde © flickr/sky#walker

The region is a popular travel destination not only for lovers of the German television’s “Country Doctor” (Der Landarzt). For about 20 years the small harbour town of Kappeln has been one of the filming locations for the Country Doctor but it has of course a lot more to offer. The romantic old town is more than 650 years old and the herring fences in the Schlei date back to the 16th century. They are the town’s landmark.

St. Nicolas Church in Kappeln was built in the 18th century and inside you can see a wooden crucifix from the 13th century which might have been in the chapel Kappeln derives its name from. The flap bridge across the Schlei is very modern and was built in 2002. Worth a visit in Kappeln also is the Museum Harbour with about 20 old boats. And enthusiasts of old steam railways can go on a trip with the Angeln Steam Train. Or how about a boat trip on the Schlei, a visit to the old windmill or the old sawmill?

Along the Schlei there are many picturesque villages with the typical thatched roof houses and the landscape with its beech woods, flowering meadows and yellow rape fields is just magnificent. Here visitors can go on cycling tours or Nordic trekking excursions, go on a trip along the Garden Route to discover the magic of the Schlei gardens or simply go fishing.

Dom/Cathedral Schleswig © flickr/sky#walker

In Schleswig you can not only discover the world of the Vikings but also visit the princely residence of the Gottorf Dukes. Schleswig once used to be the cultural centre of northern Europe and some of the spirit of those frourishing times is still there. There you can see the Gottorf Globe which is a replica of the wonder of the world dating back to the 17th century and go for a walk in the restored Baroque Gardens of the castle. On the Holm Island you can see old picturesque fishermen’s houses. The most impressive building in Schleswig certainly is St. Peter’s Cathedral. From the Neo-Gothic spire with a height of 112 metres you have a great view of the town.

And being in Schleswig you should also pay the Haithabu Viking Museum a visit. Here you can travel back in time and discover a Viking settlement. The original town of Hedeby was destroyed in a raid in 1066.

Last but not least the Geltinger Birk nature reserve should be mentioned. There you can even see wild horses.

The cuisine of the region is just splendid. Everywhere you get fresh fish and other delicious regional products. And especially for families who want to spend their holidays in one of the many holiday homes the Schlei region is more than suitable. But of course there are lots of good hotels too.

The name Meissen is closely related to the famous Meissen porcelain, but hardly anybody knows where the town Meissen is located.

Meissen is located in Saxony northwest of  Dresden on the Elbe river and the town is more than 1000 years old.

Castle and Cathedral © flickr/martinroell

The town’s landmark is the Albrechtsburg which is the oldest German castle built from 1471 to 1524. Since 1881 the castle has been home of a museum.

Next to the castle visitors can see Meissen Cathedral, built from 1250 to 1400, with its characteristic steeples. One of them wasn’t finished until 1908.
In the Cathedral there are seven statues by the so called Naumburger Meister. Naumburger Meister is the replacement for the name of an artist who had lived in the 13th century and who is now unknown. Visitors can also see an altar triptych made by Lukas Cranach the Elder.

In the Church of our Lady in Meissen the first tuneable chime of porcelain bells in the world was installed. You can hear it several times each day.

The Albrechtsburg castle is not only the town’s landmark but also the place where the Porcelain Manufacture was established in 1810.
The first high quality porcelain outside of China was more or less produced accidentally.
After the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger had claimed to be able to produce gold out of less valuable materials, the Elector August the Strong kept him in custody to produce gold. As to be expected he was not successful but together with Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus he managed to make porcelain.
And the porcelain wasn’t less profitable for August the Strong as everybody in Europe wanted to have it.

Until October 31st, 2010 there will be a porcelain exhibition in Albrechtsburg Castle called: “Der Stein der Weis(s)en – 300 Jahre Mythos Manufaktur Meissen: Die Albrechtsburg als Porzellanschloss.“.
Visitors can also see magnificent pieces of 300 years of Meissen porcelain in the show rooms of the Meissen Porcelain Manufacture in Talstrasse 9 in Meissen.

The Tauber Valley, also known as “Madonnen-Ländle”, is a great region for hikers and cyclists.

It is located between Spessart and Odenwald and is well known for moderate temperatures until late autumn. It is a pretty romantic area with many castles and palaces and Franconian cuisine and wine.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber © flickr/ashleypalmero

The Tauber Valley is called Madonnen-Ländle (Madonna land) because of the many Madonna statues in the villages with half-timbered houses, in the vineyards and in the fields.

One of the most beautiful routes is the so called “Panoramaweg” between Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Freudenberg on the Main River.  128 kilometres along the river Tauber. On your tour you can not only enjoy the beautiful landscape but also the Hergottskirche church in Creglingen or the Baroque Garden of Weikersheim palace.

And you should of course go on a sightseeing tour in Rothenburg too. The historical town is one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Germany. From there you go through the Mill Valley (Tal der Mühlen) to Creglingen.

In the Herrgottskirche church at Creglingen you can see an altar with a height of 9 metres carved by Tilman Riemenschneider.

On you go through forests and vineyards to Weikersheim, the former residence of the sovereigns of Hohenlohe. There you can visit the Renaissance Palace and garden at the market place before you travel to Lauda. If you like the Frankonian Bratwurst (sausage) with Sauerkraut you should stop at Markelheim where you can get a whole metre of Bratwurst at the restaurant “Taubertal”.

Weikersheim © flickr/jorbasa

You travel on to Reichholzheim, where the famous Müller-Thurgau wine comes from. Müller-Thurgau is one of a number of famous white wines from Germany exported and enjoyed around the world. It was made by Hermann Muller in the 19th century and cultivated worldwide.

The final part of the trip takes you to Wertheim where the Tauber River meets the River Main. Wertheim is a beautiful town with magnificent half-timbered houses. And from the castle and the tower you have a great view of the Tauber Valley.

You can reach the Tauber Valley easily from Würzburg, Stuttgart or Frankfurt. Special offers for hikers with half-board, luggage transport and guided city tours are available. Of course there are special offers for cyclists too.

Not only during the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultural Show) 2011 is Koblenz worth a visit.

Already now a lot is done in Koblenz. There are not only the classical guided tours but also adventurous tours at night or scenic tours which revive events and people of the past. Of course guided tours for groups are also offered in English, Italian, Dutch and some other languages. More information:  stadtfuehrungen@koblenz-touristik.de

Koblenz © flickr/onnola

You can also get “City on Foot” tourist informations via Bluetooth on your mobile phone as there are 14 transmitters in the town. All you have to do is register on www.stadtinfokoblenz.de

Koblenz is more than 2000 years old and has a lot to offer.

For almost everybody the “Deutsches Eck” (German Corner) is well known term. When the Order of Teutonic Knights settled here in 1216 the place where the rivers Rhine and Moselle meet got its name.

Even Koblenz got its name from this confluence as in Roman times it was called “Castellum apud Confluentes”.  At the Deutsches Eck there also is a memorial of Emperor Wilhelm I who had led Germany to a reunification after three wars. In 1891, the grandson of the deceased, Wilhelm II thought the place was quite suitable and in 1897 the memorial unveiled in a formal ceremony in the presence of Emperor Wilhelm II. Shortly before the end of WW2 it was destroyed by an American artillery attack. The huge and impressive head of the original statue can now be seen in the Central Rhine Museum in Koblenz.

In 2002 the Upper Midle Rhine Valley became a UNESCO World Culture Heritage Site. The 65 kilometres between Koblenz, Bingen and Rüdesheim epitomise Rhine romanticism. Painters, poets and thinkers got inspired. Many castles can be found there and show the strategic importance of the River Rhine in ancient times.

Deutsches Eck © flickr/rightee

The Ehrenbreitstein fortress is the largest preserved fortress of Europe and was built from 1817 to 1828 and the outside never changed. It rises 118 metres above the River Rhine and from there you have a great view.
The Deutschherrenhaus was the first settlement oft he Order of Teutonic Knights and now is home oft he Ludwig Museum devoted primarily to French art.

A Gothic residential tower called Deutscher Kaiser (German emperor) was built in the 16th century and is one of the few buildings that weren’t destroyed during WW2. The ground floor of the late Gothic vaults now is home to a restaurant.

The Schängelbrunnen (Schängel Fountain) can be found in the court yard of the town hall. It was designed by Carl Burger in 1941 and is dedicated to the local Koblenz poet Josef Cornelius (1849-1943) who wrote the lyrics to the famous Schängel song which is the hymn of Koblenz.  The bronze figure of the fountain spits out water several metres beyond the fountain’s edge at irregular intervals, so take care not to get wet!

St. Castor, Liebfrauenkirche (The Church of Our Beloved Lady) and St. Florian are the three churches of the town that form the skyline of Koblenz. St Castor was made a basilica minor in 1991 by Pope John Paul II.

St. Kastor © flickr/onnola

Those who visit the region of Rhine and Moselle should also try the regional wine. In 1925 the “Weindorf“ (Wine Village) was constructed in Koblenz on the occasion of the noble wine exhibition “German Wine”. In the Wine Village visitors can find timber-framed houses huddled around a square. Of course you do not only get wine but also the typical regional food.

There are also interesting museums in Koblenz such as the Rheinisches Fastnachtsmuseum (Rhineland Carnival Museum), the DB-Museum (Railway Museum), and the Mittelrhein –Museum Koblenz (Central Rhine Museum).

Not only two important rivers flow through Koblenz, it is also surrounded by the 4 low mountain rages Eifel, Hunsrück, Westerwald and Taunus. All 4 of them are great travel destinations for lovers of nature. You can hike and cycle there. And on the rivers you have a choice of different boat tours.

And as Koblenz is located in the centre of Europe it is easy to get there by car, train of plane. None of the surrounding airports is further away than 1 hour.

Sachsen-Anhalt/Saxony-Anhalt

Bitterfeld-Wolfen:

Industrie- und Filmmuseum Wolfen

Here you can see how normal films for cameras were made and you also learn about the history of photography. www.ifm-wolfen.de

Dessau-Roßlau:

Technikmuseum Hugo Junkers

Here you can learn about the airplanes designed by Hugo Junkers and see an old Junkers JU 52 that sunk on the Norway coast near Narvik in WW2. www.technikmuseum-dessau.de

Magdeburg:

Technikmuseum Magdeburg

Here in the museum you can see many small and large exhibits. You learn something about farming, industry, handcraft, and others. www.technikmuseum-magdeburg.de

Rostock is an old Hanseatic town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and about 800 years old.

Rostock is a university and port town with typical north German brick architecture in the historical centre.

City Hall © flickr/radzfoto

During the Middle Ages the town hall also was a merchant’s hall were traders would sell their goods. It has been the seat of the town council for almost 800 years and the baroque banqueting hall on the upper floor is also used for concerts.

St. Mary’s Church (Marienkirche) was built in the 13th century and is an imposing Gothic brick church. Inside there is an astronomical clock built by Hans Düringer in 1472.

St. Nicolas Church is the oldest church in Rostock and was built in the mid 13th century. It too is a Gothic brick church and was heavily destroyed during WW2. It was restored and is now used as an exhibition centre and concert hall. The acoustics are outstanding.

Rostock also is home to one of the oldest universities in the world. The University of Rostock was founded in 1419.

If you are interested in cultural history, you shouldn’t miss out the Cultural History Museum. Besides medieval arts and arts from the 16th to 19th century it also shows crafts from the Ahrenshoop and Schwaan artistic colonies.
In the nearby seaside resort of Warnemünde you can visit the Local History Museum which is located in an old fishermen’s cottage built in 1767.

Town Centre © flickr/az1172

Warnemünde welcomes visitors with a 100-metre wide sandy beach, a light house, old fishermen’s cottages and a fish market. You can enjoy a meal in one of the traditional fish restaurants before you visit the harbour with the fishing and sailing boats.

Visitors of Rostock who like to go walking or cycling can very well do so in the beautiful Rostock Heath. There you find a network of walking and cycling trails.

And if you want to see more of the region you should go on a trip to Bad Doberan and Heiligendamm. The Gothic minster certainly is worth a visit. From there you can go on a trip on the “Molli” narrow-gauge railway to Germany’s oldest seaside resort Heiligendamm founded in 1793. Heiligendamm is also known as “White Town by the Sea” due to the classicist white buildings lining the beach promenade.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Anklam:

Otto-Lilienthal-Museum

Here you can learn a lot about Otto Lilienthal’s first flights and his flying machines. He was the one who inspired the Wright brothers. www.lilienthal-museum.de

Peenemünde:

Historisch-Technisches Informationszentrum

From 1936 to 1945 the Military Test Site in Peenemünde was an ultramodern technology facility. Here missiles and other flight objects were developed. www.peenemuende.de

Rostock:

Schiffbau- und Schifffahrtsmuseum

Here you can learn all about East German ship building, from Slavic log-boats to modern cargo ships. www.schifffahrtsmuseum-rostock.de

Schwerin:

Mecklenburgisches Eisenbahn- und Technikmuseum

Here you can see old steam engines, diesel engines, railway carriages and much more. www.mef-schwerin.de.vu

Stralsund:

Deusches Meeresmuseum

Here you find oceanlike aquariums with more than 7,000 animals and in the Nautineum you can also learn about fishing, shipbuilding and oceanography. You can as well visit the outpost at Darsser Ort called Natureum. www.meeresmuseum.de

Berlin

Berlin:

Museum im Wasserwerk

Here you can learn about the history of water supply in Berlin. The museum is located the old waterworks of Friedrichshagen. www.museum-im-wasserwerk.de

Deutsches Technikmuseum

In the museum you can learn about the cultural history of technology. A broad spectrum of old and new technology is presented. www.sdtb.de