The Old Town Hall and the Market Place

In 1165, after Leipzig was granted a city charter and market rights, the St. Nicholas church was erected. In 2015, the church will celebrate its 850th anniversary. https://english.leipzig.de/leisure-culture-and-tourism/tourism/leipzigs-tourist-attractions/st-nicholas-church/

In 1756, the Leipzig merchant and City Architect Johann Caspar Richter commissioned the building of a summer palace - the Gohlis Palace. Richter's architecture, the building's interior design and the orangery wings enclosing the building at either end make the palace a sterling example of Saxon Baroque architecture. https://english.leipzig.de/leisure-culture-and-tourism/tourism/leipzigs-tourist-attractions/the-gohlis-palace/

The orphanage founded in the year 1700 by August Hermann Francke, with its subsequent framework building ensemble, also Europe’s larges framework house, is a remarkable cultural monument at European level with it being included on the list for selection as a world cultural heritage. http://www.halle.de/en/Culture-Tourism/Points-of-Interest/Culture-wherever-o-06059/

While in particular large department stores are located around the market square, the lower part of the Leipziger Straße accommodates Halle’s fashion centre, with many well known fashion companies having their boutiques here. http://www.halle.de/en/Culture-Tourism/Points-of-Interest/Halles-City-Centre-06044/

Halle’s largest art gallery, the Stiftung Moritzburg Art Museum Saxony Anhalt, was named after the time honoured walls within which it is situated. New halls have been and are being built to harbour its treasures. http://www.halle.de/en/Culture-Tourism/Points-of-Interest/Culture-wherever-o-06059/

Opera, operetta, musical, symphony concert, ballet, drama - the Anhalt Theater serves many interests and attracts the attention of the audience from all over Germany with its productions. https://tourismus.dessau-rosslau.de/nl/kultur/theater/anhaltisches-theater.html

His principality was small, his ideas were big. Leopold III. Friedrich Franz, enlightened prince and duke of Anhalt-Dessau (1740 -1817), wanted to combine the "useful with the beautiful". https://tourismus.dessau-rosslau.de/welterbe/gartenreich-dessau-woerlitz.html

When today's talk is of classic modernism, nobody comes past Dessau. From 1926 to 1932, the city housed one of the most famous architecture and art schools in the world: the Bauhaus. https://tourismus.dessau-rosslau.de/welterbe/bauhaus-dessau.html

Zeiss Planetarium the longest-serving planetarium in the world. With the best starry sky after nature, 360 ° dome projections and 64-channel surround sound. Discover the endless expanse of the universe, get to know strange planets or be at the centre of a rousing music show. Planetarium's educational programs show you the starry sky and exciting topics of astronomy in impressive pictures. The topics range from the history of astronomy, through the creation of the universe to modern space travel. In Zeiss Planetarium music shows you will experience the complete range of technical possibilities of our dome. From 360 ° projections to laser shows and 3D sound. Enjoy, for example, the legendary band Queen, rousing rock ballads and the biggest hits of the last decades. Experience the uniqueness of the Zeiss Planetarium Jena! https://www.planetarium-jena.de/

The church originally known as "Unserer Lieben Frau" was first mentioned in a document in 1307 and is the original parish church of Wenigenjena. Following the marriage of Friedrich von Schiller and Charlotte von Lengefeld in this church in 1790, it became known as the "Schiller Church". https://www.jenatourismus.de/en//353224

The Puppet Theatre boasts a repertoire ranging from stories for the youngest theatregoers (aged 3 and up) through to classic fairy tales, fantasy stories and adventure stories for older children and right through to modern drama and classic examples of world literature. http://www.magdeburg-tourist.de/Start/Tourism-Leisure/Culture/index.php?La=2&NavID=115.9&object=tx|37.6876.1&ModID=9&FID=37.84.2

Dresden’s Semper Opera House is the most famous opera house in Germany; it houses the Saxon State Orchestra, one of the world’s oldest and best-known orchestras. Built by Gottfried Semper between 1838 and 1841, the Semper Opera House was closed in August 1944 and was destroyed six months later by the Allied air attacks. https://www.dresden.de/en/tourism/attractions/sights/old_town/semper-opera-house.php

Dresden’s Royal Palace was once the hub of power for the Saxon princes and kings. First mentioned in the 14th century as a castle complex, the four-wing palace structure was developed in the 15th century. After it was destroyed by fire in 1701, the palace was reconstructed under Augustus the Strong. After air attacks during the last few months of the Second World War, the palace – with its approximately 500 halls and rooms – once again burned down to its foundations. Most of the valuable interior furnishings were lost. In 1985, reconstruction began on the palace to create a museum complex for the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections). The first museum to move into the Royal Palace was the Kupferstich-Kabinett (Collection of Prints, Drawings and Photographs); it has been displaying its treasures there since April 2004. The New Green Vault was opened in September 2004. Since September 2006, the Historic Green Vault can once again be admired in its original rooms. Today, the exterior of the Royal Palace is decorated in Neorenaissance style, while the large courtyard of the palace displays Renaissance-style sgraffito paintings. The Hausmann Tower overlooks the whole ensemble, offering a wonderful view of the Old Town. Starting in 2010, after five years of construction, the English Stairway in the Dresden Royal Palace is once again accessible. The Baroque stairway was reconstructed at a cost of four million euros, following its original historic pattern. In the future, it will serve as the main entrance for the museums of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen. The Türckische Cammer (Turkish Chamber) was also opened in March 2010, containing countless small treasures that were not open to the public for more than seventy years. The renovation of the Palace is completed since 2013. https://www.dresden.de/en/tourism/attractions/sights/old_town/royal-palace.php

In the Middle Ages, knightly games and tournaments took place in the Stallhof (Stall Courtyard), which is part of the big Royal Palace complex. Today, the court between the Johanneum and the "Langer Gang" (Long Arcade) is used for cultural events. The Procession of Princes is located on the outside of the Stallhof, on Schlossplatz Square. https://www.dresden.de/en/tourism/attractions/sights/old_town/stallhof-and-procession-of-princes.php

With its unique “Seebühne” Lake Stage and the Millennium Tower, the world’s tallest wooden construction of its kind, the Elbauenpark in the German city of Magdeburg is well worth a visit 365 days a year. http://www.magdeburg-tourist.de/Start/Tourism-Leisure/Leisure/index.php?La=2&NavID=115.13&object=tx|37.6876.1&ModID=9&FID=37.1075.2

At the beginning of the 20th century, the building was planned and erected by the Viennese architect Friedrich Ohmann. Architectural elements were used to recall the splendour of Renaissance and Gothic style. The Magdeburg Cultural History Museum was opened in 1906 and its first director Theodor Volbehr (1862-1931) took over many art and craft collections from various societies and from the city which were exhibited in the centre of the museum as the most important witnesses to Magdeburg's rich past. http://www.magdeburg-tourist.de/Start/Tourism-Leisure/Culture/Museums/index.php?La=2&NavID=115.10&object=tx|37.6876.1&ModID=9&FID=37.477.2

The city museum of Erfurt is located in one of the most representative late Renaissance houses. The exhibition takes the visitor on a journey through the history of one of the oldest cities in Thuringia. The Museum reopened in June 1994 after a period of extensive reconstruction and redesigning. http://www.erfurt.de/ef/en/sightseeing/part5/index.html

Erfurt’s landmark is the unique ensemble created by the combined effect of the Mariendom (Cathedral of The Blessed Virgin Mary) together with the Severikirche (St. Severus Church). These two magnificent examples of German Gothic architecture at its best majestically dominate the cityscape. http://www.erfurt.de/ef/en/sightseeing/part1/index.html

On June 1st, 1695, the first foundation stone was laid for one of the few remaining 17th century city fortifications to be found in Germany. Today the Petersberg Citadel is an impressive example of European fortification construction dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. http://www.erfurt.de/ef/en/sightseeing/part2/index.html

The Baroque Duchcov Chateau is situated in North Bohemia near the spa town of Teplice. It was here where world renowned lover Giacomo Casanova worked as a librarian, wrote his memoirs and later died in 1798. http://www.czechtourism.com/c/duchcov-castle/

The exhibits of Museum Karlovy Vary are spread over several villages in the region. The Karlovy Vary exhibits are located in two buildings. http://www.karlovy-vary.cz/en/about-karlovy-vary/karlovy-vary-museum

The Elizabeth Spa, also known as the Spa V can be found in the Smetana Park. Establishment of this important spa house dates back to the year 1906. Its name came from the name of the Empress Elizabeth (Sissi), the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I. http://www.karlovy-vary.cz/en/about-karlovy-vary/elizabeth-spa-spa-V

Lázně Teplice v Čechách ranks among the European spas with the longest tradition, a tradition stretching back more than 2,000 years. http://www.czechtourism.com/w/teplice-v-cechach/

The oldest spa in Czechia and one of the oldest spas in Europe is located in the valley between the Central Bohemian Mountains and the ridges of the Krušné Mountains. Come visit the “little Paris of Bohemia” with attractively built spa buildings, parks, gardens, fountains, a long pedestrian zone and a Baroque Marian column. http://www.czechtourism.com/t/teplice/

The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene is located in the very heart of the Karlovy Vary spa area, in the close proximity of the Hot Spring. The church bears the hallmarks of the High Baroque architecture and it is one of the most important Baroque monuments not only in Karlovy Vary, but in the entire Czech Republic. http://www.karlovy-vary.cz/en/about-karlovy-vary/church-st-mary-magdalene

Visitor of the city are welcome to silently stay, listen to organ and choir concerts and look at exhibitions inside the church. Tower climbing can be done every day starting 10 am in the morning. http://cottbus-tourismus.de/en/experience-and-detection/culture-units/article-evangelische-oberkirche-st-nikolai-lutheran-upper.html

No trip to Berlin is complete without a stroll down Kurfürstendamm. Berlin’s most popular shopping boulevard is the beating heart of the western city centre. Kurfürstendamm is Berlin’s most famous and popular shopping boulevard and is the heart of the western city centre. You’re sure to enjoy a successful shopping trip there. The 3.5-kilometre-long boulevard takes you from Breitscheidplatz and the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche to Rathenauplatz, where the Grunewald villas begin. Breitscheidplatz is where Kurfürstendamm officially begins; before that the street is called Tauentzienstraße. This runs into Wittenbergplatz, where you will find the legendary KaDeWe – Berlin’s most famous department store, which everyone associates with Kurfürstendamm, even though, technically, it isn’t on it. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/kurfurstendamm

Branitz Park near Cottbus represents the life’s work as well as the later work of the eccentric landscape gardener Hermann Prince von Pückler-Muskau (1785–1871) and is a masterpiece of the eccentric landscape gardener. http://cottbus-tourismus.de/en/experience-and-detection/parks-of-cottbus.html

Visitors will only see original interior from the world and the era of Prince Pückler in Branitz Castle. While the library allows the visitors to familiarise themselves with his thinking, the Oriental rooms will take people on the great journey of the prince to the pyramids of Egypt. http://cottbus-tourismus.de/en/experience-and-detection/museums/article-stiftung-fuerst-pueckler-museum-park-und-schloss-branitz-schloss-.html

Discover the magic of the rococo at the beautiful Charlottenburg Palace – once a royal summer residence, today Berlin’s largest and most magnificent palace. In the Neuer Flügel (New Wing), you can view the staterooms and the rococo ballroom known as the Goldene Galerie (Golden Gallery). The Silver Vault includes quite stunning tableware of gold, silver, glass and porcelain displayed on laid tables. Around 100 table services have survived intact, a vivid reminder of the magnificence of dining at court. The impressive display of the remaining pieces of the Prussian crown jewels, complete with the imperial insignias, as well as personal treasures, such as the elaborated designed, exquisite snuffboxes collected by Friedrich the Great, are also well worth seeing. The Porcelain Cabinet in the Old Palace offers a breathtaking collection of the finest blue-and-white porcelain decorating the entire room. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/charlottenburg-palace-old-palace

The Brandenburg Gate is one of the most iconic sights in today’s vibrant Berlin. More than just Berlin’s only surviving historical city gate, this site came to symbolise Berlin’s Cold War division into East and West – and, since the fall of the Wall, a reunified Germany. Architecturally, the sandstone Brandenburg Gate also represents one of the earliest and most attractive examples of a neo-classical building in Germany. Constructed between 1788 and 1791, the Brandenburg Gate was Berlin’s first Greek revival building. Designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, architect to the Prussian court, it was inspired by the monumental gateway at the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The Brandenburg Gate is 26 metres high, 65.5 metres long and 11 metres deep, and supported by two rows of six Doric columns. In 1793, the gate was crowned by the Quadriga statue, designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow. This statue also has its own story to tell. In 1806, when Napoleon’s army took Berlin, the French Emperor had the Quadriga transported to Paris as war booty and a sign of his victory. In 1814, after Napoleon’s forced abdication, the Quadriga was returned to Berlin where it once again adorned the Brandenburg Gate, facing towards the east and the city centre. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/brandenburg-gate

The government buildings in the heart of Berlin form a ribbon across the river Spree, symbolically connecting East and West. The parliamentary offices and the chancellery were not built until the wall came down and Berlin was chosen as the country’s seat of government. The buildings are exciting examples of contemporary architecture that no-one sightseeing in Berlin can afford to miss. The original idea for the Band des Bundes was a gesture of reunification. In a dual piece of symbolism, the government buildings and the offices for democratically elected MPs are both a physical connection and a symbolic bridge between East and West. The federal buildings are not just the centre of the town in geographical terms; since 2006, the striking concrete and glass buildings have been the first thing that visitors to Berlin see when they arrive at the city’s main station. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/band-des-bundes

The Reichstag is an internationally recognisable symbol of democracy and the current home of the German parliament. Every year, thousands of guests visit the Reichstag - and with good reason: It is not often that you can enjoy such an amazing panorama while, just beneath your feet, the political decisions of tomorrow are being made. Both as an architectural wonder and a historical testimony, the Reichstag has an important role to play in Berlin. There are several options to visit the Reichstag: join a guided tour; listen to a plenary session (in German of course) or climb up to the dome and the roof! https://www.visitberlin.de/en/reichstag-in-berlin

At 1316 metres long, the open-air art gallery on the banks of the Spree in Friedrichshain is the longest continuous section of the Berlin Wall still in existence. Immediately after the wall came down, 118 artists from 21 countries began painting the East Side Gallery, and it officially opened as an open air gallery on 28 September 1990. Just over a year later, it was given protected memorial status. In more than a hundred paintings on what was the east side of the wall, the artists commented on the political changes in 1989/90. Some of the works at the East Side Gallery are particularly popular, such as Dmitri Vrubel’s Fraternal Kiss and Birgit Kinders’s Trabant breaking through the wall. They are not just a popular subject for postcards – you’re sure to want to photograph them yourself. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/east-side-gallery

The magnificent dome of the Cathedral Church (Berliner Dom) is one of the main landmarks in Berlin’s cityscape – and marks the spot of the impressive basilica housing the city’s most important Protestant church. With its elaborate decorative and ornamental designs, the church interior is especially worth seeing. Yet although the church is known as a cathedral, it actually has the status of a parish church – though not just any parish. This was the court church to the Hohenzollern dynasty, the rulers of Prussia and later the German Emperors. Today, as the High Parish and Cathedral Church, the church serves the Protestant community in Berlin and the surrounding areas. The congregation is not based on place of residence, but open through admission to all baptised Protestants in the region. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-cathedral