Travel Is Callin' from Germany

Meaningful Representative Architecture

Architecture is foremost on my list when I plan my travels. South Germany is known for luftmalerei, a watercolour technique painted over wet freshly laid plaster. The subjects of the paintings are mostly of a religious character, particularly involving figures of saints as well as manifold scenes all around the Passion Play theme in Oberammergau. The most famous of all is Pilatushaus (Photo 1). The garden front of the house is painted with the denunciation of Jesus by Pontius Pilate, thus the name of the house.

In Augsburg, there is the world's oldest social housing complex called the Fuggerei (Photo 2). Approxinately 150 needy citizens from the Catholic faith still resides in the housing complex across 140 apartments. It was founded in 1516 by Jakob Fugger the Younger. Each apartment only costs € 0,88 in rent each year and one important condition is the renter must be committed to praying for the health and prosperity of the Fugger family three times a day and accepted the 10 pm curfew in this gated complex.

I thought I was done with castles after my visits to other parts of Europe in the past. However, I was attracted by the painting works of the interior of Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau (Photo 3). Neuschwanstein Castle is known as the castle of King Ludwig II (fairytale king), and holds a sad story of King Ludwig's imagined kingdom after he lost his kingdom to the Prussians. It is also widely known to be an inspiration to Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Half Timber Galore

Germany is known for its half timber houses. These houses in Rothenburg ob der Tauber are attractive due to the various colours used to paint them. The most famous landmark in this Bavarian town is The Plönlein Fork (Photo 4).  The term Plönlein refers to a “small square at a fountain”, which means that the ensemble at the Plönlein also includes the fountain in front of the lone timber-frame yellow house and the two towers of the old city wall that rise to its left and right – on the left the Siebersturm leading to Spital quarter, on the right the tower for the Kobolzeller Tor from 1360, which opens towards the Tauber Valley.  

Bavaria is known as the Romantic Road of Germany for a reason. Other than its winding routes, it has towns with colourful half timber houses. In addition to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bamberg (Photo 5) and Dinkelsbuhl (Photo 6) are worth a visit. Bamberg looks especially gorgeous in the night. From the river view, you will see the Franconian design of the buildings. Dinkelsbuhl is a medieval cobbled town, characterised by colourful half-timber houses that stretch along the length of the town. 

Romantic Lake Views

Germany, located in the centre of Europe, gives the impression that it is landlocked but it has coastline to the North and Baltic Seas. Although I did not venture that north, I witnessed lovely lake views. Hamburg takes the top spot as my favourite German city. As I walked through Hamburg's Rathaus, this view of Klein Alster (Photo 7) mesmerised me as I did not expect water views just beside the City Hall (Rathaus). While many love Hamburg's Binnenalster, where many high end hotels are located along its length, I feel the smaller Klein Alster is able to hold its fort against Binnenalster. The festive Christmas mood is definitely very high with the Christmas market stalls setting up in the square, as well as kiosks already in operation lining Jungfernstieg.

Another lovely lake area is in Tegernsee (Photo 8), and it was my first drive to point after I started on my drive tour from Munich after touching down in Germany. One tip to get a bird's eye view is to locate a higher ground area to be able to take it the full lake and surrounds view.  I managed to find it to get this nice shot! After that, I had lunch at a lovely restaurant by the lake to enjoy the lake views.

When I first saw the photo of Rakotzbrücke (Photo 9), I told myself I would visit it. I was captivated by the circle image formed by the curved bridge and its reflection. I assumed what I have seen was edited using photoshop. However, the photo above (taken by me ) is as is, with no touch up nor colour adjustment! It was worth the 2h40m drive from Berlin.

Foggy Winding Routes

I thought London is foggy enough until this visit to Germany. The skies were grey upon landing in Munich and the drive to Tegernsee was mainly in fog. This occured every 2-3 days throughout the self-drive to the other parts of Germany. Well, if I consider from the other angle, it can feel romantic driving through the fog along the winding routes. 

The way to Bad Muskau (Photo 10) is a common sight along the drive. While there is decreased driving visibility, it adds a dramatic feel to the surrounds, be it highway roads, green pastures, forests and lakes. Video 11 gives a glimpse of what it feels like in the olden days where a trip has to be made towards the castle route to Burg Eltz. Schwarzwald (Black Forest) is a popular region near Stuttgart. The Blockhutte Log Cabin (Photo 12) is one of my treasured find in this trip. Fancy a meal in the cozy log cabin with outdoor view of the Blackforest from a hill top.

Non Crowded Squares

Europe towns are known for their squares. Since tradition, people would gather around the square and that was where most of the activities and people watch happened. In most towns and cities during my visit, it was surprisingly not crowded. Certain cities were preparing for the Christmas markets set up. Königstraße (Photo 13), the main shopping street in Stuttgart, was empty. Perhaps it was a Sunday morning where shops in Germany are closed. Human traffic was low so it was good for photos. Where the ferris wheel is, is Schloßplatz, the main square in Stuttgart.

Being Europe's financial centre, Frankfurt CBD is modern with skyscrapers. Römerberg, Frankfurt (Photo 14) depicts the German financial capital in a different light. Römerberg is where the Frankfurt main Christmas Market is located. This also came as a surprise when it was empty when I visited. The most renowned Christmas Market in Germany is in Nuremburg. However, due to the rising infection rates in Bavaria, the square around St. Jakob, Nuremburg (Photo 15), was relatively empty too. 

Churches of Cologne

It would seem amiss if there was no visit to churches on an Europe trip. Cologne would be a good choice if you are into churches. The most famous of all is Cologne Cathedral (Photo 16). Due to the building’s impressive Gothic architecture, the shrine of the Three Wise Men, the outstanding stained-glass windows and the many other important works of art, UNESCO declared Cologne Cathedral a World Heritage Site in 1996. It is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires. 

St. Gereon, Cologne (Photo 17) is unique with its decagon dome in orange colour. This construction, which is unique in the north of the Alps, has frequently been compared with the Hagia Sofia in Constantinople and the Cathedral Dome in Florence. St. Gereon in Cologne was very special for the architectural history of its time.  It felt homely with an ongoing bronze sculpture exhibition - Dietrich Klinge Gravitas.

Another interesting church, St. Ursula, Cologne (Photo 18), was also in my to-visit list due to its Golden Chamber. The church was originally dedicated to the Holy Virgin. The Golden Chamber of the church contains the alleged remains of St. Ursula and her 11,000 virgins who are said to have been killed by the Huns, possibly around the time of the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains.  However, my favourite was the light blue ceiling in the Golden Chamber.

Touch of Foreign

I wanted to visit Goslar as it was  a medieval half timbered town. With its old world charm, what strikes me most was its foreign looking architecture. Hotel Kaiserworth (Photo 19) reminds me of Russia with it orange facade, domes and sloped roof. The impressive building with its arcades and corbel figures testifies to the wealth of the merchants and the city of Goslar at that time. 

Within the same town, there is another interesting building - Siemenhaus (Photo 20). This is a classic example of the place of residence also playing the role as a place for business. A branch of it subsequently built the global conglomerate - Siemens. Siemenhaus somehow reminds me of Japanese traditional buildings in olden cities like Kyoto. 

Potsdam, capital of Bradenburg and bordering Berlin, was the residence of the Prussian Kings. As such there are landscaped gardens such as Park Sanssouci, and the most interesting building in my opinion is the Chinese House (Photo 21).  

Modern Futuristic Structures

Being a country that is an engineering powerhouse, it is no surprise that there are unique modern architecture designs. 

Since 2000, Hamburg has been redeveloping the docklands, which were left without a function, and the basins without ships. The Elbphilharmonie (Photo 22), a mixed-use project featuring a major concert hall and recital chamber wrapped by condos and a hotel, with acres of parking below, was conceptualised.  The design of Elbphilharmonie with a brick base, which reflects the heritage of brick warehouse in this part of the port city, as well as a glass wavelike form which represents its surroundings. 

While most of Munich train stations are utilitarian looking, U-Bahn Westfriedhof station (Photo 23) especially stands out. The tunnel structure is lit by a muted bluish light which creates a mystical feel, and huge colourful light domes, thereby giving it a futuristic look,  As a contrast, this train station leads out to a cemetery! 

On first look, the exterior colour of Museum Brandhorst, Munich (Photo 24), is purple base and yellow top. On closer look, there are different colours on each section, creating various shades of colour as one moves along the perimeter of this museum of modern art. The first external layer comprises 36,000 TERRART®-Baguette ceramic rods in an assortment of 23 custom colors, glazed in families of eight colors. A second layer consists of a horizontally folded metal skin, coated in two colors. The intention is to create dynamic effect through colourplay from materials and sunlight.   

Memories of WW2

Berlin is a must visit if the intent of visiting Germany is for its history. The best to start off would be Brandenburg Gate (Photo 25). The gate marks the start of the road from Berlin to Brandenburg, which used to be the capital of Germany. It is a symbol of the tumultuous history of Germany, but also represents peace and unity. 

East Side Gallery (Photo 26) is the longest continuous section of the Berlin Wall still in existence. Berlin Wall is a testament of the period whereby Germany is split into West and East Germany. East Side Gallery is a showcase of wall art by several artistes on the political happenings during the period of Berlin Wall existence. 

The Holocaust Memorial (Photo 27) is a memorial for the murdered Jews during World War 2. Comprising of cement slabs of different heights, they were placed on a sloping grid. The real impact is felt while walking through the grid and reflecting on the events that have happened.

Round Architectural Designs

Other than luftmalerai and half timber houses, these less common round shaped architecture designs caught my attention. The Holstentor Gate (Photo 28) comprises of 2 round towers and an arch entrance which allows for entry into Lübeck, the most north city I visited during this trip. There were comments that this medieval gothic structure reminds of Harry Potter! 

Berlin has a Museum Island, which contains a number of museums, and Berlin Cathedral. The Alte Nationalgalerie (Photo 29) has elements of Neo-Renaissance architectural style, and houses paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. At the big square leading towards the Altes Nationalgalerie and Berlin Cathedral, there is this round uneven brick structure which creates a different feel of the area.

Bad Muskau, near to Dresden, has this striking red palace, Schloss Muskau (Photo 30), by the river. The interesting part is that this English Garden landscape borders 2 countries - Germany and Poland, one reason why it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. When the temperature is low and snow is heavy enough, instead of a building by the river, it is a building in the middle of snowy landscape!