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July 2011 |
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King Ludwig II: Bavaria’s most beloved eccentric
Bavaria’s Chiemgau region is closely linked to the eccentric King Ludwig II whose fairytale castles are marvelled at by visitors from all over the world. To mark the 125th anniversary of his death this year, the exhibition ‘Twilight of the Gods. King Ludwig II’ is on show at his Herrenchiemsee Palace on the Chiemsee lake’s Herreninsel until 16th October 2011. The exhibition is in the unfinished palace’s northern wing in rooms which have never been open to the public before. Ludwig aficionados will be able to follow in the fairytale king’s footsteps to look beyond the cliché of his life and mysterious death. More information on
'Twilight of the Gods. King Ludwig II'
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Rheingau Wine Festival comes to downtown Frankfurt
Frankfurt’s famous culinary mile, the 'Fressgass’, in the city centre, turns into a veritable wine parade from 31st August to 9th September for the Rheingau Wine Market. Vintners from the nearby Rheingau winegrowing region set up their stalls on the pedestrianised street to present more than 600 wines. The beloved Rheingau Riesling will feature heavily but so also will alternative grape varieties and sparkling wines. Plus lots of regional food for an all-round pleasant experience. Further information: www.frankfurt-tourismus.de
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Buddha and Ayurveda in harmony on the Moselle
It’s not only about wine on the Moselle. The Parkschlösschen, Europe’s first luxury Ayurvedic spa resort, has teamed up with the Buddha Museum in its home town of Traben-Trarbach to offer guests a combination of the authentic Ayurvedic therapy and an insight into Far Eastern Buddhist philosophy. The museum features Europe’s largest Buddha exhibition with more than 1,000 figures, while the packages include entrance to the museum and one or two nights at the hotel. More information and prices www.parkschloesschen.de
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Regensburg’s new World Heritage Visitor Centre
It has been five years since Regensburg was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This year, the city has just celebrated the opening of its new Visitor Centre in the ‘Salzstadel’, right next to the old stone bridge. The innovative exhibition focuses on the criteria that earned World Heritage recognition: visitors can see almost 2,000 years of the city’s history from a Roman camp to the vibrant and modern city of today. The Middle Ages is a glowing highpoint, when the city’s location along the river made it an international trade metropolis. The Centre also hosts a Tourist Office information centre. More information on the new Visitor Centre:
www.regensburg.de/tourismus
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When cows become celebrities in Oberstaufen
Every September, thousands of cows are brought down from their summer alpine pastures high up in the Bavarian Alps and treated like celebrities on their return to the communities in the valley. In Oberstaufen in the Allgäu region this spectacular Viehscheid
will take place on 9th September, and it’s a highlight of the year for the locals, who dress up in their traditional costume to welcome them. The cattle drive is followed by a folk fair, with oompah music, beer and local food. No doubt some leather-clad thigh-slapping, too. More information on Oberstaufen, www.oberstaufen.de/en/
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Flickering flames fill the valley in Baiersbronn
Something magical will be happening in the Black Forest on 6th August. Each year, Baiersbronn’s Buhlbachtal valley is lit up by about 55,000 lights. And it’s not electric light we’re talking here, but candlelight. A multitude of small candles in colourful paper cups will turn the valley into a sea of light. They are placed in meadows, on slopes and even in the local stream. The event starts at 7pm and will be rounded off with a big firework display at 10.30 pm.
More information on Baierbronn: www.baiersbronn.de
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Bavaria's best: a trinity of cultural cities
Bamberg, Nuremberg and Passau are cultural destinations to rival Munich. Bamberg is so beautifully preserved that there are some 2,500 medieval buildings still standing, and it was chosen as a location for autumn blockbuster the Three Musketeers
. Nuremberg is a sunny, walkable place with a terrific stock of museums – and a difficult immediate past, memorably brought to life in the new Nuremberg Trials Memorial. Passau, all belltowers and spires, looks like a baroque cruiseliner, wedged between the rivers Inn and Danube, and its St Stephen’s Cathedral is home to the biggest organ in Europe. For more information and packages: www.bavaria.by
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Niedersachsen’s journeys through time and place
Germany likes its snazzy word combinations, and Niedersachsen has come up with ZeitOrte – literally ‘time place’ – for the nuggets of history in Braunschweiger Land, east of Hannover. These time travel destinations could be geologically unique phenomena (as in the UNESCO GeoPark Braunschweiger Land), or archaeological excavations, or medieval buildings, or old factory premises, or modern sites of art and architecture, or even museums of the future. The region is also particularly rewarding for active travellers, for example cyclists and hikers who explore the Südheide Gifhorn, a nature-rich ancient heathland. More information:
www.niedersachsen-tourism.com
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Saxony: a spectacular setting for steam railways
There are more steam trains running in Saxony than anywhere else in Germany, with a number of daily steam-hauled services, a couple of them on narrow gauge tracks, and several model and miniature railways. The first German-built steam locomotive came into operation here, in 1839, when the Saxonia
puffed from Leipzig to Dresden. These days the best-known of the regular services are the Zittauer Schmalspurbahn, which runs into the mountains between Zittau and Oybin and Jonsdorf, and the narrow guage Fichtelbergbahn, which climbs up the 17km track from Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal, the highest town in Germany. More information: www.saxon-steam.com
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Masthead images
Left to right, T top, B bottom: Black Forest gone blue, Achim Mende. Brandenburger Hof hotel. Schloss Lübbenau (T). Bundesliga, GNTB (B). Ski lift at Fichtelberg, Oberwiesenthal Tourism (T). Martin Luther (B). Chilled gnome, DZT (T). Rügen cliffs, GNTB (B). Cherry cake, pa (B). Berlin S-Bahn.
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