The Nebra Sky disc captivated me the first time I saw a photo of it. While it looks like a simple blue disk with golden circles and crescents, the bronze disc reflects the heavens in a very specific way. I had the opportunity to see it in person at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, Germany. Fabulous. The breathtaking…
Category: Unesco
Sites and cultural traditions worthy of UNESCO status
Wartburg Castle Tour- Wartburg Castle in Eisenach Germany
The Venn Diagram of reader recommendations and travel plans overlapped neatly this year, allowing me to include Wartburg Castle in Eisenach on the itinerary. And I’m so glad. The Wartburg Castle Tour takes you on a journey through history from the 11th century to the end of the 19th century. There are rough and ready rooms for knights, as well…
Spreewald Kahnfahrt and a Visit to the Open-Air Museum in Lehde
South and slightly east of Berlin, you’ll find one of Germany’s more unusual UNESCO sites, the Spreewald Biosphere Reserve. Formed during the last Ice Age, this inland delta of the Spree River, crisscrossed by 200 water channels and streams through bogland, forest, and meadows, is home to a group of traditional Sorbs, or Wends, whose families have been making a…
The Speicherstadt Hamburg- More than just Warehouses…
How did a warehouse district manage to get UNESCO Status? Well, the Speicherstadt Hamburg is incredibly photogenic. Rows of neo-Gothic brick warehouses tower over the water and are connected by bridges (fun fact: Hamburg has more bridges than Venice). But it’s more than just how it looks. Think of the Speicherstadt Hamburg as a city within a city. A customs-free…
A Visit to Seiffen Germany- Germany’s Spielzeugdorf
I’m utterly convinced that, despite the North Pole story we were told as children, the real Santa’s workshop is actually in Seiffen, Germany. This tucked-away town in the Erzgebirge, known as the Spielzeugdorf or Toy Village, is renowned for its production of wooden toys and traditional German Christmas decorations. The main road is lined with stores full of Nutcrackers, Smokers,…
What to See in Quedlinburg- A Step Back in Time
I first heard the name Quedlinburg in 2018 when a new award-winning board game called Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg (Quacks of Quedlinburg) was released. The more I read about this city and its magnificent Altstadt, the more I knew I had to go there. The German National Tourist Board agreed that this UNESCO city near the Harz Mountains in eastern…
Visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany- Plan Ahead for your Visit
When you talk to people about the sites they really want to see in Germany, Neuschwanstein Castle is often at the top of the list. The iconic structure built by King Ludwig II seems to symbolize Fairy Tale Germany to so many. It’s on the cover of Tour Books, on Calendars, Tea Towels, and Puzzles. Walt Disney loved the castle…