Five Cities In Germany You Should Visit When Travelling To Europe

With a population of about 80 million people Germany is the largest country in the European Union. Spanning from the Alps in the South to the rocky beaches of Schleswig-Holstein in the North, from the Rhine valley in the West to the Oder river in the East, Germany boasts a huge diversity. It is also a country of many large and story-rich cities. Contrary to other European nations, Germany was (almost) never dominated by just one, primate city. Thus centralism almost never got hold in Germany. The main reason for this is Germany’s particular history as being split up for centuries into uncountable independent states and mini-states.

To a certain extent this pattern is still reflected in modern Germany, which is organised as a federal state with quite significant powers in the hand of its sixteen different states. Some of them being quite small ‘city-states’ like Bremen or Hamburg. Thus, the German cities offer quite distinct windows into Germany and its turbulent history. Each of the cities are resembling a particular view on Germany. Of course, more than 40 years of post-war division between the two German states (Federal Republic of Germany and German Democratic Republic or 'East Germany' (1949-1990) has made some of these differences even more distinctive.

Berlin is now (since 1990) again the capital city of Germany. At the same time it is one of the sixteen federal states of Germany as well. Berlin is the largest German city housing a population of about 3.4 million. Taking the whole Berlin-Brandenburg area into account the population size increases to more than 5 million making the greater Berlin area to one of the largest urban agglomeration areas of the European Union (after London and Paris).

Despite its size its significance for Germany outside the policy arena is somewhat limited. Munich stands for high tech, Hamburg for the harbour, Frankfurt for banks and business and Berlin maybe only for the chronicle financial problems of its city government. However, for the visitor Berlin is a blast. Since it was a divided city for more than 40 years a lot of its infrastructure concerning the cultural arena is still somewhat oversized. There is the (former) West Berlin version and there is the version of the (former) East Berlin. Hence you have two major Opera houses, a whole bunch of different museums, festivals and contemporary arts exhibitions and so on.

So Berlin may not be known as an economic powerhouse but it is an attractive location for all interested in culture, and especially for younger folk interested in alternative lifestyles. It probably is not a 'single' city but a cacophony of different sub-cultures resembling a post-modern city like no other one in Germany.

The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is Germany's second largest city with about 1.8 million inhabitants. According to statistics of the European Union it is among the very richest regions in the whole union. And believe me, you will notice it. Certain areas in Hamburg do have quite a 'posh' feeling. The local bourgeoisie has a very long tradition here and made a fortune since Hamburg is traditional the largest harbour of Germany and serving as the main exit and entry hub for all the trading goods. Since Germany is the leading exporting nation of the world you can imagine that the harbour tends to be quite busy. And it is especially the harbour which makes Hamburg so attractive. At least in my very subjective opinion. The old Speicherstadt (literally: storage city), a city quarter of Hamburg, used to serve as inventory for all the trading goods and it is something like a German version of Venice.

Technological change has rendered the Speicherstadt obsolete: today only carpets from the Orient are still stored and processed within the Speicherstadt. But for tourists the attractions are manifold. First and foremost the architecture with the Venice-like channels in between the old store houses. A boat trip through the Speicherstadt is a definite must while visiting Hamburg. My second suggestion involves boats again: a trip on a small boat through the harbour. Travelling with the small tourist boats between the gigantic container ships which seem to be almost sky-high is really thrilling. Of course, Hamburg offers all the other amenities of a modern city in Europe. Opera, theatres, festivals, arts exhibitions, you name it. There is always the flair around of Hamburg being Germany's traditional window to the world.

Munich is the third largest city of Germany (1.3 million inhabitants) and the capital city of Bavaria, the largest German federal state. Bavarians are quite different from the rest of the Germans (at least if you believe in common clichés). At the first look you would think this state should be the most backward, traditional state of Germany and you would almost expect traditional farmers delivering their produce to the local market by using ox-carts as means of transport. In reality, Bavaria is the economic powerhouse of Germany which means quite something since the rest of Germany does not falls short in being economically powerful. During the last decades this region transformed itself from being a backward hay-stacking and cattle raising region to the very high-tech centre of Germany and Europe. Multinationals like BMW and Siemens and a myriad of small high-tech firms are flooding the world markets with their products from luxury cars to medical equipments to software programs. And Munich is the very culmination of this seemingly contradiction between traditionalism and innovation.

Of course, there would be many attractions to mention: quite a lot of churches, parks (Englischer Garten), museums (the German Museum is one of the most visited museums of Europe and is a must for all interested in the history of technology) and a bunch of attractive historical buildings (Rathaus). If you happen to love beer you will be in heaven and you will be astonished about the amounts of beer the local people are consuming. However, the significant influx of Germans from other, non Bavarian regions has been changing the feeling of Munich lately. Last but not least I have to mention that Munich is probably one of the best location for inland surfing in the world (or at least in Europe). If you don't understand what I mean take a look at the youtube video.

The roots of Cologne go back as far as to Roman times meaning it was founded as early as 38 BC! Today it is the fourth-largest city of Germany and part of the huge Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan area which is one of the largest urban agglomerations of Europe (about ten million inhabitants). The importance of Cologne stems from the fact that it is located on the crossroads of important trade routes. The Rhine river, traditionally the most important inland waterway of Europe, defines the south-north route and the river harbour of Cologne is still the largest inland harbour of Europe. Its prominent role was accentuated by political and in particular religious (Roman Catholic) powers which had their headquarters in Cologne. Hence, it is no coincidence that the famous Cologne Cathedral (the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne) is a defining landmark in the urban landscape of Cologne. Even if you are not interested in the architecture of churches, you will not escape the stunning impact of this building.

The people of Cologne are proud of their somewhat weird carnival festivals. For an outsider the carnival is difficult to comprehend. My personal advice would be that if you are not into this particular type of German 'humour' you should avoid Cologne (and the whole Rhineland) like the plague during February (the time of the Carnival).

Heidelberg (140.000 inhabitants) is probably the most romantic of the many-medium sized cities of Germany. Its location is directly at the food of the hilly Odenwald, a typical German mountain range full of forests and river valley. Heidelberg is famous for its castle with its morbid flair (the castle has been a ruin even in these times) made Heidelberg to one of the defining places of romanticism (an arts movement in the nineteenth century during the heydays of the industrial revolution). The famous English painter and artist William Turner visited Heidelberg several times and his painting of the Heidelberg castle is archetypical.

Heidelberg is the location of the oldest university of Germany (founded in 1386). The university is still one of the most prominent in Germany and Europe and the urban life of Heidelberg is dominated by students to a large extent (there are about 27.000 students enrolled at the university).

Heidelberg was one of only few major German cities which were only slightly damaged during World War II. After the war Heidelberg became an important headquarters of the US military in Europe within the NATO structure. It is still one of the most popular cities among tourists from the U.S.

The above list and description is totally subjective and full of clichés. However, my subjectivism and cliché-ridden description is intended and reflects my somewhat strange and complex relation to Germany and its population. If I happened to offend someone I honestly regret it.