Zwickau: Germany

Zwickau: Germany
Zwickau is a city of Germany, in the Bundesland Saxony (Sachsen), situated in a valley at the foot of the Erzgebirge, on the left bank of the Zwickauer Mulde, 130 km (82 miles) southwest of Dresden, south of Leipzig and south west of Chemnitz. (Population: slightly above 100,000). It is accessed by nearest autobahnen, the A72 and A4 along with a train station.
Highlights
Among the nine churches, the fine Gothic church of St Mary (1451-1536 and restored 1885-1891), with a spire 285 ft. high and a bell weighing 51 tons, is remarkable. The church contains an altar with wood-carving and eight pictures by Michael Wohlgemuth and a remarkable Pieta in carved and painted wood, by Peter Breuer. (more…)

Würzburg: Germany

Würzburg: Germany
Würzburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. Located on the Main river, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Unterfranken. The city of Würzburg is not included in Würzburg (district), but is its administrative seat. Its population is about 127,000 as of 2000.
Arts and Architecture
Notable artists that lived in Würzburg include poet Walther von der Vogelweide (12th and 13th cent.), philosopher Albertus Magnus and painter Mathias Grunewald. Two artist that made a lasting impression were sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531), who was also mayor and participated in the Peasants’ War, and Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753), baroque architect and builder of the Würzburg Residence that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its interiour was decorated by Giovanni and Domenico Tiepolo. (more…)

Wuppertal: Germany

Wuppertal: Germany
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the Wupper river south of the Ruhr area. Population 376,700 (1999).
It is a major industrial centre including such industries as: textiles, metallurgy, chemicals, medicine ( Bayer), electric, rubber, vehicles and printing equipment.
The city was formed in 1929 by merging Barmen , Elberfeld , Vohwinkel , Ronsdorf , Cronenberg , Langerfeld and Beyenburg . The name was initially Barmen-Elberfeld, and after 1930 Wuppertal. During World War II it was destroyed to about 40% by the Allies as were many other industrial centres at the time. However, a large quantity of historic sites have been preserved such as the Ölberg (“Petroleum Hillâ€?) District, one of Germany’s largest working class districts, and the so-called Briller Viertel, Germany’s largest district of Bourgeois dwellings.. (more…)

Wolfsburg: Germany

Wolfsburg: Germany
Wolfsburg is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig (Brunswick). Wolfsburg is bordered by the districts of Gifhorn and Helmstedt. Population: 122,800 (1999). Car registration symbol: WOB.
The city is very young, since it was planned by the Nazis in order to build a town for the workers of the Volkswagen factories. It was founded in 1938 as Stadt des KdF-Wagens (“City of the KdF Carâ€?) around the village of Hesslingen in the District of Gifhorn. Kraft durch Freude (abbreviated KdF and meaning “strength through joyâ€?) was the German state-controlled leisure organization; one of its projects was the KdF-Wagen, which would later be known as the VW Beetle. During World War II there were also jeeps, airplanes and other military equipment built, mainly by forced workers and POWs at these factories. (more…)

Witten: Germany

Witten: Germany
Witten is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany in the southern Ruhr area in the Ruhr valley. It was first mentioned in historic sources in 1214, however the borough Herbede (which was incorporated into the city in 1975) even dates back to 851. The city was a mining town from 1578.
Witten is twinned with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, UK

Wiesbaden: Germany

Wiesbaden: Germany
Wiesbaden is a city in central Germany. It is the capital of the Bundesland of Hesse. Wiesbaden is situated on the right (north) bank of the Rhine (German: “Rhein�), near the city of Mainz (spelled “Mayence� in older English documents, but generally spelled “Mainz� in English today) on the opposite side of the river, and a short distance, about twenty miles (thirty kilometers), from Frankfurt am Main, to the east. Wiesbaden has about 270,000 inhabitants (2002).
Sights in Wiesbaden
The Schlossplatz (“palace squareâ€?) is situated in the center of the city. There are two outstanding buildings around this square: the ducal palace and the new town hall. The palace was built by Duke Wilhelm of Nassau in 1840. For the twenty-six remaining years of ducal authority it was the residence of the ruling family. (more…)

Ulm: Germany

Ulm: Germany
Ulm is a city in Germany, part of the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg (about 100 km south-east of Stuttgart). Its population is slightly above 115,000. Ulm was also the birthplace of one of the 20th century’s most famous people - Albert Einstein.

Sights - Ulm Münster with the world’s highest church steeple (161.53m high and 768 steps). - The old Fischerviertel (fishermen’s quarter), on the river Blau is full of half-timbered houses, cobblestone streets, and picturesque footbridges. Interesting sights here are the Schiefes Haus (crooked house), a 16th-century house today used as a hotel, and the Alte Munz (Old Mint). a medieval building extended in the 16th and 17th centuries in Renaissance style. - The remaining section of the city walls, along the river, with the 14th-century Metzgerturm (butchers’ tower) (36m high).

-The Rathaus (Town Hall), built in 1370, featuring some brilliantly-colored murals dating from the mid-16th century. On the gable is an astronomical clock dating from 1520.

Stuttgart: Germany

Stuttgart: Germany
Stuttgart is a city located in southern Germany, it is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg, and has a population of approximately 600,000 as of June 2004. Stuttgart, Germany, the capital of Baden-Württemberg state (pop. 11 million, 36,000 square kilometers) and the Administrative District of Stuttgart (pop. 4 million, 11,000 km²), is located in the center of the very densely populated southwestern Stuttgart Region (population 2.7 million, 3,700 km²) of Germany, close to both the Black Forest and the Swabian Jura. The city center (situated in a lush valley, ringed with vineyards and forests, close to the River Neckar) itself has an approximate population of 600,000 and covers an area of 210 km². Stuttgart with its metropolitan area (the political entity “Stuttgart Regionâ€? in addition to the nearby cities of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Heilbronn and their surroundings) is one of the most prominent and well-known German towns, especially due to its cultural, administrative and huge economic importance.. (more…)

Solingen: Germany

Solingen: Germany
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area. Population: 163,600 (2001).
Solingen is called the “town of blades�, since it is known for the manufacturing of knives and scissors. In medieval times the swordsmiths of Solingen coined the town’s image, which is preserved to date. 90% of German knives are produced in Solingen.
“Müngstener Brücke�, a railroad bridge between Solingen and Remscheid
Solingen was first mentioned in 965. It was a tiny village for centuries, but became a fortified town in the 15th century. In World War II the Old Town was completely destroyed, so there are few sights. Those remaining include:
Castle of the counts of Berg, 12th century
Klosterkirche, church (1690). (more…)

Siegen: Germany

Siegen: Germany
Siegen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Siegen-Wittgenstein. As of December 31, 2003 it has a population of 106,143.
Twinned cities:
Berlin-Spandau, Germany, since 1952
Rijnsburg, the Netherlands, since 1963
Leeds, since 1966
Ypres, Belgium, since 1967
Zakopane, Poland, since 1989
Plauen, Saxony, Germany, since 1990

Schwerin: Germany

Schwerin: Germany
Schwerin is a town in northern Germany. It is the capital of the state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The population as of 2002 is 99,900.
Sights in Schwerin – Schwerin Castle (located on an island in the Schweriner See; seat of the state government) – Schwerin Cathedral (built 1260-1416) – Schelfkirche (Saint Nicolai, originally built 1238, but rebuilt in 1713 after destruction by a storm) – The town hall (18th century) – Schwerin State Art Museum – TV Tower (close to the TV Tower there is a guyed radio mast, which is nearly twice as high!) (more…)

Salzgitter: Germany

Salzgitter is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. Located just a few kilometres south of Braunschweig, the modern city was founded in 1942 by the Nazis by uniting 29 small communities into one city. Two more were added in 1972. Since these villages were not necessarily particularly close to each other, and since the land in between them was also incorporated, Salzgitter is today the largest city (in terms of surface area) in Lower Saxony. Population: 108,614 (Sept. 2004).

In medieval times there were salines at the place and villages where the salt was mined. Salzgitter received a town charter around 1350 but lost it again some half-century later. It was restored briefly at the beginning of the 19th century, and finally again in 1929. Due to the occurrences of iron ore in the ground the Nazi government decided to establish huge steel works…

(more…)

Saarbrücken: Germany

Saarbrücken: Germany
Saarbrücken is the capital of the Saarland Bundesland in Germany. Geographical location 49°15′ N 6°58′ E. Population 209,104.
The city is the industrial and transport centre of a great coal basin; factories here produce iron and steel, sugar, beer, pottery, optical instruments, machinery, and construction materials.
Historic landmarks in the city include the stone bridge across the Saar (1546), the Gothic church of St Arnual, the 18th century Saarbrücker Schloss (castle) and the old part of the town, the St. Johanner Markt. In 1815 Saarbrücken came under Prussian control, and for two periods in the 20th century (1919-1935 and 1945-1957) it became part of the Saar territory under French administration. For this reason, coupled with its proximity to the French border, it retains a certain French influence. (more…)

Rostock: Germany

Rostock: Germany
Rostock (slavic origin: roztoka) is a city in northern Germany. It is the largest city in the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Rostock is located on the Warnow river; the quarter of Warnemünde 12 km north of the city centre lies directly on the coast of the Baltic Sea.
Sights
University Square Universitätsplatz with the fountain of zest for live (Brunnen der Lebensfreude)
pedestrian precinct Kröpeliner Straße
St Mary (Marienkirche) 13th century, with an astronomical clock from 1472
St Nikolai (Nikolaikirche), 13th century
Town Hall (oldest parts 1290)
Medieval city wall with four remaining town gates
premier league (Bundesliga) soccer club FC Hansa Rostock

Reutlingen: Germany

Reutlingen: Germany
Reutlingen is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the same-named district Reutlingen. As of September 2004 it has a population of 109,939. Reutlingen has a university, which was founded in 1855, originally as a weaver’s school. Reutlingen is located at 48° 29’ 34 North, 9° 12’ 45 East, 380m above sea level. It lies right next to the Swabian Jura, hence why it is often called The gate to the Swabian Jura (German Das Tor zur Schwäbischen Alb).
History
The first settlements in the area are believed to date from the 4th/5th century.. (more…)