The Most Important Historical Places in Germany

You should definitely visit these historical places in Germany

On the occasion of the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, we have compiled the most important historical places in Germany for you. At these places, you can feel especially close to German’s fascinating history. 

Historical Places in Germany

In the footsteps of the Romans

• Trier
• Limes
• Sites of the Varus Battle

Nazi Period

• Former Concentration Camp Buchenwald, Weimar
• Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Nuremberg
• Reichstag Building, Berlin
• Olympic Stadium Berlin
• German Resistance Memorial Center, Berlin

Symbolic Places of German Division

• Checkpoint Charlie
• Bradenburg Gate
• Reichstag Building, Berlin
• Berlin Wall

In the footsteps of the Romans

In 55 B.C. Caesar crossed the Rhine for the first time with his troops and from 13/12 B.C. commander Drusus began campaigns against the Germanic tribes. Even today, in many places you can still find the traces of the Romans, who strongly shaped the history of Germany.

The Romans in Trier

Trier is the oldest city in Germany and you can still find many remains of Roman culture. Besides the Porta Nigra (the black gate), you can also visit the Roman baths here. Again and again, Roman sites are found on construction sites in the area. You should also visit these places when you are in Trier:

• Trier Cathedral, the oldest church in Germany
• Karl Marx Birthplace and the Karl Marx Statue
• Medieval Trier city center, with many marketplaces and old buildings

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Follow the Limes

On an 800km long bike tour, you can follow the Limes from the Rhine to the Danube. Along the way, you’ll pass Roman buildings, old parts of the Limes wall, and many museums that show the influence of the Romans on German culture. Of course, you can also grab your history-loving TripMates and discover the Limes by car!

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Sites of the Varus Battle

In 9 AD, one-eighth of the Roman army was destroyed by the Germanic tribes under the leadership of Hermann, a prince of the Cherusci. The sites of the Varus Battle are believed to be in northern NRW, Lower Saxony, and what is now the Netherlands. In the Teutoburg Forest, you can see the Hermann Monument near Detmold.

 

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Nazi Period

Many places in Germany are marked by the Nazi era. We have compiled the most important historical places of this time for you.

Former Concentration Camp Buchenwald, Weimar

This concentration camp was one of the largest concentration camps on German soil and is located on the Ettersberg near Weimar. It served as a labor and death camp from July 1937 to April 1945. Approximately 56,000 people fell victim to the Nazi regime here. Since 1958, the site has been home to a national memorial and memorial site with many exhibitions on the history of the camp. This site is a place of rest and remembrance.

Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Nuremberg

In the southeast of the city of Nuremberg, the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds cover 16.5 square kilometers. From 1933 to 1938, the site was used for the party congresses of the NSDAP. Since 2001, the buildings have housed a documentation center with exhibitions about Nazi Germany.

 

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Other historical places from the Nazi period

• Reichstag building, Berlin
  • The current parliament building is, since its construction in 1894, one of the most important historical places in Germany.
• Olympic Stadium Berlin
  • The stadium was built from 1934 to 1936 for the XI Olympic Games in 1936. Today it hosts many sporting events and is the home of the soccer club Herta BSC.
• German Resistance Memorial Center, Berlin
  • In the Stauffenbergstr. in the Bendlerblock is the memorial for the resistance fighters of the 2nd World War. They tried to assassinate Hitler on July 20, 1944, and were executed for it in the Bendlerblock.

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Symbolic places of the German division

Germany was divided from 1949 to 1990. Many places, especially in Berlin, commemorate this time and also the fall of the Wall.

Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie was one of the Berlin border crossings that connected the American sector with the Soviet sector. Today it is one of the most famous sights in Berlin. Since 2000, you can even visit a replica of the control barracks here. As in other places in Berlin-Mitte, a double row of cobblestones commemorates the course of the Berlin Wall.

 

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Brandenburg Gate

With the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, the Brandenburg Gate stood in the middle of the restricted area between the American and Soviet sectors. The wall at the Brandenburg Gate was a low but particularly thick armored wall. On June 12, 1987, on the occasion of his visit to Berlin, Ronald Reagan spoke his famous words in front of the Brandenburg Gate: “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”.

So, have we inspired you to plan your next trip to Berlin? Then, check out JoinMyTrip now and discover your next Berlin adventure.

 

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Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to seal off the GDR and East Berlin from West Berlin. The wall was about 160 km long and only open at border crossings, such as Checkpoint Charlie. In West Berlin, people were allowed to walk right up to the Wall. However,iIn East Berlin, the Wall was inaccessible due to the exclusion zone. In November 1989, the Wall fell, sealing the end of the Cold War.

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Historical places in Germany not to be missed

• Cologne Cathedral and the Cologne city center, here you can feel the Middle Ages.
• Aachen Cathedral, walks in the footsteps of Charlemagne.
• Wartburg, the place where Martin Luther translated the Bible.
• Dresden Frauenkirche, Dresden is also known as the “Florence on the Elbe”.

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